Viking Age Madness - What Made Them Go Berserk? | History Documentary

[@helenalundqvist]

From Sweden. 71 years old. The bersekers, that's how I believe you say it, probably were lightly clothed. In Swedish we say "bärsärk". "Bär" means wears and "särk" means undergarments.(sorry for my bad english). "Bär" pronounces like bear. For "särk" I don't seem to come up with a suitable word in english, to compare with. Sorry about that. The word was often used in my childhood home, by my mother. As you can probably guess , when me and my two brothers were fighting. 🙂 Thank you for a good video.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Helen, we have sark in the Scottish dialect of Robert Burns, but I've never heard it used in modern speech.

[@francisdec1615]

"Bär" in this case actually MEANS "bear" and not "wears". The idea is that the person has the appearance of an angry bear. In modern Swedish it's "björn" and in Old Norse "bjǫrn", but in Proto-Germanic it's believed to have been "berô". It's still "Bär" in modern German. In Old English "beorn" actually meant "warrior", maybe somehow related to these Vikings, although scholars are doubtful about it.

[@susanmenegus5543]

🇸🇪.

[@mariannerosenstrom627]

It is so easy than "han bär särk", bears have something made of bearskin. The under-garment is still called särk.

[@francisdec1615]

@@Moleena Oh, I'm a Swede living in Sweden AND I have studied Germanistics at the university, but I'm sure you are right🙄

[@bwoo6223]

What a breath of fresh air, clear good pace speaking, and fascinating content.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@catherinejohnson2235]

Perfection. Best, most comprehensive, and interesting video I have seen in YEARS. WOW. Even the faux Vikings are great!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Catherine - didn't have the budget for real Vikings!

[@jamesyorston2385]

Great video. The Viking footage works really well.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks!

[@mariannerosenstrom627]

The Vikings, my roots. In my family we still make Viking mead , one needs water, honey and a little moldy blueberries. Vikings also ate a mushroom called fly agaric , not deadly but gives a feeling of bravery, eternal strenght. Have tried. We also have annnual competitions of axe-throwing, double axes; won once. We have a Viking grave on our summer island.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad to hear the old traditions are still alive.

[@Vorname_Nachnahme]

@@professorgraemeyorston And, refering to the mushrooms, that the people keeping the traditions alive, are still alive ... Oo

[@SunburnCity]

This is a excellent video, thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SunburnCity]

@@professorgraemeyorston I was looking for information about old norse and Scandinavian festivals and traditional holidays then landed on your vid. I just couldn't stop watching it.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

@@SunburnCity Thank you - the Viking Age was certainly a lot more complex and culturally sophisticated than many people realise, and as I'm sure you know, Christmas was established on the North European festival of Yule.

[@lilykatmoon4508]

I’m a practicing Heathen, and I found this very interesting! Thanks for sharing your expertise. Skål!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

I’m surprised you identify as a Heathen,as that term(as l understand it)is a derogatory word for pagans.

[@kristincrisford1480]

I so enjoyed this! I can't wait to hear more!!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Kristin, there are more on the way!

[@oderamunonyedi2999]

I enjoyed every second watching this video, which was captivating and educating and cannot wait to watch the next video!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it Odera, the next one will be finished soon.

[@tanjaknoth5382]

Very interesting channel. You have a new subscriber now

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Welcome aboard!

[@tomyorston6037]

Another incredibly interesting video prof!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you Thomas

[@muffassa6739]

I was so happy to see this video, I hope they make some more

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Mufassa, I'm making them as fast as I can!

[@ashleyzimmerman2733]

I very.much enjoy your videos. More please...lol

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Ashley, there are more in the pipeline!

[@oh2887]

The Boneless viking, I am speculating that he could have had Dupuytrens Contracture which is also known as viking disease. This is where the bones of the hand are flexed out. The connective tissue is not normal. The snake theory sounds good though. Anyhow, glad your channel came into my youtube feed, as a result of me looking up mental health and Irish Asylums through history. Have suscribed, thank you!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Interesting idea, Dupuytrens can also affect the feet when it is called Ledderhose disease.

[@denni7173]

@Professor Graeme Yorston Sorry, I know that I am late to this comment, but.... Isn't Dupuytran's limited to the hand and Ledderhose to the feet? It always assumed that Ivar's condition was to his legs or genitals. Nonetheless, I've always believed it to be more the snake theory as Vikings and Nordics in general during the Middle Ages always assigned a descriptor to their names. From Jarls and Kings to the common poors, everyone had a moniker. Kind of handy when the choices of names were slim😂

[@eirintowne]

What if it is simply mistranslated, and Ivar was just legless drunk more than average men?

[@annakonda6727]

I just recently discovered your channe , very interesting videos, thanks!

[@AnnaKaunitz]

You should really visit the The Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. They have the largest Viking exhibition in the world, it’s permanent, free entry. Over 2500 original objects. Then there’s The Viking Museum which is very popular as well. For the geeks, a visit to Birka is probably a must in the summer. There’s many runestones in Stockholm, in fact one is located in the famous old town, Gamla stan, corner of Kåkbrinken-Prästgatan. No one knows why but it’s held up by a canon lol Sigtuna, founded in 980, is the first Swedish town given city rights, it was the most important Viking city. Evidence has shown it was extremely cosmopolitan and over half of its population came from other countries. Gotland is of course worth a visit.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Anna, I visited Stockholm when I was 18, but I think Sigurd Jorsalfare was still king, Sweden was on the to do list before Covid struck, so hopefully one day soon.

[@GratefulGwenivere]

New sub!This was great.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Gwenivere, welcome aboard!

[@janeepooley]

Thank you. Excellent!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chrish2277]

It would be interesting if Henbane (perhaps if imbibed with alcohol) when ingested made one hot or flushed, that could account for fighting bare skinned.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Interesting idea, both hyoscyamine and alcohol can cause skin flushing so you might be right.

[@claudiabothma]

Many years ago in my late teens, I read a book about Joan Of Arc which stated she wasn't burnt at the stake. I then spoke to a highly regarded journalist here in South Africa, Barry Ronge, who informed me the book was propaganda. I was mortified that a book could have false information!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Every book has an agenda - I now read several biographies of the same person for my videos and there are huge differences in what information is included and how it is interpreted to suit the biographer's "new revelation".

[@claudiabothma]

@@professorgraemeyorston Thank you for sharing- so true!

[@LarsonPetty]

​@@professorgraemeyorstonThis is actually the method that I have adopted to obtain reliable news reporting here in the US. Every network has their own agenda pandering to whichever Party fills their pockets. At this point, one must glean such impartial reporting from foreign news feeds to find a truly unbiased spin on facts and world events. I salute you, sir for going the extra mile, while striving to bring the truth to light regarding these long deceased individuals and their stories, as I am a descendant of the Norsemen on my maternal line.

[@cyboman9171]

Here's an old fashioned diagnosis that seems to include all the fabled Vikings in this video. It is a timeworn, if discredited, one - one not be be found in the DSM5-TR, I think: "Homicidal Manic."

[@farhaG24]

This is very interesting video, I didn’t loose interest and beginning to develop my interest in history of psychiatry.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you Farha, I'm glad it has sparked an interest. I think understanding the history of psychiatry makes us better psychiatrists

[@liamwhitehead3349]

Very enjoyable and educational video Graeme, looking forward to watching the rest. Great editing 👌

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Liam, there are more in the pipeline!

[@lilykatmoon4508]

To be fair, the Viking raids on the monasteries were a direct response to Charlemagne’s reign of terror against the Pagans of Germania. He slaughtered thousands who wouldn’t convert to Christianity. Then, when the Germanic pagans still refused to surrender, he burnt down all their sacred groves. I’m not condoning slaughter, but in those times, that was considered a reasonable response from the Viking perspective. The Christians slaughtered way more pagans who refused to convert than were killed in raids.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you for that, I didn't know about Charlemagne's raids.

[@TorianTammas]

@lilikatmoon4508 - Theft and plunder is done for personal gain and it was not based on the religion of the victim. They wanted to have a better life so they robbed what others had. They did not only rob monasteries but everyone they could reach so they stole from everyone who had something and they could carry it. We should stop to see the acts of thieves as heroic.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Thank for pointing this out-l have often been given the impression that pagan attacks on Christians were unprovoked.

[@johnbroadway4196]

I am partly of Finish heritage. And there were times that MY BERSERKER WAS NATURALLY EVIDENT IN MY EMOTIONS. Especially when I would compete in anything I felt I should always win or any competitiveness. I would in fact get excited easily by the thought of playing pick up football. Where there no helmets and no rules. And I believe that " Berserker's " were of certain kind of Human with spiritual inclinations.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

There is a theory that the berserker state was a spiritual one.

[@kc3718]

can't believe Eric Bloodaxe wasn't mentioned ..c'mon, he was ejected from Skandanavian society for being too much for even them ! But thast aside, chapeau, this is a wonderful addition to youtube. Thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - it took the History Channel six series to cover Ragnar and his sons - I couldn't include them all!

[@indigocheetah4172]

Would the condition , Dupuytren's contracture, , a lump appears under the ring finger and on the palm. Would that have been from the Vikings , from rowing great distances. I read about the history and I am not sure where it originated.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It is a genetic condition - nothing to do with rowing - I have it and have never rowed a longship!

[@indigocheetah4172]

@@professorgraemeyorston , hello Professor , I have it too. It is a myth , as I am from Scandinavian ancestry . and my siblings also have the condition. I wanted to ask , thank you .

[@lesliewells-ig5dl]

I saw a documentary, I don't remember the name of it, that said, when it was time to go to battle, the beserkers would choose one to eat a particular toxic plant. When he urinated, the other beserkers would drink the urine and that would cause the rest of them to go beserk and they would fight. The man who ate the toxic plant, I think it was a type of mushroom, would stay behind and hopefully recover, although sometimes the man died, a risk they were all aware of.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Interesting, I haven't heard this theory Most toxins are broken down in the liver though and do not appear in the urine!

[@lesliewells-ig5dl]

@@professorgraemeyorston I wish ni could remember the name n the documentary and plant. I thought it was very interesting too.

[@eirintowne]

In current Norwegian, to be "boneless" means to be very unsteady on the feet, like really drunk people that keep placing their weight where no legs can support it. I believe English has s similar idiom: legless. Norwegian uses the same word, bein, for both bone and leg, so it is easy to see how anglophones mistranslated what should have been a very easy expression. So what would have made Ivar legless? The obvious suggestion is alcohol, since it goes with the lifestyle, but as a person suffering from ear crystals that keep getting dislodged, I have to offer that as an alternative theory.

[@susanstein6604]

There’s a difference between soldiers and people living in a trading city.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Was there a clear distinction between traders/farmers and warriors?

[@prakkari]

Amanita Muscaria. They ate that mushroom before battle. Called it “Berserkjasveppur” means berserk mushroom.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It is just one possibility.

[@prakkari]

@@professorgraemeyorston I am born and raised in Iceland and this is what I was always told. Might just be a theory though.

[@vidamariaixchel4962]

Amanita Muscaria = 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄

[@loriblackman9953]

I had a teacher tell me they ate moldy pumpernickel/rye bread, at it had the same effect as LSD, so they didn't care that their arm was sliced off - just kept fighting.

[@crystalharris7394]

👏👏👏👏

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Crystal. :)

[@elizabethsharp8699]

We Say going berserk , meaning rampaging about and causing trouble

[@grimmmickey5125]

Of course the accounts of the people of Denmark were different because most of them probably weren't vikings. Remember viking was a profession or lifestyle not a nationality or race. Not all norse people were vikings.

[@InvaliDidea123]

I find the audio imbalanced and volume wandering - Otherwise good work!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It was our first effort - we have improved the technical side now.

[@jacquiaba9132]

It's done on purpose it goes hollow when quotes are being stated.

[@imissnickplur4964]

this audio is terrible, the frequency of being super low to jumping to near ear-rape levels makes this hard to watch.

[@DawnDavidson]

Per another comment here, and the response from the channel, this was apparently their first such effort, and they’ve improved things since. So you aren’t crazy; it really is erratic on sound levels! 😂

[@jacquiaba9132]

It's di e on purpose as it goes hollow when quotes are being stated to aid the atmospheric effect.

[@rhgps9763]

4:25 woah Im eating bro!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Life was tough in the Viking Age!

[@trimdinbusk]

As a professor of this topic, I am disappointed you use a thumbnail with a Viking wearing a horned helmet

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Good point - the thumb was changed a while ago and I didn't notice it! You're quite right, the Vikings did not wear horned helmets!

[@dshe8637]

Rather than being 'non-binary', Vikings were more gender-critical. There were typical roles for the two sexes, but these tended to be more pragmatic than dogmatic. Women were involved in child-rearing, but when necessary, they would take up arms to fight.

[@ccooper8785]

Ah, they always asked after your Mum though before clefting your head in twain down to the jawbone; they weren't savages after all...

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Just misunderstood....!

[@davidpyott3710]

One thing I m taking away from these videos is thank Christ they have eliminated or developed effective treatment for many of these appalling diseases and infections that you discussed.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Although improvements in medicine and the development of vaccines and antibiotics helped - it was better nutrition and sanitation in the 19th century that probably did more to improve your chances of getting to adulthood.

[@blakewu1375]

I’m a bit sad the Vikings became Christianized. What interesting ways they had before then, and there are certainly other ways to become “civilized” without becoming lobotomized conformist bores. It’d be great to discover some “lost tribe” of modern Vikings somewhere who still retain some of their old core customs and beliefs. These days we simply co-opted and bastardized stereotypes about their ways and looks in bad movies and video games without any real understanding or appreciation.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

What a great idea - maybe in a parallel universe they remained pagan!

[@claudiabothma]

At least it wasn't Ivor the Spineless😂

[@elguapo2831]

🍄 Mead

[@LarsonPetty]

Cocaine is a helluva drug....

[@jeannedouglas9912]

Still nothing difinitive. Guess thats where opinion and interest comes in. Again. thanks for the food for thought.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

I’m not surprised to find out that Dr. Yorston has a bit of Viking ancestry-his surname certainly sounds Scandinavian.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That's me!

[@Greensanctuary-c4w]

The Serbs bit them and they got mad😂

[@davidthom7127]

Repressed sexuality

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I don't think it was that repressed!