How Does Bjorn Ironside Die in Vikings?

One of the things that we know is that the original Vikings series was one that spanned years, as Ragnar Lothbrok’s story had to be told in a manner that allowed time to move forward fast enough. As such, he sired a lot of different children who all became legendary in their own right but eventually died in a manner befitting of a Viking or due to old age. His eldest was Bjorn, who was given the nickname Ironside due to his might. But how did Bjorn Ironside die in Vikings?

Bjorn died after he was shot with arrows numerous times during the battle against the Rus. At that point, he had already suffered grave injuries at that point. Bjorn Ironside eventually succumbed to his wounds and died on the battlefield, as one of the Rus confirmed that he was indeed dead.

The death of Bjorn is one that people could say is of his own doing, as it was his merciful nature that got him killed. Nevertheless, Bjorn died in a manner fit for a Viking because he fought as hard as he could against his enemies and was a relentless fighter until death eventually came for him. Now, with that said, let’s look at what we know about how Bjorn Ironside died.

Who Is Bjorn Ironside In Vikings?

We know that the entire Vikings series is one that spans decades due to how it tells the story of the rise of the Vikings under the leadership of Ragnar Lothbrok, who is often considered the greatest Viking of all time. As such, there are a lot of different characters in the greater storyline of Vikings, especially when you look at the fact that he fathered a lot of sons.

Nevertheless, the storyline of Vikings started off when Ragnar was living a simple and peaceful life with his first family. That was the time before he got lured into the perilous yet glorious life of a Viking warrior. During that time, Ragnar was seemingly happy with his first wife, Lagertha, with whom he had a son named Bjorn.

Bjorn was one of the first characters introduced in the Vikings series, as he was still just a young boy during the early part of the storyline. However, when Ragnar was lured to the glorious life of a Viking, Lagertha and Bjorn became afterthoughts to him as he fathered sons with Aslaug. Nevertheless, Bjorn continued to grow and hone his skills as a fighter.

Eventually, Bjorn became a mighty warrior in his own right as he became strong and skilled enough to match his own father. He eventually became one of the central characters of the story after Ragnar’s death. During that time, Bjorn was one of the characters that carried Vikings on his back, as he had conflicts with his half-brothers.

In that regard, Bjorn eventually stepped into the shoes of his father as the king of Kattegat and the leader of the Viking world. Of course, this did not sit well with his half-brothers, particularly Ivar the Boneless, as they almost never got along with one another despite the fact that they both shared the same father.

Of course, as a Viking warrior, Bjorn knew that death was always waiting for him somewhere out there, as being a Viking was a dangerous life. In that regard, Bjorn never lived to be an old man because he eventually died due to the conflicts that he had with his half-brothers.

How Did Bjorn Die?

The fall of Bjorn started back in season 5 when he spared his half-brother-turned-enemy Ivar the Boneless instead of killing him. He allowed his brother to live and banished him from Kattegat when he could have just killed the greatest threat to his rule as the king of Kattegat.

The problem was that Ivar traveled along the silk road and met up with Prince Oleg of Novgorod, the leader of the Rus. He wanted to take down his own brother with the help of the Rus, and that was why he formed an alliance with Prince Oleg. Then, in season 6, Bjorn once again allowed another half-brother to live when he spared Hvitserk despite the fact that he was responsible for killing his mother, Lagertha. This allowed Hvitserk to join forces with Ivar, as this alliance allowed them to lay the foundations for the demise of their older half-brother.

With that, the trio of Ivar, Hvitserk, and Oleg launched an attack on Kattegat, and they were able to come out of it victorious. It was during the attack that Ivar was able to defeat Bjorn in a fight, as he plunged his sword deep into the man called Ironside. Ivar left Bjorn for dead during the finale of part 1 of season 6 as he believed that he was about to die.

Despite the fact that Ivar confirmed that his brother was dead, Bjorn was brought back to Kattegat so that his wound could get treated. At that point, he already knew that he was going to die. As such, Bjorn decided to die in the best way a Viking warrior could go out—in battle. With the Rus outside of the gates of Kattegat, Bjorn rushed out in full armor during the events of part 2 of season 6.

Seeing Bjorn alive and in full armor spooked the Rus because they thought that he was supposed to be dead after the mortal wound that he suffered at the hands of Ivar. They thought that he was a ghost or even a god. But the captain of the Rus army rode out to meet Bjorn and shot him with arrows to confirm whether or not he was a ghost.

Instead of falling from his horse, he pulled the arrows out of his body and raised the Sword of Kings a final time to signal the arrival of the Vikings that answered Bjorn’s call to defend Kattegat. In that regard, the Viking allies that he called fought for Kattegat, as Bjorn eventually died from the wounds that he suffered.

In that regard, Bjorn died in a manner fit for a king, as his final act was one that rallied the Viking forces together in an attempt to defeat the treacherous Ivar and the Rus army that he led to the gates of Kattegat. Bjorn’s final act was heroic and commendable as he sacrificed himself for the sake of his people while also making sure that he died a proud Viking warrior.

Bjorn was buried in a lavishly decorated tomb fit for a king, as he was called the King of All Norway and the Man Who Could Not Die. While he did not reach the height of popularity and success that his father did, Bjorn’s life and death were still legendary. But it was his death that truly cemented his place as a legendary Viking warrior and king.

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