Tear Jerker / Vikings

• The scene were Haraldson tells Siggy exactly how their sons were found. Their heads were cut off and they were buried in a shallow grave with her mouths kissing their buttocks.
• Arne's death. Not only is it quite brutal, you can see the he was utterly destroyed by how it was one of his closest friends, a man he considered a brother, who killed him. He's despairing not because he's dying, but because he lost a brother.
• Rollo's remorse for what he did: "I just wanted to step out of your shadow. You understand that, don't you? But when I stepped out of it, there was... there was no sunlight. No sunlight at all." And after that, he tells Siggy that he has nothing to offer her and that she should just leave him. It's a huge change from the man who once told her that she needed a "great man" like him to be something.
• Ragnar's goodbye to Gyda:
  "Gyda, I have come to say goodbye to you properly. I have been thinking about you, about when you were small. You could run as swiftly as the wind. You were like quick-silver. But then, before I knew it, you stopped running here and there and everywhere and you became still. At 12-years-old, you had the stillness and the calm of a fine woman. What children you would have produced! What joy that would have brought to all of us. Dear child, Gyda, you are not gone because you are always in my heart. They say that a man must love his sons more, but a man can be jealous of his sons, and his daughter can always be the light in his life. I know very well that you are with the gods, but I will wait here awhile, and if you want to come and talk to me, then come and talk, and I will gently stroke your long and beautiful hair once again with my peasant hands."
  • Travis Fimmel's acting really sells it. You can tell that Ragnar is just barely managing to fight off tears, and when he tries to cheer himself up by declaring his daughter is with the Gods and in a better place, it really doesn't work.
  • It's taken one step farther by the filter placed on the camera for that entire sequence, it's as though the viewer is looking at the screen through tear-stained eyes.
• Floki's wedding, in a way. In order to sell the deception to King Horik that there was a rift between them Floki had to snub Ragnar from his wedding. Basically, he had to leave his best friend out of the best day of his life.
• Floki snapping at Helga for being too good and making him too happy. Whether it's because he thinks he doesn't deserve it, or thinks it's softening him, it obviously hurts Helga very much.
• After Torstein's death, with Floki actually crying and telling Ragnar that his death was Ragnar's fault.
• Siggy's death. It doesn't help that there is overtones of suicide and it is a tragic end to a character that has already lost everything. Check the Frige Horror section and you realise it's even worse. She will not be reunited with any of her loved ones in death.
• Everything that happens to Rollo in Usurper. He learns Siggy has died, and blames himself claiming that he "did not treat her well." When he tries to drown his sorrows he is mocked by the other men, who have also lost loved ones, publicly shamed and then beaten bloody by his own nephew.
• Like the Season 2 farewell to Gyda, Ragnar's farewell to Athelstan is full of this. He just sounds so broken. An excerpt below:
  "Never knew what a martyr was. I still don't. You were a brave man, Athelstan. I always respected you for that. You taught me so much. You saw yourself as weak and conflicted. But to me, you were fearless, because you dared to question. Why did you have to die, hmmm? We had so much more to talk about. I always believed that death is a fate far better than life, for you will be reunited with lost loved ones. But we will never meet again, my friend. I have a feeling that your god might object to me visiting you in heaven."
• Ragnar's whole life story is fast becoming one. The Chains of Commanding combined with the loss of so many of his family and close friends to death or betrayal are wearing on him terribly. He also appears to be growing addicted to Yidu's "medicine," either chemically or because it's the only escape from the hell his life has become. And like so many of the Sagas, a man who started off with so much honor and promise is fast becoming a shell of his former self before our very eyes.
• "Siggy is dead!" — "Who cares?"
  • A commenter on YT said it best on how terrible her character arc is from the very start:
    "The whole character arc of little Siggy is horrific. Abandoned as a baby by a superficial mother and more or less rejected by an arrogant father. As a 3 year old she is neglected and unkempt in rags left to wander around the royal chamber. When an opportunity comes up to play she skips gleefully outside the door only to be rejected and mocked. She is then clearly left to her own devices which results in her death by the river, presumably by drowning. One can only assume she was trying to play or bathe. An awful and short existence condemned onto one so sweet and innocent. She literally never experienced any sort of kindness or love in her life. Further condemnation on the Viking society."
• The first battle between Ragnar and Rollo. From the very melancholy way Rollo says the words of the battle-song he first spoke all the way back in the first season, to Ragnar's despairing roar at his brother as his ship retreats.:
  Ragnar: And this is how you repay me? When everyone wanted you dead, I kept you alive! You hurt me, brother, you hurt me. This is how you repay my love?
• After defeating Ragnar a second time in a battle that saw them actually fighting one another hand-to-hand (compare this to Season 2, where Rollo couldn't bring himself to raise a finger against Ragnar himself in battle) and beating seven shades of hell out of each other Rollo just sinks to his knees in desolation as what was once his family rows away from him.
• Ragnar and Ecbert, best frenemies since Season 2, have one more meeting. Ragnar knows he must die and Ecbert knows he must have Ragnar killed, but he can't bring himself to kill the only person who has ever really understood him. Ecbert is in tears much of their interaction as he steels himself. Bonus points for "Laukr" by Wardruna being played when Ecbert is crying inside his chapel after accepting what he has to do.
• Ragnar's death. He is tortured for days and hurled into a pit of snakes while Ecbert watches and for the first time shows regret for what he has done. Then Ivar has to go home and tell his brothers about Ragnar being killed, after finally getting to know him. Then he hears that his mother, who has loved him unconditionally for years, has been killed.
• Whilst also an awesome scene, in the truest sense of the word, Odin telling the Ragnarssons of his death is this. He appears to each of them, and their reactions are all diverse, but all heart-breaking. Ivar screams out his fury and and hammers at an anvil, his cries so loud that Ubbe can hear them on the other side of Kattegat. Ubbe, in turn, reacts with utter shock and an expression of desolation as he stumbles backward, snapping the arrow he was holding. Even Sigurd is stunned. And at the Mediterranean, Hvitserk just stares unbelieving, whilst Bjorn is in outright tears at the news.
• Aethelwulf stating to Ecbert that Ecbert loved Athelstan, he loved Ragnar and he loves Judith, Aethelwulf's wife, but feeling like he didn't love him, Aethelwulf asks Ecbert does he love him and all Ecbert does is stare at Aethelwulf blankly whilst Aethelwulf has tears in his eyes, not giving him the answer.
• Helga's death and Floki's reaction to it. He openly states he is dead inside now.
• The impulsive murder of Sigurd. Bjorn is shocked, Hvitserk angered, but Ubbe drops down beside him, distraught and yelling "No!" Even Ivar looks saddened by it.
• By Odin and all the gods, the mid-season finale of Season 5 is one big tear-jerker. Where to begin? Well it start of with Ivar telling Hvitserk that he thinks Hvitserk regrets joining him. Then he says that he does not think Hvitserk loves him, indirectly suggesting he does neither. Hvitserk does not take it well. Then...
  • Harald asks Astrid to cut his hair, which he would not do until he married the woman of his dreams. He is blissfully unaware that Astrid has betrayed him and the child she is carrying is maybe the son of one of the men who helped Astrid betray him and then gangraped her. Harald notices that something is wrong and asks her to ease her heart. Astrid says she can't tell him and Harald responds by kissing her. When the battle starts she runs into Lagertha and asks her to kill her because the pregnancy might be proof of her betrayal. Lagertha complies, which also helps her get into her Heroic BSoD. Lagertha's confused behaviour upon learning that Astrid is pregnant only makes it more painful when Astrid runs into Lagertha's sword.
  • Floki tries to apply to Eyvind's greed and wisdom and persuade him to not take revenge for the death of his son, Bul. Eyvind does not listen. Feeling he has the responsibility, Floki volunteers as a Human Sacrifice to absolve the community of their behavior in the sight of the gods. The dramatic irony is strong here.
  • Snaefrid's death. She finds her father killed, starts to realise that the element of surprise they had in the previous battle is gone and that the Sami are loosing, takes up his weapons and tries to fight on, only to be cut down by a random mook. It's made worse by being filmed in one long take, which makes her death come out of nowhere. And then there is Bjorn's reaction to finding her.
  • If loosing Astrid was not enough, Harald faces down Halfdan on the battle field. Halfdan had earlier revealed he chose to side with Bjorn because he did not want to fight his "Viking brothers" anymore. Halfdan suddenly find himself in front of Harald.. Harald cuts him down without a moment of hesitation. Halfdan seems genuinely taken by surprise of what just happened. Then Harald realises what he was done and seems unable to decide if he feels anger or sadness and starts to repeat "I will see you in Valhalla" over and over.
    • It's made worse by the fact that the episode suggests that Halfdan has some sort of disorder or PTSD as he apparently thinks he is back in the desert only to suddenly "wake" and realise he is still on the battle field.
  • Lagertha's Heroic BSoD, inspired by Astrid's and Guthrum's deaths, which in themselves are really sad. As well as the implication that she has finally caught PTSD, implied by her suddenly flashing back to her childhood in the middle of a warzone.
    • Thor will take care of you. Thor will take care of you always
    • Given how little we know of Ragnar's and Lagertha's parents and how little they talk about them it's one can assume that their deaths could have been early and painful to their children.
  • Which takes us to Guthrum's death. He meets Hvitserk who kills him with ease, while Torvi has to watch from a distance, unable to help her son. And Hvitserk's gleefulness about it makes it close to nightmarish.
    • This one is dead. Soon they will all be dead...
• Judith poisoning Aethelred in a paranoid state.
• Floki is desperately trying to save his Iceland settlement but all his efforts are futile. No matter what he tries, things just descend into more bloodshed and misery.
  • The scene where he believes he has found Helgrind and climbs into what is really a volcanic cave, only to discover traces of the Celtic monks that lived on Iceland prior to the Norse discovery. It's especially harsh since he thinks Iceland was Asgard. The audience know it's not that bad, especially to those who know about the Papar, but Floki does not understand the actual meaning of it.
• Ivar leaving his infant son Baldur to die by Athelstan's grave after the boy is born deformed. Making it worse is that this is a rare moment where Ivar isn't being malicious. From his twisted perspective, he is sparing Baldur from suffering the same life that he did.
  • It is made worse due to the child being unable to feed and thus would have died anyway meaning Ivar had no choice but to have his son exposed. Ivar was thrust into the exact same position his father had but unlike him Baldur had no chance of surviving.
• Halli's death, which was caused by him trying to imitate Lagertha and all the other adults and (older children).
• Lagertha's death and the circumstances. Hvitserk has been going down a downward spiral of drinking and mushrooms having lost both Aslaug, Margrethe and especially Thora, the later two to Ivar. Most of his family has left him to his own devices as he is tormented by visions of Ivar as a serpent and of a burned Thora demanding revenge. Hvitserk laches out and beats Amma, the only person left that worries about him and runs out in the rain hunting after the imaginary serpent. He finally attacks it, in the very place were Aslaug died no less, and stabs it for all it's worth. Then he returns to his senses and sees that he actually stabbed Lagertha who was limping back to Kattegat after defeating White Hair.
• Lagertha's funeral in "The Ice Maiden" as Bjorn gives his mother a proper Viking funeral with the cast eulogizing her as someone they loved, who taught them so much.It even ends as Lagertha is taken to Valhalla by the Valkyries. And there's a strong implication that after all the betrayals, pains, separation and different paths their lives led? She and Ragnar are finally together again, never having stopped loving one another.
• Bjorn's & Harald's apparent deaths in "The Best Laid Plans". Harald actually owns up on the responsibility of being king of all Norway and leads the defense from the frontline even as most of the jarls and kings who elected him, fail to show up. The defenses are overrun by the Rus, but Harald keeps hacking at the Rus until his wounds make him fall to the ground. Erik tries to salvage him, but Harald tells him to save himself. Harald is last seen having the crown he sacrificed everything for being literary snatched infront of him. Meanwhile, Bjorn sees that his plan has failed as there are just too many Rus to hold back. Not even he could muster more men to the fight and fights his way to the beach. Suddenly Ivar arrives and stabs him in the chest, seemingly killing him.
• Harald's final breakdown in season 6B. Having finally become the king of Norway he is hit hard by Victory Is Boring. His statement "the woman I love is dead" which many fans took to mean Astrid due to it being said closely after him finally discarding the Tragic Keepsake he kept of her. It certainly did not help that Gunnhild chose to kill herself to be with Bjorn in death rather than to be with him.

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