What Really Happened To The Real Life Versions Of These Vikings Characters

After a season 6A cliffhanger that saw Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) mortally wounded in his battle against the Rus, the character made a brief, but triumphant, recovery in the premiere episode of season 6B. He rode into battle one last time, which scared and confused his enemies, who had been convinced of his death. The gambit is enough to help ensure his army is ultimately victorious, but his wounds are too serious to recover from, and Bjorn eventually dies.

As for the real Bjorn Ironside, determining his ultimate fate is less cut and dry. According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, the figure known to legend as Bjorn Ironside was likely created from the actual history of a real person, or is even a composite figure based on the exploits of several people. He appears in various sagas concerning the exploits of Ragnar Lothbrok, and like the rest of the people from those works, the stories concerning him are likely mythologized to some degree. Either way, in most accounts of his legend, he isn't mentioned after he and his brothers torture and kill King Ælle of Northumbria as revenge for the King's murder of their father, Ragnar. What happened to him afterward is a mystery.

The blood eagling of King Ælle (Ivan Kaye) is depicted in season 4 of Vikings, so it's safe to say that, as far as major narrative beats go, everything involving Bjorn after that — including his heroic last stand against the Rus — was invented for the show.