Ivar travels the Silk Road in new clip from the final season of Vikings

The sixth and final season of History’s Vikings begins on December 4 with a special two-episode event. Thanks to Rotten Tomatoes, we can check out the first two-plus minutes. Watch as Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen), deposed as King of Kattegat at the end of season 5, travels the Silk Road, discovering wonder along the way.

It might look like Ivar is softened by the wonders he discovers along the Silk Road, but based on every other trailer we’ve seen for season six, I don’t think it will stick. We know Ivar will return alongside the Rus to try and conquer all of Scandinavia.

So does Ivar travel the Silk Road and hook up with the Rus somewhere on the path? Pulling up a map of the Silk Road creates more questions than answers. An ancient trading route started in the early third century, the Road would eventually run from the Mediterranean to China’s east coast, while also reaching south into Arabia and modern-day India. Where it didn’t go, at least to this armchair historian’s knowledge, was anywhere near modern-day Germany and Poland, commonly thought to be the homeland of the Rus.

Most had assumed Ivar would only take a quick trip south before returning home, but it looks like Vikings has a much longer journey in store for Ragnar’s most volatile son. Of course, Vikings has always played it fast and loose with real-world history, so perhaps the Silk Road somehow extends farther north on the show than in the real world.

At any rate, we know snakes and parrots won’t keep our boy Ivar happy for long. There will be blood before Vikings comes to a close, and lots of it.

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