Vikings: Ranking The Sons Of Ragnar By Power | ScreenRant
"Oh, how the little piggies will grunt when they hear how the old boar suffered," Ragnar told king Aelle before he died - but Aelle didn't understand. Ragnar knew that his sons were destined for big things, and they were, as their achievements and battles made the juiciest parts of Vikings. Whatever Ragnar didn't achieve during his lifetime, his sons did.
Although they were chips off the same block, Ragnar's sons were neither similar nor equal. They inherited different attributes of Ragnar with Ivar retaining most of the madness while Bjorn and Ubbe took more of the good traits. All the sons of Ragnar were charismatic strong-willed and powerful though. However, if compared to Ragnar's strength and charisma, some fell terribly short.
6 Magnus
Magnus of Mercia was nothing like Ragnar Lothbrok which is why no one believed his claims of being Ragnar's son. While his paternity remains questionable, the possibility of Ragnar being his father remained alive throughout the show. Aethelwulf banished him from Wessex to save his life but he was never grateful for that and always sought revenge against king Ecbert's family.
He obviously grew up without parental love and guidance which would partly explain his hate and poor manners. As a person, Magnus was not wise. He wasn't a good fighter either which is why White Hair killed him. He was weak-spirited, preferring to follow rather than lead and always begging for attention and recognition rather than earning it. Magnus always looked like a confused boy that couldn't find his place in the world.
5 Sigurd
When Sigurd was born with the snake in the eye as the seer had told Aslaug, he seemed like he would be Aslaug's favorite son, but he wasn't. Aslaug forgot all about Sigurd the moment Ivar was born. Sigurd had to grow up like an orphan, which is why he was so good at protecting himself. He was a strong person and would have made a better king of Kattegat than Ivar.
Sigurd was the first person to suggest that the Great Army be formed to avenge Ragnar Lothbrok. It was so sad that he died before accomplishing anything else. He had grown up with little parental care, but he was strong and the most compassionate of Ragnar's sons. He admonished his mother for ignoring Siggy and saw Ivar for the monster he was before everyone else noticed it.
If he had stayed alive longer, Sigurd would have made a great ally to Bjorn because he wasn't that interested in avenging Aslaug's death. As a fighter, Sigurd was just as good as Ubbe and Hvitserk. He never gave up easily, which is why he was still trying to get revenge on Ivar even with an axe in his abdomen. He was too arrogant though and shouldn't have provoked Ivar so much.
4 Hvitserk
Most people judge Hvitserk in the same category as Ivar but that is not fair; Hvitserk was a saint if compared to Ivar. He was just a good man in a bad place who got used by his evil brother then got consumed with guilt. "Farewell, my brother...the Valkyrie summon you home," Hvitserk said as he watched Bjorn die. He was prouder of Bjorn in the end than he was of Ivar although he had spent more time fighting alongside the latter.
Hvitserk wasn't a charismatic leader nor the smartest son of Ragnar but he was loyal to the family. He loved all of his brothers equally despite the conflicts that arose between them. He always tried to do the right thing. Unlike Bjorn and Ivar, Hvitserk wasn't a strong-willed person. He never cared who was in charge as long as they did the right thing and Ivar knew that and exploited him most of his life.
When he finally came to his senses, it was too late and there was no way back to glory for him. He then attempted to regain his life, but then killed Lagertha by mistake, and off he was, having to fight alongside Ivar again. He was a great fighter and no opponent could best him in battle, except Ubbe, once. However, when it came to decision-making, Hvitserk wasn't the smartest person.
3 Ubbe
If Vikings had a hero, then Ubbe was his name. His power wasn't just in the sword or in the axe alone. It was his strong will to fight for the right thing. He was a good fighter, but he didn't enjoy cruelty and bloodshed. He was also a good explorer, but he wouldn't allow his people to die because of a piece of land even if he rightly earned it like in Greenland. He was also a great diplomat that would exploit any avenue for peace to reign over war, like when he chose to fight Frodo himself rather than send everyone to war.
Ubbe was simply the best of Ragnar's sons but not the most powerful because he lost his birthright to his little brother. When his side lost the battle in Kattegat, he accepted his fate and went to England where he finally got the land Ragnar failed to get. When he finally took his own path, he was resilient and patient, surviving greater threats than Ragnar and the rest of his brothers. In the end, he found what all of Ragnar's sons would have hoped for.
2 Ivar
Ivar was a maniac, but a weak man he was not. Everyone underestimated him and he knew it, so he used it to his advantage. He had to work harder than the rest of Ragnar's sons to become the fighter he was but when he finally learned, he became the best. He was also a liar who knew how to get whatever he wanted by invoking a mixture of pity and love from other people.
He understood that Ubbe stood no chance of leading the Great army, so he let him fail, then took the chance to prove himself. The saddest part is that he was cruel and selfish, so whatever gains he made, he guarded them fiercely and many people died because of it. Ivar was a resilient survivor just like Ragnar. He knew how to turn bad situations to his advantage, like when he was besieged in York.
He was charismatic and smart with lots of winning strategies but he never planned for the longterm. It took long for those around him to realize that he only cared for himself, but they finally did and that is how he lost. If he had combined his skills with a little bit of compassion, he would have been more powerful than Bjorn.
1 Bjorn
Bjorn Ironside said that Ragnar was the greatest man in the world and he was right. When Bjorn died, Gunhild said the people would never see a man like him again, and she was also right. Bjorn made lots of mistakes in his life but he never stopped fighting to protect Ragnar's ambition. He was capable of simply creating a new Viking kingdom in East Anglia but he understood that he was a Lothbrok and that Kattegat was the home he needed to protect.
He was charismatic enough to win over the support of Harald and Olavsson's armies in York, but even with all that strength, he chose not to use it against his own people. He was the mature elder brother in the conflict with Ivar but he underestimated just how damaged his brother was. If someone needed the right thing done, the person to go to was Bjorn. He earned the respect of everyone, including enemies like Harald.
Bjorn had to go through so much emotional and physical fighting and he won most of his battles. He had a weakness of always expecting that other people would be like him and fight for the right thing but he was wrong. He was forced to make bigger sacrifices for the greater good and in the end, his life was the ultimate price.