What happens in Death and the Serpent?
Spoilers for this episode and earlier events.
Lagertha’s defences withstand the raiders, and she kills their leader using the broken remains of her shield before finishing the fight. Wounded, she travels to see Bjorn. Hvitserk, overwhelmed by visions of Ivar, attacks her in the rain and realizes the mistake too late. Meanwhile Harald’s election victory immediately threatens Bjorn, whose escape is aided by Kjetill and Erik. In Rus, Oleg’s marriage to Katia further exposes Ivar to humiliation and uncertainty.
- Season & episode
- Season 6, episode 6 of 20
- Series order
- 75 of 89
Story connections: Bjorn Ironside, Lagertha, Hvitserk and Ivar the Boneless.
Identify a face in this episode.
Episode references: Episode guide.
Key events and consequences
Harald's victory exposes the distance between being nominated and securing enough support to rule. Lagertha survives the enemy she recognizes, only to be killed by Hvitserk's mistaken perception. Her death therefore joins the village battle to the damage already growing inside Ragnar's family rather than ending with her military success.
- Lagertha defeats White Hair despite being wounded.
- Hvitserk kills Lagertha during a hallucination.
- Bjorn escapes Harald’s attempt to remove him.
Key characters
Bjorn Ironside
Bjorn escapes Harald’s attempt to remove him.
Character story
Lagertha
Lagertha defeats White Hair despite being wounded.
Character story
Hvitserk
Hvitserk kills Lagertha during a hallucination.
Character story
Ivar the Boneless
Character story
King Harald Finehair
Character story
Erik
Character story
White Hair
Lagertha defeats White Hair despite being wounded.
Character story
Katia
Character storyLocations and story geography
Norway
The election transfers the crown to Harald and leaves Bjorn vulnerable to the winner's next move.
Kattegat
Lagertha reaches the home community after battle but encounters Hvitserk's fatal hallucination instead of safety.
These are places in the story. For the real landscapes used on screen, explore the filming-location guide.
The episode breakdown
Two victories with terrible costs
Lagertha’s defences withstand the raiders, and she kills their leader using the broken remains of her shield before finishing the fight. Wounded, she travels to see Bjorn. Hvitserk, overwhelmed by visions of Ivar, attacks her in the rain and realizes the mistake too late. Meanwhile Harald’s election victory immediately threatens Bjorn, whose escape is aided by Kjetill and Erik. In Rus, Oleg’s marriage to Katia further exposes Ivar to humiliation and uncertainty.
A prophecy is not a motive
distinguish the story’s prophetic framework from the immediate circumstances of the killing. Hvitserk’s action is not staged as a deliberate, clear-headed assassination of Lagertha. The tragic force comes from that difference. Compare the political winner’s calculated violence with the village defender’s vulnerability after her own success. The episode makes survival after a battle a separate question from winning it. Watch the movement from open combat to a dark, confused encounter. The change in visibility is also a change in the kind of certainty the audience can reasonably possess.
Themes to follow
- Two victories with terrible costs
- A prophecy is not a motive