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I suspect that Jarl Borg and Aslaug are in league together. Furthermore, if Aslaug is actually pregnant, I very, very much doubt that it's Ragnar.
Which I used in my season 2 trailer fix-it fic Hlín's Second Sorrow, but I thought I'd make a post with my arguments for that opinion.
Why do I think Jarl Borg and Aslaug are in league? Well, mostly because I find it awfully convenient the way Jarl Borg pretty much sends Ragnar straight to her. It is Jarl Borg who suggests that Ragnar should play tourist and go look at their famous ash tree and it is the man Jarl Borg has sent along as a guide who points Ragnar's group straight at Aslaug's camp. Where she is very conveniently skinny dipping when Ragnar's men come upon her.
Now, what sounds more likely? That it is a complete coincidence that she's there and that Jarl Borg wasn't aware of this apparently highborn lady and her armed escort's presence on his land? Or that Jarl Borg - who has so far shown himself perfectly capable of a divide-and-conquer approach to things and political scheming - knew what he was doing and has plans?
I know which of the above I favour.
Now, to the second point: Why do I doubt that Aslaug is pregnant with Ragnar's child, if at all?
Well, first of all, if I remember correctly, we only see them have sex 1½ times in the episode - they have a tumble, Bjorn yells at his father and when next Aslaug seeks out Ragnar, he pushes her away halfway through. Admittedly, they might have been going at it like bunnies off stage, but 1½ times is all we see before her surprise announcement.
Of course, once is all it takes.
But then there's the matter of time.
Now, from the moment of ovulation/potential impregnantion and to the point where you can start to wonder if something might be up, a minimum of two weeks will pass and - if you are one of the many women whose periods fluctuate a bit - probably a bit more before you're certain. A month, maybe, maybe more.
Of course, if being pregnant would be to your advantage right here and now, you might be willing to make an early, optimistic announcement.
People tend to argue that Aslaug would have had plenty of time to establish that she's actually pregnant. The primary argument for this relies on a belief that it would Floki a considerably amount of time to go to Denmark, seek out King Horik and return with his answer.
I don't think it will take that long.
What are we actually told in the show: Jarl Borg states that Ragnar's messenger will take "several days" - not weeks or month, days. Also, we see Floki leaving alone and with just the one horse, implying IMHO that he expects a relatively short and relatively safe trip.
How far is it from Gotland to Denmark at this point? Well, if you were standing at the border, it would have been exactly one step. Remember, at this point it time Scania was still a Danish province and would remain a such for centuries yet to come.
Of course, Jarl Borg probably didn't build his hall on the border. So how far from his hall to the border? Well, according to Adam of Bremen, 11th century writer, who has given us the oldest geographical description of Scandinavia: Västergötland, indeed, borders on the Danish territory called Scania, from which it takes seven days to reach Skara, the great city of the Goths. Of course, he's writing a few centuries after our time, but overland transport times probably didn't change that much in the intervening centuries, and of course we don't know exactly where Jarl Borg's hall is located, but would it be so strange if it was located where the city of Skara would eventually be founded?
So, about seven days to the border, then.
But how far into Denmark would Floki have to go?
Probably not far.
First of all, the location in which Floki meets Horik is clearly not a part of modern-day Denmark. I'm not an expert on Scania's geography, so I cannot speak for that area, but what I suspect is that the place we see is probably very close to the border to Gotland.
It actually makes perfect sense for Horik to be staying just south of the border. Why? Well, first of all, the whole thing is a border dispute and - since Horik never mentions arguing on behalf of one of his earls - it seems reasonable to assume that this means that King Horik has a personal estate just south of the border to Gotland.
Of course, why would Horik be there? As king he would have estates all over Denmark as well as tend to travel around and visit the local earls and things. Why be there specifically? But again, it actually makes perfect sense. After all, this is the first time he's using Ragnar as an envoy - it makes sense for him to stay close, in case Ragnar proves crap at the job and things go to hell in a handbasket. In fact, as Horik seems to desire a military solution, it makes very much sense for him (and more importantly his hird) to be sufficiently close by to be able to act.
So, what does that mean for Floki's travel time? Well, I'd say one, two days at most from the border. Don't forget, Scania should be fairly easy going - even back then. I mean, all of Denmark has terrain that's pretty easy going. You could cross all of Zealand in two days.
So, to sum up, I expect it would take Floki no more than 10 days to get to King Horik, and the same back. Three weeks. Tops. If his horse stumbles or something, well, maybe a month. But honestly, three weeks is my educated guesstimate.
So, three weeks. Actually, a couple of days less, because Ragnar has to meet Aslaug first. And of course it would be yet another one of those very convenient things if Aslaug's cycle is perfectly timed to get pregnant at that specific point of the month - I mean, it's not impossible, of course not, but still. She might have time, but - well, I doubt it.
So there you have it. The reasons I suspect Jarl Borg and Aslaug are in league, and the reasons I doubt that she's pregnant with Ragnar's child.
And now I shall lean and wait expectantly for season two to see if any of my suspicions will have been accurate.
Which I used in my season 2 trailer fix-it fic Hlín's Second Sorrow, but I thought I'd make a post with my arguments for that opinion.
Why do I think Jarl Borg and Aslaug are in league? Well, mostly because I find it awfully convenient the way Jarl Borg pretty much sends Ragnar straight to her. It is Jarl Borg who suggests that Ragnar should play tourist and go look at their famous ash tree and it is the man Jarl Borg has sent along as a guide who points Ragnar's group straight at Aslaug's camp. Where she is very conveniently skinny dipping when Ragnar's men come upon her.
Now, what sounds more likely? That it is a complete coincidence that she's there and that Jarl Borg wasn't aware of this apparently highborn lady and her armed escort's presence on his land? Or that Jarl Borg - who has so far shown himself perfectly capable of a divide-and-conquer approach to things and political scheming - knew what he was doing and has plans?
I know which of the above I favour.
Now, to the second point: Why do I doubt that Aslaug is pregnant with Ragnar's child, if at all?
Well, first of all, if I remember correctly, we only see them have sex 1½ times in the episode - they have a tumble, Bjorn yells at his father and when next Aslaug seeks out Ragnar, he pushes her away halfway through. Admittedly, they might have been going at it like bunnies off stage, but 1½ times is all we see before her surprise announcement.
Of course, once is all it takes.
But then there's the matter of time.
Now, from the moment of ovulation/potential impregnantion and to the point where you can start to wonder if something might be up, a minimum of two weeks will pass and - if you are one of the many women whose periods fluctuate a bit - probably a bit more before you're certain. A month, maybe, maybe more.
Of course, if being pregnant would be to your advantage right here and now, you might be willing to make an early, optimistic announcement.
People tend to argue that Aslaug would have had plenty of time to establish that she's actually pregnant. The primary argument for this relies on a belief that it would Floki a considerably amount of time to go to Denmark, seek out King Horik and return with his answer.
I don't think it will take that long.
What are we actually told in the show: Jarl Borg states that Ragnar's messenger will take "several days" - not weeks or month, days. Also, we see Floki leaving alone and with just the one horse, implying IMHO that he expects a relatively short and relatively safe trip.
How far is it from Gotland to Denmark at this point? Well, if you were standing at the border, it would have been exactly one step. Remember, at this point it time Scania was still a Danish province and would remain a such for centuries yet to come.
Of course, Jarl Borg probably didn't build his hall on the border. So how far from his hall to the border? Well, according to Adam of Bremen, 11th century writer, who has given us the oldest geographical description of Scandinavia: Västergötland, indeed, borders on the Danish territory called Scania, from which it takes seven days to reach Skara, the great city of the Goths. Of course, he's writing a few centuries after our time, but overland transport times probably didn't change that much in the intervening centuries, and of course we don't know exactly where Jarl Borg's hall is located, but would it be so strange if it was located where the city of Skara would eventually be founded?
So, about seven days to the border, then.
But how far into Denmark would Floki have to go?
Probably not far.
First of all, the location in which Floki meets Horik is clearly not a part of modern-day Denmark. I'm not an expert on Scania's geography, so I cannot speak for that area, but what I suspect is that the place we see is probably very close to the border to Gotland.
It actually makes perfect sense for Horik to be staying just south of the border. Why? Well, first of all, the whole thing is a border dispute and - since Horik never mentions arguing on behalf of one of his earls - it seems reasonable to assume that this means that King Horik has a personal estate just south of the border to Gotland.
Of course, why would Horik be there? As king he would have estates all over Denmark as well as tend to travel around and visit the local earls and things. Why be there specifically? But again, it actually makes perfect sense. After all, this is the first time he's using Ragnar as an envoy - it makes sense for him to stay close, in case Ragnar proves crap at the job and things go to hell in a handbasket. In fact, as Horik seems to desire a military solution, it makes very much sense for him (and more importantly his hird) to be sufficiently close by to be able to act.
So, what does that mean for Floki's travel time? Well, I'd say one, two days at most from the border. Don't forget, Scania should be fairly easy going - even back then. I mean, all of Denmark has terrain that's pretty easy going. You could cross all of Zealand in two days.
So, to sum up, I expect it would take Floki no more than 10 days to get to King Horik, and the same back. Three weeks. Tops. If his horse stumbles or something, well, maybe a month. But honestly, three weeks is my educated guesstimate.
So, three weeks. Actually, a couple of days less, because Ragnar has to meet Aslaug first. And of course it would be yet another one of those very convenient things if Aslaug's cycle is perfectly timed to get pregnant at that specific point of the month - I mean, it's not impossible, of course not, but still. She might have time, but - well, I doubt it.
So there you have it. The reasons I suspect Jarl Borg and Aslaug are in league, and the reasons I doubt that she's pregnant with Ragnar's child.
And now I shall lean and wait expectantly for season two to see if any of my suspicions will have been accurate.