The Most Brutal Death Scene In Vikings

As one might expect from a show that focuses on some of the most bloodthirsty warriors in history, there are plenty of brutal deaths in History's "Vikings." The series is a historical drama inspired by the stories of legendary Norse heroes such as Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), and Björn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig). Not only are our heroes renowned for their prowess in battle, but their enemies are, as well. And "Vikings" does not shy away from showing these ancient warriors slaying one another in some of the most gruesome ways imaginable.

Some of the best examples include the time when Rollo (Clive Standen) impales a man with a spear and lifts him into the air in a display of power or the time when Oleg (Danila Kozlovsky) executes a guard by tying him to two trees and ripping him into pieces. That said, there is one particularly gruesome death in "Vikings" that is far more brutal than any other scene in the entire series, and if you're a superfan, you likely already know what we're referring to.

After being captured by Ragnar in Season 2, rival leader Jarl Borg (Thorbjørn Harr) is killed in an exceptionally brutal execution ritual called a blood eagle. The execution involves the removal of Borg's lungs through his back, which are then draped over his shoulders to give the appearance of wings. It's a horrifying, slow process that might make the viewer wish for a relatively less gruesome battle scene the cleanse the palette. The one bright spot here is that the blood eagle itself is likely more fiction than it is fact. 

The scene is horrifically brutal, almost to the point of being borderline unwatchable, and is far and away the most disturbing death sequence in the entire series. The blood eagle ritual itself is so utterly repulsive and gory that one has to wonder how it ever came to be featured in a History series at all. Indeed, a similar ritual also appears in Ari Aster's horror film "Midsommar," which seems much more like the type of project to incorporate such a disgusting form of torture. Without a doubt, the bloody execution of Jarl Borg has to be the most brutal death scene in the entirety of "Vikings."