The Word "Berserkr"

[@ragnarblobarr9567]

Just in time for Amon Amarth’s album Berserker!

[@Valravn13]

Very timely, Amon Amarth just released a new album called Berserker

[@AIC50CAL]

Was wondering if this was a real low key nod to the melodic metal masters.

[@borna1231]

Dr. Crawford releases this video a day after Amon Amarth releases "Berserker". Coincidence? I think not!

[@burgersmoke404]

This is great. I'm writing a mini-opera for our cat who died. His nickname was berserker, and now I can record this correctly in what will be the greatest piece of music ever written for a cat. He deserves no less.

[@Marcus51090]

He looks like an agent from the matrix lol

[@mathewhill5556]

My thoughts exactly..... Mr. Anderson.

[@NorrisSaiyan]

We are all agents of something of the sort. Some are more exuberant relative to Others

[@Marcus51090]

Gl Froob shuup morpheus lol 😂

[@ottoduke8942]

i realize it is kind of off topic but do anybody know of a good website to stream newly released tv shows online ?

[@casonkade9316]

@Otto Duke try flixzone. Just search on google for it :)

[@AB8511]

I like this idea of cowboy, who stops in the middle of nowhere in Colorado, gives the exposition of the problem of Old Norse etymology and the carries on wherever is he going.

[@TheUltraBeast1]

Imagine a berserker running out of the woods behind you and challenging you to duel for your glasses

[@OrkarIsberEstar]

My take from my studies on this: Ber-serkr in the sagas do wear clothes, and even armor yet are still called berserkr like Egill. He does so in and outside battle so "no shirt" wouldnt apply. But neither would bear shirt if taken literally. Ulfhedinn would translate as wolf skin. So i believe in both cases this is a mythological word not to be taken literally but figuratively meaning you "wear" a bear / wolf in a mythical sense, you become the animal - a spiritual practise that was also known ion other cultures, Amok warriors become one with their ancestors, the celtic fianna, the iraqui leopardmen with leopards the greek meneads with lions and so on. So i dont think berserkr has anything to do with clothing but is really to be taken as figurative representation of a spiritual thing - just like many old norse poems use figurative speech very very heavily

[@Rultog]

Oh ,my! Mr Crawford is now wearing sunglasses? I am not worthy of this awesomeness!

[@MicheleMarychurch]

Your soothing voice and acrobatic pronunciations always render me docile hahaha. The hat-donning sign-off was pure gold. Blessings upon you Doc.

[@guyh.4553]

Even on your days off you're still teaching us Doc! Very informative. Good to still see snow in CO!

[@nantahalawildman6345]

I was going to ask about the hat but have finally learned to watch a video in it's entirety before commenting. May you have a blessed weekend Dr. Crawford.

[@ASMProductions1997]

Just got your poetic edda and saga of the volsungs translations, cant wait to read them

[@JoshuaGraves113]

Video was obviously inspired by Amon amarth's newest album. I love it, the album AND the video. Didn't learn more than I already knew but still loved it. :D

[@eronth]

Having absolutely no background in linguistics whatsoever, I like the idea of the word spawning from both.

[@sirnukesalot24]

Makes you wonder if the battles were anything like the debate: shirts vs. skins

[@Declan_Moriarty]

They fought wars NAKED with their mammoth trunks flying free

[@Rehvidepaigaldus]

lol what i just searched on youtube for this and was like - wait i dont remember ever seeing a video like this, only to find out this was added seconds ago :D

[@juliaconnell]

welcome! there are no videos quite like this on youtube - and yet there are many videos just like this - from Dr Crawford - enjoy!

[@sunshinesilverarrow5292]

Thank you! 🌞

[@Lumppytaters]

Didn’t realize how much I liked your hat until you didn’t wear it.

[@reddeath7997]

It's a really nice hat.... I want one now.

[@juliaconnell]

@@reddeath7997 - well Dr Crawford can help you with that too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ep-VeGuorrGnntk

[@animistchannel2983]

Sometimes a thing is not good nor evil. It is simply dangerous. The question, then, is: "Which way it is pointed?" If they are not horribly corrupted, Bears are among the gentlest of creatures -- enduring, easygoing and tolerant. However, pushed too far or in defense of what they love, they are the deadliest and unforgiving. The change from one state to the other can happen almost instantly, either way. It is better not to prod at that boundary...

[@Virginia-er9si]

Perfect explanation, thanks. You look nice!

[@SlippyCyppy]

At the end of this video, he's gonna pull up a silver cylinder, and tell us to "look right here"

[@osportsligtutseende1351]

I've wondered about the word berserkr for many years. In modern Swedish, the word is 'bärsärk'. If you would separate the two words that make that word up, you get 'bär särk', which literally means 'wear(ing) (a) shirt (specifically a long shirt)'...

[@rileymeadows7218]

Awhile back I read that a few french translations, describing berserkers, called them champions. If you had a champion to a king, they'd be wearing something to show their affiliation ja?

[@stefan.holst65]

Yes, agree. I have though about the Swedish word "bara" or Norwegian word "bare" meaning only, also in this case. Only shirt.

[@BernaskaneyTheLangobard]

There are no known etymologies of my names where I live, but my father surname is Beretta, which comes from Berhatt, and if you add a second R sound, to get Berretta, you actually have the name of a kind of hat; the concept sounds much like Ber-serkr. Ber is also in the surname of my mother: Bernasconi, where Sconi, I found out by studying old Norse, comes from Skáney, which was the ancient name of the Swedish region of what in Sweden is known as Skåne, or Icelandic Skáni. It makes senses since I am a Lombard living in the region of Lombardia but, at the time, I didn't expect that much affinity.

[@reddeath7997]

Hey Jackson, sure you won't see this but, do you ever take time to listen to music like Amon Amarth or Sabaton? They tell pretty good stories about past wars. Amon Amarth focuses on the Viking Age, and Sabaton on the Great Wars, incase you hadn't heard of them before.

[@SuperTantePeter]

Couldn't it be that BOTH translations are correct, as in they wear no armor (bare) but only a pelt (of a bear)? So its kind of a wordplay with both the meanings?

[@LivWildStyle]

Excellent.

[@melissahdawn]

I just (2021) watched a video where the origin of a beserker was traced back to an ancient practice of sort of exiling teenage boys and leaving them to rely on nature for clothing, German or Norse tribes often wore skins and were referred to as "Bear shirt or Wolf coat" a.k.a "Berserkr or Ulfethinn". Makes sense in conjuction with all information presented here!

[@owenorceater7845]

Very interesting video! I'd love to hear your analysis on úlfheðinn as well.

[@oddmustelid4339]

Jackson Crawford, will you have a video describing runic punctuation? I was looking at a bunch of runes and I am having trouble knowing the difference between the dot, the semicolon-like marking, and the cross-like marking

[@nkhtn663]

He actually covers that in his "Writing Old Norse in Runes" video-- all three of those are actually different ways of indicating a space between words. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmi9Z2hrbZeYrpY

[@jessereid8482]

I have seen the berserker rune and I can't find anything that says which runes make it up. could you do a video on which runes it might be made of?

[@dungeoneering1974]

This is like the word cowboy which now means American rancher and cattle herder, but it was often used as a pejorative meaning outlaw, robber, or horse thief in the 1800's.

[@Thornspyre]

In the UK a cowboy, is a tradesman, usually a builder (construction worker etc) who does not have any real qualifications and probably does a half-assed job Its obviously connected to the "job" of cowboying, somethig alien to the UK, though im not certain why my ancestors thought that cowboys did a half-assed job but its something my great grandparents (born 1870ish) used and continues to this day

[@TheVikingWoodsmith]

Very interesting as always! :) Thank you for your awesome videos!

[@jeffreywebb2692]

Excellent, as always.

[@MarkAS56]

Which word seems to be the older word? Berserkr or Ulfhedinn?

[@Sky-Lan3]

I love your raven at the end lol

[@kaffekru]

great work!

[@antoninaheath3671]

I just visualised Da Vinci's "Last Supper" with twelve berserkers in it. 😂😅

[@bored_and_has_no_clue]

have you heard of the band 'Heilung?'

[@natemarx4999]

The wind has no chance against that viking hair.

[@theworstguitarever1470]

Anyone here listen to Heilung?

[@Sven97Toni]

I do. Saw them live in February.

[@theworstguitarever1470]

Sven97Toni Awesome That have yet to come to the States.New Release in a week I think.

[@matthewthechosenoneflatt1452]

Is it possible that it meant both bare and bear at the same time ?

[@austinshoffman4651]

I see that raven in a cowboy hat logo, and I thinks it's awesome

[@mariowallkick]

WAIT! YOU FORGOT THE CAMERA !!!

[@yugen]

"No legitimate reason to part with" gave me a hearty laugh

[@chronicallykat4920]

I saw a claim on Instagram that the norse believed that stretch marks meant you were blessed by Thor. I haven't come across this before and I am now curious. I only get people claiming this when I look it up. Could you clarify the truth? I admit as nice as it sounds its probably not real. If no, are there things we see as defects that the Norse didn't? Thank you.

[@Tpecep]

How berserkr (single, not plural) can be written in old norse runes? Asking for cool tattoo, please help to find out someone

[@weisseadler]

:ᛒᛖᚱᛊᛖᚱᚲᚱ: ?

[@JoelK1991]

We actually have some evidence in archaeology of possible bearserks where there are some pictures of people wearing bearskins, or at last something similar to bearskins

[@ChrissieBear]

No mention of Ívens saga?

[@davidcarpenter9232]

I often wondered if the Battle cry was similar to a berserker... like the rebel yell ( from South )... But I have never found any physical transformation the berserker goes through... So ,,, still looking... Tks... D

[@scutumillu19]

Oh well, so quality youtube exists... i was just too lazy to find it!

[@nidhoggstrike]

"it's usually its own bad sign in the Icelandic and Norwegian sagas because the swedes are associated with these barbarous old practices". And these days, we mock them for being too modern. How things change!

[@danjustice1751]

That's pretty cool that Samsø was associated with magic in Norse mythology... in modern Denmark, it is mostly associated with the very commonly eaten pickled red beats (or at least to me it is) haha

[@davidcarpenter9232]

Kahulan,,,of the Tain Bo... In the books of linister ... Good stuff... Tkz... D

[@elisamunozp167]

🙌🏻

[@wulfricnoth9833]

I tend to go with the "bear shirt" interpretation. Only because I myself am ex-military and only fools go into battle without protective gear befit of their era. You just don't relinquish any tactical advantage you may have. That being said, there may be an argument for the reduction of gear to favor a shock troop style approach where speed is crucial. Maybe an exposed flank attack or rear guard action. Shirtless, I doubt and have serious reservations.

[@juliaconnell]

ok - so what about the Celts who are reported to have gone into battle naked? foolish? yes - never said we were sane LOL. I'm 100% Celtic/Irish/Gaelic on my dad's side - Irish citizen - & large percentage of celts on my mum's side. my mum's paternal line said to be viking - took this with a HUGE grain of salt until I literally (and I mean *literally*) "saw red" when I was teenager - felt myself on point of "going berserk" - very scary, not nice - very much on side of 'bear' (since then done a lot more research into family tree/origins - (degree in history - started out very skeptical - now I think there is actual merit to it). heart of all myths is a kernel of truth

[@wulfricnoth9833]

I guess your referring to the Roman accounts of the Celts. Meh.

[@Inkling777]

When I lived in Seattle I talked with a warrior re-enactor who told me that his sword skills were so poor that in their games he took on the roll of a berserkr, slashing out wildly and doing little to defend himself. That may hint at the ancient prejudice against such people. They lack talent and depended on sheer wildness to win.

[@grantmatthews7565]

So, this isn’t based any any factual thing that I’m aware of, or that I’ve researched. I’m just taking Bernard Cornwell (and his historical fiction The Last Kingdom) at his word. That said, he mentioned multiple times that the number 12 is lucky and the number 13 is unlucky - something about a feast of the Gods, which consisted of 12 of them, and Loki (the 13th and uninvited member of the feast) convincing the blind God Hod to throw mistletoe at Baldur (if I remember right), which killed him. Anyway, I have done zero research on that. I’ve just been reading the books and remember reading that a while back. Maybe that’s why they went in groups of 12?

[@trojanpony]

This is a re-upload, right? I’m 98% sure I’ve watched this video before...

[@bezerkura6e715]

Horrible tempers, loyalty to our beliefs. High libidos. Mischievous. No fear. Dark humor.

[@DanCooper404]

Now I want some rootber.

[@BernaskaneyTheLangobard]

My parents surnames are both coming from "Ber": Beretta, Ber hatt, bear hat, much like Ber-serkr; Bernasconi, Berna-Skáney, where Skáney was the ancient name of the Swedish region of Skåne, known in Iceland as Skáni. No Surprise, since I am a Lombard from Lombardia, and Lombards came from Skáney, which was, at the time, a region of Denmark. Where I live, however, there are no etymologies for my names; it is only known that they are important Lombardic names. The Germanic origin is really dismissed by the state for political and ideological reason.

[@nobodyexceptme7794]

Mr. Anderson........😎

[@juliaconnell]

I do like the drengr look Dr Crawford - and I understand that glare from the snow must be harsh at times - but that only other time (in recent memory) you wore sunglasses was for your (perfect!) April fools video. I come here for content - YOUR *content* - all the same, hat please, sunglasses no.

[@abagpiperyoumetinmexico211]

hej hej! jag är den första tittaren!

[@borgbjergdk]

Luis the piper ja, så snap var jeg inte 😊

[@m.infernal]

The nordic cowboy

[@vibbe2525]

Well yea the qoute to "gå bersärkargång" means to destroy everything in one's path. I think that the bear shirt thing seams a bit silly it's more logical that if a person went crazy they would throw their cloths of this is the same reaction we get when we are drowning to let us swim easier. I think it's an instinkt to do it that way.

[@karayna9071]

Though it's spelled "bärsärkagång" or "gå bärsärk" in modern Swedish.

[@andresmoreno2212]

I am sure you have never seen an angry bear

[@Battleschnodder]

I would have thought the other way around. If to go berserker means to destroy everything in one's path it makes more sense to think they become as bears (in their actions) than to strip naked.

[@MissKellyBean]

Yeah, my gut says to go with the "as a bear" interpretation, but the American television show, "COPS," says otherwise...(lol... for real... I can't believe how many men they tackle that are somehow shirtless.) (Edit: I get that they are not really "going berserk" (usually) in the same way, but maybe it speaks to the "what is it instinct to do?" question...?)

[@ericr2617]

Ah yes. My favorite topic

[@Prouticus]

Mr. Anderson.....

[@DeanAdventure]

Bear Shirt

[@TheShadowInTheMask]

It's both plus root beer

[@Hefaistosify]

Bærsærker :D

[@mentorraci3188]

Bersekir football club brought me here

[@PlanetJ32]

I have been wondering here lately..if Berserkrs were actually Sasquatch (bigfoot)..I mean,think about that for a second!

[@misterStevePikk]

While being a berserkr is a villainous thing in sagas, isn't berserksgangr itself considered badass and admirable? I feel like I've read sagas where the act of going berserk was seen as a good thing.

[@TheBaconWizard]

Could probably go both ways.. If I say someone is crazy, that's not a good thing. If in battle I tell everyone "And then he went crazy and killed them all!" then it's great.

[@ChristophersMum]

Where ever the etymology of the word....it would have been wise to stay a long long way out of his reach....love from Scotland

[@sacredweb333]

That hat tho

[@abawi120]

Berserker Amon Amarth \m/

[@theworstguitarever1470]

abdullatif awira Berserker Black Label Society

[@jacobberry5138]

Well.. I'm a bad man.

[@michaelhansen2818]

Me personally I'm more drawn to the Ulfheðinn, but that's mostly because I love Wolves more so than Bears

[@s.kennedy8380]

I once heard something about berserkers eating a certain type of berry to induce their wild battle frenzy. Can anyone verify this? I am not sure where I heard it and any info regarding it would be most appreciated.

[@TheBaconWizard]

That, or the idea that they took psychedelic mushrooms, has absolutely no supporting evidence, it's simply a modern(ish) artifact that has crept into the myth.

[@s.kennedy8380]

TheBaconWizard Thank you! Have a nice day.

[@tsangarisjohn]

First like 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@sirnukesalot24]

Wait. No. I've got it. We're forgetting that in the Norse corner of the world, a man's body hair could easily put a bear to shame. No wonder going shirtless could be taken both ways!

[@user_gmg8607]

Маргинал похорошел

[@Malkoth]

You've spoken before about color and its ability to signal intent, perhaps by going shirtless you are hiding or disguising your intent? Thus leading to negative connotation?

[@heinedenmark]

Berserkers are not a specific group of people. But a state of mind.. Have you ever been in Scandinavia??

[@faramund9865]

He literally lists the ancient sagas for proof, maybe you should read those. And yes I’m pretty sure the guy lived in Iceland for a while.

[@AmarothEng]

You have just ruined dreams of so many poor teenage boys...

[@deidara_8598]

How to write something in norse: 1. pick a noun or verb 2. add "r" to the end of it 3. (optional) replace any vowels with strange nordic variations

[@juliaconnell]

family lore from my mother (her maiden name, VERY unusual) is viking ancestry - took this with a HUGE grain of salt when I was younger - until I literally - *literally* *literally* *literally* "saw red" - felt myself 'go berserk' some truth at core most myths (some girls were bullying another girl at high school & I felt helpless & then I - LITERALLY *saw red* - one of the scariest moments of my life (& someone has since assaulted me, actively tried to kill me) - not because my vision LITERALLY went red (not a filter - literally just saw red, just red, pure red) felt ready to go 'berserk' in a 'rage' actively hurt people - can completely understand how this was 'not a good thing' (luckily my dad's side Irish/Celtic/Gaelic - followed his example in times of conflict (which he could have *easily* dominated) - and simply walked away (oh and more I looked into my family tree/heritage more convinced I am of viking heritage - regardless, even if tomorrow conclusively scientifically proven otherwise - would still be here) I do not care if anyone believes me - just sharing my truth - moment of my life I would willingly forget - but can not

[@Langharig_Tuig]

Aren't "berserker" champions. As in they perform weird rituals such as walking through fire and other otherwise painful things. Also being put forth some times to be champions of rulers vs other duelists.

[@theDavitos]

haha , Ber has nothing to do with bjorn or bear but yes ber (naked) , i am more into it comes rather from ber (Berries) as we all know what poison berries and wine can do to people. serkur is a long wide dress skirt but it could also be people of north africa (Serkland) , Serk- may derive from "Saracen"; from sericum, Latin for "silk Úlfhéðinn is shapeshifter that can change into wolf. also people that do this in english never add U before R , draugur (Ghost) , berserkur (Berserk) , vikingur (viking) , drengur (boy) , Tyrfingur (fingur of Tyr) but yes it was written like that 1000 years ago.