Bjorn Ironside is one of the most prominent characters in History's Vikings. As Ragnar's first-born and Lagertha's only son, he stands out from the rest of Ragnar's children. Just like his parents and his uncle Rollo (who actually turned out to be his real father), he is a skillful warrior who is definitely making it to Valhalla in the afterlife.
Fans are torn about Bjorn. On the one hand, he is an honorable man with a good heart, but then again, he has done several unforgivable things in his savage life. While it's true that Vikings lived by a different set of values than we do, it's still hard to stomach some aspects of their personalities.
Redeeming: He Confronted Ragnar About Aslaug
Bjorn was just a teenager when Ragnar met Aslaug on his travels to Götaland and started having an affair with her. Lagertha certainly didn't deserve to be betrayed like that, so we were all rooting for little Bjorn when he told Ragnar off.
Unfortunately, Ragnar paid little Bjorn no mind. It's no wonder his son grew up to disrespect women as well, which leads us to the next point.
Hate: He Is Not Loyal To His Women
When Bjorn was really young, he couldn't stomach his father's infidelity, so it's really curious that he grew up to be even worse than him. It could be argued that it's just one of those character inconsistencies on Vikings, or perhaps Bjorn believed that there is no point in treating women as equals.
Let's name all the women that Bjorn has so far been involved with: Thorunn, Torvi, Astrid, Snæfrid, Elsewith, Gunnhild, and Ingrid. He married five of these women and failed to stay by their sides for longer than a hot second, which really infuriated fans of the show.
Redeeming: He Loved His Mother
We can't help but feel bad for Bjorn sometimes. In the pilot episode of the Vikings, we saw that Ragnar was an attentive father who wanted Bjorn to grow up into an honorable man. It was as if he lost his father overnight when Ragnar started to rise to power.
Because of his father's absence, Bjorn always felt closer to his mother. The two treated each other as family until the very end, which is something that isn't a given in the brutal world of Vikings.
Hate: He Is Entitled
It's especially from Ragnar's untimely death onwards that Bjorn started brooding and pouting for no apparent reason.
As the son of a legend, Bjorn inherited a lot of power and respect, but he doesn't live up to his father at all. If it wasn't for the huge furry coat, we'd probably all forget that he is an actual king.
Redeeming: He Avenged His Father
After Ragnar died, Bjorn did what was expected of him as the eldest son and brought his brothers together to go avenge his father. When we consider the fact that Ragnar intentionally planned his death in such a way that would bring wrath to his Anglo-Saxon enemies, it could be argued that he indirectly manipulated Bjorn into doing the dirty work of revenge.
Be that as it may, Bjorn proved himself as a competent leader when he led his huge army across the sea to do right by his father.
Hate: He Abandoned Siggy
One of the things that make the least sense about Bjorn is the way he showed up as a father to little Siggy, a child he had with Thorunn. He paid the little girl no attention at all and left her behind with Aslaug. She promised him that she would take care of her, but Aslaug was unfortunately a pretty bad caretaker.
In season 4, we could see the sad little girl clearly neglected. When she died after leaving the Great Hall, no one cared - and Bjorn didn't even flinch.
Redeeming: He Is A Great Warrior
Bjorn has quite an impressive CV. He started his warrior career when he was just sixteen years old, fighting against Jarl Borg's army. When he grew up, he was a commander at several notable battles: the two Battles of the Seine against his uncle Rollo, he led the Great Heathen Army and defeated Aelle and Aethelwulf, and he commanded the army of Kattegat in two battles against Ivar.
Bjorn also went out in the wilderness by himself as a sort of initiation. He killed a huge bear only with his ax, which proved that he is just as talented of a warrior as his uncle and father.
Hate: His Mediterranean Expedition
Not all plot lines on the Vikings were equally engaging. Bjorn's exploration of the Mediterranean left the fans of the show cold. It just didn't seem to make sense in the grand scheme of things. In this instance, Bjorn was too desperate to become an independent explorer like his father.
He led two expeditions to the south, letting Ivar gain power while he was gone. The war between the brothers that came on later would easily have been prevented if Bjorn got his priorities straight.
Redeeming: He Is Against Ivar
Whether we like Bjorn or not, he is the only hope that Vikings have against the psychopath that is Ivar the Boneless. Bjorn refuses to Ivar's insanity, even though it might cost him his own life.
If the show were to be completely historically accurate, Bjorn Ironside will eventually become the first king of Sweden. Fingers crossed!
Hate: He Slept With His Mother's Lover
While it's true that the Vikings lived their lives differently than we do these days, it's still weird that Bjorn eventually slept with Astrid, his own mother's former lover. At least Lagertha didn't really care all that much.
Astrid was obsessed with Ragnar and his sons, so it makes sense that she sought out Bjorn's attention. He definitely lost some brownie points when he didn't consider these facts before sleeping with her.