10 Vikings Fates Worse Than Death
6. Branded A Skogarmaor
Even Bjorn Ironside said that this was a fate worse than death. You can't argue with the strongest Ragnarsson.
Punishment is an inherent part of Viking culture. Most of the characters in this show found themselves receiving some form of brutal sentence at some point in their lives, but there were few worse than being branded a Skogarmaor. What is a Skorgarmaor, you may ask? Well, it's basically taking banishment and adding a couple of extra steps in, ensuring your life will never be happy again.
Being branded a Skogarmaor is a punishment reserved for the worst of Vikings. The term means "man of the forest" and essentially deems you as unworthy of living in society. You're forced out and branded as a menace who has no right to property or law. Ostracised from society for the rest of your life and physically branded so you can never escape your shame.
There are a select few, such as Erik The Red and Hvitserk (who we will get to soon), who managed to regain their honour. But, those kinds of lucky people were few and far between.