Abstract
This article is an interdisciplinary study of berserks which goes beyond the myths, placing much emphasis on textual analyses and some on archaeology. It appears that the popular image of the axe-wielding, mushroom-eating berserk warrior of the Viking Age is due to a confusion of facts and fiction from Old Norse prose but also a misattribution of the term in legal texts. The article also integrates battlefield archaeology, discussing whether berserks formed actual military units or not, and explores the etymology behind the word.
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Cite this article
Are Skarstein Kolberg, “Did Vikings Really Go Berserk? An Interdisciplinary Critical Analysis of Berserks,” The Journal of Military History 82, no. 3 (July 2018): 899–908.