"In the gentle fall of rain from heaven, I hear my god, but in the thunder, I still hear Thor," Athelstan said. When Ragnar first met the young monk, he was weak and scared and didn't seem like he would last long, but he was stronger than he appeared. If Athelstan was good at anything, it was surviving. His ability to survive both in Norway and Wessex in the middle of all that hate and killing was just amazing.
Ragnar liked the monk from the moment he met him. He was brave but, most importantly, very loyal. He appeared weak and conflicted, but as Ragnar confessed after Athelstan's death, he was the only man brave enough to question the religious extremes on both sides of the conflict in Vikings. He made a great friend to both Ragnar and Ecbert, but he made lots of wrong decisions that eventually got him killed.
10 Best: Begging For His Life In Old Norse
Many people assume that Ragnar spared Athelstan because he was the last person alive after the Vikings sacked Lindisfarne, but that wasn't the case. When the Vikings were about to kill him, Athelstan begged for his life in Ragnar's native tongue. Many monks at the monastery accepted their fate and died believing they had fulfilled God's will, but Athelstan never gave in.
He impressed Ragnar with his knowledge of Old Norse and even gave Ragnar information about other towns in Northumbria. He proved himself as a resourceful man, which is why Ragnar chose him as 'payment' instead of all the other items he had looted on the raid.
9 Worst: Choosing To Stay In Wessex With Horik
Athelstan used his time in Kattegat to become a Viking, convincingly enough that he killed Saxons and even monks when Ragnar came with him to raid Wessex. He had also convinced himself that he was now a Viking, although a part of him was still a Christian. However, Floki wouldn't have killed him if he just went back with Ragnar to fight Jarl Borg and remained a lukewarm Viking.
When Ragnar went back to reclaim Kattegat from Jarl Borg, Athelstan chose to stay in Wessex against Ragnar's best intentions. He ended up getting captured by the Saxons and being crucified. Ecbert saved him from certain death, but he never found a home in Wessex. His return to Christianity in Wessex stirred the strife and anger in Ragnar's camp that finally got him killed - and, of course, it got him crucified!
8 Best: Saving Ragnar's Life
Ragnar had killed Athelstan's friends at the monastery and enslaved him, which meant that he had no reason to like him during the early days of his capture. However, when Haraldson's men attacked Ragnar's farm, and the family had to flee, Athelstan chose to help and protect Ragnar and his family.
He helped Lagertha save Gyda and Bjorn and even dived into the water to bring the injured Ragnar onto the boat. After saving his life, Ragnar learned that he could trust him and even decided to make him a free man, which allowed him to interact with Ragnar on level ground.
7 Worst: Saving Rollo's Life
Athelstan was in Kattegat when he watched Rollo fight alongside Jarl Borg to take Kattegat away from Ragnar. Ragnar had a weak spot for his brother, so he bribed the lawmaker and saved Rollo. Rollo never liked Athelstan, though, and always considered him a dangerous foreigner.
When he was injured in Wessex, Athelstan could have simply kept his mouth shut and let the Saxons kill Rollo with the rest, but he chose to save him and even nurse his wounds. Rollo still tried to kill Athelstan after he saved his life. After Rollo was baptized and started having conflicted religious views, Floki also blamed Athelstan for it, and it was one of the reasons why he killed him.
6 Best: Keeping His Cross On The Trip To Uppsala
Athelstan didn't know that he was going to end up as a sacrifice on the trip to Uppsala. He actually agreed to join Ragnar on the journey, although he went back to Ragnar's old home first to check on his old bible. He also carried his cross on the trip.
After denying his God three times in front of the priest, he was just about to be sacrificed, but the priest noticed him touching the cross and realized that he was still a Christian. The cross saved him that day.
5 Worst: Sleeping With Judith
Athelstan's affair with Judith was the proof that he had totally fallen from his faith. Judith was married, and as a monk, Athelstan should have been celibate. Athelstan also understood that the affair with Judith couldn't have any good ending, and if discovered, could have serious consequences for her.
It could have gotten both of them killed if they were discovered. It was a miracle that Athelstan wasn't caught and that Alfred was conceived in the process - so in many ways, this actually worked out well much later on. However, Judith nearly died because of it, and Athelstan became the father of a child that he never got to see.
4 Best: Helping Ragnar and Ecbert Negotiate
Athelstan impressed Ecbert and Ragnar equally, which meant he had powerful friends on both sides of the ocean. His friendship with both men was the bridge between the Vikings and the Saxons while he lived, and he put it to good use while it lasted.
He accompanied Ecbert's envoy to invite Ragnar to Ecbert's palace and also oversaw the negotiations that helped the two kings avoid the battle on Ragnar's second raid on Wessex. Athelstan was the first proof that Vikings and Saxons could live together if the leaders could sit down and agree. He was the symbol of peace throughout his stay in Wessex.
3 Worst: Agreeing To Go Back With Ragnar
The sight of Ragnar mourning Athelstan's death was one of the saddest scenes in Vikings. "Why did you have to die," he said. Ragnar blamed himself for Athelstan's death since Athelstan's return to Kattegat was purely out of love for Ragnar and his family. That sentimental thinking is what killed Athelstan, though.
Ragnar was surrounded by impulsive people like Rollo and Floki, who didn't like the idea of having a Christian living among them. Many people hated Athelstan for going back to Christianity, and someone was bound to kill him at one point. He had better chances of surviving with Ecbert's protection than in Kattegat.
2 Best: Accepting To Work For Ecbert
When a man saves you from being crucified then offers you a job, it wouldn't be very wise to refuse him. That was Athelstan's position after the Saxons captured him. Working for Ecebert meant he would face distrust from Ragnar's camp, but he had to survive first before being able to help Ragnar.
The time he spent translating the Roman texts kept him close to Ecbert, which meant he was in a position to help Ragnar when he returned from Kattegat. Athelstan also escaped the persecution he would have faced from the Saxons if he had lived like a common person.
1 Worst: Failing To Choose One Religion
Athelstan was right to question the religious extremes in both cultures, but he should have made a stand, at least for a public show. Each side had extremists who wouldn't delay killing anyone they deemed a traitor to their religion so even with Ragnar and Ecbert's protection, Athelstan was never safe if he didn't openly declare one religion.
He escaped death because of his religion twice before dying in the third. The Saxons crucified him for being an apostate before Ecbert came to his rescue. When he decided to go back to Kattegat with Ragnar, he openly practiced Christianity and angered Floki, who then killed him.
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