Myths and Realities of the Viking Berserkr

<p>The viking <i>berserkr</i> is an iconic warrior normally associated with violent fits of temper and the notorious <i>berserksgangr</i> or berserker frenzy. This book challenges the orthodox view that these men went ‘berserk’ in the modern English sense of the word. It examines all the evidence for medieval perceptions of <i>berserkir</i> and builds a model of how the medieval audience would have viewed them. Then it extrapolates a Viking Age model of <i>berserkir</i> from this model and supports the analysis with anthropological and archaeological evidence to create a new and more accurate paradigm of the Viking Age <i>berserkr</i> and his place in society. This shows that <i>berserkir</i> were the champions of lords and kings members of the social elite and that much of what is believed about them is based on 17th-century and later scholarship and mythologizing: the medieval audience would have had a very different understanding of the Old Norse <i>berserkr</i> from that which people have now. The book sets out a challenge to rethink and reframe our perceptions of the past in a way that is less influenced by our own modern ideas.</p><p>The Myths and Realities of the Viking berserkr will appeal to researchers and students alike studying the Viking Age Medieval History and Old Norse Literature.</p>