What Do We Really Know About Viking Berserkers?
By: Nicol Valentin
Tags: War, Norse Mythology, History Of Culture, History, Vikings

What Do We Really Know About Viking Berserkers?

Apparently, not a lot.

When we think of the ancient Norse, we typically conjure up visions of Vikings. Those brutal and ruthless raiders who stole, raped, and pillaged with reckless abandon. Yet, not all Norsemen were like that. Many of them were peaceful farmers, just minding their own business and trying to make a living.

And then there were the berserkers.

. . . a demoniacal frenzy suddenly took him; he furiously bit and devoured the edges of his shield; he kept gulping down fiery coals; he snatched live embers in his mouth and let them pass down into his entrails; he rushed through the perils of crackling fires; and at last, when he had raved through every sort of madness, he turned his sword with raging hand against the hearts of six of his champions. It is doubtful whether this madness came from thirst for battle or natural ferocity. . -Saxo Grammaticus

Insane? Maybe. Peace-loving? Probably not.

Grotesque and violent, berserkers were known for their fierce rage. They’d howl like wild animals, foam at the mouth, then charge without fear into the throes of battle. It was said neither fire nor iron could harm them. Some say they were elite menacing warriors that struck fear in friend and foe alike. Others say they were marauders who went around attacking innocent farmers, taking their crops and women.

Yet, beyond their crazy behavior, what do we know about them? How did they become berserkers, and what made them so crazy? Unfortunately, it’s a question that brings a lot of debate.

What’s in a name?

Apparently a lot if the name is berserker. Some say the name translates to bare of shirt, while others say bear shirt.

The “bare of shirt” camp believes the name comes from either their total lack of attire or possibly just lack of protection. Running towards one's enemy entirely in the buff would be a powerful method of psychological attack. It showed the opposition the berserker's complete disregard for personal safety and belief in their own invulnerability.

On top of that, the “bare of shirts” claim trying to fight in a bearskin would be just plain stupid. It would be too cumbersome and too hot. ( Evidently, these people have never heard of medieval armor.)

The “bear” camp believe wearing bearskins endowed the berserker with all the qualities of the animal, especially its ferocious and wild nature. Along with berserkers, there were ulfhedinn or “wolf-coats , and svinfylking, or boar warriors. Associating with animals was, therefore, a common theme. Not only that, but berserkers were also associated with shape-shifters and were said to actually transform into the animal. Hrolf’s Saga tells us about a berserker name Bjarki:

Men saw that a great bear went before King Hrolf’s men, keeping always near the king. He slew more men with his forepaws than any five of the king’s champions. Blades and weapons glanced off him, and he brought down both men and horses in King Hjorvard’s forces, and everything which came in his path he crushed to death with his teeth, so that panic and terror swept through King Hjorvard’s army…”

Answers in art?

Early depictions of berserkers, such as the iron age Golden Horns found near Møgeltønder, show semi-naked men with weapons and, believe it or not, horned helmets.

Similarly, a metal stamp from Sweden features a berserker naked except for his helmet, belt, and sword. However, there are images depicting them in bearskins as well, like this image of a warrior dressed in animal skins and mask from the Torslunda helmet plate.

wikipedia

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To become a berserker, a warlord would take into his care young aristocratic boys who would be trained as an elite troop or bodyguard.

Probably the boy would be harassed and humiliated as a means of roughing him up. At some point, he is put under the tutelage of another berserker who teaches him military techniques and battle tactics. To culminate the training, the boy must kill a wild animal. He then receives not only the animal’s skin but inherits all its animalistic qualities.

Membership in the war-band brought certain perks. Of course, there were the “I’m a badass” bragging rights. More then that, however, a berserker became part of the lord’s family. His food, drink, and weapons were at the lord's expense.

He also got to take part in lavish feasts and received a portion of the treasure and war booty. In return, a berserker gave the lord his unwavering loyalty.

lf looks could kill

If your conjuring images of a Chris Hemsworth type Thor, just get it out of your head right now.

Whatever their physical appearance, it was deliberately styled to induce fear. The sagas say these guys were pretty darn ugly and often mistaken for trolls. The Skallagrímsonar saga says one was so ugly he was given a gold ring by an English king just to make him stop looking at him.

A piece from the Lewis chessman. Notice the shield biting (Wikipedia)

Going berserkergang

The crazy animal-like rage these guys worked themselves into was known as berserkergang.

The condition was said to begin with shivering, chattering teeth, body chills, color changes, and swelling in the face. This built into a rage in which they howled like wild animals and did all those other crazy things like eating their shields and swallowing hot coals.

When the fighting was over, berserkers were said to drop to the ground, unable to move until their strength was recovered.

There are many theories as to how this happened. Some say it was drug-induced, mostly naming the psychedelic mushroom Amanita muscaria as the culprit. It’s said to cause hallucinations and psychophysiological effects consistent with those described in Norse sagas.

Others think these guys were drunk, had bad genes, mental illness, or even rabies. Dr. Armando Simon argued for something called Blind Rage Syndrome. The symptoms include a violent reaction to physical, emotional, or visual insult, abnormal strength, target-oriented violence, and a complete lack of memory of what was done during the period of violence.

Then there’s the ritual induced altered state theory. Berserkers were Odin’s men, and Odin was the source for all battle frenzy. It was a gift he shared with his warriors. It’s likely then, that part of the warrior's preparation included shamanic practices such as fasting, weapons dances, exposure to extreme heat, and entering a trance-like state. It wouldn’t be unusual for this to involve drugs or alcohol as well.

The Berserker retirement plan

Death in battle was thought of as a reward. It meant you got a right-hand seat in Valhalla by Odin’s side.

So what happened to those who managed to live? What does one do as a retired berserker? Being old and dying of some sickness was certainly far from the glory of death in battle. Living past your fighting prime was almost a slap in the face from Odin. In fact, the Ynglinga Saga relates how women made fun of the old and now decrepit warrior Egil Skalla-Grimsson.

So what was a guy to do? Take his life, that’s what. Or have someone take it for him. Saxo Grammaticus tells the story of Starkhother, who asks a fellow warrior to decapitate him so he could avoid the horrors of old age.

Another hero went for a public hanging. This was considered self-sacrifice to Odin who, among his other titles, was also Lord of the Gallows and god of the hanged.

No one really knows how common this practice was since most of what we know of it is through literary narration. Odin, however, was said by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson to stab himself with a spear to avoid a natural death.

Berserkers gone wild(er)

So what about the sources that say berserkers were just bad guys who went around attacking the innocent and taking people's women? How could these guys be aristocratic elites? After all, just look at what Saxo says about them:

So outrageous and unrestrained were their ways that they ravished other men’s wives and daughters; they seemed to have outlawed chastity and driven it to the brothel. Nor did they stop at married women but also debauched the beds of virgins. No man’s bridal-chamber was safe; scarcely any place in the land was free from the imprints of their lust — Gesta Danorum

This outlaw image probably stems from later traditions. The idea of berserkers as a king's bodyguards goes back to the 8th century. Both Saxo and Snorri wrote in the 13th century which complicates the matter even further.

Once Christianity arrived, guys going nuts under the influence of a pagan god weren’t so well received anymore. Berserkers were outlawed by Jarl Eiríkr Hákonarson of Norway in 1215. It’s possible later so-called berserkers were just bandits who appropriated the name.

Snorri said another thing. He said people make mistakes and others correct them, so everyone has something to do. By the looks of it, people will be busy arguing and correcting information about the Berserkers for a long time to come.

Sources:

Viking Warriors, Ben Hubbard

The psychology of the Berserkers: Going berserk, Owen Rees

Transforming Warriors: The Ritual Organization of Military Force (chapter 4 Nordberg and Wallenstein)

https://mythology.net/norse/norse-creatures/berserker/

https://militaryhistorynow.com/2018/08/23/going-berserk-eight-wild-facts-about-the-viking-ages-most-fearsome-warriors/

https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/others/berserkers-and-other-shamanic-warriors/

https://blog.oup.com/2008/08/berserk/

http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/berserke.shtml

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/viking-berserkers-fierce-warriors-or-drug-fuelled-madmen-001472

https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/berserkers/