Rituals and symbols of initiation: berserkers and heroes. Berserkers - the frantic special forces of the Vikings Berserkers in modern culture

Berserkers were first mentioned by the skald Thorbjörn Hornklovi in ​​a drape (long poem) about the victory of King Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Havrsfjord, which supposedly took place in 872.

A little history. It is a mistake to assume that battle madness was the lot of the Norman Vikings. This art was everywhere where people were. And that means warriors. But the methods differed. So in Europe, during the Norman Campaigns, Berserkers were either by birth, or such qualities manifested themselves spontaneously during battle. Berserkers were feared not only by all of Europe and half of Asia, but also by the Normans themselves. The fact is that the attacks of combat madness were uncontrollable. A berserker could fall into a combat trance from any little thing: a cut, an insult, a great emotional load. And a bleak fate was in store for him: far from populated areas, as a rule, without a family. Only a few lived to be 30 years old. They were also not in danger of dying from old age. But giving birth to a berserker child was considered a very good sign. it was believed that Father Druzhin himself marked him with his mercy, and that means the family where he was born would not bypass his Horn of Plenty. In general, this is true, the Berserkers received prey second after the king. No one smiled at a quarrel with a berserker. Gradually, this ancient fighting custom died out - the fact is that a boy showing signs of being marked by Odin was given to be raised by a berserker, who accepted a successor. But the Vikings had a custom of incest, and therefore there were fewer and fewer successors and mentors. It's doping time.

The Nazis almost approached industrial production, modifying the original. German chemists developed a whole family of stimulants: from simple amphetamines to “combat cocktails” that were practically put into production.

I can’t help but say a few words about the East. As far as I know, such techniques were not practiced either in Tibet or China. But again, they are most likely secret, kept in the Great Secret. The Asians' passion for secrecy is known far beyond Asia itself. The only thing I know for sure is that Battle Madness was practiced among the ranks of assassins. Moreover, I practiced quite a lot unusual technique: The students were smoked with hashish (hence their other name: hashishins), and the students prepared in this way were subjected to various suggestions, from blocking ones to those that removed all fears, even to contempt for death. By the way, they practiced a special test ritual: the test subject is smoked with various potions until he falls into an artificial coma. After a certain time, he was revived using a special technique. Unfortunately, I don’t know the details (it’s unlikely that anyone knows them), so general outline. I can say that the Ritual of passing through Death, looking beyond the “Border”, was practiced everywhere, from Indian tribes to North America, to the Shinobi (Shinobi) clans in the Japanese mountains. But this is a separate topic. Let's talk about the “Shadow Warriors”. These are practically the only warriors who have developed in detail and developed the Art of Combat Madness. The ninja gained their main knowledge from the yamabushi - mountain warriors; according to legend, these were samurai who were defeated in battle, but did not commit ritual suicide - seppuku. In the mountains they continued to develop their martial arts. Most likely, they discovered and developed this type of Art of Combat. Ninjas identified 7 types of state changes. each type corresponded to the god-personification of the quality that was needed by the shinobi at the right moment. Each such “entry into the image” was accompanied by a magical formula and a special interlacing of fingers into a magical figure (the art of interlacing fingers with magical signs is called “fyukkë”). With this use of signs and formulas, the entry is almost 100%. By the way, modern intelligence services train their own precisely according to the method “hidden in the foliage”, but according to a simplified scheme, only 1 type, namely cold rage. (Don’t think, there are no fools sitting there, and they keep secret the basic principles of entry, and psychosomatic techniques, the well-known notorious non-contact battle.)

If someone thinks that there were no such fighters in Rus', then this is a delusion. Were. And the most interesting thing is that they trained this Art. I can’t say that this is the ultimate truth, but there are arguments that it was practiced by the Magi. (Battle Madness and Shamanic Kamlania are very similar in sensations, and the state is approximately the same). And they achieved considerable success. So one of the rituals was as follows: In winter, a half-naked warrior sat on the ground, cross-legged, performed a concert I Live in the Spring Womb (solar plexus), he was covered with snow up to his neck, and he had to melt the snow with his inner strength. Judge for yourself: this is a very severe test. And the warriors who passed such tests (there were a great many of them) bore the nickname: Ardent, which emphasized their high skill. It is enough to remember the words where the root “Yar” is used. Fury, Bright (then its meaning was different, it meant courage and fearlessness in battle).

The phenomenon that will be discussed best reflects the achievements of European martial art in its manifestation, which has no equal among the entire martial culture of the East. And although it is quite legitimate to ask the following question: “What is there in the East that would not be in the West?”, berserkers are an incomparable phenomenon. Furious berserkers rushing headlong into an attack can perhaps create the impression of their desperate hopelessness if their actions are motivated from the point of view of a normal person. However, the feat was never the norm of behavior. The feat is the result of the highest intensity of forces - spiritual, mental, physical. That is, this is a transcendental state. Most often, the feat is a spontaneous phenomenon. It seems to be the result of a person’s personal capabilities, drawing a line under upbringing, will, character, and beliefs. Berserk is a completely different phenomenon; The berserker is created for feat. His heroic abilities are accumulated by his berserker status itself. In general, this phenomenon has been studied quite little. Perhaps because it is hidden from the eyes of outsiders, allowing chivalry to pass ahead. However, mystery always hypnotizes people. Creates speculation, almost true stories and “miraculous” revelations. The mystery of the berserkers is not even worthy of delirious fantasies. She has been cast into oblivion. There is a taboo on it, a curse.

Literally, “berserker” can mean “baron of the battle.” This is exactly what I assumed before. At the time of the berserkers, baron had not yet developed as a title, but had the meaning of “experienced warrior.” The ancient Germanic "berserker" can be translated in different ways. In “The Saga of the Tomsk Knights” the root “serker” is used, which comes from the concept of “axe”. Hence, the not entirely correct version of the name has been preserved - “berserker”. This reconstruction is typical for an average historian who does not fully understand the subject of his research, but not for a linguist. There is another interpretation of the meaning of the roots of the word “berserker”. Ber means "bear" (in Old Norse - "bersi"), and "serk" can mean "shirt". Most often this is how this term is interpreted - “bear shirt”. However, here’s the bad luck, the totem of the berserkers was the wolf and only the wolf, they had nothing to do with the bear. I've been dealing with this issue since the 70s. Then a curious article appeared in one central newspaper, with which, one might say, Aridan originates (primarily Aridan was the style of berserkers). The Slavic-Goritsky struggle did not yet exist, and Aridan was tied more to the peculiarities of human behavior in extreme situations than to a specific school of martial arts. Unfortunately, I did not keep the article that I mentioned, but I remembered it almost verbatim. It was about an amazing thirteen-year-old boy, who, due to his clumsiness and lack of athleticism, became an object of ridicule among his peers. He came to the boxing sports section, but things didn’t work out for him there either. Which is quite natural, since real sport is not only not a salvation from an inferiority complex, but rather a test even for physically developed children. And so, when the coach of the group, a master of sports in boxing, a fighter who perfectly knows how to take a punch, and who was also several tens of kilograms superior to this young man, which is also an important fact for those who understand what we are talking about, “taught” the careless teenager, he suddenly became furious, lost control of himself for a short time and knocked out his teacher. Moreover, with a blow... to the body! I remember this detail very well. Experienced boxers probably know about such knockouts. This phenomenon is quite rare. There was not a word about berserkers in the article; its conclusion sounded like an assumption about a possibly already known future Olympic boxing champion, about a young, unexpectedly revealed talent. It was absolutely obvious to me that this phenomenon was more than just athletic talent. So, “shirt”. The shirt is also not all right, since among the characteristics of the berserker is his conspicuously naked torso. Remember, at Klyuchevsky’s, Demyan Kudenevich rode out against the Polovtsian army “without a helmet or armor”? And the bare-bodied hobras of Svyatoslav the Great? As it turned out, the first root of this word has another meaning and, apparently, the most correct one. "Berr" translated from Old Low German means... "naked"! Thus, no “bears”, “shirts”, and, probably, “barons” have anything to do with the berserker. This concept is literally translated as “naked slasher.” And although the term that reflected for posterity the amazing phenomenon of “invincible rage” was created by the Germans, berserk is typical of many European peoples. What’s strange about this? Are there not enough foreign words in everyday use today that have no ethnic consonance? Among the Celts, for example, the Sequani tribe, which in the East Slavic tradition could sound like “Vyatichi berserkers,” plunged the ancient Romans into panic with the sight of the wild rage of their naked warriors. It was in 385 BC when the Celts took Rome. I dare to suggest that the phenomenon of berserkers gave rise to European barbarism. It is always opposed to the supposedly more organized and cultivated Antique. However, only the fusion of these two concepts can demonstrate a truly harmonious geopolitical structure, one of the facets of which is military culture. Russian berserkers. What is known about Russian berserkers? “Olbeg Ratiborich, take your bow and lay an arrow, and strike Itlar in the heart, and beat up his entire squad...” Eloquently. The Nikon Chronicle speaks no less eloquently about Ragdai: “And this man went against three hundred soldiers” (!). What is this, hero worship? Where there! The chronicler is disgusted by the “ungodliness” of the bloody showdowns. Barbarian beauty is not his path at all. This is the real point. What makes us doubt the chronicle line? Ability. The ability to do something like this. Ability in general. What God has divided so unevenly among people. It’s surprising that no one questions the composer’s gift, which explodes the silence of the world with a storm of sounds of rushing passions. Or the gift of a sculptor, gnawing on a stone to delight us with the impossibility of the living in the dead. What about the art of combat? Or is this not art at all, but only a routine of mutual self-mutilation? Not at all! After all, you believe in the omnipotence of mythical ninjas. In their mind-blowing antics and abilities. Agree that you believe in the almost impossible. So isn’t the point that persuasiveness is covered up by a stream of eloquence? A stream of words. Or maybe stunt films?

Berserk is a mechanism exploded by ferocious passion, adrenaline, ideological attitude, breathing techniques, sound vibrations and a mechanical program of action. The berserker does not have to prove that he will survive. He must pay back his life many times over. The berserker not only goes to die, he goes to receive furious pleasure from this process. By the way, this is why he most often remains alive. Is the berserker a fanatic? Yes. But not the religious one who kills himself “for the sake of Allah.” No one has yet proven that Allah exists at all. God exists as long as there is faith in him. A berserker does not perform a spiritual feat. For him, the highest application of spiritual forces is the norm of behavior. How to shave for you. He experiences death and rebirth dozens of times, but a fanatic only once. But this is precisely where one of the amazing manifestations of barbaric superhumanity lies. I am ready to agree that berserkers are an exceptional phenomenon. But isn’t it the deformation of the barbarian’s personality, largely tamed by Christian doctrine, that makes such phenomena exceptional? Berserk is a necessity, it is an imprint of the struggle of the Northern European peoples for survival. If the East is capable of putting tens and thousands of people “under arms,” then the barbarian squads of Europe numbered only hundreds of warriors. Hence the military principle in barbarism is always a problem of the Personality. What the East never knew, completely depreciating the very concept human life. “The filthy ones had 9 hundred copies, and Rus' had ninety copies. Those who hope for strength, the abominations are in vain, and ours are against them... And the wallpaper was dreamed of, and the slaughter of evil came, and the Polovtsian fled, and ours chased after them, they slashed..."* That's the whole story for you. The barbaric essence is that you should never, under any circumstances, “run away” yourself. Then the enemy will run. Because he won't have a choice.

It would be wrong to think that a berserker is just a psychopath with a weapon in his hands. Freedom is an expensive thing. Freedom is what is asked in full. It is no coincidence that berserkers are a privileged part of the military class. The complex mechanism of military labor gives them not at all spontaneous riots and sacrificial extravagance on the lists, but a completely definite, developed role. It is this that makes berserkers the elite. Berserker opens the battle! It was specially created in order to hold an exhibition match in full view of the entire army. True, this is a European tradition, and it did not affect the East Slavic military affairs. Of course, berserkers are used for different purposes. For example, it is reliably known that they formed the personal guard of the kings. Gridneys were used for this purpose in Rus'. Although the gridneys are never mentioned in connection with their mind-blowing individual abilities. Moreover, it is difficult to prove that the most famous Russian berserkers: Ragdai, Olbeg, Demyan Kudenevich, Evpatiy Kolovrat were someone’s vests. Fate had prepared completely different roles for them. Evpatiy, for example, was a voivode, that is, a commander. Remember Evpatiy Kolovrat. With one regiment he liberated the Ryazan region from the Tatars for six months, at the very height of the invasion. And Evpatiy did not give up his last battle. The Tatars were never able to take his warriors in hand-to-hand combat. They were simply pelted with stones from throwing weapons. A gesture of despair and at the same time resourcefulness of Batu. This beast was so amazed by what he saw that, having won, he ordered the living to be dug up and released, and the dead to be buried with honors. The “Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu”, written by the medieval writer Eustathius from Zaraysk, says that for each of these soldiers of the “desperate regiment” there were up to a thousand Mongols. Let us restore the true picture of the events of those days. In the fall of 1237, Evpatiy Kolovrat had to stay in Chernigov. The Mongols have already trampled the Ryazan region. Evpatiy returned in December to the ashes. Instead of Ryazan - charred firebrands. It didn’t take him long to look for something to do; he gathered 1,700 people who were ready to tear the enemy apart with their teeth. There was no time left to prepare for battle. But his people could not be called beginners in the martial art. The "Regiment of Desperados" chased the retreating hordes. “And they began to flog without mercy, and all the Tatar regiments were mixed up. It seemed to the Tatars that the dead had risen..." - this is what the chronicler says. There was no Eurasian policy in Rus' yet, and Kolovrat did what he had to do. The frightened Batu allocated the best regiments under the command of his brother-in-law Khostovrul. The Great Slaughter took place on Suzdal soil. The commanders themselves started the battle. They converged in front of the frozen shelves. The spears broke as they were being knocked down, but neither the horses nor the riders wavered. Let's use the sabers. And then Kolovrat cut Khostovrul in half, right down to the saddle. The Horde trembled and ran. But the Russian success was temporary. Batu surrounded the “desperate”. They repulsed all attacks, and then Batu ordered to shoot them with stone throwers. The fighters were covered with stones. Only five remained alive. Batu ordered to dig up Kolovrat’s body. Batu’s words over the dead berserker are known: “If such a one served with me, I would keep him close to my heart!” Batu gave Kolovrat’s body to the five surviving Ryazan residents and demanded that the knight be buried with proper honors. He let them go, something he had never done to an enemy before.

If a mere mortal, picking up a weapon, still sees the difference between being killed or staying alive, then this question does not face the berserker. Berserker individualism is the principle of maximum dedication. And, of course, the berserker’s dedication is not aimed at acquiring his own benefits and benefits. In this regard, berserkers are absolute unmercenaries. In the berserker, like no other, there is an instinct of the family, pushing the bully to the most unimaginable acts of courage... Of course, for such combat, frenzy alone is not enough. Mechanical principles brought to perfection apply here.

Space, as you know, is organized according to the principle of a circle. The zone of motor convenience for an ordinary person is the half-radius circle in front of him. To build movement in other directions, a person involves more complex and even structurally dangerous evolutions of the musculoskeletal system. For example, with an incorrectly organized movement behind the back, the menisci often “scatter” when turning the body knee joints, vertebral discs become pinched, etc. This happens mainly for two reasons. Firstly, a person evolves in frontally directed walking, and, secondly, he also does not have a special motor skill in constructing an atypical action. That is, not only is this method of movement structurally unjustified, it has also not been mastered. The human body has a large margin of safety, but it must, of course, be used intelligently. For a berserker, in this case, the concept of a back does not exist. Otherwise, he could not fight in the thick of battle, surrounded on all sides by the enemy. Half the radius of action “in front of your eyes” is an ordinary, combatant army. For him, no matter how you turn around, the idea of ​​inconveniently repelling attacks from behind and the usual frontal attack will remain. The movements of the berserker are structured in such a way that he always slides along the blows, displacing the blow and moving himself. As a result, not a single blow hits a penetrating lesion. The berserker's reflexes react not to the blow as a whole, but to its separate phases! This is a very important circumstance. For example, if you are hacked with a sword year after year, you first begin to suppress the panic fear caused by the instinct of self-preservation, and then you notice that there are some patterns in the actions of the enemy. And really; If you learn to use them, then it becomes not scary at all. What kind of patterns are these? In its development, the blow goes through three successive phases.

1. Starting phase. Sometimes it is expressed by a swing. The swing creates momentum. This makes it quite easy to predict the impact trajectory. It's worse when the enemy hits from a short distance. Although such a blow is much weaker than the previous one given in the example, it is still quite combat-ready, and, in addition, leaves very little chance for your reaction. It must be said that any type of weapon affects the motor pattern of use. For example, you immediately want to hit with a saber - with a swing along an oblique trajectory, with an ax - from above, with a sharp blade - to make a piercing lunge, etc. I once paid for my overconfidence. Calling a man from the crowd, I handed him a military weapon and asked him to strike me with any blow to kill. My random partner's reaction was immediate, but the worst thing was that he was a man of unconventional thinking. Everything happened in a split second. The latter circumstance left me no chance to choose the correct reaction. I am grateful to fate that I remained alive, although I lost a lot of blood. He struck with the blade in a way that was unimaginably difficult and awkward to strike—along a broken trajectory, from under him, with an undercut. Self-confidence was disgraced. I understand perfectly now that it was the starting phase that confused me.

2. The strike itself or the phase of hitting the target. This is the phase not so much of the result itself as of confirming the accuracy of the action. About the same as thread getting caught in the eye of a needle. The phase is very fast. They fear her most of all. If it is she who overtakes your reaction, consider that you are already a corpse.

3. Finally, the final phase of the impact. Release of force, release of muscle contractions or inertia. She creates consequences. From a light scratch to dismemberment, depending on the amount of impact applied. This phase interrupts the blow. It is quite natural that the berserker tries to avoid a collision with the second phase. First, he will have to hold the blow. And, secondly, the second phase is always followed by the third, therefore, the berserker will have to lose the pace of movement, reacting to the release of the enemy’s strength, and slow down spatial coordination. Thus, you try to get ahead of the enemy’s strike or, if you don’t have time to do this, you dodge, attacking in the third phase, that is, the failure of the strike when the enemy is quite helpless. The fullness of the movement directly depends on the ability to completely cover the space. This is where we started. Space is a circle. The movement is structured in such a way as to constantly turn you into the zone of least reach, that is, behind your back. Strikes with weapons are performed here at maximum amplitude, immediately grasping opposite sides. But it's a weapon. In martial arts, this method is not advisable. However, high mobility of the body is maintained on each blow. And just as important, the idea of ​​attacking the first and third phases of the enemy’s attack is preserved. In martial arts, the reaction to the second phase is called a block. Slavic-Goritsky wrestling is inseparable from the idea of ​​the berserker - “It is better to attack yourself than to be attacked!” Of course, combat, being a complex conglomerate of various situations, does not always provide such an opportunity. In this case, the action includes wedging the enemy’s blow, which we have brought to perfection and has a much greater potential for defeat than simply knocking down the hand. I dare say that with normal training, all of the above does not at all look like a mind-blowing theory. Of course, I am not revealing all the tricks of the movement. Agree, you need to leave something for full-time school. However, the volume of the base that falls on their shoulders could hardly fit even in the most voluminous textbook. I have always been convinced that detailed textbooks are created for lazy people. They answer all questions, making it difficult to think for yourself. Remember that it is not knowledge, but developed reflexes that should compensate for your craving for martial art. The body itself carries within itself a gigantic action potential. Of course, motor abilities, like abilities in general, are developed differently in each person. And yet, twenty-three years of practice allow me to conclude that the basis of everything is not talent, but hard work. If you are sensitive to the correctness of body movement, be it Slavic-Goritsky wrestling or swimming, or athletics, no distorted, physically defective form will attract you. You will simply feel it. Therefore, from the very beginning of classes, you should develop not so much erudition, not so much knowledge of techniques, but motor coordination and muscle memory.

Norse and Scandinavian sagas and legends convey to us that these were invincible warriors who fiercely entered into battle first, saturated with the strength of Odin’s spirit. But who were the berserkers really? First, let's look at their name. In fact, the term “berserker” can be translated into Russian literally as “bearskin” - from Old Norse, and from English as “furious” or “cruel”.

Who were the berserkers really?

Indeed, sources mention this kind of combat viking squad. Before the battle, they came to their senses and rage, and in the battle itself they were distinguished by their particular cruelty, quick reaction and the ability not to feel pain. Of course, we must make allowances for the fact that late Roman and early medieval authors naturally embellished the image of berserkers, but all authors mention their cruelty and fury. Thus, Snori Sturulson describes them as ferocious warriors in bearskins, who literally chewed their shields out of rage before battle. They had a sword and an ax as weapons, they did not wear helmets or protective chain mail, only a bear skin, and more often just a bare torso. Fury in battle, perfect mastery of the sword and ax, as well as instant reaction protected them much better than the chain mail of the Europeans. At the same time, the famous historian Tacitus, in his multi-volume work “Germany,” writes that “the most ferocious warriors around the world still had to be searched.” He also describes a certain initiation rite for berserkers. So, as soon as the young men reached adulthood, they were enrolled in the detachment. It was then that they could already grow hair and beards. An obligatory step was the first blood of the enemy in battle. Only after killing an enemy were they allowed to style their hair, otherwise cowards and non-initiates walked around with their hair down.

One thing is definitely common among all authors - this concept “ berserker rage" This is a special state of a berserker warrior, when he fell into the highest form of rage - they became angry in battle like dogs and wolves, gnawed wooden shields like bulls, and killed people like wild bears.

Modern scientists have long tried to explain the origin of the “berserker rage.” There are various theories, but most often they lean towards two of them - this is either the use of potent drugs before the fight psychotropic substances, for example, such as fly agaric, or drinking alcohol. One way or another, berserkers were great at imitating animal rage in battle.

This unquenchable desire for animal fury is explained primarily by the fact that the so-called “bear cult” was popular among them, which at that time was quite common in the northern lands. Thus, the ritual of dressing in the skin of an animal was always accompanied by the ideas and belief that, along with the skin of a killed animal, its power and strength are also transferred to the warrior. Thus, the fact of dressing in animal skins, in this case bear skins, gave them reason to consider themselves invulnerable. But then where did this fury and rage come from?

Berserkers in the Yngling Saga

We know that in " Saga of the Ynglings“Berserkers are called “the men of Odin,” who was considered the god of war, the god of rage and destruction, and also, oddly enough, of hunting. When hunting animals, as we have already said, the ancient hunter believed in the transmission of the animal spirit to him, and by killing it and putting on the skin of the animal, he felt its strength and fury. One, as the “lord of rage,” transferred it from the animal to the warrior, who, saturating himself with it, not without the help of other substances, began to feel courage, masculinity and endurance. He felt like a bear. Therefore, we can find similar things among many warlike peoples, which at that time were the Vikings or certain tribes of the Germans. So, to this day, the remnants of this cult are preserved in the caps of the grenadier troops of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, guarding the Tower.

Quote from the Yngling Saga about berserkers

“The men of Odin rushed into battle without chain mail, but raged like mad dogs or wolves. In anticipation of the fight, from the impatience and rage bubbling within them, they gnawed their shields and hands with their teeth until they bled. They were strong, like bears or bulls. With an animal roar they struck the enemy, and neither fire nor iron harmed them...”

“The berserkers roared, the battle was in full swing, those dressed in wolf skins howled and shook their swords,” - this is how Thorbjorn Hornklovi, the skald of the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair, first mentioned the berserkers in 872. Another equally famous Icelandic poet, Snorri Sturluson, described how “Odin’s men went into battle without chain mail, and they were wild, like wolves. They bit their shields and were as strong as bears or bulls. They killed their enemies, but neither fire nor sword took them; it was the rage of fierce warriors.”

Where did warriors come from who were not inferior in ferocity to wild animals, and was it only the Scandinavians who knew the secret of their warrior spirit?

BORN IN BEAR SHIRTS

The word “berserk”, known to many fantasy fans, is derived from the Old Norse berserkr. When translated literally, this linguistic unit can take on several meanings. The first is "bearskin" and the second is "shirtless". This ambiguity is explained, first of all, by the fact that the root ber means both “bear” and “naked”, and serkr is translated as “skin” and “shirt”.

But let's not go too far into the mysteries of linguistics.

The complex array of associations associated with the word includes madness in battle, bloodshot eyes, superhuman strength and memories of Vikings. It was this people, far from peaceful life, that many centuries ago had warriors who terrified enemy troops and instilled fear even in their own relatives. These were fighters who dedicated themselves to Odin, the supreme god of the Scandinavians. Berserkers disdained shields and chain mail that got in the way in battle and fought wearing only shirts or even naked to the waist. In battle, they were distinguished by great strength, quick reaction and insensitivity to pain. A berserker who lost a leg in battle could continue to fight, leaning the stump of a limb on a stone.

WITH BARE HANDS

Historians of late antiquity reported that even a close, disciplined formation of soldiers could not always withstand the attack of bestial warriors. It is no coincidence that they were part of the guard of the Roman Emperor Trajan, who knew a lot about military training, since he himself became famous for his enormous physical strength and incredible endurance.

Northern chroniclers of those years often described cases when berserkers who had lost their weapons began to tear apart enemies with their bare hands, how they fought furiously, receiving mortal wounds, and how, thanks to their inhumanly quick reaction, they avoided blows. Modern researchers are trying to find the answer to these abilities, going through one explanation after another.

IS IT ALL ABOUT THE FLIES Agaric?

How can one explain the unique qualities that distinguished the berserker warriors? What is the reason for the so-called berserker rage, to which the Scandinavian warriors in skins owe their reputation?

Perhaps it's all about the mushrooms. More precisely - in fly agaric mushrooms. And even more precisely - in muscarine, the poison that is contained in this beautiful, but poisonous mushroom. A chemical substance called muscarine causes a state similar to intoxication in a person, as well as attacks of rabies and hallucinations.

Coming out of this state, a person experiences severe fatigue. The effect of the poison lasts about 20 hours, after which deep sleep sets in, into which berserkers often plunged after a battle.

Professor of psychiatry Hanskarl Leiner from the German town of Göttingen argued that fly agaric was used by tribes living in subarctic and arctic spaces for “ecstatic practices.” However, there is no exact evidence that the strength of berserkers appeared due to drug intoxication.

PAGET'S DISEASE

Representatives of medicine, pondering the phenomenon known in medicine as berserk syndrome, see the answer to it in Paget's disease. Professor D.L. Bayok, who studied this issue, writes: “Usually the human skeleton is completely renewed in eight years. However, Paget's disease increases the rate of destruction and repair, which ugly changes the structure of the bones, making them much thicker than before. The effects of Paget’s syndrome are especially noticeable on the skull; its bones become thicker.”

And indeed, the warriors “born in bearskin shirts” were distinguished by the excellent strength of their skeleton.

In one of the sagas of the Icelandic poet Egil, where he describes himself, it is said that he is a quick-tempered, angry and invincible man in battle. The poet's father and grandfather possessed qualities that were equally unpleasant for our contemporary, but useful for the men of those years. According to some historical documents, Egil's bones were so strong that after death his head could not be split even with an ax. History, however, is silent about who was so annoyed by the unfortunate poet that his body was not spared even after his death, but the fact remains that the murdered man’s skull was phenomenally strong. It can be assumed that Egil's family suffered from Paget's disease.

Finally, the unique capabilities of berserkers are explained by internal reserves human body, which ordinary people do not know how to use. Proponents of this hypothesis believe that berserkers could concentrate energy. Among their arguments is the invulnerability of berserkers. And if anyone was lucky enough to cripple the brutal warrior, he did not notice the wound and rode on the wave of his anger until the end of the battle, actively sending his enemies to the kingdom of the dead.

A disinhibited consciousness helped berserkers avoid wounds, thanks to which the reaction speed significantly increased. They could remain unharmed after a blow by using a method reminiscent of the eastern “iron shirt”, in which strong bones and developed muscles, protected and strengthened by the concentration of internal energy, gave an amazing result, making the warrior’s body practically invulnerable to the blade.

TRANS AGAINST WEAPONS

Are there any references in the culture of other nations to warriors distinguished by unparalleled courage and insensitivity to pain? It turns out there is. For example, the Zulu, an African people of about ten million people living mainly in the Republic of South Africa, have a war dance technique called giya. It contains a set of combat techniques.

This peculiar dance was beautifully described by G. R. Haggard, the author of semi-fantastic novels, who spent a significant part of his life among the Zulus: “The dancing began... The warriors resembled large, fierce birds rushing at their prey. Stretching out their assegai (spears - editor's note) and raising their shields, they seemed to fly back and forth, accompanying each movement with such a sharp hiss that thousands of snakes could emit... Then each warrior in turn took a leap forward; having run a few steps, he seemed to rush into an attack, soared five feet into the air, threw himself on the ground, jumped up, stuck his head between his legs - in a word, he was everywhere and everywhere at the same time.”

Such elements of the martial art of the Balinese (people in Indonesia living on the island of Bali - editor's note) as amok and puputan are very reminiscent of berserkerism. As a dance type of trance, Puputan required a long time to enter. Then it was only necessary to support him with the rhythm of steps, drumming and shouts. The last example of mass puputan was demonstrated by the Balinese to the Dutch in 1906–1908. But this did not save the island from conquest. Whatever one may say, firearms have greatly simplified the task of exterminating fellow humans on the planet, even those put into a combat trance.

Amok looked more like violent madness. In this state, the fighter did not even notice mortal wounds. True, there was no way out of this state. The warrior who entered into the “deadly dance” was doomed to death from moral and physical exhaustion.

Mircea Eliade, “Rituals and Symbols of Initiation,” Chapter V - “Heroic and Shamanic Initiations.” English edition 19651. Translation from English by D. Gromov

Becoming a Berserker

In a famous passage from the Ynglinga Saga, Odin's companions are introduced as follows:

They walked without shields and were as mad as dogs or wolves, and gnawed their own shields, and were strong as bears or bulls; they killed people, and neither fire nor steel could do anything to them; and it was what is called a berserker's fury.

This mythological picture can be confidently interpreted as a description of a real male society - referring to the famous Monnerbunde of ancient Germanic civilization. Literally, the word berserker means “a warrior in the skin (serkr) of a bear”2. In other words, these warriors magically identified with the bear; Moreover, it was assumed that sometimes they could turn into wolves or bears3. A person became a berserker as a result of initiation, which included special military tests. Thus, Tacitus reports that among the Hutts, the candidate did not cut his hair and beard until he killed the enemy. Among the Taifals, a young man had to kill a boar or a wolf; among the Heruli he had to fight unarmed. During these tests, the candidate was compared with wild animals; he became a terrifying warrior to the extent that he behaved like a beast of prey. The candidate undergoing initiation transformed himself into a superman to the extent that he was able to absorb the magical-religious4 force inherent in the predator.

The Scandinavian “Völsunga Saga” contains information about the tests typical of berserker initiations. King Siggeir treacherously seized the lands of his nine brothers-in-law, the Volsungs. Chained to a beam, they were all eaten by a she-wolf, only Sigmund survived, saved thanks to the cunning of his sister Signy. Hiding in a hut deep in the forest, where Signy brings him food, he awaits the hour of reckoning. When Signy's two sons reached the age of ten, she sent them to Sigmund for testing. Sigmund finds that they are cowards, and on his advice Signy kills them. As a result of an incestuous relationship with his brother, Signy gives birth to a third son, Sinfjotli. When he turns ten, his mother puts him through his first test: she sews a shirt to his arms, piercing the skin. The sons of Siggeir, subjected to the same ordeal, screamed in pain, but Sinfjotli was unperturbed. When the shirt is off, the mother peels off the skin and asks if he felt anything. The boy replies that the Volsungs are not bothered by such trifles. Then his mother sends him to Sigmund, who subjects the boy to the same tests that Siggeir’s sons once failed: he orders him to make bread, and there is also a snake in a bag of flour. When Sigmund comes home at night, he discovers freshly baked bread and asks Sinfjotli if he found anything special in the bag. The boy replied that, I remember, he saw something, but, unfortunately, did not pay attention to it and kneaded it into dough. After this proof of courage, Sigmund takes the boy with him into the forest. One day they found two wolf skins hanging on the wall of the hut. The king's two sons were turned into wolves and could only emerge from their wolf skins every tenth day. Sigmund and Sinfjotli put on the skins, but could not take them off. They howled like wolves and understood wolf language. Then they separated and agreed that they would not call each other for help unless they had to deal with more than seven opponents at once. One day Sinfjotli was called to help and killed all the people who attacked Sigmund. Another time, Sinfjotli himself was attacked by eleven enemies and killed them without turning to Sigmund for help. Then Sigmund rushes towards him and bites him by the throat, but soon he himself heals the wound he inflicted. In the end, both of them return to their home and wait for the moment when they can shed their wolf skins. The time comes and they throw the skins into the fire. At this point, Sinfjotli's initiation ends and he can take revenge on the Völsung murderers.

The initiatory themes here are obvious: a test of courage, resistance to the physical suffering caused by transformation into a wolf. But the compiler of the Volsunga Saga no longer understood their original meaning. In the saga, Sigmund and Sinfjotli only accidentally find the skins and do not know how to remove them.

Transformation into a wolf - that is, the ritual of donning wolf skin - was the most important moment of initiation into the male secret society. By putting on the skin, the initiate adopted the behavior of a wolf; in other words, he became a warrior-beast, invincible and invulnerable. "Wolves" were the name given to members of Indo-European military societies.

The scenario of heroic initiations can be traced in other sagas. So, for example, in the Grettir Saga the hero descends into a burial mound that contains a precious treasure and fights successively with a ghost, twelve berserkers and a bear. In Hrolf Kraki's Saga, Bodvar kills the winged monster and then initiates his young companion Hottri by giving him a piece of the monster's heart to eat.

Unfortunately, there is no opportunity here to examine in detail the sociology, mythology and rituals of German male unions, which were so brilliantly studied by Lilia Weiser5, Otto Hoffer6 and Georges Demusil7; or other Indo-European male societies - such, for example, as the mairya of the Indo-Iranians, who were the subject of the most interesting works of Stig Vikander8 and J. Widengren9. I will just mention that the character of the Indo-European detachments (gangs) of warriors is in many ways similar to the character of the secret brotherhoods of primitive peoples. In both cases, members of the group10 terrorize women and those who do not participate in initiatory actions, and in one form or another exercise the “right of plunder”, which, in a modified form, can still be found in the popular traditions of Europe and the Caucasus. Robbery, and especially the theft of cattle, puts members of a military gang on the same level as wild beasts. In the Germanic Wutende Heer or similar ritual organizations, the barking of dogs (howling of wolves) is part of an indescribable noise in which all kinds of strange sounds are present - for example, bells and trumpets. These sounds play an important ritual role; they help group members prepare to enter a state of frenzied ecstasy. In many primitive cultures, the sound of rattles is believed to be the voice of Supernatural Beings; therefore this is a sign of their presence among the initiates. In German or Japanese men's secret unions, strange sounds, like masks, indicate the presence of the Ancestors, the return souls of the dead. Meeting the dead returning to earth (especially during the winter solstice), initiates gain the most important experience. Winter is also the season when initiates turn into wolves. In other words, during the winter, gang members are able to transform their normal state and achieve a superhuman existence through communication with the Ancestors or by bringing their behavior closer to that of a predatory beast, which is magic.

The combat test was usually a separate battle, which was structured in such a way as to awaken the “berserker rage” in the initiate. Not only military prowess was involved here; Candidates were trained in non-military skills one by one. To master the military fury of youth, it was not enough to simply acquire courage, physical strength, and endurance; such mastery became the result of a magical-religious experience that radically changed the very way of human existence. The young warrior must transform his humanity with a fit of aggression and rage that puts him on par with a raging predator. Then the young man became “heated up” to an extreme degree, he was filled with a mysterious, inhuman and irresistible force that rose from the utmost depths of his being and manifested itself in rage and military power. The ancient Germans called this sacred force wut; Adam of Bremen translated it as “fury”; it is a kind of demonic madness that fills the enemy with terror and paralyzes him. The Irish ferg (literally "wrath"), Homer's menos are almost exact equivalents of this same terrifying sacred experience specific to heroic combat. J. Vendrieu11 and Marie-Louise Sjostedt12 showed that some definitions used in relation to the Hero in Old Irish are directly related to the meanings of “passion, excitement, swelling.” As Ms. Sjoestedt writes, “The hero is a man in rage, possessed by violent and burning energy.”

Initiation of Cuchulainn

The saga of the initiation of the young hero Cuchulainn perfectly illustrates this eruption of “noisy and burning energy.” According to the Old Irish saga Tain Bo Cualnge13, Cuchulainn, nephew of Conchobar, king of the Ulads, once overheard his teacher, the Druid Cathba, say: “The little boy who takes up arms on this day will be magnificent and famous for arms... but his life will be short-lived.” and fleeting." Cuchulainn asked his uncle for weapons and a chariot and went to the castle of the three sons of Nekhta, the worst enemies of the Ulads. Despite the physical strength and indomitability of these three heroes, the boy defeated them and cut off their heads. However, at the same time, the boy flew into such a military frenzy that the druid was forced to warn the king that Cuchulainn, upon returning, could kill all the warriors in the city. Let us quote the further text of the saga14:

And this is what they planned: to send thrice fifty naked women, led by Scandlach, to meet Cuchulainn in the field, so that they would show him their nakedness and shame. Soon all the young girls came out of the gate and showed the boy their nakedness and shame. The boy hid his face from them and turned to the chariot so as not to see the nakedness of the women. Then they took him away from the chariot and plunged him into three vats of ice water to extinguish his anger. The boards and hoops of the first vat scattered like nutshells, in the second the water foamed several cubits high, and not everyone could stand the water from the third vat. Then anger (ferg) came out of the boy, and then they clothed him in clothes.

Despite its fantastic nature, the saga of Cuchulainn provides excellent material for the study of Indo-European military initiations. As J. Dumezil convincingly showed, the battle of a boy with three MacNechts is an ancient Indo-European plot - a plot about a fight with three opponents or with a three-headed monster. But especially interesting for our study is the anger (ferg) of Cuchulainn, his berserk rage. Demusil compared the initiation heat of Cuchulainn and his subsequent “taming” of female nudity and cold water, with certain moments in the initiations of the Cuakiutl cannibals. Just as in the case of Cuchulainn, the feverish and murderous madness of the young Cuaquiutl during initiation is "tamed" by a woman dancing naked before him with a corpse in her hands, and by immersing his head in a vat of salt water. Both the heat of a cannibal and the anger of a young warrior, manifested in an extremely high temperature, are by no means something ordinary and natural, but - exactly like that! — sacred, magical-religious experience.

Symbolism of magical heat

It is reasonable to assume that we are seeing here a magical-religious experience, the origins of which are extremely archaic. For people of primitive society, magical-religious force is represented as “burning” and is designated by terms associated with heat, combustion, heat. It is for this reason that many shamans and healers drink salted or spiced water and eat fragrant plants - they believe in this way they will increase their internal heat. That this magical heat really exists is proven by the great resistance to cold observed among Arctic and Siberian shamans, as well as among Himalayan hermits. In addition, shamans are trained as “fire lords” - for example, they swallow burning coals, touch hot iron, and walk on fire. Similar phenomena and views have been recorded among more civilized peoples. In Sanskrit, the final meaning of ascetic development is called tapas, and the original meaning of this word is precisely “heat”, high temperature. “Warming up” through asceticism, Prajapati created the Universe. The Dhammapada states that the Buddha is "burning" and tantric texts state that the awakening of kundalini is manifested by burning. In modern India, Muslims believe that a person becomes a "blazing heat" in connection with God. Anyone who performs miracles is called a “boiler.” Generally speaking, anyone who performs certain actions using magical-religious power is considered “burning,” and such actions themselves are firmly associated with “burning.” This sacred force, the result of which is both the increase in the temperature of the shaman and the "heat" of the warrior, can be transformed and differentiated by special efforts to give it different colors. The Indian word Kratu initially meant “energy specific to an ardent warrior, in particular Indra,” then it acquired the meaning of “victorious, heroic strength, passion, courage, love of battle,” and even later, with the expansion of semantic meaning, it began to mean "the power of a pious man, which enables him to follow the injunctions of rta15 and achieve happiness." The "fury" and "heat" caused by a powerful, excessive manifestation of sacred power is feared by most of humanity. The term shanti, which in Sanskrit means tranquility, peace of mind, freedom from passions and suffering, goes back to an archaic root, originally having the meaning of extinguishing fire, rage, fever, in short, high temperature caused by demonic forces.

We thus have a fundamental magical-religious experience, universally recorded in archaic strata of culture: among other things, access to the sacred is manifested by a stunning increase in temperature. Due to space limitations, we cannot examine this important issue in detail here and show, for example, the close connection between blacksmiths, shamans and warriors, based on the common mysticism of fire and related technologies. I must only add that the power over fire is expressed equally in the "inner heat" and in insensibility to the heat of hot coals. From the point of view of the history of religion, all these examples show that the shaman, blacksmith, or warrior loses his human essence and acquires, each in his own sense, a higher essence. These more high fortunes may be the state of God, the state of the spirit, or the state of the animal. Corresponding initiations, in different ways, lead the initiate to the same goal - to death in the human state and to subsequent rebirth in a new, superhuman quality. Naturally, in military initiations, initiatory death is less noticeable than in shamanic initiations, since the main test of a young warrior lies specifically in victory over the enemy. But he achieves victory only by gaining "heat" and achieving violent rage - and these signs can be understood as the end of the human condition.

The one who clearly displays his magical fervor demonstrates that he belongs to the superhuman world...

Notes:

1. M.Eliade. Rites and Symbols of Initiation. N.Y., 1965.

2. From the ancient northern stem Ber, which is the sacred name of the bear. — Approx. A. Platova.

3. Here Eliade confuses two different so-called “animal cults” - bear and wolf. Wolf warriors were called differently in ancient Scandinavia than bear warriors (actually Berserkr) - Ulfhednar. — Approx. A. Platova.

4. Magico-religious is a specific term Eliade uses in relation to a number of phenomena (magico-religious force, magico-religious experience, etc.). By introducing and widely using this adjective, Eliade once again emphasizes the connection between these two components of the archaic Tradition - magic and religion - just as it is impossible to isolate the magical and religious components in the shamanism of modern “primitive” peoples. — Approx. A. Platova.

5. L. Weiser. Altgermanische Junglingsweihen und Männerbünde. Baden, 1927.

6. O.Htsffer. Kultische geheimbünde der Germanen. F.-am-M., 1934. text

7. G.Dumеzil. Mythes et dieux des Germains. P., 1939.

8. S.Wikander. Der arische Männerbund. Lund, 1938.

9. G.Windengren. Hochgottglaube im alten Iran. Uppsala, 1938.

10. Here Eliade is referring to special detachments of young men undergoing military initiation. In such detachments, which were, in fact, outside the everyday law, the young men spent some time fighting, robbing and performing other military exploits. (See, for example: V.G. Balushok. Initiations of the ancient Slavs // Ethnographic Review, No. 4, 1993. Also: A.R. Chochiev. Narty-Aryans and Aryan ideology. M., 1996.). — Approx. A. Platova.

11. J.Vendryеs. Les développement de la racine nei en celtique // Revue celtique, XLVI, 1929.

12. M.-L.Sjostedt. Dieux et héros des Celtes. P., 1941.

13. “The Stealing of the Bull from Kualnge.” — Approx. A. Platova.

14. Russian translation cit. according to the publication: The Abduction of the Bull from Kualnge. Prep. T.A. Mikhailova, S.V. Shkunaev. M., 1985.

15. Rta (Rita) - World Law, Wheel of World Order. — Approx. A. Platova.