Units of History - Viking Berserker DOCUMENTARY

A military history documentary on the Berserkers who served as famous warriors in the Viking Army. Get your free trial of MagellanTV here: try.magellantv.com/invicta. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers: an extended, month-long trial, FREE. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 2,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation and MagellanTV’s exclusive playlists: www.magellantv.com/explore/hi...
In this history documentary we explore one of the most famous units of Viking History, the berserkers. We begin by describing the main traits of a Viking berserker. The first is their animalistic qualities. This is actually tied to the broad trend of animal-human hybrids which appear in civilizations across the world. The Berserkers appear to have emerged from the norse version of this tradition with their sagas being filled with many instances of norse gods, legendary figures, and mortals transforming into all kinds of animals. The berserkers were just a subset of this group.
One of the next qualities of a Berserker was their rage, known as the berserkergang. This involved the viking warrior devolving into a rage filled state which might see them begin to bite their teeth and howl. The norse saga tradition has many tales of how this berserker rage led to much bloodletting of friend and foe. This leads us to the next quality of the berserker, their rejection by the community. This is a result of the way their violence threatened cultural taboos of loyalty and honor.
With this established we then talk about the viking weapons and armor which would have been used by the berserkers. Berserker armor is usually described as consisting of nothing but a shield however we speculate that they likely wore better gear, especially if they served in a noble's retinue. We then talk about training, initiation rights, and battle tactics. Finally we conclude by looking at their service history in viking warfare across the years.
Stay tuned for more content on the vikings and check out our videos on Assassin's Creed Valhalla where we will be exploring the world of ancient Scandinavia. Also keep an eye out for the portrayal of Berserkers in For Honor and other games to see if you can spot where legend and reality begin.
Bibliography and Suggested Reading:
"Edda" by Snorri Sterlusson
“Viking Warriors” by Ben Hubbard
“The psychology of the Berserkers: Going berserk” by Owen Rees
“Transforming Warriors: The Ritual Organization of Military Force” by Nordberg and Wallenstein
"On Going Berserk: A Neurochemical Inquiry" by Howard D Fabing
“Berserk for berserkir: Introducing Combat Trauma to the Compendium of Theories on the Norse Berserker” by Lily Geraty
#Viking
#History

[@InvictaHistory]

Watch our episode on the "True Size of a Spartan Army" which covers their organization, formations, and fortifications: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn3HYqeXl52ZZsU

[@adamnordskog1231]

Berserkr - Bareserk. Berserksgangr - Bareserksgang Source: THE STORIES OF THE KINGS OF NORWAY CALLED THE ROUND WORLD (HEIMSKRINGLA) VOL.4

[@TheMajorStranger]

How could you not speak of the Berserker of Stamford Bridge? That unknown man is still a legend nearly a millenium later!

[@wellhelodeer2680]

I’m assuming it’s because he wasn’t a Viking, lol Edit: wrong battle of Stanford bridge lol😂🤦🏻‍♂️ This dude was more than likely a Viking.

[@wellhelodeer2680]

Don’t get me wrong he was bad ass either way

[@jonbaxter2254]

My man lives forever. Can we all say the same?

[@colinp2238]

Was he a berserker or just a normal warrior that took up a good position and defended it well? It could even be anecdotal like the 300 Spartans, that had many others there with them.

[@noahgibsonspeninsularwarsa1134]

Or the Svinfylking - boar warriors.

[@vinrusso821]

We picked some mushrooms in Sweden that had some weird effects, not like normal magic mushrooms. These made you feel 10 feet tall, with a confident, euphoric feeling. I bet the Vikings took advantage of those.

[@vipmember3315]

tell me more. im scandinavian.

[@kodesh1674]

Can I get those?

[@edwardlynch6550]

Idk the accuracy. But in "vikings" they regularly ate small mushrooms

[@vinrusso821]

@@vipmember3315 If I remember correctly Sept-Oct were the 2 months that we found them. We picked them in Tidaholm, they grow right on the grass. There are different kinds that look alike. Look for the nipple on the top of the mushroom.. They are not dangerous if you eat too many.

[@vinrusso821]

@@kodesh1674 If you live in Sweden, yes. The Swedes I was with had expert eyes and sept-oct are the months to pick them. They grow right on grass like golf course, I remember some looked alike but the ones that are gray color and have a nipple-like thing on the top are the good ones.

[@TheChappa]

Video summary: *We don't know anything about Beserkers but here's some cool artwork.*

[@1BubbleTrouble1]

some cool stolen artwork*

[@TheChappa]

@Its-a me! a-Stalin! This wasn't aimed at them not trying to be informative; simply pointing out the fact that there isn't much historical data specifically on Beserkers.

[@thesmilinggun-knight9646]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnO4eIShpdBmiKc

[@the_algorithm]

@@thesmilinggun-knight9646 Thank you for posting the truth instead of the nonsense in this video

[@goatwornarmband3896]

So every Invicta episode then XD

[@MrDuty86]

My mother named me after Bjarke the berserker. Bjarke came from Norway. he was supposed to rule there, but chose not to and traveled to Denmark, he had heard great things of a King Named Rolf Krage. On the way to Rolf Krage a storm broke out and Bjarke went for cover at a house where a family lived who took care of him for the night. They asked him where he would go and Bjarke told that he wanted to meet Rolf Krage. The women begged Bjarke, that he would not hit the boy in the kitchen, it was her son and the Kings men would often beat him. Bjarke promised not to. The next day Bjarke arrived at the castle of Rolf and was invited for diner. At the great Hall he saw Rolf Krage and he's 12 berserkers sitting at a table, Bjarke joined them. In the corner was a huge stack of bones and behind it was a boy named Hjalte, he was hiding from the berserkers who would throw their bones at him. Bjarke remembered the woman who gave hin cover for the storm and told the boy to sit at the table by Bjarkes side. Hjalte hesitated, but did what he was told. The berserkers soon noticed and was infuriated of the boy sitting at their table. A berserker threw a bone as hard as he could at Hjalte, but Bjarke catches the bone an threw it even harder back at the berserker. The bone broke the skull of the berserker and he was dead. Rolf wasn't wery happy about this and asked Bjarke what he would do to make up for this? Bjarke told Rolf that he would stand in the berserkers place and serve him. Rolf accepted his offer and Bjarke took Hjalte as his servant. Bjarke and Hjalte trained together and one day they fought a Bear and Bjarke made Hjalte drink the blood of the bear. Bjarke told Hjalte that he was now a warrior and named him Hjort. They served the good king to the wery end and it is told that Hjort died at the feet of his king and Bjarke lied dead head to head of Rolf Krage. The Swedish king was amazed by the berserkers and asked the only one left a live to join him. The berserker accepted, but he would only do so by a oath on the kins sword. The Swedish king pointed his sword against the berserkers shoulder, but the berserker said that at Rolf Krages they used the other end of the sword. The king turned the sword around, but the berserker grabbed the sword and swang the sword till he could no more. That's the story of the name I waer.

[@notonlysunandbeach2567]

Very interesting story!!!

[@clintholloway7109]

Who is your mother? What part of Norway did Bjarke come form? Describe the area. Why was he supposed to rule there? Why did he choose not to? What great things had he heard of King Krage? You see where i'm going with this?

[@MrDuty86]

@@clintholloway7109 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWS7k2eJibqopqs I don't like the way you ask the questions, and I don't owe you a answer. But the video will tell you how silly your question are.

[@BM205]

Very interesting story of your name sake!

[@ericr2617]

One of my favorite stories. Your name is a nickname which I often call my son.

[@jakemiller2507]

You know a viking themed game is about to come out when all the history channels start posting videos about vikings lol

[@justdracir8197]

Maybe the gaming channels also start posting stuff after some years about some certain Ubisoft scandal out there.

[@arokjuata3365]

well it's either before or after. Both are good timing nonetheless

[@jayfng123]

....might have something there... Also the music...you might recognize it from the menu....of said certain viking themed game...

[@santiagohelmick2194]

Lol assassins creed Valhalla

[@RS-xq6je]

@@Me3kG7 good choice 👌

[@BozheTsaryaKhrani]

The spears quillings (wings) are to prevent the spear from penetrating too far so they can take it out of the enemies body

[@riograndedosulball248]

Well, they are mostly for impeding the boar to continue charging you after being poked

[@publiopaolacci495]

@@riograndedosulball248 same purpose, you don’t want the spear to go too far in

[@ChapterMasterADO]

*hunting spear that goes back very fat

[@reybladen3068]

Those spears are also used for hunting to stop animals from charging the hunter after being impaled. Matt Easton made a detailed video about it, since Viking spearheads are pretty long, impaling someone with at least half the blade is already over penetration since you only need to impale someone 4-6 inches deep to deal a lethal blow on the body or head.

[@BozheTsaryaKhrani]

@@reybladen3068 exact reason why i made the comment

[@LannyX2]

I theorize the Berserker was a byproduct of the Battles the skilled warriors who survived again and again collecting higher and higher levels of PTSD making these men literally insane and unable to return to normal life even within the army. Being woefully misunderstood at that point the men who suffered the same began to group together making a contingent part of the army that needed to fight to feel alive, while not caring if they were to be slain. Death would free them from themselves with the hope the Valkyries would take them to Valhalla.

[@scallopohare9431]

Interesting. One element of PTSD that is rarely acknowledged is shame. It was undoubtedly a reason why it became so prevalent among Vietnam veterans. If these warriors were not accepted back into their homes, the resulting sense of shame could contribute to PTSD.

[@arkadisevyan]

Maybe a drug that boosts adrenaline to some stupid degree

[@Lkdhhabv]

@@arkadisevyan it’s speculated that they took Amrita muscura mushroom, which is a dissociative like pcp, so when taken in a large dose I would see how they are described as strong and fearless especially if they were fucked up during battle. They did take them for ritual purposes that proven already

[@arkadisevyan]

@@Lkdhhabv they said it was likely one of them had to take the full dose and pee it out, and the others would drink it

[@Lkdhhabv]

@@arkadisevyan lol I don’t know if that works, but amita mascura (idk how to spell it) was taken by them and that shit will fuck u up. Make it into a stew or someshit. I couldn’t imagine the pee being very potent second hand 🤣

[@Netherzoon]

Thanks for an informative video. Something else that is worthy to note about berserkers is: A pretty recent study by ethnobotanist PhD student Karsten Fatur suggests that berserkers ate a herb called "henbane" or "stinking nightshade" to go berserk. Seeds from this herb has been found in pouches in viking graves. This herb can numb the senses of a person so they can ignore pain and appear stronger. It can cause irrational and irritated behavior and cause redness in the face, as is described of berserkers in the sagas. Experiments also show that persons who have eaten henbane experiences visual disorders and can even lose ability to recognize faces which could partly explain why berserkers failed to distinguish between friend or foe in their rage. The effects of henbane can last several days, which also is described by the sagas.

[@hellsangel8097]

Yes you're right I also read about hensbane

[@InvictaHistory]

Our longest Units of History episode yet and it couldn't go to a more deserving unit! What do we cover next?

[@vitklapac3878]

Teutonic knights!

[@moonflowerviewing91]

Sohei monks !

[@Funwrd]

Check the game Age of Empires -2- to see witch units you can cover. Id like you to cover all of them.

[@pelleas2681]

the cossacks

[@blaze1148]

Knights Templar

[@ilari90]

The wings in the spear are usually thought to prevent the spear getting too deep in an enemy, stopping the strike getting too deep, not halting enemy strikes.

[@ericr2617]

This channel does an excellent job of taking old history and legends and putting together the most honest and accurate depiction possible. I appreciate that you are honest when you take historical liberties. So many tv shows and youtube channel take whatever scrap of history/lore they can find and build whatever story they want on top of it as if it is fact. This topic is dear to me and you have done it a great honor with this video.

[@mattiaspaulrud]

As a Swede who lives in a old city with over 1000 years of viking history and later on worker class city for kings and queens in Nordic history. I can translate from what Berserker truly mean in old nordic language. It comes from the word Bärsärkargång. It is a combination of 3 words: Bär = Carry, Särkar = Being sure with 100% Determination, gång = Walk or run or rush. Bärsärkargång means to Carry the weapon and being sure with 100% determination to ALWAYS Move forward into battle and never back down. A real berserker were more than likely high on psychedelic mushrooms. hense being able to be violent to enemy and sometimes even his own. Don't forget. Females fought and lead people in battle and there were some female berserkers as well.

[@Atrivion]

Three years to late but still. I doubt what you say about bärsärkargång. It has no real connection to the origins of those words. Just look at the origin of the word Särk/Serk(r), and your entire argument falls.

[@gadyariv2456]

the huge belt is more fantasy barbarian then historical Scandinavian

[@somedesertdude1308]

Pretty much

[@mordredoforkney6185]

Yeah the wwe style champaion belts they always gave them was really weird. Those would not make it easy to fight.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

It´s obviously weightlifting belt. Those boys squat hard.

[@freelancepear87kakkoka11]

i disagree, there have been accounts of far more primitive warriors wrapping cloth and leather tightly around their stomach to protect themselves from injuries and keep the blood flowing in their brains and upper body if they happened to be injured in battle. i believe these tribal warriors were somewhere in indonesia and managed to even fight americans for a time, they would take hallucinogenic drugs which would drive them in a state of blinding rage and make them unable to feel pain, they would get up many times even when they were shot with rifles. i don't think a huge belt-like garment would have been too hard for vikings to come up with, or if not that the berserkers would have still used something to cover their stomach while fighting bare-chested.

[@LordMacharius]

The large belts are a gallic holdover. The Gauls were known for large gut belts to protect their vital organs.

[@Xoniksken]

"It started as a warm sensation in the lower part of the throat and began to wrap itself around to the back of my head. The sensation felt like a sinister laugh changing to unrecognizable fear in the pit of my stomach, I grabbed my axe and began screaming at it as it talked to me. Telling me to become the thing that all men fear, the absent of reason, the disregard for anyone's life, a dread to know nothing will stop it but death. This day men will know fear but I will not, it will be undone after this and we will be satiated at last." -C Miller "Ravage"

[@xlv_tj2149]

@Cactusmanofdestiny not sure man i think it originated from animal crossing

[@ser_odin820]

@Cactusmanofdestiny nah bro, pretty sure it’s from Animal Crossing

[@michaelhowell2326]

That's mushrooms for sure

[@PiracyandDumbbells]

What a good quote.

[@michelveilleux1275]

Sounds like one fuck of a trip boi. 😅

[@oliviermosimann6931]

Presentation on this channel is top notch at all levels: Research, artwork, narration are all admirable.

[@oliverholm3973]

Those who wore wolf skins actually had their own separate term from berserkir, and were called "úlfhéðnar"

[@history.mp4993]

Is this how you expected your channel to turn out? You’ve really become a staple of the history KZbin community in just a few years very different from the total war days

[@3Danful]

this isnt historical, by any stretch. this video is very fantasy orientated.

[@nerdyfellow7740]

@@3Danful to be fair it’s hard to present raw historical fact like their other videos when dealing with a subject so rooted in fiction and exaggerated sagas. That was even disclaimed multiple times

[@RexGalilae]

@@3Danful He's talking about the channel as a whole which is, by all means, a historical documentary channel

[@RexGalilae]

I've been watching him since the total war days and his quality and fanbase was pretty strong back then too

[@joejoeington6899]

Wish I just looked at their early videos it’s changed a lot

[@fallenbirch9784]

What a great episode. Great unit, art, narration, and info. Good job!

[@viderevero1338]

This made me realize just how much Bethesda took from berserkers to create their orcs.

[@Ungovernable_Schizo]

The “Out Of The North” AC Valhalla sound track is goated

[@Spartan265]

Another solid video. Seriously this channel is easily in my top 3 historical youtube channels. Great content every single video.

[@joaosimao6325]

3:46 Ulfric Stormcloak called, he wants his emblem back

[@oisnowy5368]

I wish Americans would quit culturally appropriating.

[@mattgrav3r374]

Hahaha

[@delivertilidie8356]

Skyrim is for the Nords !!!!!!!!!!!

[@christopherbaker6375]

@@oisnowy5368 I wish you could write a proper comprehensible sentence, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[@blakel8121]

Shut up imperial and go back to Cyrodil.

[@daltonbehie6457]

I love that this channel is always littered with Easter Eggs from my favorite games. Like music from AC Valhalla. Stormcloak logos from Skyrim. The list goes on

[@dubhainoceanntabhail5262]

I reckon Cúchulainn was a berserker. He had a strange phenomenon known as the ‘battle frenzy‘ and was known in Irish as the riastradh. It has been suggested that the warrior believed himself to be ‘taken over’ by the Goddess known as the Morrigan, who was the triple aspect deity of war to the ancient Irish.

[@truthfulgaming996]

This is a truly excellent history channel and I really enjoy watching the videos and learning more and more about the different histories of the different cultures within the videos. Excellent videos and all of them are very well made.

[@marcusviniciusmagalhaesdea3779]

Association with animals, Enraged state, Rejection of the community. Berserkers are actually guys with Antisocial personality disorder.

[@thabomuso6254]

People with ASP are not necessarily violent, although often so. But for sure they would have received several mental diagnoses today.

[@dendrien]

It’s sounded more like a psychoses which is typical under the influence of a drug. APD isn’t even required and most with a APD aren’t even violent. Also modern psychology would not be the appropriate method either since the times were a lot more different than it is today

[@dontmindme5189]

You're right, it's just a mental disorder. I have blind rage syndrome as well, also known as berserker syndrome and often use it for striking and grappling. Google it, it's in the DSM.

[@dontmindme5189]

Driving yourself into a frenzy is a real thing, as well as being very tired and weak after.

[@timopeters995]

@Andrew H yeah i'm suprised PTSD wasnt mentioned

[@jimrogers5774]

In Northumberland we have examples that say they use a tea made from a catnip plant, it was also recorded in history that the tea was used as exieutioner's tea before doing brutal exieutioners without showing mercy. Zulus may have also used this type of plant befor battle, which explains their fearless ness in battle!

[@TP-ie3hj]

When I was a kid it was a pretty common to use the term bersek. The other day I said it to one of my kids first time I had said it in years. " did you go berserk on them" my kid thought I made it up, found your video thanks! Great video.

[@HistoryDose]

Fascinating topic! Great, inspiring work!

[@hayleythompson916]

Great episode. Probably the best yet. Loved everything about it especially the very natural and gripping narration. I love this man's voice. I was thrilled. Can't wait for more.

[@ilovetomorrow]

Well done. I now have a deeper knowledge of the word berserk. Thank you.

[@shirleylake7738]

Thank you for the extensive research. Never covered any of things in school.

[@malexanderja3531]

This is a really amazing series! Keep up the great work.

[@tigertankerer]

"This episode is sponsored by Ubisoft. You should try their new game: AC Valhalla."

[@kickdoornbos1226]

Yeah the music in the background

[@tobilikebacon]

Animal crossing Valhalla New features include: Raiding other People’s Islands New bear hunting activity Learning to speak all scandinavian languages Channeling the power of the Nordic gods and Much Much more viking fun

[@providedyeti1518]

@@tobilikebacon instead of a respawn system u just go to Valhalla

[@tobilikebacon]

@@providedyeti1518 nice

[@CollinVerret]

@Markoi Green personally I quite like the game but it's not for everyone I geuss.

[@jimboniusmaximus6018]

My god the quality of this content is amazing.

[@paulo64bits]

Thank you for this badass documentary.

[@Shervin86]

Amazing content as always! Thank you so much for all your hard work and effort! Can you expand on the viking culture and try to separate facts from fiction? I know they are so intertwined it is almost impossible; but it would be greatly appreciated if you could try and draw a line... or a dotted line at least 😄

[@InvictaHistory]

Our "Units of History" series is a great vessel for exploring warriors from a wide variety of places and time periods. However in casting such a wide net and seeking to fit them into a similar format we run into a problem of covering units with a range of historical evidence. The Viking berserkers are on the very very low end of this scale with incredibly poor sourcing. Throughout the video we tried to couch every claim in cautious terms but I wanted to again warn everyone that much of what is being discussed here is highly speculative. I recommend you engage with some of the sources we listed in our description. In particular I found this paper to provide a good summary of the topic of Viking Berserkers: skemman.is/handle/1946/21040

[@danielmckenzy1]

hello sir watched lot of your videos can i know how you use animation for your youtube videos

[@InvictaHistory]

@@danielmckenzy1 A lot is done in Adobe After Effects

[@jxavi8142]

Gladiator warrior classes. Or anything cool about the coliseum

[@chrisdiokno5600]

Hmm, maybe a vid about the Onnabugeisha, the Iko-Iki warrior monks, or the Swiss Guard?

[@shiapi2u]

Wrong... in Africa dependent on the region with a Leopard or lion. Hyenas are rest. I’m African & never even heard of that

[@Vates104]

Excellent video. Egil’s Saga is a wonderful and multi-layered work.

[@spoonaddict8805]

Here in Norway, berserker is translated to "bjørne kappe" which Means bear cape

[@64fairlane305]

wrong, it comes from the words "bar" + "serk" meaning no serk, a slang for armour. Still doesn`t get it? Watch Gannicus fighting with one sword in each hand in "Spartacus". Skilled warriors preferd to fight that way bcs the heavy armour slowed them down & drained their strenght

[@beganfish]

@@64fairlane305 Heavy armour is ALWAYS better than no armour. Watching TV show fights doesn't prove otherwise, there is a reason the rich and wealthy ALWAYS had armour when they could, because it works. If two people fight, one with armour and one naked, the armoured fighter wins 99 times out of 100. And the term berserk came from the term 'bear shirt' not no armour.

[@64fairlane305]

@@beganfish Guess that`s why the viking warriors prefered to fight bare

[@beganfish]

@@64fairlane305 They didn't. Wealthy vikings wore mail armour, poorer vikings wore fabric armours like gambeson. They all used helmets and shields too.

[@64fairlane305]

@@beganfish As if you knew kid, you have no idea. There were no such thing as "poorer vikings". Viking was something you did, not were. Not anyone was chosen, only the best and most trusted warriors and they shure were not poor, more like football-pro`s today.

[@kickdoornbos1226]

I love how u used the assassins creed valhalla soundtrack in the background, it certainly gives a nice feel to it

[@richardb8157]

The involuntary onset of the Berserker rage at inopportune times sounds a lot like a PTSD flashback. Violent emotions can spring forth when experiencing a smell or sight that vividly returns you to your point of trauma. A lot of Marines that fought the 2010-2012 Taliban resurgence returned home as social outcasts, often with explosive episodes of rage, among other negative mental side effects.

[@hb9145]

Agree. People had PTSD back then as well. You can imagine what would kind of explosive rage that would happen if you forced them into combat again. I think this is the strongest hypothesis.

[@tomixrecoil510]

insanelly good content my man!

[@MrFrankjimenez42]

This is AWESOME! THANK YOU

[@northwestpassage6234]

I really like that you used the map of Jutland/Schleswig-Holstein before the floods which gave use the present land, many people don’t don’t do that.

[@ahmetcanoral7671]

person who draw animal illustrations is awesome. he/she has has great talent.

[@spartanwolf]

What about the Berserker of Stamford bridge, An unsung hero, an unnamed man who bravely fought to buy time for reinforcements to aid his King Harald Hardrada. He slew 40 Saxon warriors before being fatally wounded by a spearmen from below the bridge. The Battle of Stamford may have been a lose for the Norsemen but the lone Viking Berserker would be a legend.

[@Kenob6]

Please make a video about the medieval almogàvers. The elite light infantry troops of the Catalan crown. They wore really light gear but were extremely effective at ambushing and surprise tactics and defeated many times armies way bigger and made of heavy cavalry. Even to this day they are still remembered by the Greek (since the Catalans conquered some cities in Greece during Medieval times). I really enjoy your documentary series!

[@jonastheprinz]

I'm disappointed that you did not talk at all about the roman accounts of germanic berserkers.

[@user-dv7xd2pb6n]

Are you saying this because of the series "Barbarians"?

[@Anglisc1682]

It's because this channel, like everyone else buys into the autistic viking hype

[@TheCJUN]

@@Anglisc1682 The ancient norse were germanic.

[@Anglisc1682]

@@TheCJUN Yes, I'm aware of that. But I'm specifically talking about Vikings/the Norse. There is Teutonic hype overall, mostly just Viking

[@Juel92]

@@Anglisc1682 Man the term "autistic" have taken on the weirdest meanings nowadays lol.

[@nordichorde6121]

Also the wings on a pole arm was a way to make it so when they impaled someone the pole arm would stop at the wings and make the pole arm easier to pull back if possible.

[@LICENFIREFEAR]

amazing video editing and amazing sound editing,perfect video

[@peterdewell1143]

You guys just keep getting better!

[@mr.2083]

I think you guys have gone a bit too much into the *popular mythos* and too little into the *real historical* aspects on this one. Most recent studies of old literature and historical aspects of the norse societies have concluded that "berserker" simply just means "champion" (not bare of shirt). Because some of the conclusions on which this episode is based are *(very) different* from the conclusions many of the (renowned) historians have drawn I'm very curious about the *sources* used for this episode.

[@manatarms7652]

They should have mentioned Lindeybeige

[@vikingskuld]

Nice reply i even read some thing or seen some thing some where that there were wolf and bear cults. They wore the animal skin as well as armor.

[@yoavlinzen5669]

If anything, it makes sense. They look threatening, they wear wolf heads, bear cloaks and barely wore armour. It makes sense that they were probably champions who fought duels and represented the gods or something similar

[@overseer3072]

The anime

[@DarkAshenfall]

In the beginning of the video, they did say that not all sources agree and that info is scarce. Thus, showing they took into account varying sources. Plus, as I myself have noted in my own foray into researching Norse culture and mythology, is that few seem to agree entirely on any one thing. There is a certain foundation of concepts that are generally accepted, but even among this foundation, not every detail, not every translation is the same. I cannot tell you how many times one source says one thing. While another source says something entirely different or slightly different. I've learned and come to accept that Norse knowledge is never going to be complete. Nor entirely interpreted accurately due to severe lack of key pieces of information and general information as a whole. Norse culture was poorly preserved, for one reason for another. As a result, we have a very incomplete window in which to peer back into history with. So, I would not be so quick to claim your source is superior. Norse culture may be a Western culture, but it is pre-Christianity and thus its ideas and ways of life can sometimes come across as very alien. Attempting to attribute the concept of a Champion, may be a modern interpretation that simply didn't exist in their culture. However, it's unlikely we'll ever know with concrete certainty.

[@yonoume8747]

Kings and Generals and now Invicta? My curiosity in the Vikings Era only sprung more questions.

[@gudhaxer41343]

Well Assassins creed Valhalla is coming soon which is probably why theres a Viking history wave.

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Good luck, you're going to need it, the Viking era is a lot of questions and *very* few clear answers.

[@jman9670]

Same thing happened with Ghost of Tsushima not that I mind at all :-) Subbed nice video

[@AbsolXGuardian]

It's because of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but unlike all the Troy videos we got because of the new Total War game, this isn't sponsored by Ubisoft. Their teams are just hyped for the game, and have been preparing by doing research for videos scheduled for right before Valhalla drops

[@johnlansing2902]

Well done , thank you.

[@deanfensham7535]

Thank you very much for the interesting documentary. As someone who is not too familiar with his lineage, all I know is there is Scandanavian blood, pieces like this are fascinating to learn more about the great viking era.

[@seachnall3203]

Regardless of whether or not they were real or a myth, I think that the Berserker as a concept is super interesting! It's funny how they have become the staple for when people imagine a 'traditional Viking warrior' when the reality was so much more mundane.

[@jabronis33]

Recent information came out that they did exist and suffered from what we would call today, PTSD.

[@jozzieokes3422]

​@@jabronis33 any sources I'm generally interested?

[@-Wolfheart]

I love the AC Valhalla music in the background 👍. RAWARRRRR! BERSERKERGANG!

[@glencrs]

FABULOUS WORK - KEEP IT UP

[@subzero1tt]

Now this is an awesome documentary

[@karelleet]

The music, the art, the information, its top notch!!

[@darnokthemage170]

The art is ridicolusly bad for accuracy, it is super embarrassing.

[@itacool6457]

@@darnokthemage170 true

[@jonbaxter2254]

"The ancient norse tradition of human-animal hybrids" Did... did vikings just invent furries?

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Not the first and certainly not the last.

[@standanddeliver2925]

@FUCK your feelings *Space Wolves and Thousand Sons rivalry intensifies*

[@galenbjorn443]

Most people have done it, no one can know the origins.

[@techoman8569]

Cavemen already did that, there are some modern cave dweller tribes that are resurfacing these days, like those furries.

[@Walter-zn6pw]

That's why they are rejected by society

[@legus9684]

I love you folks used the Stormcloak Bear to represent the vikings in the map at the beginning of the video

[@danielrocha2826]

Unique documentary well done

[@acvaticlifE]

Those little wings on the spear would be useless for parrying/disarming. Their purpouse was most likely for the spear not to penetrate too deeply, as it could get stuck, and there was not real point to over penetrating your target.

[@daneaxe6465]

That explanation is a new to me. The practice of putting cross-bars on long spears began with wild boar hunting. Angry boars would frequently charge hunters if cornered or wounded. Boars will charge so fast and violently they will slide down the spear shaft and attack the hunter while its still able. The crossbar prevents this from happening. Today there a few crazy guys into boar hunting with large knives and spears. Their spears have crossbars on them. A crossbar on a war/battle spear would be worthless as it would snag on anything and/or be used by an opponent to better grip your spear and take it away from you.

[@acvaticlifE]

@@daneaxe6465 Well, their spears would have been used for hunting aswell. They were uite universal. When I say target, I don't mean only human targets, but also animals like boar.

[@drose2326]

Great to watch Viking documentaries while my assassin creed Valhalla downloads

[@ganhua3715]

I love the background music, kind of fit into it and the way you said slowly faded from history but not memory make me feel sad for the Vikings like really sad...

[@nerdyfellow7740]

I’m not fully sure if it plays the whole way through, but for the majority of the video the music is from assassins creed Valhalla. The track plays while your character is roaming around Norway

[@Khoisanboogie]

Soooo good! Subscribed 🎉

[@aliveyetundead]

Keep making mo' Viking stuff

[@creepypinny8717]

From what I’ve heard the term berserker referred to a champion of like a powerful chieftain

[@lordcaoliki2168]

I think we all watched the same Lindybeige video was it? Someone like that

[@ice4cow]

Yes, this is more down to earth explanation that actually makes more sense. The "berserkers are crazy monsters" meme is similar to "vikings wore horned helmets". The only difference is, we have much less information about berserkers that helmets, so it's more difficult to disprove the myth. Sad to see actually that Invicta didn't even mention this.

[@manatarms7652]

You can’t beat the Beige

[@techoman8569]

Invicta already mentioned that he would take some historical liberties on the subject... basically the same modern misconceptions :P

[@bobjoe8613]

@@techoman8569 therefore the video is academically useless

[@boddhiswaha5446]

Awesome. A good source is also the Hervararsaga, that tells about the Berserker Angantyr of the Gothic tribe. The Berserkergang as an elite of the army may have faded, but there will always be berserkers and ulfhednars. This saga also tells that the feature can be inherited and is usually a clan thing. Descendants of the gothic tribe in Chile have a famous recent display of Berserkers embodied in the soldierso who fought in the Pacific War, who after drinking the "Devil's Chupilka" entered a demon-like rage and broke thru the enemy army, overcoming their number superiority and overwhelming them with fear, as these warriors feared nothing and never got tired, and ravaged everything in their way.

[@imperialzavala7810]

Wow this was an interesting video about Berserkers. I just finished watching The Northman and very much enjoyed the movie. 👌

[@lightdampsweetenough2065]

I think it's highly likely they were some kind of religious warriors from the beginning but they overlap quite a bit with the Huskarl or champion of the king or what ever you want to call them. Bärsärkagång is a word used in Sweden today. And is usually to describe someone who is out of control and violent (but not always)

[@andri7695]

The myth of berserkers is that they ate berserker shrooms before fights

[@midagards_wyrd_domain]

Only during rituals. Not actually before battle.. I'm bear cult. Berserker myself. We take shrooms during rituals

[@SP-bg8on]

@@midagards_wyrd_domain I can imagine it would be unwise to take them before battle. Ritual sure. But hell....before battle. That would be scary and confusing lol. And you have to pee every 4 minuets

[@midagards_wyrd_domain]

@@SP-bg8on exactly lmao I'm not fixing to fight on shrooms

[@cookiesboi5]

@danger dork's ghost s careful. He’s a berserker. Bear cult.

[@lolstrongmen]

@@midagards_wyrd_domain Its easy

[@leonardoflores4362]

Wonderful documentary thank you💪❤👍👍👍👍

[@Mentosineenbakkie]

Awesomme i learnd so much from this episode. From New on i am a fan of this Chanel

[@hosealdo7563]

Wrigly great work! Thank you! Got a feeling of berserk! In latvian mytology werewolf and bearslayer figures are very common. Our national epos is called Lāčplēsis or Bearslayer. It tells about boy who was grown up by bear mother, dronk her milk got strong as no one else and defended country from enemies afterwards. I think there are a lot of similarities and thats comes from the same roots as berserks.

[@hosealdo7563]

might be that those were grown up in the wild more or less to get more berserk, but their life style should be included in surrouding society otherwise they eould not be able to be part of army.

[@hosealdo7563]

if started than more...i believe they respected the animals and learned from them instincts, rage, savage, fearless, some habits so they got those more ... as physical strength is key to success and to survive in nature that also should be one of the must things.

[@justanotherhuman7488]

Amazing video @invicta! Though, being a Norwegian myself I would like to add, that despite our history.. we're now quite friendly😇 Please come and visit after the pandemic🌸

[@colinp2238]

You're just trying to lure us in.

[@valhall89]

@jokesonu420 Suprisingly warm. No snow just yet:D

[@alexvlaxos6620]

Are there any norwegians still there or just pakistani's?

[@valhall89]

@@alexvlaxos6620 There have never existed more norwegains in the world then today. About 5 million. Back in the viking age we where about 200 000. A couple of Kebab shops in Oslo does not threaten us.

[@twosuns7377]

Very sneaky berserker lol....Few know that Tibetans were once quite the bloody warriors and killing machines that were entrusted the Buddha's teachings due to this warrior quality and the obvious natural fortification of the Himalayas to guard from foreifgn invaders intent on destroying the Buddhist teachings. But now we are peace seeking people due to the wisdom of the teachings.

[@untitleduck9623]

Fun facts with Anetina: when hammering a nail, actually aiming for the nail itself will either make you miss or make the nail bent; the way how you properly hammer a nail is by imagining that the nail is already hammered in and start swinging. How is this at all related to this video? Well, replace the hammer with a weapon and the nail with a face, and you'll see why norse weapons were designed so differently from other European weapons which were designed for careful aiming.

[@0ak3nshi3ld88]

Outstanding video.

[@The_Honcho]

Speaking of Vikings, have you guys given thought to a unit video on the famous Varangian Guard of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire?

[@Liquidsback]

May I suggest the Silver Shields, White Shields, Bronze Shields and Gold shields next?

[@jonbaxter2254]

You like your shields then?

[@Liquidsback]

@@jonbaxter2254 figured using the English translation over the Greek.

[@tipphilips8252]

Great vid

[@Sarke2]

I enjoyed this so much, i first heard for Berserkers through Heroes IV video game the unit of MIght (Barbarian) faction.

[@FirstOHNameOfficial]

Ahhhhh the Windhelm/Stormcloak bear symbol that keeps coming up makes me smile every time. I enjoyed it further when you guys made other animal head symbols in the exact same style.

[@Raventooth]

I have heard that wearing multiple layers of bear skins is practically bulletproof so I could see them possibly going out in front of archers, if that is true. Also interesting as warriors had to bind berserkers once they began going berserk. This is similar to the story of Tyr binding the Fenrir wolf.

[@justinbuckner4093]

Gotta love the assassins creed synchronize point music. Nice touch

[@brose2323]

Wisconsin Scandinavian here. Wherever I think of the Bezerkers I think of my mom. Her battle cry was " IM IGETTING HYSTERICAL! I'LL SHOW YOU HYSTERICAL!!!" Very effective.

[@radiofreeriver]

As a Norseman myself, take this nonliteraly, its very poetic our oral tradishions

[@brandonblackfyre5783]

I'm glad that this channel let's you know first and foremost that WE DON'T REALLY KNOW anything about these units or cultures. That we are essentially just making assumptions from the very little that we do know about these cultures. Sadly a lot of these cultures just did not keep records OR if they did its hidden from view of regular people. I do believe that a lot of this "ancient knowledge" was actually hidden because it doesn't fit with the "modern times" ... a lot of this stuff like the Spirtual and weird powers of these men called Berserkers could very well be hidden or destroyed as they don't want you to really know how they crossed the lines between human and animal... or as the Roman's and Christian's made their way around Europe and the North Kingdoms they depicted these people as savage animals who didn't belong with regular humanity and how they were against God. Either way, The Norse People are the most interesting when it comes to Northern Europe and the surroundings areas. What's really interesting to me is that these cultures all share very similar characteristics with Native Americans and First Nation people which to me gives credence to America being discovered WAY before Columbus

[@repure1999]

Great work with the animation n video!

[@tao.of.history8366]

characteristic #2 ‘rage’ does includes symptoms of PTSD, especially not being able to come out of it for a day (or days as can be the case, not usually case with drugs) then emerging unknowing/childlike, & danger to family.

[@Masra94]

Berserkers were probably just champions and bodyguards. Basically elite housecarls or elite household guards. Animal warriors were a thing but they have almost nothing to do with berserkers. Animal warriors were just fighters who tried to amp up their aggression before going into combat by embodying the qualities of fierce beasts like the Native Americans did. It doesn't mean they always fought like that or that whole units fought like that. It was a technique used by some to psychologically prepare for battle. Vikings and germanic tribes were also more practical in general and you don't actually see a lot of animal warriors described. The Celts did that way more. While the Suebi for example used aggressive tactics like wedges, they were far more organized than the Celts, which makes sense because Germanic tribes had much fewer resources with which to draw upon in war in general and their aggression and ferocious tactics existed to a great extent out of necessity rather than any pure religious or spiritual worship. So germanic tribes might howl at the moon before a fight but in battle they fight in the shield wall like everyone else.

[@manatarms7652]

There are a lot of myths about the dark ages and berserkers are definitely one of them

[@dendrien]

@@manatarms7652 there’s no such thing that’s called a dark age. It’s actually a deliberate false term mostly created by the religious that uses this to describe something uncivilized or disaster which In itself can be used for any era you can come up with.

[@TheBarser]

That is true. People think of vikings as primitive savages, but in battle they where very organized.

[@TheBarser]

@sneksnekitsasnek probably, though no romans at the viking age

[@TheBarser]

@no step on snek! nope

[@benscott19841]

Great video.

[@nana-rs8en]

One query that I haven't noticed anyone touch upon is the fact of the Amanita Muscaria (a psychedelic not hallucinigenic although it can cause some hallucinations, yes there's a difference) being used to fuel the Berserkergang, there are a few accounts I've read where they would use a brew to fuel/enhance the bloodlust and based on modern use of these and similar psychedelic mushrooms it is likely to have been used as they amplify what is already within an individual. Also when mixed with mead, another psychedelic, great anti-toxin and high protein, natural alcohol, they could very well fight for hours without want or need for rest and could account for the indiscriminate attacking of friend and foe. It could also explain the 'invulnerability' as when intoxicated on psychedelics or alcohol ones pain threshold can be greatly enhanced.

[@VoxFelis]

"We can't" Honest and well appreciated comment.

[@brycevo]

This is a truly brilliant episode

[@martinmanky9015]

Shame its fantasy :(

[@-RXB-]

@@martinmanky9015 It's really hard telling fantasy/myth from fact when it comes to ancient times, greece/the odessey/illiad, the viking age, ancient india etc. It's still very interesting to hear about.

[@iphail4733]

The protrusions just behind a spear's head was also to help prevent overpenetration

[@Jobe-13]

This is awesome