Talk:Ragnar Lodbrok
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Ragnar Lodbrok is an old Norse historical figure, only regarded as mythological due to lingering chauvinism in modern scholarship, which tends to be Ango-centric. That is not to say that there are not mythological tales woven around the figure of Lodbrok and his father, Sigurd Ring (who figures in Germanic myth)
Lodbrok is clearly identified in many family trees, in Icelandic heritage. Such documentation may be more readily found in Iceland than in Denmark, for various reasons. There is apparently an effort to downplay him in his home country of Denmark, likely due to the fact that the current Royalty of Denmark is not descended from his line. He was clearly one of many kings, although not minor, since he was considered king of Sweden as well as Denmark for a time.
Lodbrok is also part of an Icelandic oral tradition, which has died out in modern days, but which my grand-parents and their parents brought with them from Iceland in the late 1800s. My mother heard from her grandmother, etc., the stories of battles in which members of Lodbrok's family died.
He is said to have occupied the Royal seat at Lethre or Lejre, a spot which I believe appears today as a mound on which a great timber hall has been excavated. Icelandic genealogy shows this as his birthplace.
The mythological aspect lies in the many fanciful stories told about Lodbrok, which I suspect were embellished from half-truths to amuse children and adults alike. Some may be partially true, such as the story about his Royal Treasury, a chest guarded by a poisonous snake, which was tended by a faithful servant. The snake grew to be so large that only the servant dared approach.
I suspect very strongly that the modern Ladbroke family, which controls much of British casino and betting trade, may be descended from the Lodbrok son who remained in England and accepted marriage and an earldom or dukedom as the price for peace.