8世纪末年，土壤肥茂、气候宜人、林木繁盛、飞禽鸟兽猎之不绝的英格兰村落错落、鸡犬相闻，城镇的工商业初具雏形。这时距罗马人撤出已过去了4个世纪，而随着罗马人传入不列颠的基督教，被盎格鲁撒克逊人信守。修道院在英格兰东南部和爱尔兰星罗棋布，而建于公元633年的林第斯法恩岛修道院，成为北英格兰基督教的发源地。教士们剃光头顶蓄短发和络腮胡，和分布在14个主教区的同道一起，接受坎特伯雷大主教的领导。

这时，虔诚信奉众神之王奥丁的北欧维京人，一边祈祷着雷神索尔和女武神的护佑，一边在他们的英雄Ragnar Lothbrok带领下，凭借日冕和太阳石西渡，攻击和焚毁林第斯法恩岛修道院，将信众献供的宝石器皿掳掠一空。

维京人信奉的多神教，其实在一定程度上属于野蛮人的、有着骇人祭祀方式的巫术。奥丁之信，赋予他们信勇、忠诚，底色是至高无上的荣誉感、和对命运之神的臣服。然而奥丁的荣耀和死神的恐惧，都没有满足Ragnar内心隐约含混的更深追问——也许，这个世界还有另外的中心和更高级的信条，可以更清晰地解释自己和族群的故事？从他时时迷惑而又好奇的眼神、从他视为基督神父Athelstan为好友、学习英格兰的语言、打听英格兰的生活方式等细节，可以看到，他的出征，更多地是为了探寻、为了对话、为了捕捉若隐若现的星光吧！

Our whole lives are just stories, we keep trying to explain。

又：

“Our whole lives are just stories“这句话出现在本季的第7集。这是一幕令人拍案叫绝的民间仲裁，展现出英雄的妻子Lagertha除了勇气和战斗力不输其夫，其智慧也不相上下甚至略胜一筹。

场景发生在Ragnar刚刚变成Earl Ragnar之后集船出征，留下怀孕中的妻子 Lagertha料理部落的事务。这天有个族人（甲）拉着刚生娃的妻子前来控诉：

Legertha ( 问候并询问何事)：Good day to you, folk. What is the problem here?

族人甲（忿忿地）：The problem is her!

Legertha：What has she done?

族人甲：She has had a child-the boy in her arms.

Legertha：What of it?

族人甲（越说越气急败坏）：He’s not my child.

We tried for many years to have children, but without success.

And then, just over a year ago, a young man came to the door,

I remember the day, I was making a room.

The young man said his name was Rig. He gave us some good advice on our work, and stayed at our house.

After three days, he left…

And then nine moths later, she gave birth to a son.

（围观的一众族人哗笑）

Legertha 转向族人的妻子问：Whose child is it?

族人妻子不知所措：I don’t know, my Lady.We were all in the same bed. I was too scared.

族人甲抢话道：You see? She is not an honest woman. She had sex with Rig and could not bring herself to tell me the truths!

Legertha并不受族人甲的愤怒干扰，她招手示意族人妻子走近，接着问她：Do you know who this Rig was?

族人妻子茫然：No, he was just a young man.

亮点来了，Legertha开始循循善诱：On the contrary.We know from our ancient stories. That Rig is another name for Heimdal.

族人甲妻子没明白：The god Heimdal?

族人甲听不下去了：MY LADY!

Legertha加强口气，不容置疑：Yes, the god Heimdal!

You are fortunate, that he chose your household to appear in.

族人甲不信：That’s just a story!

Legertha不由分说：Our whold livers are just stories.

You should be ashamed you did not trust your wife, despite the joy and comfort she has brought you, and the fact that a god chose you of all people to visit.

Do not punish her but rejoice with her, drink wine with her, and sacrifice one of your animals, to Heimdal the god！

But if I hear you have harmed this woman, or this child, you will answer for it to me!

族人甲与妻子抱孩子退下，基督神父Athelstan在旁边若有所思。

Legertha的这场急智的裁断，至少解决了三个问题：

1） 夫妻的和睦。这与中国民间的“宁拆十座庙、不毁一门亲”异曲同工。

2） 孩子出生的合理性问题。这对夫妻求子多年不得，一个不期而至的陌生年轻人匆匆来而匆匆去，这与中国传说的“送子观音”有何二致？何况Legertha以神之名赋予这个孩子成长的荣光，等于是给一个生命繁华的机会，可谓点石成金。

3） 这对夫妻在邻里中的尊严和面子问题，堵住了闲人的口。

由此看来，宗教的价值，是赋予人类行为以意义。解释，往往比故事本身更要紧。

每个民族之初都有神话世界、人格化的诸神及魔兽。在那样质朴的年代，人对于生命和屠杀并不是那么介意，显得非常野蛮，但那并不等同于邪恶。它们比诸现代文明，只是划定善恶的标尺不一致，但并非南辕北辙。Ragnar和他的妻子，充分证明了这一点。

多神崇拜是处在质朴期的人类，与自然相处与之对话的方式，只是还未达到向内对话灵魂向外追问无穷的境界罢了。换句话说，早期的多神崇拜只是一种自然观，还不是宗教。

从这个角度，无论是罗马人维京人还是盎格鲁撒克逊人，归向基督教，也就不难理解了。