SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses Episode 7 (titled “The Ice Maiden”) of History Channel’s Vikings . Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed all available episodes and wish to avoid spoilers.
For viewers that thought the death of their beloved Lagertha ( Katheryn Winnick ) would be too hard to bear, it turns out that her funeral is much more harrowing. And, for the star who played the iconic character, it was a funeral she couldn’t even watch, according to TV Line .
Episode 7 of Vikings saw the funeral being arranged for Lagertha. As previously reported by The Inquisitr , the aging shieldmaiden battled bandits and won in Episode 6 only to succumb to Hvitserk (Marco Ilso) and his hallucinations when she crawled into Kattegat.
In the latest episode of Vikings , the funeral preparations span the entire episode, spliced in between the other goings-on in Scandinavia.
Gunnhild (Ragga Ragnars) asks for a human sacrifice to follow Lagertha to Valhalla and Torvi (Georgia Hirst) volunteers. However, considering she is currently with child, she is rejected because her child cannot make their own choice yet regarding the sacrifice. Instead, a raven is used and it lands on the shoulder of a woman called Gyda (Emma Willis). Of course, this is also the name of Lagertha’s daughter who died in Season 1 of Vikings , making it a poetic choice.
In addition, many characters get their moments to say goodbye to Lagertha. Her son, Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), also arrives during the funeral and gives a fitting speech about the loss of his mother.
As the funeral continues, Lagertha is placed onboard a longship and given grave goods before the boat is set alight. Her beloved shieldmaidens participate in various parts of the funeral procession and viewers are left devastated over the loss of the fan-favorite character.
Once again, music by Song of Goat Theatre features in this episode of Vikings, and Torvi sings a song regarding the fallen shieldmaiden.
However, while the entire funeral is an emotional journey, it is the last moments that are truly devastating. As the longship is being pulled out into the open waters, Lagertha’s granddaughter, Asa (Elodie Curry), looks down into the ice and sees her grandmother descending into the depths.
As she does so, she becomes younger and finally reaches the bottom of the bay. She comes to settle next to a sand image of her first husband, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel). Here, she also turns to sand and the pair blow away into oblivion. As the episode concludes, the power couple is finally united once more.
Season 6 of Vikings returns to the History Channel on Wednesday, January 22, at 10 p.m.
