1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: the show, fellow Ridiculous Historians. We are following up with 3 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: what has become a warrior week here at Ridiculous History. Yeah, 4 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: let's give a big shout out to our super producer, 5 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: mister Max Williams, Max. 6 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: King. What's that thing where they pull your lungs out 7 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 2: your back? 8 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:48,319 Speaker 1: Uh? 9 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,279 Speaker 3: An eagle, blood Eagle, Blood Eagle, Max the Blood Eagle Williams. 10 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, uh yeah, that's great. 11 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: If uh, if you're like us, us being Nold Brown 12 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: out in Ben Bullen, you're a fan of historical propaganda 13 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: prestige television like the creatively named amazing show Vikings or 14 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: countless Films. 15 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 2: Which I think depicts the blood already a certain it does? 16 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 2: It does? 17 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: We already know the typical image of these reavers, right 18 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: and all. They're big, they're hairy, they're smelly maniacs, they 19 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: have horned helmets. They just want to wage war on 20 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: the civilized world at large. They overwhelm people like a 21 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: blitzkrieg force, and they kill their enslave everybody. They take 22 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: whatever they can carry back on their ships. They go 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: back to their own settlement to resupply, They party hard, 24 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: they do strange rituals like a blood eagle, and then 25 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: they question their surviving victims for information to help them 26 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: plan the next raid, like where's the next closest village 27 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: to you? 28 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 3: Dark stuff, but you know, exciting the stuff of legend, 29 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 3: the stuff of lore, and often what's that movie with 30 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 3: a scar our guard recently that was did a fine 31 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 3: job of depicting normand. 32 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: Yes, indeed, yes beautiful. 33 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: Just rewatch that actually in preparation for this, and no, 34 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: there's something that stood out to us so much that 35 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: we did an episode similar to this on our sister shows. 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: Stuff they don't want you to know, So check that 37 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: out if you want a different take on this. Dude, 38 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: can you imagine us be Vikings and in our crew 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: we're all hard cases, right, but in our crew we 40 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: have this one group of fighters that even frighten us. 41 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: They're dangerous, they're unhinged. Even when we're just hanging out 42 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: at home. They are as likely to assault and murder 43 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: us as they are to raid a village. We wonder 44 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: if they're touched by gods. We wonder if they're possessed 45 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: by evil spirits. We wonder whether they are even human 46 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: at all. These are the berserkers. 47 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,119 Speaker 2: My love for you is like a truck berserk. 48 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 3: In the next line, I can't say on the pot, 49 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 3: but the following line is my love for you is 50 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:18,079 Speaker 3: ticking clock berserk. 51 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 2: Would you like to some pot berserk? 52 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 3: Sorry as Kevin's a fictional fictional song from Clerks, but 53 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 3: the berserk bend. First of all, let's just get this 54 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 3: out of the way. Were these big burley naked guys 55 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 3: that ate a lot of drugs and scared people on 56 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 3: the battlefield, Let's get to it. 57 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: The answer is maybe, Okay, we'll see there were pelts 58 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: involved too, right, I think there were some animal pelts 59 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: involved too. That's what the historians are still arguing about 60 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: thousands of years after the fact. We know that Viking, 61 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: yeah right, and congrats to everybody writing their dissertation. So 62 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: the Vikings, we know were a seafaring culture from the 63 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: area of the world that is present day Denmark, Norway 64 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: and Sweden on your map. But no, we don't really 65 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: know where the word Viking comes from. 66 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 3: That's true, which is odd. You know, we're such etymology fans. 67 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 3: But the old Norse word the king gear usually was 68 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 3: translated to pirate or raider. That is one of the 69 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 3: theories of the etymology, but we have numerous ones, and 70 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 3: one of our favorites suggests that the words origin is 71 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 3: actually from Old English vising or weissing and the Old 72 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 3: Frisian word whizzing. 73 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 2: It makes me think of wizard powers, it makes me 74 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 2: think of piek. Wait a minute, it makes on the 75 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 2: electric fence. Don't do it, don't do it? And who 76 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 2: are the Frisians? 77 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 4: Man? 78 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 2: They sound fun. 79 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: I'm sure everybody back then was super fun and smelled 80 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: super great. The reason we like vc or wheezing or 81 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: vzing is because both of those words are almost three 82 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: hundred years older than the Old Norse word viking gear. 83 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: And those two words, the Frisian and the Old English, 84 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: they derive from vic spelled wic, relating to the Latin 85 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: vicus meaning village or habitation. So we have decided on 86 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: ridiculous history that Viking as a word means the village people. 87 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: It's fine the way at the y MCA. 88 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 2: That's amazing, the village people. 89 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 3: Oh Ben, And I was doing a little digging into 90 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:33,599 Speaker 3: so good, Yes, so good. 91 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 2: I was doing a little. 92 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 3: Digging into the Frisian people and They had a codex 93 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 3: of law called the Lex Frisonium, which I just think 94 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 3: is fun beautiful. We should get They were master fishermen. 95 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 3: They were really good at dyke building. 96 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 4: Uh. 97 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 3: And they were also really good at like land reclamation 98 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 3: and other like you know, sustainable farming techniques. So them, 99 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 3: along with many other seafaring folks from the region where 100 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 3: we're super innovative. 101 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, especially when they weren't getting raided by these mad 102 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: Max level monstrous warships down It's weird because, as our 103 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: pal Jabbari pointed out in some previous episodes, history happens concurrently, 104 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: not necessarily as a series of isolated distinct events. So 105 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: at the same time that the Crusades are coming into 106 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: play in the eighth century to about the late one 107 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: thousands or so, the Vikings are a huge expansion force. 108 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: They travel all the way from the Mediterranean to North Africa, 109 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: the Middle East and Newfoundland in Canada, which they called Venland. 110 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: That makes them, by the way, so far as history knows, 111 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: the first Europeans to reach North America. It's weird because 112 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: they were raiding a lot, that's what they're most well 113 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: known for. But sometimes they would just peacefully trade with 114 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: other cultures, especially, I think if they looked at the 115 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 1: other cultures, army and bruisers said, we're gonna get our 116 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: butts kicked if we try to fight these guys that 117 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: particular bear. Yeah, yeah, that's not to poke, that particular berserker. 118 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: And then they would settle in places with better weather. 119 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: They were pretty misunderstood. They're portrayed as illiterate, uncultured, barbaric. 120 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: At least some of this has to be trash talking 121 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: from their regional rivals. 122 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, as is often the case, you know, when 123 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 3: different cultures are depicted by the cultures who were not 124 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 3: fond of them. So much of the prevailing history about 125 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 3: Vikings was written century later by, as we pointed out, 126 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 3: descendants of their victims, rivals and blood enemies, so similar 127 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 3: stories about the Knights, Templar and the Hashishim. They were 128 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 3: maligned oftentimes, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't a 129 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 3: seed of truth to some of these more outland distales. 130 00:07:54,640 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, their haters wrote the history and embellished and exaggerated 131 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: it just like a cod piece. But but yeah, there 132 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: was there was a country there. 133 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 2: They're always it. 134 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: All right, we'll keep it. Typologies to all the substitute 135 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: teachers touting in. So we know that the Vikings did 136 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: have literacy. They did make inscriptions via runs, but literacy 137 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: was late to their cultural game, and a lot of 138 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: what we think of as that popular Viking appearance is 139 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,319 Speaker 1: misinfo and propaganda or disinfo. Actually, the horned helmets, they 140 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: don't make a lot of sense in realistic combat. And 141 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: I think you, as a former wee German boy, would 142 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 1: love that we we found why horned helmets became a thing. 143 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 2: That's right. 144 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 3: They probably started based around an illustration from an eighteen 145 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 3: twenty five edition of a piece of Nordic lore. Fro 146 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 3: Jesus is a tough one, Frith the Off sounds like 147 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 3: I got a list, but that's how it's sled Frith 148 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 3: the Off's saga. And then of course this myth and 149 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:11,599 Speaker 3: this tale and collection of myths was interpreted and injected 150 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 3: into the neck of popular culture through Recard Wagner's ring cycle, 151 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 3: and of course the fat Ladies what sang with their 152 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:25,959 Speaker 3: horned helmets, the valkyries that are depicted, and my mom actually, 153 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 3: as a metso soprano, played one of the valkyries in 154 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 3: several multiple. 155 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: Ways, that's awesome, dude, Toyota, that's awesome. We know that 156 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: when we see Wagner's ring cycle get interpreted over and 157 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: over again. There is one person responsible for this horned 158 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: helmet idea. It's Carl Ebel Doppler. This is a costume 159 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: designer from eighteen seventy six and had a flair for 160 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: the dramatic way more than a flair for his oracle accuracy. 161 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: So that's where it comes from. Another stereotype. No, were 162 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: these guys just sewing chaos for the for the hall 163 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: of it, for the heck of it. 164 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 3: Just for the get, just for the smell of it. Well, 165 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 3: I mean you already kind of addressed this, Ben, I mean, 166 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 3: they were in many cases just trying to survive and 167 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,959 Speaker 3: you know, be functional and move to places where they 168 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 3: could have community. But they certainly there were bands of 169 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,839 Speaker 3: bad apples I imagine within the vikings. Sure they didn't 170 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 3: just wake up though, No, huh, exactly to your point, Ben, 171 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 3: They didn't just wake up one day and randomly decide 172 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 3: that they were going to be the agents of chaos. 173 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:55,200 Speaker 3: There were multiple factors that led to the spread of 174 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:00,120 Speaker 3: this kind of behavior. Yeah, yeah, just conquering pillaging, at 175 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 3: least you know a version of it. 176 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, Because Vikings were also farmers, they weren't always outrating, 177 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: but the problem often came down to their home turf, 178 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 1: very punishing weather, not great soil, very poor soil that 179 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: necessitated them looking outward for sustenance. Otherwise they would and 180 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: in several cases did, starved to death, like entire areas. 181 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: So not every Norse person is a Viking, like not 182 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: every puzzle is amazed. Most Vikings were more like young 183 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: college bros on their gap year, and they were trying 184 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: to get rich before they settled down. But as he 185 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: said earlier, there's a grain of truth to every story, 186 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: even the trash talking. So yes, some of these guys 187 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 1: were indeed career killers. And those career killers didn't actually 188 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: have a long work life. Their careers were pretty short. 189 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:02,679 Speaker 1: They met with a brutal end. And the most infamous 190 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: of the killers are the berserker. 191 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 4: The berserkers, the old Norse berserkers, the legend of the 192 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:13,559 Speaker 4: Old Norse berserkers, a word that roughly translates to bear 193 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 4: shirt and now. 194 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 3: Just means going wild. You're berserk, But not everybody agrees. 195 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 3: Much like Viking, you will often also hear instead of 196 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 3: And just to be clear, my initial spelling would. 197 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 2: Be bear like like the creature. 198 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,680 Speaker 3: Others thought that it meant bear as in no shirt 199 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 3: at all, bare or bear chested. 200 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 5: Yeah. 201 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, tops off, party time. And it's it's weird because, 202 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: like you were teasier earlier in the stories, these strange, implacable, 203 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 1: unstoppable warriors are running into battle naked save for like 204 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: a bear skin cloak, and they're howling like beasts. They're 205 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: attacking not just their victims or their foes, but also 206 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:06,720 Speaker 1: anybody who's in their way. So, if you believe the legends, 207 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: these are early versions of things like suicide bombers or 208 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: Kama case divine wind. They're living weapons. They have no 209 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:19,560 Speaker 1: regard for their own personal safety, let alone anybody else's. 210 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 5: I mean, come on right, no way, yeah, but way, 211 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:29,080 Speaker 5: but yes, way yeah, yeah, I'm picturing Sampson from the 212 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:32,199 Speaker 5: twenty eight Years Later movies, just like you know, big 213 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 5: giant hanging dong and just running ats, just screaming and 214 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 5: then ripping off heads. I like, twenty eight years Maybe 215 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 5: not that, maybe that is a little bit, you know, 216 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 5: it's a fun to think about, but now not quite 217 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:44,439 Speaker 5: that but of course quite something. 218 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 3: Berserkers were very much a real thing, as in there 219 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:51,719 Speaker 3: were definitely Viking warriors. Of course, when we get to 220 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 3: the Berserkers, we are hitting a boundary between fantasy and fact. 221 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 3: Not everyone agrees that these guys actually ran around in 222 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 3: their skivvies or under well, maybe no skivies at. 223 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 2: All, commando, or under some sort of pelt a bear skin. 224 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,079 Speaker 3: Even if we think they can consider that that might 225 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 3: be true, people also can't quite agree on whether it 226 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 3: was a bear skin, a wolf skin, or some other 227 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 3: type of animal hide. Yeah. 228 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe it's propaganda because bears are scary, but the 229 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: Vikings could have I love your point about wolves because 230 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: the Vikings could have been wearing the skin of wolves, 231 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: which are also common in the area, and that gives 232 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: us an interesting bit about speculation to resurg and so 233 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 1: wear wolf legends in Europe. By the way, if you 234 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: haven't seen Brotherhood of the Wolf, check it out. No spoilers. 235 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, unrelated to this story, but we definitely did an 236 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 3: episode on the Beast of govel Down. 237 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 2: I believe that that was based on we did, didn't we? 238 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 2: We sure did. Yeah, there was. 239 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 3: Some sort of mythical beasts plaguing the French countryside and 240 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 3: it had to be stuff. But this movie definitely goes 241 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 3: way farther with that concept, and it's a hoot somehow, 242 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 3: like a kung fu movie mixed with a historical kind 243 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 3: of intrigue period piece. And then it also has like 244 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 3: some kind of sci fi kind of elements too. 245 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: It's really really cool, some mortal combat elements. Next up, 246 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 1: we've got those rumors of super strength, because berserkers are 247 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: always depicted kind of like Bucky in Marvel's Winter Soldier. 248 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: Did you see that one? It was one of the 249 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: best ones of that time. 250 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 2: You like that one? Yeah? No, I remember Bucky's the 251 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 2: one with like the robot arm right. 252 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, Captain America's sidekick who gets 253 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: spoilers folks three to one, kidnapped by the Soviets and 254 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:48,680 Speaker 1: then turned into a brainwashed It's like a Manurian candidate almost, right, 255 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: Just so, yeah, So the berserkers are depicted as having 256 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 1: almost superhuman levels of physical ability but definitely not mental ability. Well, 257 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,440 Speaker 1: and that comes from or at least some speculation around 258 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: that that I think is also represented in that movie 259 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: The Northmen. Is this idea that they were taking some 260 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: psychoactive substances to make them, you know, kind of unhinged, 261 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: and we've got to get to that part. We also 262 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: have to let you know that even in the provable 263 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: literature of the time, not written by enemies the North Sagas, 264 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 1: the characters that are often interpreted as Vikings are also 265 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: depicted as villains in their own hometowns because they will 266 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: assault and murder people in their own host communities during 267 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: peacetime between raids. So what about the rumors that we're 268 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: teasing here about what makes them so beastly? No, we 269 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: got to go to Peter Pence, the curator of Danish 270 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: prehistory at the National Museum of Denmark. Pete breaks down 271 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 1: the pickle of this in a great interview from a 272 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: few years back with Millilitary History. 273 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:05,679 Speaker 3: According to Pens, Berserkers are mainly known from written medieval 274 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:09,639 Speaker 3: accounts and not from the Vikings themselves. So again we 275 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 3: kind of maybe have another slightly is there an agenda here, 276 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 3: unreliable narrator kind of thing. Pence does make a note 277 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 3: at the primary written source of information on berserkers capital 278 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,680 Speaker 3: B the real ones, not the legends, does come from 279 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 3: a guy with a fabulous name. 280 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, fabulous name. His name is Snorri Sterlson. 281 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 3: But I would I would love it only slightly more 282 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 3: if it was Snorri Snirlsen. But it is Snorri Sterlson, 283 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 3: an Icelandic historian who lived around twelve hundred CE, which 284 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 3: is just after the golden age of vikingdom. 285 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, and our buddy Snory thinks of the berserkers. Yeah, 286 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 1: we got to go first name on that, which I just. 287 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 2: Think he sounds like us. 288 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 3: It's like a sleepy boy with a candle, you know, 289 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 3: like and like a little sleep hat kind of clunk 290 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:58,159 Speaker 3: shoeing his way through research. 291 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,399 Speaker 6: It sounds like a Nordic knockoff of Winnie the Pooh 292 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 6: A little bit. 293 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,199 Speaker 1: There it is, Uh so, Snory, we're gonna use your 294 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,119 Speaker 1: first name for this right in. If you have a 295 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:08,640 Speaker 1: problem with. 296 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 2: That, uh yeah, we'll berserk. You will perserk. 297 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: The uh berserkers in Snorri's writing are a kind of 298 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: holy warrior. He writes that Odin's own men went into 299 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: battle without coats of mail and acted like mad dogs 300 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 1: or wolves. They bit their shields and were as strong 301 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,879 Speaker 1: as bears of bulls. They killed people and neither fire 302 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: nor iron affected them. This is called berserker rage. 303 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 2: Oh yes, he's hulking out. Yeah, we're going to keep 304 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 2: in the in the marbledom of it all. Yeah. 305 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 1: So okay, So if we go back to modern day 306 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: Pence over at the museum, we'll see that, he says, 307 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 1: Snorri is going with two interpretations of berserker. You're either 308 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: a fighter who goes to battle like you were saying 309 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: Nolan animal skins without armor, or you might be as 310 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: strong as a bearer, if not actually a bear yourself. 311 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: So the question that becomes, why on earth would anybody 312 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: go into battle but naked to. 313 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 2: Freak out the enemy? Man? 314 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: Right right, you daaled it. You should work with the 315 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: National Museum of Denmark because that is one of their guesses. 316 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 1: They thought maybe it was a psyop man. Maybe you 317 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 1: see him running while they're hanging dong and you both 318 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: these guys are bonkerstras. 319 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 2: Yeah they are, indeed they are. 320 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 3: Indeed, the museum knows that the nudity might have exactly 321 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 3: been what you said, been a psyop showing disregard for 322 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 3: their own personal safety, like those people that play Skyrim 323 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 3: with naked characters, you know or not not not Sky 324 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 3: elden Ring. But also you could do it with Skyrim. 325 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 3: But yeah, it is. It is definitely a flex, right. 326 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,240 Speaker 3: It's saying like I either think I am so such 327 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,920 Speaker 3: a badass that no one can touch me, or I'm 328 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:05,159 Speaker 3: an insane person. 329 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. 330 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 1: Or maybe they were. 331 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 2: Some some ven diagram of those two things as well. 332 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, or maybe they were thinking that they would be 333 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 1: ordering a god of war so they would be willing 334 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: sacrifices in the battle. 335 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 2: Now, even Kratos wore some gear though. 336 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: Man, that's true, that's true. That's how we got through 337 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: so many video games. 338 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 2: Also true. Yeah, I think you know what if you 339 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 2: heard all the hubbub with all these like internet nerds 340 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 2: that are upset that the next God of War is 341 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 2: a woman? No, why are they because they're jerks. 342 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: There's so many real world things to be upset about. 343 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 2: I know, Man, it's so weird. 344 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: Okay, well, guys, do your best. 345 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:46,440 Speaker 2: I guess now, you know what, Ben, I'm gonna one 346 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:48,680 Speaker 2: up beyond that one. Do better, do better? 347 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I agree with that. So we we also know, 348 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 1: especially if you've already checked out our episode on Nights 349 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: in Shining Armor, we know that there were probably horrid 350 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: ekin making practical issues at play, because first, armor is expensive, 351 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: it takes so much time from highly skilled laborers, especially 352 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:12,439 Speaker 1: metal armor. And Second, honestly, folks, wearing a bunch of 353 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:17,120 Speaker 1: armor slows you way down. It doesn't fit Viking rating tactics. 354 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: So those are about speed and overwhelming force. These are 355 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: hit and run jobs. Armor is not great for running, 356 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,199 Speaker 1: so maybe it doesn't make sense for him. 357 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,119 Speaker 3: No, and to the point we actually both made in 358 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 3: the Knights and Armor episode that we published earlier this week, 359 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 3: there is a world where the less armor you have, 360 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 3: technically you're you've got a bit of an advantage on 361 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 3: your more heavily armored opponents. 362 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: Potentially, Yeah, because you're nimble and they're not. You want 363 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: to you, I mean, it's it's like fighting a really 364 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: big slow dude. Do you want to wait, make him 365 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: slower for them to clank over to you. Yeah? 366 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:03,199 Speaker 3: Right, I mean the these berserkers would largely be the 367 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 3: beefiest of the boys too, which means that they would 368 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 3: be even more expensive to armor up. 369 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's a great point too. Uh, here's the 370 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: part we've all been righted. Do we talk to drugs 371 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 1: ban Yeah, we got to figure out how they got. 372 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 2: A rage so they do it, how they get into 373 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:20,480 Speaker 2: hulk moon. 374 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: I don't want to put you on the spot too much, 375 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: but uh, you don't have to answer this, but what's 376 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: the most bloodthirsty and pissed that. 377 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 2: You have ever been? At one time? I took PCP? 378 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 3: No, I'm kidd I've never done that, but you do 379 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 3: hear that is a drug that comes to mind when 380 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,399 Speaker 3: you're thinking about this kind of behavior because there have 381 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,639 Speaker 3: been stories of it, like giving people super strength, or 382 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 3: like you know, getting hit by a car and then. 383 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,679 Speaker 1: Jumping back up, showing away out of a three story 384 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: window from the cops and a ducat of rolling and 385 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: then sca dadling on your broken ankle. 386 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 3: Ooh skadatdling Indeed, And Ben, I don't do blood thirsty really. 387 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,119 Speaker 2: I really only get mad when. 388 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,360 Speaker 3: Other people are being messed with. Frankly, But I can't 389 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 3: think of an exact example. But they didn't have PCP 390 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 3: back then, so what would they have potentially been ingesting, 391 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 3: Ben that would have caused them to hulk out in 392 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 3: this fashion. 393 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, we've got three ideas. We're going to save the 394 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:28,400 Speaker 1: fun one for last. The first is religious zeal. Oh, yeah, 395 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 1: hell of a drug on its own, right, Yeah. Yeah, 396 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 1: Like in the beginning, the idea of these kinds of 397 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,920 Speaker 1: warriors was linked to some sort of mysterious cult, an 398 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 1: inner circle of people worshiping Odin. 399 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 2: Being imbued with superpowers. 400 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:44,920 Speaker 5: Yeah. 401 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,880 Speaker 1: Just so, it is possible that this famous rage was 402 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: a result of intense religious indoctrination in the beginning, and 403 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: we see that unfortunately, even today, members of modern cultic 404 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: organizations can be manipulately into acts they wouldn't commit otherwise, 405 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,640 Speaker 1: like you know, suicide, Bobby, I mean, the more controversial one, 406 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: that is my opinion, the least fun We do have 407 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: to mention it, nol. What if these guys were bugging 408 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,120 Speaker 1: out and hulking out because of mental health issues. 409 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 3: M entirely possible they could have been identified and as such, 410 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 3: and they're commanding officers, let's call them, looked. 411 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:27,160 Speaker 2: At it as a feature, not a bug. 412 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,159 Speaker 3: Yeah, and also a way that they would potentially be 413 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,840 Speaker 3: able to use them as cannon fodder because they lacked 414 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 3: the self awareness to literally safeguard themselves. 415 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: Exactly. Yeah, It's it's more piece of well thought out speculation. 416 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 1: There isn't much in the way of proofd for this 417 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: because obviously we didn't have like the DSM five at 418 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: the time, but maybe they were, as you were saying, 419 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: hand selected based on recognition of schizotypal conditions. So instead 420 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: of executing them for witchcraft or like anthropy like other 421 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: societies were doing. This theory argues exactly what you just said. 422 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: Viking authorities may have gone, hell, yeah, you're an animal. 423 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: We got the perfect job for you. 424 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 2: Ye put you right out in the front. 425 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: You know how you like running and you're always angry, 426 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,679 Speaker 1: hop on the boat. Try not to kill any of 427 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: us on the boat, but you know, one or two 428 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: is fired. 429 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 2: That's a good point. 430 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 3: But I wonder if there was any friendly berserker behavior 431 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 3: tons apparently. 432 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: To this parent if you depending on the legends, you. 433 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,200 Speaker 3: Know what I mean, friendly fire, yeah, without fire, friendly smash. 434 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 1: And they were like, well, that's what he got for 435 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: standing in front of us. 436 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 2: Ven, that's why don't stand in front of you. Don't 437 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 2: do it. 438 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,439 Speaker 1: So we got to get to the third most exciting theory, 439 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: which I know we are privately the personally the most 440 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: excited about drugs. Okay, noelque break down the drug theory 441 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:57,400 Speaker 1: for us for sure. 442 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,880 Speaker 3: I mean, I think we've we've probably trickled a little 443 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 3: bit of it throughout the episode, but the idea was 444 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:07,879 Speaker 3: that berserkers were often just regular folks, regular Viking warrior 445 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 3: raider types, which we know wouldn't be compared to a 446 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 3: normal citizen regular at all, But their ferocity really only 447 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,439 Speaker 3: came into play once they ingested a particular kind of 448 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 3: hallucinogen or a psychoactive substance, often described as a combination 449 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,200 Speaker 3: of herbs and mushrooms that to this day a lot 450 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 3: of speculation about and I know we've talked about this 451 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 3: on stuff they don't want you to know, and got 452 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 3: into some specifics about what these substances might have been. 453 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:39,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, what they could have been, right, because it's not 454 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: plausible by any means, but it is just possible because 455 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,720 Speaker 1: we know, like in the excellent film of the north Man, 456 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: we know that there were rituals involving ingesting substances, right, 457 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 1: the shamanistic vulva did that. So there's historical precedent in 458 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: Viking communities. But in a way, is that not like 459 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:06,000 Speaker 1: is that not similar to say, twentieth century Americans had 460 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: access to LSD and cocaine. Therefore all marines were always 461 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 1: on acid and cocaine. 462 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 3: Well, for sure, it's definitely a bit of a leap. 463 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,199 Speaker 3: But you know, we do, of course have examples of 464 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 3: military use of stimulants. For example, it is something that 465 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 3: can give folks an edge, whether it be for sleep 466 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 3: deprivation or just making you more aggressive. You know, we 467 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 3: know that the Nazis were quite fond of their their stimulants. 468 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 6: Well, to jump in here real quick, I'm keeping this, 469 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,000 Speaker 6: going to keep this very anonymous, but I have a 470 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,880 Speaker 6: I have a friend of mine who was who has 471 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 6: done you know, sensitive military operations, and he was an officer, 472 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,440 Speaker 6: and he talked about me about the presence of how 473 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 6: prevalent methmphetamines are in special operations, and he's just kind 474 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 6: of like, part of me is like, man, this is 475 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:02,960 Speaker 6: with part of me is like, these guys are pretty terrifying. 476 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 6: They want to be like raised or focused while they're 477 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 6: doing this stuff. 478 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:11,720 Speaker 1: Absolutely, like, yeah, absolutely, the use of stimulants is as 479 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: old as war, you know. 480 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:17,520 Speaker 3: But at the same time, to Max's point, you would 481 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 3: want it to sharpen you up, not make you an 482 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 3: unhinged you know, madman. 483 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 1: You'd still want to be an asset, right because otherwise 484 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 1: you're useless to the operations. So with all this stuff 485 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: in mind, honestly, in our opinion, religious fervor seems to 486 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:43,479 Speaker 1: be the most plausible consideration, primarily because fighting berserker style 487 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 1: might have been a one off thing for some of 488 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:49,720 Speaker 1: these combatants. It may have been more like what we 489 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 1: could call an audition or a gang initiation. Because if 490 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: you survive and people are singing your praises and they're like, 491 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 1: this guy was awesome, running point, you've earned your stripe. 492 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: You become kind of a special forces or elite person. 493 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 1: So you get better job opportunities, right, you get better 494 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: going gigs. You can maybe become a bodyguard for the 495 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: political class. That's why things like, Okay, I don't love 496 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: this name, but there was a dude named King Harold 497 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: fine hair. 498 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 2: That's a fun one. That's a weird one, Like, what 499 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,240 Speaker 2: is it King Harold receding hairline. 500 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know if it meant that he was 501 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: balding or his hair was thinning, or if it meant 502 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 1: that he just had really great claireal herbal Essence's hair. 503 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, lustrous and voluminous. 504 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe he was just always kind of in the wind. 505 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: Shaking his long hair. Maybe, but what seems most likely 506 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: is that something like Baserka exists or existed, we should say. 507 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: And they were mainly young men seeking wealth and status. 508 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: And if they could survive a dangerous raid, they were 509 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: get out of the game, you know what I mean. 510 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 2: They would buy the. 511 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:07,560 Speaker 1: Farm, they would marry the girl. They would have a peaceful, much. 512 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 2: Longer life for sure. 513 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: And this is where we're gonna leave it today, folks. Again, 514 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:15,360 Speaker 1: if you want a different look at this, check out 515 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: our episode on stuff they don't want you to know. 516 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: If you haven't checked out our episode on Knights and 517 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 1: Shining Armor, please do give that a gander on your 518 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: podcast platform of choice. I've been our research associate for today. 519 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: Big thanks to our super producer mister Max Williams, as 520 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,480 Speaker 1: well as his anonymous and very experienced friend. 521 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 3: Indeed, huge thanks to Christopher Hasciotis and Eve's Jeffcoates here 522 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,720 Speaker 3: in spirit, Alex Williams who composed our. 523 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: Theme, Jonathan Strickland aka the quist A, j Bahamas, Jacob's Doctor, 524 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: Rachel big Spinach, Lance and Ben. 525 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,880 Speaker 2: You know what. I've said it before and I'll say 526 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 2: it again. 527 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 3: Huge thanks to you and an excellent job on the 528 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 3: berserk research you did. 529 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 5: On this one. 530 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: Thanks Man, and I thought we did a really good 531 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: job navigating that sensitive drug conversation. 532 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 2: I think so too. 533 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 3: Not so much with the DOM conversation, but Reord, we 534 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 3: do our level best. 535 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't win the wall. 536 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 2: We'll see you next, Tie Polks. 537 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:21,440 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 538 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 3: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.