<P> Ragnar arrives safely with his army in England and begins to ravage and burn . </P> <P> When king Ælla of Northumbria learns of the pillaging army, he musters an overwhelming force and defeats Ragnar's army . Ragnar is dressed in a silken jacket which Aslaug had made and nothing can pierce it . Finally, he is taken prisoner and thrown into a snake pit . However, as the snakes do not bite him, the Englishmen take off his clothes and then the snakes kill him for good . </P> <P> Ragnar's sons attack England but Ivar does not want to fight as the English army is too large; he fears they will lose and will have to go home again . Ivar, however, stays in England and asks Ælla for wergild, claiming that he cannot go home without some compensation to show his brothers . Ivar only asks for as much land as he can cover with an ox's hide . He cuts it into such a fine long string of hide that he can encircle an area large enough for a city . When this is done, he lays the foundations for a city which becomes York . He allies himself with all of England and finally all the chieftains in the region become loyal to Ivar and his brothers . </P> <P> Then, Ivar tells his brothers to attack England . During the battle Ivar sides with his brothers and so do many of the English chieftains with their people, out of loyalty to Ivar . Ælla is taken captive and in revenge Ragnar's sons carve the blood eagle from him . </P>

The story of ragnar lothbrok and his sons