Vikings season 6 sees the demise of some popular characters including the historically inspired Ivar the Boneless, but how did the real Ivar die?
The main antagonist in Vikings, Ivar the Boneless, met his fate in the inal episode, but how did Ivar the Boneless die, and how does his death in Vikings compare to the end of the real Ivar the Boneless? Ivar the Boneless' death and real life inspiration are examples of how Vikings loosely interprets history. Vikings has now come to an end after six seasons, and it brought the stories of Ragnar’s sons to an end, but not all of them continue after the events of the series. The cruel and seemingly indestructible Ivar dies in battle after seeing Hvitserk exhausted and injured and struggling to keep fighting.
He joins the battle so Hvitserk can stand back and survive, with Hvitserk simultaneously pointing out that Ivar’s eyes were blue, which meant that he was in great danger of breaking his bones.
Vikings' Ivar the Boneless urges his warriors to keep fighting, reminding anyone close enough to hear him that he and his people were not afraid to die. He then turns around to find a young man with a dagger who stabs Ivar multiple times in the stomach, killing him, but how does that compare to the real Ivar the Boneless death?
Was Ivar The Boneless Vikings’ Death Historically Accurate?
Although the team behind Vikings continually aims to be as historically accurate as possible, in most cases there aren’t many historical records about the characters, which leaves ample room for creative interpretation by the showrunners. However, Ivar is one of the few Vikings characters based on a real-life person, who was born with weak bones and given the nickname “Boneless.” While he is considered one of the greatest Viking leaders with links to Norse mythology, it’s not clear how and when the Ivar the Boneless death happened, with some historians claiming he died in 870 and others in 873.
As for who kills Ivar the Boneless, it's actually speculated that a sudden and horrible disease gripped the evil warrior, thus making way for the possibility that “Boneless” was not about a condition he was born with, but instead a moniker for an unknown disease that struck him later on in his life. The discovery of a mass grave in England, near the battle site where the Great Heathen Army overthrew the Mercian King Burgred of his kingdom, sparked rumors about it being the resting place of Ivar.
Over 250 partial skeletons were found surrounding the body, pointing at the man buried there being of very high status.
However, if this does indeed explain the location of Ivar’s body, then he most likely died in battle, just like in Vikings, although it remains unclear if he had any other disease at the time of his demise. Ivar’s death in Vikings has been met with a lot of criticism from viewers who believed the Ivar the Boneless's death was poorly written and that it does not fit the character, even though it grants poignant closure to Ivar’s chaotic yet interesting arc.
What We Know About Vikings: Valhalla Season 3
While Vikings covered the very beginnings of the Viking Age, Valhalla covers the end of this Norse era, and Vikings: Valhalla season 3 will continue this story. Vikings: Valhalla season 3 is confirmed and was being shot back-to-back with season 2, though the exact release date of season 3 is unknown. The season will pick up where season 2 left off, as Freydis is now the leader of Jomsborg following Harekr's death, and it'll follow Freydis reign as she takes much better care of the townspeople. Jomsborg will become a much safer place for pagans, especially following Freydis' peace treaty with Queen Aelgifu, though there'll undoubtedly be more conflict that the town has to endure.
