Ragnar Lothbrok and the Rus: Viking Trade with the East

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore a less-known chapter of the Viking Age: the journey of Ragnar Lothbrok's possible kinsmen into the rivers of Eastern Europe, where they became known as the Rus. Drawing on the Primary Chronicle, Ibn Fadlan's account of a Rus chieftain's funeral, and Byzantine records, they discuss how Scandinavian traders and warriors established routes from the Baltic to the Black and Caspian Seas, trading furs, slaves, and swords for silver dirhams and silk. They examine the controversial etymology of 'Rus', the founding of Novgorod and Kyiv, and the debate over how 'Viking' these early Rus really were. The episode also touches on the possible connections between Ragnar's family—specifically his son Björn Ironside—and the Swedish warlords who pushed east. A portrait emerges of a vast interconnected world stretching from the fjords of Norway to the markets of Baghdad, far beyond the well-known raids on monasteries.

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