Man names baby boy after Viking king ‘Ragnar’

DİYARBAKIR

A man from the eastern province of Diyarbakır has named his baby boy after “Ragnar,” the legendary Viking hero he learned from the world-renowned TV series “Vikings.”

“I am a fan of Vikings. I broke new ground by giving my son Ragnar’s name. I am happy,” 34-year-old Güven Arslan told the Demirören News Agency on Jan. 10.

Arslan and his wife, Sibel, were going to name their baby “Rüzgar,” which means “wind” in English. But the father changed his mind at a local birth registration office and named his son “Ragnar.”

“I was shocked, too, when I saw the baby’s identification card with the name Ragnar written on it,” the 26-year-old mother said in amusement.

Ragnar Lothbrok was a Viking hero and a legendary Danish and Swedish king who lived in the ninth century. Conducting many raids against the British Isles and the Roman empire, his life featured in many heroic poems in Norse mythology, movies, novels and videogames in the 20th century.

“Vikings” is a TV drama series based on the sagas of Ragnar Lothbrok. The series aired between 2013 and 2020. A spin-off series named “Vikings: Valhalla” will be aired on Netflix next month.