Source material this is based off of says Mushrooms as well. Sorry.Well unlike most world events, things, people - I cannot speak directly toward contradicting what's found in regard to them on Wikipedia.
However, I can with mushrooms. No, no they weren't using mushrooms.
There are several native species of psychoactive mushrooms in Scandinavia such as Psilocybe semilanceata and Amanita muscaria. However, it is uncertain if the vikings actually used them.Whatever it is, it would have to be indigenous to that area of the world.
I always saw the priest as a reflection of how Ragnar values people. I did some reading and in Viking culture human sacrifices were generally people who were of high worth, and their worth was determined by how they benefited the community. The priest could be perceived as being high worth and Ragnar being willing to sacrifice him shows how much he wanted the gods on his side. It's really kind of a compliment, though I'm sure things are going to be a bit awkward going forward for the priestThey seem really determined to kill off most of Ragnar's cool yet mostly silent companions. Does anyone actually like the priest? So far he just takes up time while looking put out by everything around him in every single scene. He's also completely devoid of any personality or screen presence, WTB deer in headlights emoticon.
A little bit but there is a point to it and it is good to gain a grasp of the power balance at home before they all mach off to war and start carving out parts of England and Ireland. I wonder how Ragnar's power & position will be affected by the flu? outbreak.So did anyone else lose a LOT of interest in the show once Ragnar became Jarl? Not sure if it was the lack of invested conflict at home or the lack of England stuff, but I just didn't care much about the last 2-3 episodes.