3. It Has Shield Maidens
While the existence of shield maidens in the Icelandic sagas on which Vikings is based is well documented, the historical evidence is what might be politely called open for debate. But thats no reason not to include them in a show based on a mythical figure, especially when the cast list also includes Odin. Ragnars wife Lagertha is a semi-retired shield maiden and that rarest of characters: a mother who is both good at being a mother and allowed to have a career without it becoming a massive issue. In one memorable scene she deals with a home invasion by calmly sending her daughter outside and killing the two armed, would be rapists with nothing more than a poker. Once Ragnar brings home a kidnapped priest to help with childcare (surely next years Valentines Day gift of choice) shes off across the sea to England, standing beside her husband in the shield wall and proving pretty definitively that shes not a damsel whos going to get captured every time the writers run out of ideas.