Berserkers - Raging Beasts or Warrior Elite?

[Sponsored promo 2:58 - 4:53] Go to https://nordvpn.com/skallagrimyt to get 75% off a 3 year plan and use code SKALLAGRIMYT for an extra month for free. Protect yourself online today! In this video I'm discussing some of the available evidence for Viking Age berserkers. Both the archaeological material and the written sources have certain limitations and leave plenty of uncertainties. Interpretation and speculation can conjure different possible historical scenarios, and we have to keep in mind that it's impossible to know with complete certainty who these warriors were and exactly how they operated before and during battles. "Going berserk" might mean something else nowadays than it did in the Middle Ages. The main source: "Berserkir: A Re-Examination of the Phenomenon in Literature and Life" (2014), PhD thesis by Roderick Thomas Duncan Dale at the University of Nottingham http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28819... Royalty-free materials for animations and game design: https://opengameart.org/content/armor... Support the channel, get bonus content and other rewards:   / skallagrim   https://www.subscribestar.com/skallagrim    / @skallagrim   For one-time donations: https://streamlabs.com/skallagrim1 https://www.paypal.me/SkallagrimYT Books about history and/or martial arts, swords, knives, video/audio equipment, and other stuff I recommend: US - https://amzn.to/2jAc0MB Canada - https://amzn.to/2l7GHcr Kult of Athena, my favorite online store for reproductions of historical arms and armor, fantasy swords, etc: http://ww4.aitsafe.com/go.htm?go=kult... Where to get HEMA gear and practice swords: http://www.woodenswords.com/?Click=1799 Get in contact or see a list of my video uploads:   / skallagrimyt     / _skallagrim_   Channel-related shirts and other merch: http://skallagrim.spreadshirt.com/ https://teespring.com/stores/skallagrim My side channel (for rambles, vlogs, opinions, gaming, etc):    / @skallhalla   Knives on Gearbest: https://www.gearbest.com/knives-tools... Intro song: "Illuminate" by Vindsvept https://vindsvept.bandcamp.com/track/... Outro: "Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records http://theslantedroom.weebly.com/ #skallagrim #swords #endhimrightly