The Rage of the Berserkers
berserk
[ber-surk,
-zurk] Spell Syllables
·
Synonyms
·
Examples
·
Word
Origin
adjective
1.
violently
or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged:
He suddenly
went berserk.
noun
2.
(sometimes
initial capital letter) Scandinavian Legend.. Also, berserker.
an ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced
by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Synonyms
1. violent, mad, maniacal, rabid, demented, lunatic.
Word Origin and History for berserk
Expand
adj.
1844, from berserk
(n.) "Norse warrior," by 1835, an alternative form of berserker (1822), a
word which was introduced by Sir Walter Scott, from Old Norse berserkr (n.)
"raging warrior of superhuman strength;" probably from *ber- "bear"
+ serkr "shirt," thus literally "a warrior clothed in bearskin."
Thus not from Old Norse berr "bare, naked."
Let me reinstate a fact that you will
already know if you read the Dictionary definitions above. Berserkers were
Norse warriors.
Norse
[nawrs] Spell Syllables
·
Examples
·
Word Origin
adjective
1.
of or relating to ancient Scandinavia, its inhabitants, or their
language.
2.
Norwegian (def 1).
noun
3.
(used with a plural verb) the Norwegians,
especially the ancient Norwegians.
4.
(used with a plural verb) the Northmen or ancient Scandinavians
generally.
5.
the Norwegian language, especially in its older
forms.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/norse?s=t
Most recollections of these “Berserkers” in the Old Norse
literature have described their behavior as uncontrollable, trance-like fury,
violence, and unstoppable rage. The
English word “Berserk” was actually derived and based off of the Berserkers as
a way to compare a person to the instability of the Berserkers. Many historians
who have studied the Berserkers, or at least know of them, believe that
berserkers worked themselves into a rage before battle. Basically, these
warriors were like our high school football players, working themselves up into
a fury with their pre-game locker room pep talk. Of course, like any immoral
athlete, there are easier ways to get pumped up. Many historians also believe
that the Berserkers ate drugged food or did mushrooms.
I'll ask of the berserks, you
tasters of blood,
Those intrepid heroes, how are
they treated,
Those who wade out into battle?
Wolf-skinned they are called. In battle
They bear bloody shields.
Red with blood are their spears when they come to fight.
They form a closed group.
The prince in his wisdom puts trust in such men
Who hack through enemy shields.
Those who wade out into battle?
Wolf-skinned they are called. In battle
They bear bloody shields.
Red with blood are their spears when they come to fight.
They form a closed group.
The prince in his wisdom puts trust in such men
Who hack through enemy shields.
Haraldskvæði- Composed by: Thórbiörn
Hornklofi
Well, I don’t know about you, but the idea of a large and
almost psychotically deranged Scandinavian man, hopped up on mushrooms, trying
to brutally murder me sounds absolutely petrifying. I have only seen one
portrayal of the Berserker warriors in my life and it was the first time I had
ever heard of them, which was actually quite recently. I saw the Berserkers being
a key weapon and ally for the main antagonist, were-jaguar, Kate Argent, in
season 4 of Teen Wolf which is the
show that dictates my life. One key difference I noticed between the two ideas
of a Berserker is the clear cut differences in the portrayed personality of the warriors. While the original warrior
Berserkers are described as “violent, uncontrollable, and enraged”, Jeff Davis’
representation was the exact opposite. Of course, they were still much stronger
than any protagonist could hope for, but they were more than controlled, not of
their own will, nonetheless. They almost seemed like servants to Kate Argent
and seemed much less human than they originally were.
If a soldier survives the berserk
state, it imparts emotional deadness and vulnerability to explosive rage to his
psychology and permanent hyperarousal to his physiology — hallmarks of
post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans. My clinical experience with
Vietnam combat veterans prompts me to place the berserk state at the heart of
their most severe psychological and psychophysiological injuries.
Jonathan Shay
This
fury, which was called berserkergang,
occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men
who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for
human power. This condition is said to have begun with shivering, chattering of
the teeth, and chill in the body, and then the face swelled and changed its
colour. With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over
into a great rage, under which they howled as wild animals, bit the edge of
their shields, and cut down everything they met without discriminating between
friend or foe. When this condition ceased, a great dulling of the mind and
feebleness followed, which could last for one or several days.
Hilda Ellis-Davidson
No comments:
Post a Comment