Chi erano i Berserkir delle saghe Norrene?

Berserkers, or more correctly Berserkir, are iconic figures, known even outside the circle of scholars of Norse culture. Warriors of uncontrollable ferocity, presented as the quintessence of the Viking fighter, the Berserkir went to the battlefield wearing the skin of their totem animal, and prey to an unstoppable fury that bordered on madness, they wreaked havoc among the enemy ranks. But what exactly do the Norse sagas say about the Berserkir, and what can we deduce from the iconographic sources of the Scandinavian world? A journey into Norse folklore and history, to try to shed light on one of its most characteristic and fascinating figures... ============================================ WHO WERE THE BERSERKIR? ========================================== 00:00 - Introduction 02:14 - A difficult etymology 03:48 - Bears or wolves? 07:40 - Animal totemism 11:05 - Champions and brigands 14:33 - What was the Berserkergangr? 16:50 - Berserkers before the Berserkers ============================================ Cover: Christian Sloan Hall, "Lupus Aduentum" Edited by Gioal Canestrelli Institute of Experimental Archaeology "Fianna ap Palug" of Verona Edited by Angela Ruggero