In ancient northern sources, Viking warriors were warriors who fought in a trance-like state of unbridled rage, which later gave rise to the English word “berserk” (crazy).
HeritageDaily writes that the name probably meant “bear shirt” (comparable to the Middle English word “serk” for “shirt”), as warriors traditionally went into battle without armor and wearing bear or wolf skins.
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Some scholars argue that berserk roots can be found in Roman times, as in the Germanic tribes described by the Roman historian Tacitus, or in the scenes at Trajan’s Column in Rome where tribal warriors are depicted wearing bear and wolf skin cloaks.
One of the earliest written accounts of savages is the 9th-century poem Hrafnsmál (“Raven’s Song”) by skald Þorbjörn Hornklofi:
“They were full of warriors,
And whitewashed shields
Western spears, I know they’re there
And Frankish swords are new,
The Berserkers howled and bit their shields,
When war broke out above the waves,
The ghouls howled and roared loudly.”
Original:
“Hlaðnir vôru hǫlða ok hvítra skjalda
Vigra vestrœnna ok valskra sverða
Grenjuðu went wild; guðr vas a sinnum
Emjuðu ulfheðnar ok isǫrn shower”
Furious (“turn crazy”) meant “hamaskʼ”, and in this case it can be translated as “change shape”, as in the sense of “to enter a state of wild rage” or literally turn into a bear. The savages were portrayed as indestructible, many of whom were vulnerable to mortal blow, possessing superhuman strength.
This is also described in the Ynglinga Saga of Icelandic historian and poet Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241):
“(Odin’s) people rushed forward without armor, ferocious like dogs or wolves, biting shields, strong like bears or aurochs, and killed men in one hit, but neither fire nor iron could stop them. They said savages.
Berserkers appear as champions, heroes, elite warriors or bodyguards in many Scandinavian epics and poems. However, over time this image changed (especially after Scandinavia’s conversion to Christianity) but began to be portrayed as criminals, bandits, marauders and murderers who killed everyone in a row.
Some scholars suggest that the madman’s anger stems from intrusive hysteria or epilepsy, or from large amounts of alcohol or drugs, particularly hallucinogenic mushrooms or black henbane plants, because in 1977 archaeologists excavating near the Viking stronghold of Fyrkat in Denmark found its seeds in Vikings’ tombs.
In 1015 the Norwegian Count Eiríkr Hákonarson outlawed the insane. Medieval Icelandic legal code Grágás condemned them, and by the 12th century, the organized gangs of warriors caught in ruthless fury disappeared completely.
Previously Focus He wrote about the cradle and secrets of the Vikings.
And also Focus He talked about real grammar hacking and how scientists solved an ancient grammar puzzle.
Source: Focus
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