Vikings: 12 Most Brutal Moments So Far
9. Judith Is Tortured In The Square
This one was a stark reminder that Christians were just as brutal as the Vikings. Princess Judith eventually becomes infatuated, sleeps with, and births the son of our friend Athelstan. The only issue is, of course, is that Judith is married to Prince Aethelwulf and thus she commits adultery.
The Christians believe that the fitting punishment for this sin is to have her ears and nose cut off. So, once she gives birth, she is taken to the square and immediately strung up in front of a raging crowd. She's given a choice: if she says who the father is then she might be spared.
At first, she refuses, and we see her ear get cut off in a sawing motion with a knife and witness is excrtiating detail the immense pain she is going through. Eventually she admits that Athelstan is the father and she is spared from more brutality, but it is one ear too late.