1/1/2024 0 Comments Nordic warriors mc“It is evident from the sources and depictions.”įans of Vikings as depicted in pop culture might expect that ancient berserker warriors in the buff would have adorned their bodies with some savagely gorgeous tattoo art-however, Pentz said, it is completely unknown whether the Vikings actually practiced tattooing. “Wolves and bears and dogs were admired and feared predators for all the Vikings,” he said. Pentz said the Vikings admired the strength of those formidable beasts. The berserkers’ association with bears was no coincidence. “It has been suggested that the Berserkir idea actually was an initiation ritual and if so, the nakedness might make sense.” But they definitely are described as being in some transcendental state of mind, rage ( Berserkirgangr),” said Pentz. “Wolfskin and bearskin actually do offer some protection against swords and spears. Unlike in popular myths, however, the berserkers-despite doing battle in the nude-were not entirely without bodily protection. The berserkers were thus dedicating their lives and bodies to the battle.” In addition, the naked body may have symbolized invulnerability and was perhaps displayed to honor a war god. Nakedness on the frontlines was, according to the National Museum of Denmark, “a good psychological weapon” which caused the warriors to be feared because “they showed such disregard for their own personal safety. “Snorri seems to have combined both possible interpretations of the word berserkr: they were “bare”- went to battle without coats of mail-and bear-like at the same time-were as strong as bears,” Pentz explained. They killed people, and neither fire nor iron affected them. ![]() They bit their shields and were as strong as bears or bulls. Sturluson referred to the berserkers as “Odin’s own men,” saying that they “went to battle without coats of mail and acted like mad dogs or wolves. The primary documentary evidence for berserkers is found in the writings of Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, who lived circa 1200. The berserkers, according to Pentz, are known from written medieval sources and not from the Vikingsthemselves-unless one interprets some Viking depictions as berserkers. Peter Pentz, curator of Danish Prehistory at the National Museum of Denmark, shed some light on the mysterious warriors in an interview with Military History. ”Īlthough they allegedly served as “ bodyguards and shock troops,” these legendary fighters remain shrouded in myth. ![]() Called berserkers ( Berserkir), they inspired the English word “berserk,” meaning to be “frenzied” or “recklessly defiant. Norse lore tells of fearsome warriors dedicated to Odin, so furiously eager for battle that they bit their shields and fought naked except for wearing skins of bears or wolves. Viking 'Bear' Naked Warriors: A Closer Look at Berserkers | HistoryNet Close
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