The season 3 finale of Vikings airs this Thursday, and the question on everyone’s mind is: Will Ragnar live to season 4?

Ragnar Lothbrok has had a tough season. His wife was unfaithful (although, so was he), her negligence almost got their sons killed, his best friend betrayed him and killed his other best friend, and he lost far too many men in a battle that was doomed from the start. To top it all off, though, Ragnar has quite literally been through the war zone and is suffering for it. He’s on his deathbed, barely clinging to life, and it’s unclear whether he’ll live through to season 4.

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Potential Spoilers Below: If you do not wish to know the legend, stop reading!

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Ragnar’s death wouldn’t come as a total surprise, though. The legend states that Ragnar meets his end in a snake pit at the hands of King Aelle. His sons then seek revenge.

Despite Ragnar being the lead character, it’s entirely possible he could be killed off the show. Writer and producer Michael Hirst has stated an interest in pursuing Vikings past Ragnar’s story, and continuing with his sons. After all, as legend goes, his sons are arguably more notable than he is (via RadioTimes).

Moreover, in season 1, King Aelle vows vengeance on the Vikings after he and his men are attacked. The scene was set for Aelle to one day return and make due his promise.

‘But we haven’t seen Aelle or snake pits in any of the promos!’ you defiantly scream. Consider this: Who’s to say the show will follow the legend exactly? Television shows and movies are always taking creative liberties when adapting a story to make it more theatrical.

Seeing as Ragnar is currently dying and looks like he doesn’t have much life left, it’s possible he’ll want to die a hero’s death. Maybe he’ll go the way of Torstein, and die in battle fighting alongside his men. Or perhaps he’ll die anticlimactically, literally on a bed, life slowly fading from his body, with Athelstan by his side guiding him to heaven.

Not to mention this promo shows Rollo sitting by what looks to be a coffin, saying, “The Gods took you first. I always thought they favored you.” The first part of that line would infer that someone is dead. As for the second part, who do we know of that Rollo thinks the Gods favor? The obvious answer is Ragnar.

Then again, all this could just be a red herring. In many of the promos, we hardly see Ragnar at all. Maybe they’re trying to hide something bigger, like Ragnar getting well again. Divine intervention, perhaps? Or Athelstan intervention? Will Ragnar’s newfound God heal him?

It’s almost a guarantee that Ragnar will die at some point before the show’s end, but what’s unclear is whether he’ll die this week, or seasons from now. Although evidence would suggest Ragnar doesn’t have long to live, we can’t help but figure that he’d go out fighting, and not slowly from infection.

The ‘Vikings’ season 3 finale airs Thursday April 23 at 9 p.m.

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