Amleth vs. Ragnar: Which Viking Is Stronger?
We have seen a lot of Vikings movies and shows over the past decade, and there have been plenty of prominent Vikings that have appeared onscreen. Amleth is the latest Viking to enter the scenes as he is the star of the 2022 movie The Northman. Meanwhile, we do know that Ragnar has become one of the most popular names when it comes to Vikings because he was the star of the Vikings series. But who between Amleth and Ragnar is stronger?
A fight between Amleth and Ragnar could go both ways. While Amleth is the superior warrior in terms of his physical prowess, we do know that Ragnar is the more accomplished leader and strategist out of the two. Therefore, it is tough to say who between them is stronger.
In a straight-up fight, Amleth might win against Ragnar 8 out of 10 times. But let’s not forget that Ragnar himself is a strong fighter and a military genius. As such, if we were to look at it from an overall aspect, Ragnar’s ability to think of strategies and to lead his men into battle could help trim any physical advantage that Amleth has over him.
Size
One of the things that make Amleth such an imposing fighter is the fact that he is huge. Alexander Skarsgard, the one playing the character, stands 6’4” and is a muscular beast that could overpower a lot of other fighters. This means that, through his height and reach alone, he could already be a difficult opponent to handle for any other Viking. And that’s why he is a great fighter and a ferocious Viking to deal with.
Ragnar isn’t a small man as he stands 6 feet tall, and that means that he is bigger than the average person. We have seen Ragnar using his size to his advantage in Vikings. Nevertheless, as tall as he is, he was never the biggest fighter in the Vikings series as his brother Rollo and his son Bjorn are far bigger.
The fact that Amleth is so much bigger than Ragnar gives him an edge here. It is worth noting that, in Vikings, Rollo and Bjorn were often considered to be stronger than Ragnar because they were bigger. And that means that Amleth’s size could play a factor in a fight against Ragnar, especially considering that he’s a lot bigger.
Points: Amleth 1, Ragnar 0
Strength
By virtue of the fact that Amleth is a big and muscular man, he is also quite strong. While size isn’t always the best factor in assessing a person’s strength, in The Northman, he was seen cutting people down to size with an axe with such ease because of his superior size and strength. Amleth is a perfect Viking precisely because his ferocity as a fighter goes well with his imposing size.
While he was never the biggest Viking in his own show, Ragnar displayed impressive strength in his own right as well because he could cut people down to size with his weapons with ease. Nevertheless, he isn’t the strongest character in the series because his brother and his son are far stronger, and that means that he often won battles without relying entirely on his size and strength.
Amleth once again takes the point here because he is superior to Ragnar when you look at his physical attributes. He is a big and strong dude that will easily overpower smaller people. And considering that Ragnar is smaller, a straight-up fight based on their physical capabilities would always be in favor of Amleth.
Points: Amleth 2, Ragnar 0
Speed and Agility
While he may be a big and muscular Viking, Amleth is by no means a bumbling giant because he can actually move really well for his size. He is quick and agile for a man standing 6’4” of pure muscle, and that means that smaller fighters won’t be able to catch him off guard quite easily. Amleth moves with his weapons with such grace and agility that you wouldn’t think that he’s a big man.
One of the things that Ragnar has going for him is his speed and agility. While other Vikings may be bigger and stronger, he has shown incredible speed and agility throughout the entire series, and that means that he could win a battle thanks to his mobility and ferocity as a fighter. In a lot of cases, a faster and more agile person can win a battle against a bigger and slower opponent.
Despite the fact that Amleth is the bigger fighter, it seems that he is just as quick and as nimble as Ragnar is. This is the only area where Ragnar tends to stand out against bigger opponents, but the fact that Amleth is just as fast and agile as he is makes this round a tie.
Points: Amleth 2, Ragnar 0
Intelligence
In The Northman, there weren’t a lot of situations where Amleth was shown to be quite smart because this is a movie that’s all about raw ferocity and brutal fights. That means that it can be difficult to judge how smart Amleth is. Nevertheless, it might be safe to say that he isn’t a dumb fighter because he would’ve died long ago had he been stupid. That means that he should be at least average in terms of his intelligence.
Throughout the entire Vikings series, one of the things that Ragnar often used against his enemies was his cunning. He was shown to be quite intelligent and very cunning when it came to coming up with strategies that would give him the victory. While not all of his plans worked perfectly well, he was still able to win some battles because of his strategic way of looking at their raids. This is why he was one of the most feared Vikings throughout the entire series.
While Amleth isn’t shown to be stupid, there aren’t a lot of Vikings that could stand up to what Ragnar could do as a military strategist. He is a great thinker and a wise tactician as long as his emotions don’t get in the way. As such, he takes the cake in this round against Amleth.
Points: Amleth 2, Ragnar 1
Leadership
Amleth was born to be a king, and we saw his leadership skills in action in some of the scenes of The Northman when he led raids and battles against the different opponents that he faced throughout the entire movie. However, it was never really his leadership that stood out about him, as what really stood out about Amleth was his brutality and strength as a fighter. Nevertheless, he still is a good leader in his own right because of his bloodline.
One of the things that have made Ragnar the most prominent Viking in history is his leadership. In Vikings, he was arguably the greatest leader the Vikings have ever had because he could unite different Vikings under his leadership. He was also the one who led a lot of the different raids before he even became king, and that was what led him to be the chosen leader of his people.
Even though Amleth was born to be a king, Ragnar’s leadership skills allowed him to make a name for himself as a simple peasant to a great king. As such, we can never discount the fact that a person who worked his way up from scratch is a better leader than someone who was born with leadership qualities.
Points: Amleth 2, Ragnar 2
Amleth vs. Ragnar: Which Viking Is Stronger?
In a battle between Amleth and Ragnar, it is quite possible that a straight-up one-on-one fight that relies only on the character’s physical capabilities will always allow Amleth to win. Ragnar isn’t even the strongest Viking in his own series because his brother and his son are stronger than he is. However, if we now factor in Ragnar’s intelligence and leadership skills, that is when things will become tricky, as he could use his cunning and charisma to win any other battle against Amleth. That’s why we cannot say for sure who will win a battle between Amleth and Ragnar.