Who Is Ingrith in ‘Seven Kings Must Die’? Was She a Real Person?

” … Seven kings and the woman you love,” goes Ingrith’s (Ilona Chevakova) controversial prophecy at the beginning of Seven Kings Must Die. In The Last Kingdom’s fifth season, Ingrith was only Finan’s loving wife, silent and unbothered with battles, so fans didn’t expect her to hold the key to the saga’s conclusion. There is no ignoring her now since her dream shaped the whole movie. So, who exactly is Ingrith in Seven Kings Must Die, and is she based on a real person?

Ingrith was introduced as Finan’s wife in the last season of The Last Kingdom, during which she wed him in the presence of Uhtred and his men. In Seven Kings Must Die, she believes herself to be a seer and insists that her dream of seven kings dying is a prophecy because it recurred three times. However, in Bernard Cornwell’s books, there is no mention of Ingrith either as a prophetess or as Finan’s wife.

Finan developed his own interpretation of the prophecy after Ingrith’s death, concluding that she was referring to herself when she said, “… the woman you love.” However, it doesn’t make sense why the woman Finan loves would have to die for England to be united into one kingdom. As everyone develops their interpretation of whom the seven kings are, let’s look deeper into Ingrith and where she fits into 10th-century British politics.

Who plays Ingrith in Seven Kings Must Die?

The Finnish-Russian actress Ilona Chevakova plays Ingrith both in The Last Kingdom and in the movie Seven Kings Must Die.

Chevakova is best known for her performance as Sabrina Mustavaara in the Finish TV show Secret Lives, where she appeared in 169 episodes between 2019 and 2022.

She also made a cameo in Free Skate as the Russian skater and the 2020 film One Half Of Me, although none of her previous works are as popular as The Last Kingdom franchise.

The Last Kingdom and Seven Kings Must Die are largely her biggest projects outside her home country, and she even went to Instagram to express her appreciation to the rest of the team before the movie’s release on Netflix.

Chevakova studied and lived in London for four years and is therefore fluent in English, which is why she didn’t struggle with accents on the set of Seven Kings Must Die.

Ingrith is a supporting character in both the show and the movie, but Chevakova’s performance has received positive reviews since she keeps the character warm and alive.

Chevakova reveals Ingrith as a tough but caring wife to Finan, willing to advise and correct him when necessary. She isn’t the traditional quiet and obedient Saxon wife that most would expect from that era either.

She is brave and outspoken and insists on her talents as a seer despite most of the men around Finan and Uhtred not believing her.

Despite not getting involved on the battlefield, Ingrith gives her share of advice to Uhtred and Finan as they go to war, proving that she is also capable as a leader.

Her ability to keep every encounter with the men warm and lively makes Ingrith a likable character that challenges stereotypes and lives her best life at the moment.

Who were the “Seven Kings” prophesized by Ingrith?

Ingrith mentioned that Edward was part of the seven kings that would die before England could be united, although her count also included Uhtred.

She died when Anlaf sealed her alongside other common folks from Bebbaburg in the cave and never explained the rest of her dream to Finan and Uhtred.

After her death, Finan recalled that Ingrith was actually addressing him when she mentioned “… the woman you love,” meaning she was predicting her own death.

Uhtred protested that he wasn’t a king, although everyone in the movie, including Anlaf, saw him as the king of Northumbria.

While addressing the gathering of kings in Anlaf’s alliance, Uhtred repeated the prophecy, claiming that it was popular saying from Northumbria and not Ingrith’s prophecy.

If Ingrith’s prophecy was a common saying in Northumbria, then it would agree with the book version of the prophecy by a witch who foretold the end of Saxon dominance in Britain.

In the movie, the heirs to the thrones of Orkney, Isle Of Man, Strathclyde, Shetland, and Scotland died on the battlefield, and they were all included in Finan’s count of the dead seven kings at the end of the movie.

While the movie considers Uhtred a king, it doesn’t show him dying, although he struggles for his life at the end of the movie. His death would make the number seven fulfilling Ingrith’s prophecy.

Is Ingrith based on a real person?

Ingrith is largely a fictional character added in The Last Kingdom and Seven Kings Must Die for entertainment because she is not mentioned in any historical records.

In Bernard Cornwell’s books, there is no mention of Ingrith either, and Finan is said to have escaped from Irland with his brother’s wife.

Aelfedell is the witch’s name that tells Uhtred the prophecy of the seven kings in Bernard Cornwell’s sixth book in the Saxon Stories series.

Aelfedell predicts a Saxon that will destroy England after the death of Seven Kings and all the women that Uhtred loves.

The book’s prophecy seems to be talking about Aethelred, the unready who lost most of the Saxon Lands to the Danes during his reign.

Ingrith’s background isn’t well detailed in both the show and the movie, so it is not clear whether she could be related to Aelfedell, but she is definitely not Bernard Cornwell’s witch from the books.