Units of berserkers? -_- [Charlemagne]

[Kvltist]

They've done it again, I thought they learnt from Rome 1. Berserker = Bearshirt in ancient norse. And the norsemen used ''berserker'' to refer to champions. Every lord/chieftain/man of high status in europe would have a champion to fight for him. And the ones in Scandinavia would traditionaly wear a shirt made of bearskin.

The worst part is the berserkers in charlemagne wear wolf skins.... Even though they are literally called ''bear shirts'' And they never fought in units on the battlefield! They were for settling disputes with local peasants trough trial by combat and such. And we have no evidence nor reason to believe they got high on shrooms before they fought!

Im kind of dissapointed berserkers are the only elite unit for the danes, this is a historical title not a fantasy one!

[OwedEvil]

Ya, I know Viking berserkers did not wear anything bear and got high on substances before battle. Those berserkers often accompanied raiding parties. I have no idea about the specific time period you are mentioning though.

[Kvltist]

Originally posted by Owedevil:

Ya, I know Viking berserkers did not wear anything bear and got high on substances before battle. Those berserkers often accompanied raiding parties. I have no idea about the specific time period you are mentioning though.

You're being sarcastic right?

[OwedEvil]

Originally posted by Loka<:

Originally posted by Owedevil:

Ya, I know Viking berserkers did not wear anything bear and got high on substances before battle. Those berserkers often accompanied raiding parties. I have no idea about the specific time period you are mentioning though.

You're being sarcastic right?

Hmm, are you? I recall reading a short book about it, but it was a long time ago.

[Kvltist]

Originally posted by Owedevil:

Ya, I know Viking berserkers did not wear anything bear and got high on substances before battle. Those berserkers often accompanied raiding parties. I have no idea about the specific time period you are mentioning though.

You're actually being serious? The ones you think of are fiction, made up around the 19th centuary for theatres operas and soforth.

They did wear Bearskin. Hence the name ''Bearshirts'' or ''Berserker'' in ancient norse.

They did not accompany raiding parties, they stayed with their master and fought for them to settle disputes. And could be used to bully peasants of their land.

There was no substances that would make a man high and wild available to the vikings. And they did not use any such things.

There are no accounts of people going berserk. And if there are descriptions of people going wild in combat ''berserk'' or ''berserker'' wasnt used to describe it. Berserker simply means bearshirt and what you think of is just made up pop-culture

[OwedEvil]

OK, doing a little research, and right away I found an inadequacy in your post. Viking berserkers were a thing and often wore wolf skins to symbolize their status (somehow) and on top of that were even called "Heathen Wolves" at around teh middle ages.

Here ya go, first link I found. http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/viking-berserkers-facts-really-exist

[Elmo the Ostrogoth]

Just curious, Loka<, where did you get your information from?

[Kvltist]

Originally posted by Owedevil:

OK, doing a little research, and right away I found an inadequacy in your post. Viking berserkers were a thing and often wore wolf skins to symbolize their status (somehow) and on top of that were even called "Heathen Wolves" at around teh middle ages.

Here ya go, first link I found. http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/viking-berserkers-facts-really-exist

That article is absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. A Swedish 5th centuary Phalanx?! Thats just hilarious.

A random article on the internet is not evidence of the existence of berserkers. It claims that these men supposedly were invurnable to pain and fearless. That is just propaganda, all men feel pain. I am Swedish so you could imagine I would like it very much if Sweden had theese cool ''berserker'' warriors long ago. But it is only storys and tales. The person that wrote this article can not tell the difference betwen recorded historic fact and written down legends and stories.

This article just repeats the pop-culture assumptions of what berserkers were.

Watch this video it gives a great summery of what berserkers were: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBUGQkpk3RE

[Kvltist]

Originally posted by Elmo the Ostrogoth:

Just curious, Loka<, where did you get your information from?

Here and there, this gives a great summery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBUGQkpk3RE

[Kvltist]

Originally posted by Owedevil:

Viking berserkers were a thing and often wore wolf skins to symbolize their status

The ancient norse and also modern swedish word for wolf is ''Varg'' why would ''Bear shirts'' wear wolf skins?

[OwedEvil]

Originally posted by Loka<:

Originally posted by Owedevil:

OK, doing a little research, and right away I found an inadequacy in your post. Viking berserkers were a thing and often wore wolf skins to symbolize their status (somehow) and on top of that were even called "Heathen Wolves" at around teh middle ages.

Here ya go, first link I found. http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/viking-berserkers-facts-really-exist

That article is absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. A Swedish 5th centuary Phalanx?! Thats just hilarious.

A random article on the internet is not evidence of the existence of berserkers. It claims that these men supposedly were invurnable to pain and fearless. That is just propaganda, all men feel pain. I am Swedish so you could imagine I would like it very much if Sweden had theese cool ''berserker'' warriors long ago. But it is only storys and tales. The person that wrote this article can not tell the difference betwen recorded historic fact and written down legends and stories.

This article just repeats the pop-culture assumptions of what berserkers were.

Watch this video it gives a great summery of what berserkers were: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBUGQkpk3RE

Well, here's where your ignorance is starting to shine. A phalanx can technically describe ANY rectangular mass of, almost always, heavy infantry, and traditionally was done so by the ancient Greeks. I don't have time to watch teh vid, but I am finding sources that conflict with your opinion. Drugs can numb out pain, so can surges of adrenaline. I once participated in mock medieval dueling and I got a bloody cut on my hand that I was astonished actually occurred after I put my shield down, due to adrenaline. I felt no pain what so ever till I noticed the wound. Dead proof right there that pain can be averted, even without drugging. All of the info in the article I linked checks out, though i did read it rather briefly.

If you can refute the article, go for it, and give quotes and specifics.

[Kvltist]

Originally posted by Owedevil:

OK, doing a little research, and right away I found an inadequacy in your post. Viking berserkers were a thing and often wore wolf skins to symbolize their status (somehow) and on top of that were even called "Heathen Wolves" at around teh middle ages.

Here ya go, first link I found. http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/viking-berserkers-facts-really-exist

Scandinavia was Catholic in the middle ages [year 1000 and up] So how come there was supposedly ''berserkers'' devoted to Odin fighting for Sweden in the middle ages?

[Elmo the Ostrogoth]

I checked and you are right that berserker means bear shirt, but it could also mean bare shirt, that is, without one.

You are likely right that they wore bear-skins, but I think that wolf skins were probably worn as well based on Owedevil's post. The important thing is that they wore animal skins, and CA amazingly got that right (woohoo.)

Based off the Viking sagas, berserkers actually did go "berserk". I do not know if they were actually high on something, but in many books I read it said they chewed on toadstools. I dont have enough knowlegde of fungi to tell if any that caused effects like this grew in Northern Europe. (Feel free to look that up.)

Even if these toadstools or other halluciogenic substances were not available to the Vikings in Northern Europe, they likely could have gotten them throught their extensive trade connections.

In many of the Viking sagas they are described as taking part in raids and cutting through enemy armies, and were referred to by Christians as "heathen devils", a reputation I think they would have had a hard time obtaining if they spent all their time fighting Norwegian peaseants in single combat.

The wolf skin on the berserkers in Rome I was the least historically inaccurate thing about them.

Be glad that CA didn't make the berserkers in charlemange hulking, bare chested supermen with the ability to hurl opponents into the air and take down elephants with ease, destroying entire armies in seconds. (believe me, I know how ridiculous they were. I played Rome I for several years)

[Elmo the Ostrogoth]

Here's a source for the bear skins: http://www.viking.ucla.edu/hrolf/berserkers.html

[OwedEvil]

Originally posted by Loka<:

Originally posted by Owedevil:

OK, doing a little research, and right away I found an inadequacy in your post. Viking berserkers were a thing and often wore wolf skins to symbolize their status (somehow) and on top of that were even called "Heathen Wolves" at around teh middle ages.

Here ya go, first link I found. http://www.historyextra.com/article/feature/viking-berserkers-facts-really-exist

Scandinavia was Catholic in the middle ages [year 1000 and up] So how come there was supposedly ''berserkers'' devoted to Odin fighting for Sweden in the middle ages?

Again, I read it briefly, but I did not see that specifically mentioned. I did see it mentioned that traditional berserkers worshipped the god Odin.

[OwedEvil]

Originally posted by Elmo the Ostrogoth:

Here's a source for the bear skins: http://www.viking.ucla.edu/hrolf/berserkers.html

My article even states they wore bear skins.... and wolf skins.