ThatQuiz Test Library Take this test now
Ragnar Lodbrok - Quiz
Contributed by: Burrows
  • 1. In which century was the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok written?
A) 15th century
B) 13th century
C) 9th century
D) 10th century
  • 2. Which deity is Ragnar claimed to be descended from in the saga?
A) Freyr
B) Odin
C) Thor
D) Loki
  • 3. Who was one of the women identified as Ragnar's wife in the saga?
A) Sigrid
B) Astrid
C) Freydis
D) Lagertha
  • 4. What kind of creature did Ragnar kill in the first account of him in the saga?
A) Dragon
B) Giant
C) Serpent
D) Wolf
  • 5. What is the name of the noblewoman mentioned as Ragnar's wife in the text?
A) Gudrun
B) Thora Borgarhjort
C) Aslaug
D) Hilda
  • 6. Where was Ragnar placed when he faced his death?
A) Burning pyre
B) Drowning pool
C) Dungeon cell
D) Serpent-pit
  • 7. What quality associated with Odin is attributed to Ragnar?
A) Forgiveness
B) Mercy
C) Wealth
D) Wisdom
  • 8. What did observers note about the serpents in the pit?
A) They were dead
B) They turned into gold
C) They would not bite him
D) They attacked him instantly
  • 9. What is the Old Norse title of the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok?
A) Volsunga saga
B) Heimskringla
C) Ragnars kvæði
D) Ragnars saga loðbrókar
  • 10. Besides wisdom and courage, what other quality is Ragnar blessed with?
A) The gift of prophecy
B) Invisibility
C) Poetic speech
D) Healing abilities
  • 11. Which Norman historian mentions the name Lodbrok in a text from c. 1070?
A) Adam of Bremen
B) St Neot
C) William of Jumièges
D) Asser
  • 12. According to William of Jumièges, what was the traditional custom regarding younger sons of Danish kings?
A) Marrying them into royal houses
B) Expelling them from the kingdom
C) Promoting them to co-rulers
D) Making them priests
  • 13. Which son was ordered by King Lodbrok to leave the realm?
A) Ragnall
B) Ivar
C) Björn Ironside
D) Halfdan
  • 14. To which regions did Björn Ironside sail after leaving Denmark?
A) Russia and Byzantium
B) England and Scotland
C) West Francia and the Mediterranean
D) Ireland and Iceland
  • 15. Whose history contains traditions about Viking Age Scandinavia and mentions the son of Lodparchi?
A) Adam of Bremen
B) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
C) William of Jumièges
D) Asser
  • 16. How does Adam of Bremen describe Ivar, the son of Lodbrok?
A) As a cruel persecutor of Christians
B) As a peace-loving merchant
C) As a legendary shipbuilder
D) As a converted Christian monk
  • 17. In what year did the Vikings invade Devon according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?
A) 877
B) 866
C) 878
D) 859
  • 18. What was the name of the banner captured by the Saxons after the Battle of Cynwit?
A) Raven
B) Cross
C) Lion
D) Dragon
  • 19. According to the Annals of St Neots, who wove the banner belonging to the sons of Lodbrok?
A) The three sisters of Hingwar and Hubba
B) The wife of Ragnar
C) The queen of Francia
D) The nuns of Devon
  • 20. Which Irish text mentions Halfdan under the name 'mac Ragnaill'?
A) Annals of St Neots
B) Life of Alfred
C) Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib
D) Three Fragments
  • 21. In what year did the Vikings capture York, according to the Three Fragments?
A) 877
B) 859
C) 878
D) 866
  • 22. In the Three Fragments, who expelled the eldest son, Ragnall?
A) The King of England
B) The King of Denmark
C) The two younger sons of the King of Lochlann
D) The Frankish Emperor
  • 23. Where did Ragnall settle after being expelled from Lochlann?
A) England
B) Orkney islands
C) Denmark
D) France
  • 24. What did the Viking sons return home with after their raid mentioned in the Three Fragments?
A) The keys to the city
B) Golden idols
C) Dark-skinned captives
D) Sacred relics
  • 25. What does the name 'Lodbrok' literally mean in Old Norse?
A) Dragon-slayer
B) North-king
C) Wise-warrior
D) Hairy-breeches
  • 26. According to the Icelandic sagas, who was the father of Ragnar Lodbrok?
A) Sigurd Ring
B) Ivar Vidfamne
C) Harald Wartooth
D) Ráðbarðr
  • 27. Which creature did Ragnar kill to win the hand of Thora Borgarhjort?
A) A giant snake
B) A dragon
C) A great hound
D) A bear
  • 28. Who was revealed to be the true identity of Ragnar's wife Kráka?
A) Svanlaug
B) Alfhild
C) Aslaug
D) Lagertha
  • 29. How did Ragnar Lodbrok die according to the Icelandic sagas?
A) Thrown into a snake pit
B) Burned alive
C) Killed in the Battle of the Brávellir
D) Died in battle against King Hama
  • 30. Which of these sons was born to Ragnar and Thora Borgarhjort according to the Icelandic sagas?
A) Hvitserk
B) Ivar the Boneless
C) Björn Ironside
D) Erik
  • 31. Which Northumbrian king is blamed for the execution of Ragnar Lodbrok?
A) Harald Klak
B) Daxon
C) Ælla
D) Hama
  • 32. According to Saxo Grammaticus, what led to the death of Ragnar's son Hvitserk?
A) He was burnt alive
B) He was thrown into a snake pit
C) He was executed by King Ælla
D) He was killed in battle against Daxon
  • 33. To whom is the Ragnarsdrápa poem traditionally attributed?
A) Bragi Boddason
B) Ivar the Boneless
C) Sigvat Thordarson
D) Charles the Bald
  • 34. Which poem mentions Ivar carving the eagle on King Ælla's back?
A) The Lay of Maeshowe
B) Knutsdrapa
C) Ragnarsdrápa
D) Krakumal
  • 35. What does the name 'Krakumal' refer to?
A) The battle of York
B) The king's death
C) The story of the snake pit
D) Kráka's lay
  • 36. Why do some theorists suggest Lodbrok may have originally been thought of as a woman?
A) The sagas refer to her as a queen
B) The inscription uses the phrase 'her sons'
C) No male ancestors are mentioned
D) Kráka was the true leader
  • 37. What was the name of the Viking leader who led the 845 Siege of Paris?
A) Reginherus
B) Horik I
C) Ivar
D) Sigurd
  • 38. In 841, a Ragnar was awarded land in which region?
A) Orkney, Scotland
B) Torhout, Flanders
C) Rouen, France
D) York, England
  • 39. Which Frankish ruler awarded land to Ragnar in 841?
A) Charlemagne
B) King Horik I
C) Charles the Bald
D) King Ælla
  • 40. How did the Viking leader known as Ragnar die?
A) In battle against Charles the Bald
B) In the snake pit
C) A violent illness
D) Execution by King Ælla
  • 41. Who wrote the 'Gesta Danorum' in the 12th century?
A) Saxo Grammaticus
B) Alfred the Great
C) Æthelweard
D) Ragnar Lodbrok
  • 42. Who was the leader of the Great Heathen Army from 865 to 870?
A) Halfdan
B) Ivar the Boneless
C) King Ælla
D) Björn Ironside
  • 43. Which son of Ragnar is described as being slightly more dubious as a historical figure?
A) Hvitserk
B) Ivar the Boneless
C) Björn Ironside
D) Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
  • 44. Who became the leader of the Great Heathen Army around 870?
A) Halfdan Ragnarsson
B) Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
C) King Bagsecg
D) Erik Björnsson
  • 45. Who is Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye possibly identified with?
A) Sigfred
B) Alfred
C) Halfdan
D) Bagsecg
  • 46. Who accepted a truce from Alfred the Great?
A) Halfdan
B) Ivar the Boneless
C) Björn Ironside
D) King Bagsecg
  • 47. What was the purpose of the Great Heathen Army's invasion?
A) To conquer Rome
B) To trade with Northumbria
C) Revenge for Ragnar's death
D) To convert the Saxons
  • 48. Which chronicler recorded the death of Ivar the Boneless in 870?
A) Bagsecg
B) Saxo Grammaticus
C) Alfred the Great
D) Æthelweard
  • 49. Who played Ragnar in the 1958 film The Vikings?
A) Ernest Borgnine
B) Travis Fimmel
C) Kirk Douglas
D) Tony Curtis
  • 50. In the 2013 TV series Vikings, who portrays Ragnar Lodbrok?
A) Travis Fimmel
B) Kirk Douglas
C) Ernest Borgnine
D) Tony Curtis
  • 51. Which king of Denmark died in 854?
A) Reginherus
B) Reginfrid
C) Horik I
D) Harald Klak
  • 52. What is the Ragnarsdrápa?
A) An Irish chronicle
B) A skaldic poem
C) A medieval history book
D) A modern comic book
  • 53. Which 19th-century author wrote Sea-Kings in England?
A) Edison Marshall
B) Edwin Atherstone
C) Richard Parker
D) Harry Harrison
  • 54. Which magazine featured the comic book Ragnar le Viking?
A) Vaillant
B) Sea-Kings
C) The Hammer
D) Gesta
Created with That Quiz — a math test site for students of all grade levels.