Top 10 HORRIFYING Facts About VIKINGS 10. Magic Mushrooms The Vikings were the most dominant fighting
force in Europe between the late 8th century and the mid-11th century. One huge advantage the Vikings had over the
people they invaded was that when they went into a battle, they would enter into a trance-like
state called “Berserker.” In this state, they would indiscriminately
butcher anyone who got in their way. One theory published as to how the Vikings
entered these Berserker states is that they ate Psilocybin mushrooms. Better known as magic mushrooms. First reported in The American Journal of
Psychiatry, the theory is that the mushrooms, which grew in the area where the Vikings lived,
caused them to have hallucinations. It also increased their adrenaline levels,
causing the Berserker state. 9. Viking Soup Since bloody and violent skirmishes were part
of Viking life, Viking women became pretty knowledgeable about battle wounds. Specifically, Viking women had a way to gauge
how bad a stab or slash wound was. They would feed the injured warrior a broth
that had onions, leeks, and herbs. After eating it, the women would smell the
wound. If they smelled the broth they knew that the
wound was too deep, and there was no way to fix it. With death coming soon, the women would do
nothing to help heal the dying warrior. They would focus their time and use their
remedies only on warriors that they could help. 8. Swords The Vikings used a number of different weapons,
like long axes and spears. Even their shields were used as offensive
weapons. However, their most prized weapons were their
long swords. The Vikings would name their swords like “Widow-Maker”
and “Corpse-Bramble,” and the swords would be passed down generation to generation. As Viking boys grew up, their fathers would
talk about all the men who died by the sword. This helped pass along their family history
and instill the idea of nobility in battle. The swords were double edged and sharp enough
to cut through a human skull, or cut off a limb with one slice. The men carried their swords at all times,
usually on their back, and slept beside them. Men were expected to be able to defend their
homes, their families, and help defend their leaders and their leaders’ property. 7. Holmgang The Viking justice system is rather different
than the laws of today. Notably, insulting someone of a higher class
was off limits, but killing someone wasn’t always illegal. For example, if someone was murdered, then
their family could kill the murderer. Of course, this led to long-lasting, back-and-forth
blood feuds. Another way of settling disputes was Holmgangs. No, a Holmgang wasn’t a band of ruffians
who were big fans of actor Ian Holm. They were fights, sometimes to the death. It was essentially a duel, with one person
challenging another he felt had wrong him. It was to be held within the week of the challenge
and someone could volunteer to fight in place of the person who was challenged. If the person who was challenged didn’t
show up for the duel, they were automatically deemed guilty. If the charge was bad enough, then anyone,
from any social class, would be legally able to kill that person. This meant that if the leader of the clan
didn’t show up for a duel, a slave could kill him without any legal repercussions. 6. Games The Vikings loved violence, so it shouldn’t
be a surprise that their games make UFC look like the ballet. In Viking games, death and serious injuries
were common. The rule was that men could stop playing whenever
they wanted. If they got killed, it was their own fault. One game they played was a “swimming”
competition, and we use that term very loosely. The point of the game was for the men to hold
an opponent underwater for as long as he could. If the man couldn’t reach the surface, he
drowned. If the games themselves weren’t dangerous
enough, fights and brawls could erupt at any time. In one account, a six-year-old boy drove an
ax into the head of another boy because he was roughed up by the boy earlier in the game. 5. Infanticide Since the Vikings lived in the Nordic area
of Europe, where conditions can be incredibly harsh and violence was a part of their everyday
life, they wanted their children to be strong. In Viking culture, everyone, including children,
were expected to work. As they got older, all males were expected
to fight and all females were expected to work around the home, amongst other duties. If an infant was born with a deformity or
something else was wrong, they were often placed outside and died from exposure. 4. Sexual Slavery It’s believed the Viking Age started in
793 AD, when raiders, probably from Norway, attacked the Lindisfarne monastery off the
coast of northeastern England. The Vikings continued to raid villages and
monasteries along the European coast until 1066. However, researchers were never really sure
why the Vikings began their raids. One theory is that the Viking men may have
wanted women because of an upset in the male to female ratio, thanks to gender selective
infanticide. This has led some researchers to believe that
the main reason Viking men started invading different areas in Europe wasn’t to pillage. Instead, they were focused on kidnapping women
to be their wives. Some genetic testing that was performed on
modern Icelandic citizens backs up this theory. What they tested was the specific mitochondria
that you get from your mother and your father. Their testing found that about 80% of male
settlers in Iceland came from Norway and 63% of the women settlers came from the British
Isles. That would suggest there was large scale interbreeding
between the Norwegian men and women from the areas where the Vikings invaded. 3. Erik the Red Was Too Violent For the Vikings The Vikings were fierce and dedicated warriors
that were known for their brutality. And somehow, Erik Thorvaldsson was too violent
for them. Better known as Erik the Red, he was born
in Norway sometime around 950. When Erik was a child, his father was exiled
over a murder, and his family moved to Iceland. This would become a theme for Erik. Erik gained his famous nickname because of
his red hair and the fact that he was a volatile and violent man. Around 980 Erik’s servants triggered a landslide,
destroying his neighbor’s house. A kinsmen of the man, Eyiolf the Foul, killed
the servants in retaliation. Infuriated, Erik killed Eyiolf and an enforcer
of his clan. Erik was banished. Erik and his family moved north. They set up a farm on the island of Oxney. A new neighbor named Hfran the Dueler, who
was building his home, asked Erik if he could borrow some wooden beams. Erik agreed, but when he went to get them
back, Hfran refused to return them. A brawl ensued and two of Hfran’s sons and
a few of his friends were killed. Erik was banished. Erik and his family settled in Greenland,
becoming the first people to do so. After his banishment ended, he returned to
Iceland and encouraged people to move to Greenland. Two colonies were established and Erik lived
out the rest of his days with his family there. 2. Child Sacrifices Due to Christian writings, there were rumors
that Vikings committed human sacrifices. However, the monks responsible for those writings
never saw the actual ceremony. The writings have been dismissed as propaganda. On the other hand, there are writings from
the Vikings that say that humans are the ultimate sacrifice and Odin supposedly demanded it. However, there was no concrete evidence that
Vikings performed human sacrifices until 2011, when human bones, along with sacrificial jewelry
and weapons, were found at a site known for religious rituals in a Viking settlement near
Tissø, Denmark. This finding also helped substantiate an earlier
theory regarding the discovery of children’s bones found in a well. It’s believed that children were sacrificed
in extreme cases when the Vikings were hoping to reconnect with the gods. 1. Blood Eagle The Vikings supposedly had a rather gruesome
form of execution called the Blood Eagle, and it appears that it was reserved for royalty. The victim was tied face down. Then the real fun began. The shape of an eagle with outstretched wings
would be carved into the man’s back. Then the ribs would be hacked from the spine
one by one with an ax. Once that was done, the bones and skin were
pulled back to make the victim’s back look like wings. Supposedly, this was done while the victim
was still alive, which was important for the next stage when salt was rubbed into the wounds
on the back. To end it all, the lungs were pulled out through
the back. Witnesses could watch the lungs exhale their
last breath, making it look like the wings were fluttering. The Vikings depicted the execution in their
artwork, and according to their writings it happened at least twice. However, modern day researchers are unsure
if the Blood Eagle was actually performed, or if it was just a metaphor for what the
executed went through.
