Page - 124 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/01

Context With our final fragment, we are at a point near the end of Ragnar’s life. Now a pris- oner of King Ecbert, Ragnar does not have long to live. The two men admire each other and cannot be described simply as enemies. Each is fascinated by the other, even to the extent that as Ragnar dies in the snake pit, Ecbert is there to watch, disguised as a monk. Interpretation This exchange is profound. Having questioned each other’s perspective on the ex- istence of the gods or God, the two men make light of their related beliefs about an afterlife. In S3:E9, Ragnar had been baptized in hopes of joining his friend Athelstan in heaven. Here, with irony and humor, Ecbert and Ragnar relativize each other’s core convictions. They address the meaning of religion in general and its benefits for humanity, although their conversation does not reach a conclusive end. Ecbert’s perspective has a particularly striking historical- theological angle, for in an age in which the existence and presence of God were not theologically disputed, Ecbert speaks of God/gods as not existing but required for meaning-making – here some- thing of postmodern philosophy seeps into the script. Fig. 9: Film still, Vikings, S4:E14 (00:31:48). “Someday Our Gods Will be Friends” | 123www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 103–126