Ahhhh my travelers managed to survive yesterday’s battles despite some unfortunate and painful defeats. They started the day with such high hopes of success too, only to be met with frustrating losses towards the end of their day. Fortunately, whilst I was holding down the home fort, I was able to achieve some amount of victory by scouting the twitter feeds for much desperately craved information about our Vikings! Let me note here, that was a most daunting and exhausting challenge in itself and by the end I felt as though I had been in the midst of the battle myself! I will get to those results soon. First let me share my warriors’ experiences because they truly did try and I must give them credit, thanks and appreciation for all of their efforts!
As I said, they began the day with high hopes of great success… Their first victory came in being able to get into the Big Bang panel discussion. I have mentioned, have I not, that my warriors are self admitted Trekkies, science and history geeks and proud to call themselves dorks, nerds, geeks or what ever other label you might pin on them. Their obsessions and passions include a wide range of genres besides just Vikings or Outlander. So because of that, they are in their highest glory and excitement at being at a place filled with so many of their idols and their peoples!
After their success with Big Bang, they attended a panel preview of new Fox show, Lucifer. Lucifer is an upcoming American television series that is set to air on Fox, and it is a loose adaptation of the comic book character created by Neil Gaiman for the comic book series The Sandman and its spin off comic book series Lucifer written by Mike Carey, both published by DC Comics‘ Vertigo imprint. The series was officially picked up on May 9, 2015 for the 2015–16 season and it is scheduled to premiere in 2016.
The series will focus on Lucifer, “who is bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell and resigns his throne and abandons his kingdom for the beauty of Los Angeles, where he gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals.”
Cast and characters
- Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar: The Lord of Hell who is bored of his life, abdicates and becomes consultant at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). running his own nightclub called Lux along the way.
- Lesley-Ann Brandt as Maze: Lover, confidante and a devoted ally of Lucifer Morningstar. She is the war leader of the Lilin, a race descended from Lilith. Lina Esco was originally cast for the role.
- Lauren German as Chloe Dance: A homicide detective who aids Lucifer as he helps the LAPD solve crimes. The character description describes her as someone who is “repulsed and fascinated” by Lucifer as they work together to solve a murder.
- Kevin Alejandro as Dan: A LAPD homicide detective who is not a fan of Lucifer mainly because of the hellraiser’s connection to his wife and daughter. Nicholas Gonzalez was cast as Dan and shot the pilot episode.
- Rachael Harris as Linda: Lucifer’s therapist
- D. B. Woodside as Amenadiel: An angel that heads to Los Angeles planning to convince Lucifer to go back to Hell.
Sadly my warriors encountered their defeat in the afternoon… They made an attempt to storm the gates of the Vikings Panel but were thwarted in their efforts by the massive crowds and others also waiting in line. I do not hold ill wishes against them for this failure, they tried their hardest and felt much pain at the resounding loss. Not wanting to call the afternoon a total loss, they headed to their next destination, a panel discussion for Cosmos. They arrived there only to find that the much anticipated event had been cancelled! This completely devastated them and they chose to retreat themselves to the beach for the evening to lick their wounds and regroup for another day of battle.
As I mentioned earlier, I spent most of the afternoon yesterday deep in the trenches of twitter battle to retrieve Vikings information and news, so all was not a total waste on the Vikings front. I will try now to provide you with some photo recaps of the Vikings experiences as well as the latest rumors regarding the upcoming season.
First, before anything else because I know that you all want to see it if you haven’t yet… and believe me, you do want to see it- and see it again and again! Here is the official trailer!
Now, like so many others, my first reaction was, “Ohhh My Gods, WTF!” Ok, it still is that reaction, but after having had some time to calm down a bit, I reminded myself of a few important things. These promo trailers are made up of so many different clips spliced together in such way as to cause the most shock value, panic and drama. They are often put together out of context or sequence and lead you make assumptions on what will take place. Keeping that in mind, we should not draw too many concrete conclusions on the events as they occur in the promo trailer. What we do get for sure from this series of clips is that Yes, Ragnar has survived and looks much healthier but no less happy. Yes, Floki seems to be paying dearly for his involvement in Athelstan’s death, and it appears that Bjorn takes some hand in his arrest. Aslaug does seek out the Seer to find out whether she might gain some power and status… and Ragnar does not seem too happy with her. Speaking of unhappy, Gisla appears none too happy about her wedding to Rollo- but then he doesn’t look all that happy about either? It appears that we do get to see this Royal Wedding- which is a plus for so many of us waiting for this event! We also get to see some not so wedded bliss afterwards… unless of course you think having your wife attempt to slit your throat is an indication of wedding bliss?
Rollo’s supposed betrayal of his own people is mentioned but we really have no reason behind it or that battle as yet, so I think it’s unfair to jump to immediate conclusions. I will say that Rollo had to make some difficult choices on his road to power and those choices often involve decisions that might not sit well with others. I remain on Rollo’s side!
I will provide a more in depth look at the trailer after I get through the rest of this Comicon weekend! The panel discussion and various interviews confirmed the added episodes for next season with much of the reason being due to the increased interest in the show and the massive following it has developed. So many fans have voiced their desire to see more episodes that the powers above have listened! Other news that has fans curious is that of a new relationship for Ragnar. Michael Hirst commented that he did much historical research to assure that this relationship would have been plausible during that time period… all he would confirm or verify is that it is a human, not a bear as Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn) suggests, or a goat as some of us might think. I will share now that recently I came across a video audition clip of some unknown actress reading for the part of Yidu. (Try as I might, I have not been able to track it down again) Anyway, during this reading, the character of Yidu tells a little of her past, her voyage and then must decide whether to accept a proposition to become part of the King Ragnar’s household and accept bedding with him. A second portion of the reading involved a conversation between Ragnar and Yidu where he asks her about her past, asks her to share her secret and offers to share his secret with her.
There was some discussion about the previous Bear clip, and about Bjorn? Alexander Ludwig commented that the Bear’s resume is probably more famous than anyone in the cast since the Bear is the same one of Anchorman fame. He also added some explanation for his run in with the bear- after finding that Porunn has left, Bjorn sets of his own solitary quest to put his life in some better perspective. During that quest, he encounters the Bear, his own immortality and it plays a role in his decisions about his future.
The panel discussion is not yet available to watch, but rest assured that when it becomes available, I will share it here as quickly as possible! From the twitter feeds, it was awesome and our Clive Standen was a huge hit when he tossed T-shirts out to the audience!
Clive also consulted the Seer for answers… and took a great selfie with all of the fans! Three cheers, Hands up, and voices raised in appreciation of our Clive!
Here are some additional pictures of yesterday’s Vikings Fest and the cast out and about with the fans!
Now back to my own fearless warriors and what’s on their agenda for their last day at Comicon. As I said, they made retreat last night, took some time to regroup, refocus and approach today with a new battle plan… They awoke with renewed optimism- a new day, a new plan! They were determined to succeed this time…
Even the youngest one amongst them was determined… I am told that she have been exposed to a bit too much of Spiderman? She came down the stairs this morning with one simple greeting to her fellow travelers, “I’m back!” Yes, her Mother is attired in R2D2 apparel… I did say this is a group of true and highly proud Geeks!
Their revised battle plan has paid off… They were successful in gaining entry to the grand ballroom where they will remain for the day and attend all of the events offered there including Once upon a Time, Grimm, a Seth Macfarlane panel on animation, and the final crowning glory of OUTLANDER!!!
This is from their first event… Once upon a Time.
Most recent update… sitting in on Norman Reedus discussion
Ok, I am off for now to attend to other priorities… I shall return later this evening with an update on the rest of the day at Comicon and hopefully news and pics of Outlander!
Time Slips 
Also looks like Lagertha is poised to castrate somebody. Think it is Kalf?
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Yes that looks like Calf. OMG! She might actually do it. She’s got blood all over her.
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Standen was not exaggerating when he said “uphill struggle” and “fireworks.”
You’re right that Rollo definitely looks conflicted and ambivalent. Whether this is because he feels pity for Gisla or because he has to suffer a Christian wedding, I do not know. Though I would think whichever bishop who is conducting this wedding might feel skittish about having another Viking at the altar, especially after what happened to his predecessor at Ragnar’s “funeral.”
In addition to the smiling Emperor Charles, we also see Count Odo looking smug in the gallery. I wonder how much of this was really Charles’ idea, or if Count Odo had a strong hand in suggesting it, as Gisla alleged.
As dramatic as the wedding night dagger is, it is not really surprising. Even the fan fiction authors who have written about Gisla have portrayed her as contemplating murdering Rollo at the altar and/or committing suicide. She is probably not going to kill him on the wedding night, so we can guess some outcomes:
(a) Rollo wakes up and stops her and beats her in retaliation;
(b) Rollo wakes up and stops her but admires her defiance; or
(c) Gisla hesitates and decides she cannot do it because she has to honor her vows no matter how much she despises her husband, and Rollo remains asleep and is none the wiser.
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Haaa yes, one of those three outcomes, along with the childish Gisla not being allowed to play with sharp objects any time soon!
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“I was awake last night, Gisla. I saw you. I think we should take some time apart.”
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“Gisla, if you do not care for the length of my hair, all you need to is ask me to cut it! There is no need for you to attempt it yourself while you think I am sleeping!”
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At the wedding part, Rollo is looking at her sideways. Obviously, he hears her crying. I think Rollo feels bad that she is suffering. He did feel bad for Bjorn when Porunn was hurt. He does have some sympathy for people. He’s probably thinking: Oh more of the same. After what he told the seer. Clive Standen said Nobody has ever loved Rollo. Clive STanden said:” people are motivated by different things, love power and ambition.”. I think Ragnar and Eckbert are motivated by power. I think Rollo is motivated by wanting to be loved. He’s never had it and he wants it. I think Rollo is going to wake up, in fact he might be faking sleep, and then disarm her. I think he expects her to do something. He’s seen how desperate and scared she is. He probably heard that she grabbed Ragnar, right after Ragnar killed the priest. I think Helga is going to release FLOKI. We know Floki goes to Iceland. I am really starting to hate Bjorn. Is he going to like do everything Ragnar says? Or are there some things he just won’t do?
I am also starting to think Aslaug is a bigger bitch than I imagined. Afterall, doesn’t she give two sh*t’s that Ragnar is the father of her boys and if she takes Kattegat, what will become of the children?
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“Rollo, you have betrayed your own kind!”
When Rollo accepted the Frankish Emperor’s offer, most viewers’ reactions were along the lines of “Again?” or “Been there, done that.” But in one key way, this betrayal is more important and worse than the first, and not just because it is the second.
Both times, Rollo has betrayed his blood, his home, his local tribe. All severe taboos in their own right. But when he first betrayed Ragnar, he sided with Jarl Borg. And Jarl Borg was at least another Viking, who worshiped the same gods and was of the same “kind.” This time, Rollo has sided with Christians, a more egregious violation. He has not just betrayed his brother, his family, his tribe, etc. He has betrayed all of Viking “kind.”
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When following one’s fate or destiny, there often difficult and painful choices to make along the way. Rollo had to make a choice in his path. Hirst has said all along that he would not stray far from Rollo’s actual history. Historically, Rollo swore allegiance to Charles and kept his oat until Charles died, after Charles died however, all bets and oaths were off the table! Also consider this, Rollo is now a land holder and must take steps to defend his own land as well as that of the Franks. If he has to betray his blood in order to do it, he will. Also, many of his men shared in those landholdings so would fight to defend it. And, as a last thought for now- the snippets of clips for these promo trailers are often so edited and spliced together that it’s difficult to actually know what all is going on surrounding each small snip. There is definitely a battle and a man is accusing Rollo of betraying his own, warning that Ragnar will come to seek revenge… but who is this other man? Is he just one disgruntled warrior unable to deal with the harsh reality of what they have to do, is he one of Rollo’s men warning of Ragnar’s impending arrival, or is he one from the other side that Rollo meets in battle? We don’t know any of that. Rollo knew from the beginning that it could come down to this sort of battle and his men would have known that as well. It is a risk one must take in the game of power. Ragnar too has killed his own- as in that survivor- and kept it a secret…he has also sided with Christians, so he really has nothing to feel more upright and justified about. At least Rollo is doing it out in the open in battle and not secretly murdering an innocent survivor!
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I myself am not condemning Rollo, but just imagining the reasons that his people will view his second betrayal as being of a greater magnitude than the first. Indeed, I have anxiously awaited this plot development since the first season. Yes, it is true that Ragnar has fought alongside Christians (much to Floki’s disapproval) and that he has killed many of his own people throughout his rise to power, including innocents (the surviving settler, Horik’s daughters). Ragnar is certainly in no position to judge or condemn. Though I do not think Ragnar’s actions are entirely equivalent with Rollo’s. Not yet.
Ragnar killing his own people is gruesome, but it is not in itself considered a kind of betrayal. Rulers killing members of their own group, even innocents, is usually a matter of course when they consolidate and maintain power. When Ragnar sided with Christians in Wessex, they helped by attacking and killing other Christians in Mercia, and arguably it was for the benefit of the Viking people by establishing a settlement (though King Ecbert snuffed that out). I think the difference lies in who you ally with and who you kill. Siding with outside groups is allowed. Killing your own people is allowed. But siding with an outside foreign group to kill your own people is what violates the more sacred taboo. And this is not an opinion only held by Vikings. Remember the Wessex bishop denouncing Athelstan upon realizing that he used to be monk but now raids with the pagans, telling him that an apostate is the lowest and most abominable thing.
You are right that we do not know the context of the scene in which the man denounces Rollo. Based on the fact that there seems to be a forest camp set up, and there are Viking women and children getting attacked by Frankish soldiers, I surmised that this was some kind of advance contingent sent by Ragnar ahead of the main force to shore up a foothold in preparation for their return to Paris. But I could be wrong. You have pointed out that the men who remain with Rollo would mostly be loyal to him. Though I would be surprised if a few of Rollo’s men did not feel uneasy about his decision and might waiver. And when will Ragnar finally learn of this? Will he only learn about Rollo’s decision when he reaches Paris? Or will some guy in a rowboat paddle into Kattegat to deliver Ragnar these bad tidings?
I do agree that “following one’s fate or destiny” and pursuing greatness is fraught with “difficult and painful choices.” And for Rollo, it appears that one of those painful choices will be breaking away from his “kind” and fighting against them on the side of Christians. Because Ragnar and the Vikings are the primary protagonists, this vexes a lot of viewers. Every trailer has loads of comments from people bemoaning that Rollo “betrays” his brother again and wishing that this will be another false start. People keep on insisting that either Rollo will regret his decision and crawl back to Ragnar, or that this must be some ploy to fool the Franks that Ragnar has designed from the start. The evidence from both the show and Michael Hirst suggests that these hopes are in vain. When the Seer said that the “bear will marry a princess,” he said it would “not bode well” for Ragnar. It is something that will threaten Ragnar’s interests. Hirst said that had Ragnar been well, he would not even have let Rollo remain in Paris for precisely this reason. He has insisted that this time the conflict between the brothers will be definitive and that Rollo knows he has crossed his Rubicon. He cannot hesitate and backslide like he did the first time. He believes that his bid for greatness rests in siding with the Franks, so he must go into it “whole hog.”
I think after the second and third seasons, people have this idea of Ragnar as some kind of omniscient, unstoppable mastermind who cannot possibly be beaten, who must always somehow be pulling the strings. The idea that something can be out of his control and actually threaten or chasten him now seems to upset some viewers.
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I agree with you 100%! Many viewers see this as the Ragnar Lothbrok show rather than the Viking saga which tells the stories of all of them. Some have made comment that if Ragnar dies they will no longer watch the show. They assume as you mention, that he is that omnisicient hero who can not lose or be defeated… and some even take the stance that what ever he does is ok cause he is the “hero” the star of the show. Hirst never intended that Ragnar be such a force, and in fact mentioned that his original plan was to kill him off after season one!
I completely understand and accept that this is going to be looked at as the ultimate betrayal by Rollo towards Ragnar and that Rollo will have to cut ties with his family and blood group for the foreseeable future. Does this in some way make him a villain in this story… not from my perspective- I’ve been waiting three damn seasons for this! All I have to say is, it’s about frickin time for Rollo’s story to start!
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Well we know the real Rollo was exiled for something. He was loyal to the Carolingian family. That is why historians think he married someone from that family. Odo takes the kingdom after and is the first non Carolingian. Rollo’s family makes an alliance with the capets. So he’s involved in a type of Franish civil war. We know the real Rollo shows up in Normandy alone. He was quite old when the Frankish woman had William and Gerloc. He was old enough to be a grandfather. Perhaps Rollo’s Viking family died. AT the beginning of the series. Ragnar, the younger brother, has a family of pre teens. So what happened to Rollo’s family? Did they pass away, and was he responsible for it. We know that in Viking religion, children don’t go to Valhalla. Maybe that’s one reason the real Rollo converted to Christianity, maybe he wanted to see his dead children and he heard that in the Christian religion they might be there. He was really old when he died, which was a disgrace for a Viking but not for a Christian. Tolerating the infirmities of Old age with Grace was considered meritorious. Maybe that was a way of getting to the after life to see his dead children. He never mentions children to the seer. WE know Siggy’s children are in Valhalla but they were old when they died. He never mentions it.
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What sources report that Rollo was exiled? Not saying that it did not happen, but I have not read any accounts saying that. Just because he was out raiding and marauding does not necessarily mean he was unwelcome in his homeland. He and his men may simply have decided that settling in Normandy was a better prospect than returning home.
Historically, I am not sure about the rest. You are saying that Rollo had a preexisting loyalty to the Carolingian family before he entered into the treaty and married Gisela? I thought Rollo vowed fealty to Charles in the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte and the marriage to Gisela was a way of sealing that treaty. It is true that Count Odo deposed Charles the Fat, but that was in the 880’s. Rollo supposedly made his treaty with Charles the Simple in 911, which would have been after Odo’s reign, so I am not sure about Rollo being involved in that civil conflict. Charles the Simple himself did subsequently face a civil war which deposed him, so maybe you were referring to that?
But as we know, accounts of this period are sometimes conflicting and unreliable. Some historians doubt that there really was a Gisela.
That is a touching thought. Though I think the political advantage of converting surely played some part in it. And from some accounts, Rollo maintained some of his paganism to his death, allegedly sacrificing 100 prisoners to Odin (but also donating some gold to Christ).
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I think Rollo sacrificed the prisoners to Odin because he still wanted to see his Viking family in Valhalla. Just like Ragnar wanted to be baptised to see Athelstan, but he still believes in the Norse gods too. These people don’t think in either or terms, but that maybe both could be true. After Roilo did the sacrifice, he puts on the monks habit and dies in a monastery. Perhaps he wanted to be with his Frankish family or his small children from when he was young. Dying in old age was a great disgrace for a Viking. He was super old and buried in a monastery which was bad in the Viking religion. This story says he was exiled for stealing from the king. https://vikingstories.omeka.net/exhibits/show/normandy/dux Rollo’s kidnapped wife may have been the grand daughter of Bernard of Italy the grandson of Charlemagne. Some people think that he already had a foothold with the Emperor before he was offered the treaty. That maybe he was offered the treaty because of his kidnapped wife. He was a minor viking leader. That would explain why he was chosen. http://www.robertsewell.ca/poppa.html
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We know that the Normans did drive off the Vikings. So of course it’s a betrayal. I think Bjorn gets driven away and that’s why he ends up going to the Mediterranean for a while. Eventually the Normans made up with the Vikings because the Vikings visited Normandy. In fact, St. Olav because Christian at the Norman court, and brought it all back to Scandinavia. https://sites.google.com/site/haydonhaydenkeysgenealogy/SGT-WILLIAM-HAYDEN-IN-THE-PEQUOT-INDIAN-WAR-1637/our-viking—norman—english-origins
We know at Hastings that Harald the Saxon killed Harald Hardrada and then Duke William defeated King Harald. The legend says that William sang the song of Roland. That was the song that telling the story of how Roland was killed by the Saracens (it might have actually been the basques) and Charelmagne avenges him. We saw the Oroflame last season. The Oroflame was carried on the Holy Lance, and the legend says that whoever possessed the lance ruled the world. Right before the battle the legend says that Duke William saw a comet and interpreted that as as an omen that he would win. This echos the legend of Constantine who saw the sign of the Chi Rho in the sky, “under this sign Conquer”. Duke William’s battle flag is the comet. http://legends.wikia.com/wiki/The_Comet-Embroidered_Battle_Flag_of_William_the_Conqueror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdl0kewpplw
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Technically, I think Harald Hardrada was defeated and killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, up in East Yorkshire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stamford_Bridge
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Hi! Love your blog!
Question: was Athestans death talked about at all on the vikings panel? I gonna miss George so much….hope Ragnar keeps the cross on.
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I don’t believe it was addressed but I think we will see or hear more of him in the future? I am working on deciphering the next season preview for everyone right now and it includes some reference to Athelstan!
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In the trailer, you hear Athelstan narrating it by quoting from the Book of Ecclesiastes. And there is brief shot of Athelstan with long hair and a beard, making the sign of the cross. So either he will appear in somebody’s dream or vision, or as a ghost.
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