Vikings season 5: cast and episode overview
Season 5 contains 20 story episodes, from The Fisher King to Ragnarok. It is commonly presented in two ten-episode parts.
Key roles in this season’s story include Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen), Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård). The full selection below connects characters with performers and their biographies.
Reference: HISTORY season guide.
What is season 5 about?
The question of Ragnar's legacy becomes a civil war over its ownership. Ivar's military success and claims to divine authority contrast with Ubbe's search for negotiated settlement. Bjorn travels outward, Lagertha fights to retain Kattegat, and Floki discovers that a new landscape does not automatically create a peaceful society.
- Story episodes
- 20
- Start here
- The Fisher King
- Season finale
- Ragnarok
The 20 episodes are often presented in two ten-episode parts. This guide keeps the story in its complete season order.
The turning points
- Lagertha loses Kattegat.
- Ubbe and Torvi accept baptism.
- Bjorn takes Kattegat and Ivar flees east.
Character arcs
- York establishes Ivar's tactical authority while separating the brothers.
- The first half culminates in the struggle for Kattegat.
- Alfred's Wessex offers an alternative political future to displaced Norse leaders.
- Iceland tests Floki's dream of a community without the old cycle of revenge.
Themes running through the season
- Charisma becoming tyranny
- Settlement and religious compromise
- The persistence of feud
Vikings season 5 cast and characters
Start with these key roles from the season. Follow a performer for their biography and other screen work, or a character for their story. This selection follows the episode guides and is not a complete credits list.
| Character | Played by |
|---|---|
| Bjorn Ironside | Alexander Ludwig |
| Ivar the Boneless | Alex Høgh Andersen |
| Lagertha | Katheryn Winnick |
| Floki | Gustaf Skarsgård |
| King Harald Finehair | Peter Franzén |
| Ubbe | Jordan Patrick Smith |
| Hvitserk | Marco Ilsø |
| Rollo | Clive Standen |
The season’s story map
Explore these places on the interactive world map.
York
The English city that becomes a base and battleground for Ragnar’s sons.
Kattegat
The series’ home port and center of family and political power.
North Africa
The southern Mediterranean setting of Bjorn and Halfdan’s journey.
Lindisfarne
The island monastery associated with the saga’s first English raid.
Iceland
The volcanic island at the center of Floki’s settlement story.
Wessex
The English kingdom where land, alliances and royal authority intersect.
Francia
The Frankish realm in which Rollo builds a new position.
England
The wider setting of the Saxon kingdoms and Norse campaigns.
Story settings differ from production locations. Explore where Vikings was filmed.
Every season 5 episode, in order
The Fisher King
The aftermath of Sigurd’s death leaves the brothers without a common plan. Ivar admits killing him but deflects responsibility toward the taunts that preceded it. Bjorn prepares to travel with Halfdan, Floki leaves by boat, and the remaining army takes York. Harald’s return to Lagertha produces another confrontation over ambition and loyalty.
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The Departed
Floki reaches a landscape he interprets as Asgard. In Kattegat, Lagertha imprisons Harald and refuses his proposed alliance; their encounter includes sexual assault. Harald’s men free him and abduct Astrid. Alfred’s vision directs Saxon attention toward York, where Ivar demonstrates his leg braces while his struggle with Ubbe intensifies.
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Homeland
Ivar’s forces repel the Saxon assault on York. Ubbe and Hvitserk then seek an agreement with Aethelwulf, only to be humiliated in the Saxon camp. Ubbe decides to return to Kattegat. At the departure, Hvitserk changes course and stays with Ivar. Elsewhere, Floki explores his new land and Astrid resists Harald’s advances.
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The Plan
Ubbe returns to Kattegat and aligns himself with Lagertha against Ivar and Harald. Astrid agrees to marry Harald. Bjorn’s Mediterranean journey brings him into Commander Euphemius’s service. At York, the Saxons try to starve the Vikings out, then enter a seemingly deserted city after hearing that their opponents have gone.
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The Prisoner
The Vikings emerge from York’s sewers and attack the Saxons, taking Heahmund prisoner. Floki returns to Kattegat and seeks settlers for his new land. Bjorn’s group receives hospitality in North Africa that turns threatening: Euphemius has been killed, and Bjorn and Halfdan are detained as a storm approaches.
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The Message
Bjorn, Halfdan and Sinric use a sandstorm to escape their captors. Harald and Ivar agree to attack Lagertha. Astrid sends a warning through Hakon, whose crew sexually assaults her during the effort. The message reaches Kattegat. After Heahmund kills a fellow captive who taunts him, Ivar decides the bishop will fight for his side.
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Full Moon
Bjorn and Halfdan return to Kattegat and commit themselves to Lagertha. Bjorn proposes marriage to Snaefrid. Floki’s settlers reach Iceland, where questions of how the community should be governed appear early. Alfred visits Lindisfarne, while the expected attack puts Lagertha’s preparations under a deadline marked by the full moon.
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The Joke
The two sides meet before battle, but a possible agreement collapses when Ivar rejects peace. Lagertha’s forces then gain an advantage, including an ambush against Hvitserk’s men, and Harald’s side retreats. Harald believes Heahmund has died. Lagertha instead finds the bishop alive and orders that he be saved. Floki’s settlement faces its own disputes.
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A Simple Story
Heahmund pledges his loyalty to Lagertha after surviving the battle. In Wessex, Aethelwulf dies following a bee sting, and Alfred becomes king after Aethelred declines the crown. In Iceland, the burning of the temple leads to violence and a death, turning the settlers’ disagreements into a more destructive cycle.
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Moments of Vision
The renewed battle brings devastating personal losses. Harald kills Halfdan, Hvitserk kills Guthrum, and Astrid asks Lagertha to end her life. Bjorn orders a retreat. Back in Kattegat, Torvi recovers her children from Margrethe, while Bjorn finds Lagertha profoundly altered by the ordeal. Rollo arrives as the balance of power changes.
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The Revelation
Ivar claims Kattegat’s kingship and threatens Lagertha. Rollo proposes a trading arrangement and offers Lagertha and Bjorn refuge in Francia, which they refuse. In Iceland, a vote spares Floki from sacrifice. Alfred faces resistance to his plans in Wessex. Lagertha’s group reaches England and is brought before the new royal order as captives.
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Murder Most Foul
Alfred offers to honor earlier arrangements if the Norse newcomers fight for him. In Kattegat, Freydis secretly seeks pregnancy through another man while encouraging Ivar to believe the child will be his. Margrethe is killed. Heahmund murders Cuthred after a blackmail threat involving Lagertha, and Floki’s confidence in the gods falters.
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A New God
Ivar presents himself as divine and stages a public display around sacrifice. In Wessex, Ubbe and Torvi accept baptism while Alfred tries to consolidate his rule and Heahmund defends his actions. Magnus approaches Bjorn claiming to be Ragnar’s son. Aethelred becomes involved in the plotting against Alfred.
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The Lost Moment
Ivar’s sacrificial spectacle uses a woman presented as Lagertha, and he later kills the Seer. Hvitserk’s search for guidance cannot give him an easy way out. In Wessex, a coup against Alfred stalls when Aethelred backs away. Floki responds to Thorunn’s murder by asserting authority and banishing Eyvind’s family.
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Hell
Harald attacks Wessex, where Alfred’s Norse allies help shape the defense. Heahmund dies in the fighting after looking for Lagertha, who disappears. Bjorn searches for his mother among the casualties. Harald withdraws after defeat, and Alfred publicly acknowledges the contribution of his allies while the conspiracy within his own household comes into focus.
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The Buddha
Alfred forgives Aethelred, but Judith poisons her son to protect Alfred’s position. Ubbe gains the possibility of settlement in East Anglia. Bjorn moves toward an alliance with Harald and Magnus against Ivar. Hvitserk encounters Buddhism in Kattegat, while Floki’s settlement offers Eyvind’s family another chance through Kjetill.
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The Most Terrible Thing
Judith tells Alfred that she poisoned Aethelred. Ivar sends Hvitserk on a diplomatic mission while threatening Thora. In Iceland, Kjetill kills Eyvind’s family, and Aud responds by taking her own life. Ubbe proposes that he command Alfred’s forces as another threat to Wessex approaches.
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Baldur
Bjorn marries Gunnhild and prepares to oppose Ivar with Harald. Hvitserk visits Olaf and questions his earlier allegiance. Ivar has Thora executed and rejects Freydis’s newborn son, abandoning the infant. Judith discusses her illness and the killing of Aethelred with Lagertha, whose recovery takes place alongside that difficult exchange.
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What Happens in the Cave
Ubbe defeats Frodo in single combat and speaks about his return to his former gods. Floki finds Christian objects in a cave before an eruption traps him. Judith dies. Lagertha prepares to put down her weapons, while Bjorn and Harald’s fleet suffers in a storm and their rivalry produces another confrontation.
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Ragnarok
Bjorn’s attack on Kattegat is aided by Freydis, who turns against Ivar. Ivar kills her and escapes after losing the city. Magnus dies during the fighting. Harald helps Bjorn, whose eventual victory brings Lagertha back with the sword of kings. Bjorn is proclaimed king while Ivar’s departure leaves their conflict unfinished.
Read episode guideWhat to notice on a rewatch
- Follow Hvitserk's choices rather than treating him as an extension of Ivar.
- Read Ivar's godhood as a claim made by a character.
- Watch the contrast between promised utopia and daily resource disputes.
The history behind this season.
How far did the real voyages reach?
Norse settlements connected Iceland and Greenland, and archaeology establishes a presence in Newfoundland. Wood from L’Anse aux Meadows provides a precise date of activity in 1021; it does not date the first arrival.
Keep the distinctionFloki and Ubbe’s screen journeys should not be used to identify the crews at an archaeological site.