Berserkers
Berserk (berserker) - a warrior who devoted himself to the god Odin, before the battle infuriated himself.
In battle, he was distinguished by great strength, quick response, insensitivity to pain, insanity. They did not recognize the shield and chain mail, fighting in only shirts, or naked to the waist. The sons of King Kanut - berserkers - sailed on a separate drakkar, as the Vikings themselves were afraid of them.
Etymology
The word berserk is derived from the Old Norse berserkr, which means either "bearskin" or "no shirt" (root ber- can mean like "bear" and "naked"; -serkr means "skin", "shirt"). Berserkers are first mentioned by Skald Thorbjørn Hornklovy in a poem about the victory of Harald the Fair-haired in the battle of Havrsfjord, which supposedly took place in the city of
Only such warriors could continue the tradition of berserkers.
In literature, berserkers often appear in pairs, more than once there are twelve of them at once. They were considered the personal bodyguards of the Old Norse kings. This indicates the elite nature of this warrior caste. Unbreakable loyalty to its ruler is found in several places in the old sagas. In one of the sagas, the Danish king Hrolf Krake had 12 berserkers who were his personal protection: Bedvar Bjarki, Hjalti Hochgemut, Tsvitserk Kühn, Wörth, Veseti, Baygud and the Swipdag brothers.
But only King Harald Fair-haired could not have berserkers. Tacitus mentions a special warrior caste, which he calls “ Harier"And which bear all the signs of berserkers, this was 800 years before the Battle of Boxfjord:
In games
See also
Links
- V.A.Kosarev. Wrath of Hercules (juxtaposing the myth of the rage of Hercules and the fighting fury of the berserkers)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
- Berserker
- Berserkers
See what "Berserkers" are in other dictionaries:
Berserker
Berserkers- Berserker (berserker) warrior who dedicated himself to the god Odin, before the battle infuriated himself. In battle, he was distinguished by great strength, quick reaction, insensitivity to pain, insanity. They did not recognize the shield and chain mail, fighting in the same shirts, ... ... Wikipedia
Panzer dragoon saga- Japanese cover for Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG ... Wikipedia
Berserkers are first mentioned by Skald Thorbjørn Hornklovy in a drape (long poem) about the victory of King Harald the Fair-haired in the Battle of Havrsfjord, which supposedly took place in 872 BC.
A bit of history. It is a mistake to assume that fighting frenzy is the lot of the Norman Vikings. This art was everywhere where people were. And that means the warriors. But the methods were different. So in Europe, at the time of the Campaigns of the Normans, Berserkers were either by birth, or such qualities manifested themselves spontaneously during the battle. Berserkers were feared not only by the whole 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 the fate was prepared for him a bleak: far from populated areas, as a rule, without a family. Only a few lived up to 30 years. They were also not in danger of dying of old age. But giving birth to a berserker child was considered very good sign... it was believed that Father Druzhin himself marked him with his mercy, and therefore the family where he was born would not bypass his cornucopia. In general, this is true, Berserkers were second only to the king. Quarreling with the berserker did not smile at anyone. Gradually, this ancient military custom faded away - the fact is that a boy showing signs noted by Odin was given to a berserker to be raised, who adopted a successor. But the Vikings had a custom of incest, therefore, there were fewer and fewer successors and mentors. It's time for dope.
The Nazis practically approached industrial production by modifying the original. German chemists have developed a whole family of stimulants: from simple amphetamines to "battle cocktails" that have practically been put into production.
I cannot but say a few words about the East. As far as I know, neither in Tibet nor in China such techniques were practiced. But then again, they are most likely secret, kept in the Great Secret. Asians' passion for secrecy is known far beyond Asia itself. The only thing I know for sure is that Combat Frenzy was practiced in the ranks of the assassins. Moreover, a rather unusual technique was practiced: Students were smoked with hashish (hence their other name: hashins), and the students trained in this way were subjected to various suggestions, from blocking ones to removing all fears, up to contempt for death. By the way, they practiced a special ritual, a test: the subject is smoked with various potions until he falls into an artificial coma. After, through certain time he was revived according to a special method. Unfortunately, I don’t know the details (hardly anyone knows them at all), so general outline... I can say that the Ritual of passing through Death, looking beyond the "Edge", was practiced everywhere, from Indian tribes to North America, to the shinobi clans (shinobi) in the Japanese mountains. But this is a separate topic. Let's talk about the "Shadow Warriors". These are practically the only warriors that 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 kind of Combat Art. Ninja identified 7 types of state changes. each type was associated with a god-personification of the quality that the shinobi needed at the right moment. Each such "entry into the image" was accompanied by magic formula and a special plexus of fingers into a magical figure (the art of plexus of fingers magic signs has the name "fukky"). With this use of signs and formulas, the entry is almost 100%. By the way, modern special services train their own exactly according to the method "hidden in the foliage", but according to a simplified scheme, only 1 type, namely cold rage. (do not think, There are no fools sitting there, and they secretly keep the basic principles of entry, and psychosomatic techniques, the notorious notorious contactless combat.)
If someone believes that there were no such fighters in Russia, then this is a delusion. Were. And the most interesting thing is that they trained this Art. I cannot say that this is the ultimate truth, but there are arguments that the Magi practiced it (Combat Frenzy and Shamanic Kamlania are very similar in sensations, but the state is about 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, crossing his legs, gave concerts I live in the Spring womb (solar plexus), he was covered with snow up to his throat, and he had his inner strength melt the snow. Judge for yourself: this is a very severe test. And the warriors who underwent such tests (there were a great many of them) bore the nickname: Ardent, which emphasized their high skill. Suffice it to recall the words where the root "Yar" is used. Fury, Bright (then its meaning was different, it meant courage and fearlessness in battle).
Berserkers
Berserk (berserker) - a warrior who devoted himself to the god Odin, before the battle infuriated himself.
In battle, he was distinguished by great strength, quick reaction, insensitivity to pain, insanity. They did not recognize the shield and chain mail, fighting in only shirts, or naked to the waist. The sons of King Kanut - berserkers - sailed on a separate drakkar, as the Vikings themselves were afraid of them.
Etymology
The word berserk is derived from the Old Norse berserkr, which means either "bearskin" or "no shirt" (root ber- can mean like "bear" and "naked"; -serkr means "skin", "shirt"). Berserkers are first mentioned by Skald Thorbjørn Hornklovy in a poem about the victory of Harald the Fair-haired in the battle of Havrsfjord, which supposedly took place in the city of
Only such warriors could continue the tradition of berserkers.
In literature, berserkers often appear in pairs, more than once there are twelve of them at once. They were considered the personal bodyguards of the Old Norse kings. This indicates the elite nature of this warrior caste. Unbreakable loyalty to its ruler is found in several places in the old sagas. In one of the sagas, the Danish king Hrolf Krake had 12 berserkers who were his personal protection: Bedvar Bjarki, Hjalti Hochgemut, Tsvitserk Kühn, Wörth, Veseti, Baygud and the Swipdag brothers.
But only King Harald Fair-haired could not have berserkers. Tacitus mentions a special warrior caste, which he calls “ Harier"And which bear all the signs of berserkers, this was 800 years before the Battle of Boxfjord:
In games
See also
Links
- V.A.Kosarev. Wrath of Hercules (juxtaposing the myth of the rage of Hercules and the fighting fury of the berserkers)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
See what "Berserkers" are in other dictionaries:
Berserker (berserker) warrior who dedicated himself to the god Odin, before the battle infuriated himself. In battle, he was distinguished by great strength, quick reaction, insensitivity to pain, insanity. They did not recognize the shield and chain mail, fighting in the same shirts, ... ... Wikipedia
Japanese cover for Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG ... Wikipedia
The ancient Germans also called the Viking a berserker a warrior, distinctive features which was impeccable martial art, lack of armor, ritual bearskin on the shoulders and, probably, the ability to enter oneself into a state of altered perception (combat trance). Berserkers wore exclusively bear skins, warriors dressed in wolf skins were called ulvhendars (or wulfhendars), this is a fundamentally different military cult that also existed in northern Europe in the early Middle Ages.
The word "berserker" (sometimes - berserker) comes from the Old Norse form "berserkr", which is obtained by splicing the stems "ber" (which means "bear", actually Ancient Rus bear was also called ber) and "serkr", which translates as "skin" or "cloth". Some linguists put forward a version that "ber" in Old Norse can also mean "naked".
Thus, the word "berserker" ("berserker") literally means "bearskin" or "without clothes." Both options perfectly describe the Viking berserkers, because according to historical evidence that has come down to us, they did not wear armor and often even shirts, covering their shoulders and head with the skin of a bear. In the traditional English language the form "berserkr" took the form of "berserk", today this word is translated as "furious".
It is believed that before the battle, the viking berserker (photo of images from archaeological finds presented below) praised Odin and received his blessing. There is not a single unequivocally proven hypothesis about whether the Norman berserkers used any pharmacological drugs. Many researchers believe that we are talking here about decoctions and tinctures from hallucinogenic mushrooms, or herbs and rhizomes, which could play the role of powerful stimulants.
Historical evidence of berserkers
Many researchers agree that skaldic poetry largely embellishes the image of a berserker, and here it should be noted that there is no mention of these violent warriors in traditional Eddic texts. The berserker first appears in the Glimdrap saga, which was written by the famous skald Thorbjørn Hornklovy, who lived in Norway in the 9th century. This epic narrates about the military campaigns of the Norwegian king Harold I the Fair-haired, while the very mention of the viking berserker is found in the description of the legendary battle of Hafsfjord (872).
In The Circle of the Earth, the epic collection of the sagas of Snorri Sturluson, there is also the phrase “fall into berserker rage”. Snorri uses this turn when describing the Scandinavian warriors who "went into a rage, bit shields and the layer could be compared to bears." Further, Snorii points out that "such a Viking could not be defeated with steel or fire."
The most important and very interesting description a viking berserker is given in Tacitus' Germany. In chapter XXXI, he writes that berserk warriors prepared for their role from childhood, they could not grow their hair and beard until they came of age. Then the future berserkers had to walk with their hair down until they defeated their first enemy. Also, each of the "warriors of Odin" wore iron ring, which he could remove only after the first murder, and only then he was recognized as a berserker. Tacitus also mentions that among the Normans, berserkers always formed the first row of the attacking formation.
At the same time, Tacitus does not use the word "berserk" itself, he replaces it with the form "harier" (the etymology is unclear), which, in general, is understandable, because "Germany" was written in the 1st century AD, when the forms "berserkr" could still do not exist in the Scandinavian language. Tacitus, describing the frantic Germanic warriors, says that they were "stubborn and wild", wore black shields, and their bodies were "skillfully painted." According to the testimony of Tacitus, berserkers attacked enemies with lightning speed and unexpectedly, choosing the most dark nights to instill fear in them.
The semi-mythical Danish king Hrolf Kraki, the hero of many Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon sagas, repeatedly appears on the pages of works, surrounded by his berserk bodyguards. In general, the motive of the elitism of the Viking berserkers can be traced in many sagas, they often act as a kind of personal guard of the king. A.N. Tolstoy in his epic "Peter the First", in particular, he writes that berserker means "obsessed with rabies." Tolstoy explains that berserkers are warriors who drank amanita tincture and became so cruel and ferocious that even the Scandinavians themselves began to fear them, and therefore, in the army of King Kanut, the berserkers had their own ship.
It is important to note that the Berserker Normans were apparently unable to adapt to a peaceful life. The Saga of Egil, The Saga of Gisla, The Saga of Nyal and many other skaldic works tell that outside the military circle berserkers became murderers, maniacs, robbers and rapists.
In the XII century, after the final Christianization of Scandinavia, the cult of berserkers began to wane and the mention of violent warriors gradually disappeared. This is probably due, among other things, to legislative act, which was adopted in Iceland in 1123. This law prohibited the wearing of bear skins, and it also indicated that a person who was seen "in a berserker fury" would be punished by three years of exile.
Berserker "battle rage" versions and common myths
As already mentioned, the main hypothesis accepted today in the scientific community is the version that the Vikings berserkers (pictures based on this image are presented above) used psychotropic tinctures, in particular, based on fly agarics. In this regard, some researchers suggest that after taking such a tincture, berserkers literally went crazy, feeling invincible, but when the effect of the drug passed, the warriors quite obviously experienced severe withdrawal. In order to minimize negative sensations, only one of the berserkers drank the tincture, and the rest then drank his urine, which also contained active substances, but in a lower concentration and without toxins.
There are also versions according to which the Vikings berserkers did not use any means, but their “ battle rage"Is a consequence of a congenital disease, possibly mental and inherited. According to this hypothesis, berserkers may have been exposed to severe forms hysteria.
There are other versions, according to which the special state of berserkers is explained by directed meditation. Warriors could deliberately enter themselves into a combat trance through special practices of the psychological and spiritual plan. In this sense, the closest analogue is the fighting trance of Muay Thai fighters, this practice is called "Ram Muay" and has ancient roots.
However, you need to understand that all these are just hypotheses, and none of them has a clear confirmation. In the same way, some researchers express a version that a warrior who wanted to become a berserker had to defeat a wild bear in a duel. And although this assumption is quite epic and in general corresponds to the spirit of the Viking warriors, there is not a single historical fact or evidence to support it.
Thus, we do not know much about the cult of Viking berserkers, although this image is very popular in popular culture... We do not know whether the berserkers used any special weapons, whether they performed any rituals and whether it was a full-fledged military subculture, or in fact there was no such thing as a "professional berserker". One thing we know for sure - they were great warriors who possessed exceptional courage and excellent martial arts.
And here it is enough to cite just one fact: according to the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" at the Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066), while the British army was crossing the bridge, their onslaught was held back for several hours by only one warrior. As a result, the Scandinavian was killed, but he gave King Harald enough time to line up the army in order of battle, and at the same time managed to kill 40 Englishmen. Despite the fact that the data about this warrior and the course of the battle itself differ, many researchers are inclined to believe that it was just about a berserker. Probably - about the last berserker, because with the defeat of Harold the Severe at Stamford Bridge, the "Viking Age" actually ended.
The ancient Scandinavian sagas brought to us the legends of invincible warriors. Berserker rage is not accidentally included in the legend. Overwhelmed by battle rage, with a single sword or ax, they rushed into the ranks of enemies, crushing everything in their path. Modern scientists do not doubt their reality, but many of the stories about berserkers remain an unsolved mystery today.
Following the established tradition, we will call them berserkers (although a more accurate term is bjorsjork, that is, "bear-like"). Along with the warrior-bear, there was also an ulfheadner - "wolf-headed", warrior-wolf. Probably, these were different incarnations of the same phenomenon: many of those who are called berserkers bore the nickname “Wolf” (ulf), “Wolf's skin”, “Wolf's mouth”, etc. However, the name "Bear" (bjorn) is not less common.
It is believed that berserkers are first mentioned in the drape (long poem) of Thorbjørn Hornklovy's skald, an Old Norse literary monument. It is about the victory of King Harald Fair-haired, the founder of the Kingdom of Norway, in the battle of Havrsfjord, which took place presumably in 872. “Berserkers, dressed in bearskin, growled, shook their swords, bit in rage at the edge of their shield and rushed at their enemies. They were possessed and did not feel pain, even if they were struck by a spear. When the battle was won, the soldiers fell exhausted and plunged into a deep sleep "- this is how an eyewitness and participant in those events described the entry into battle of the legendary warriors.
Most of the mentions of berserkers in the sagas of the 9th-11th centuries, when the Vikings (Normans) on their fast ships-drakars terrified the peoples of Europe. It seemed that nothing could resist them. Under the blows of the Vikings, such big cities like London, Bordeaux, Paris, Orleans. What can we say about small towns and villages, they were devastated by the Normans in a matter of hours. Often, they created their own states in the occupied territories, for example, the Duchy of Normandy and the Kingdom of Sicily.
Who were these fighters? Berserkers or berserkers were called Vikings, with early years who dedicated themselves to serving Odin - the supreme Scandinavian deity, the lord of the wonderful palace of Valhalla, where, after death, the souls of soldiers who heroically fell on the battlefield and deserved the favor of heaven were supposedly sent to an eternal feast. Before the battle, berserkers put themselves into a special kind of combat trance, thanks to which they were distinguished tremendous power, endurance, quick reaction, insensitivity to pain and increased aggressiveness. It was after this that the berserker's rage captured him completely, and he became a dangerous and skillful warrior!
By the way, the etymology of the word "berserk" is still controversial in scientific circles. Most likely, it is derived from the Old Norse "berserkr", which translates either as "bear skin" or "shirtless" (the root ber can mean both "bear" and "naked", and serkr - "skin", "shirt "). Proponents of the first interpretation point to a direct connection between the berserkers, who wore clothes made of bearskin, with the cult of this totem animal. The "naked shirts" also emphasize the fact that berserkers went into battle without chain mail, naked to the waist.
Fragmentary information about berserkers can also be gleaned from "The Younger Edda" - a collection of Old Norse mythical legends, belonging to the pen of Snorri Sturluson. The Yngling Saga says the following: “Odin's men rushed into battle without chain mail, and raged like mad Dogs or wolves. In anticipation of the fight from the impatience and rage that bubbled in them, they gnawed their shields and hands with their teeth until they bled. They were as strong as bears or bulls. They struck the enemy with an animal roar, and neither fire, nor iron did them harm ... ". The ancient Scandinavian poet claimed that "One knew how to make his enemies blind or deaf in battle, or they were gripped by fear, or their swords became no sharper than sticks."
The connection of berserkers with the cult of the main god of the Scandinavian pantheon has other confirmation. Even the translation of Odin's numerous names indicates his insane and furious nature: Wotan ("possessed"), Ygg ("terrible"), Heryan ("militant"), Khnikar ("sower of strife"), Belverk ("villain"). To match their heavenly patron were the nicknames of berserkers who gave the "lord of wrath" a vow of fearlessness. For example, Harold the Ruthless, who got involved in the battle earlier than others, or the Norman leader John, who was defeated in 1171 near Dublin, who had the nickname Wode, that is, "Madman".
Berserkers were not accidentally a privileged part of the military class, a kind of "special forces" of the Vikings. And it was not spontaneous riot or sacrificial extravagance on the lists that made them so. They just always opened the battle, conducting a demonstration, and in most cases a victorious duel in full view of the entire army. In one of the chapters of “Germany,” the ancient Roman writer Tacitus wrote about berserkers: “As soon as they reached mature age, they were allowed to grow hair and beards, and only after killing the first enemy they could style them ... In addition, the bravest wore an iron ring, and only the death of the enemy freed them from wearing it. Their task was to precede every battle; they always formed the front line. "
A detachment of berserkers made enemies tremble with one look. Storming cities as a military vanguard, they left behind only mountains of corpses of defeated enemies. Well-armed, armored infantry followed behind the berserkers, completing the rout. If you believe the literary monuments, then the Old Norse kings often used berserkers as personal protection, which once again confirms their military elitism. In one of the sagas, it is said that the Danish king Hrolf Krake had 12 berserkers in bodyguards at once.
THE VALUE OF BERSERK'S RAGE. “Berserk is a mechanism exploded by ferocious passion, adrenaline, ideological attitude, breathing techniques, sound vibration vibrations and a mechanical program of action. He does not fight for something, but only to win. The berserker doesn't have to prove that he will survive. He is obliged to recoup his life many times over. The berserker not only goes to die, he goes to get furious pleasure from this process. By the way, this is why he most often remains alive. "
A variety of testimonies depict berserkers as ferocious fighters who fought with wild, downright magical passion. So what is the secret of berserkers' rage, as well as their insensitivity to injury and pain: was it the result of drug intoxication, hereditary disease or special psychophysical training?
Modern science knows that nervous system a person can produce substances similar in composition and action to drugs. They act directly on the "pleasure centers" of the brain. It can be assumed that the berserkers were, as it were, hostages of their own rage. They were forced to look for dangerous situations that would allow them to engage in combat, or even provoke them altogether.
One of the Scandinavian sagas speaks of a man who had 12 sons. All of them were berserkers: “It became a custom for them, being among their own people and feeling a fit of rage, to go from the ship to the shore and throw large stones there, uproot trees, otherwise in their rage they would cripple or kill relatives and friends.” The phrase "there is rapture in battle" took on a literal meaning. Later vikings for the most part still managed to control such attacks. Sometimes they even entered a state that in the East is called "enlightened consciousness." Those who mastered this art became truly phenomenal warriors.
During the attack, the berserker “became” the corresponding beast. At the same time, he threw away defensive weapons (or acted with them not for their intended purpose: for example, he bit into his shield with his teeth, plunging the enemy into shock), and in some cases - and offensive; all scandinavian vikings knew how to fight with their hands, but berserkers clearly stood out even at their level.
Many militarized strata considered unarmed fighting shameful. Among the Vikings, this postulate took the following form: it is a shame not to be able to fight with weapons, but there is nothing shameful in the ability to wage an unarmed battle. It is curious that as an auxiliary (and sometimes the main one - if he fought without a sword), the berserker used stones, a stick picked up from the ground or a club that had been stored in advance.
This is partly due to deliberate entry into the image: it is not appropriate for a beast to use a weapon (a stone and a stick are a natural, natural weapon). But, probably, this also manifests archaism, adherence to the ancient schools of martial arts. The sword entered Scandinavia rather late, and even after its wide distribution, it was for some time not in honor of the berserkers, who preferred the club and ax, with which they inflicted circular blows from the shoulder, without connecting the wrist. The technique is quite primitive, but the degree of mastery was very high.
On Trajan's Column in Rome we see “ strike force”Such warrior beasts (not yet berserkers). They are included in the Roman army and are partly forced to follow customs, but only a few have helmets (and no one has shells), some are dressed in animal skins, others are half-naked and clutch a club instead of a sword ... Presumably, this did not reduce their combat effectiveness, otherwise the emperor Trajan, whose guard they were part of, would have been able to insist on rearmament.
Berserkers were representatives of a special group (caste) of professional warriors who were trained for battle from childhood, devoting not only to the subtleties of military skill, but also teaching the art of entering a combat trance, which sharpened all the senses of a fighter and allowed them to manifest themselves hidden opportunities human body... Naturally, it was extremely difficult to defeat such fighters in battle. Fear, as they say, has large eyes, which is why similar lines appeared in sagas: "One knew how to make his enemies blind or deaf in battle, or they were gripped by fear, or their swords became no sharper than sticks."
Traditionally, berserkers formed the vanguard to begin combat. They could not fight for a long time (a combat trance cannot last long), breaking through the ranks of enemies and laying the foundation for a common victory, they left the battlefield for ordinary soldiers who completed the defeat of the enemy. Apparently, bringing oneself to a state of trance was not complete without taking certain psychotropic drugs, allowing the berserkers to "transform" into powerful and invincible bears.
Werewolfism is known among many peoples, when, as a result of illness or taking special drugs, a person identified himself with the beast and even copied certain features of its behavior. In the sagas, it is not in vain that the emphasis is placed on the invulnerability of berserkers. In battle, they were guided not so much by the consciousness as by the subconscious, which allowed them to "switch on" not human v everyday life qualities - an aggravated reaction, expanded peripheral vision, insensitivity to pain, and possibly some kind of extrasensory ability.
In battle, the berserker literally felt arrows and spears flying at him, foresaw where the blows of swords and axes would follow, which means he could repulse the blow, hide behind a shield or dodge. They were truly universal warriors, but such are needed only for the period of battles.
The Normans fought often, which means that berserkers often had to reincarnate. Apparently, the rapture of battle became for them something like drug addiction, and perhaps practically it was. Consequently, the berserkers were, in principle, not adapted to a peaceful life, becoming dangerous to society, since they needed dangers and thrills. And if there is no war, then you can always provoke a fight or engage in robbery. As soon as the Normans, fed up with the seizures of foreign lands, began to move to a sedentary, calm life, the berserkers were superfluous. This was clearly manifested in the sagas, in which, from the end of the 11th century, berserkers from former heroes turned into robbers and villains, who were declared a merciless war.
It is curious that it was recommended to kill berserkers with wooden stakes, since they are "invulnerable" against iron. At the beginning of the XII century in scandinavian countries even special laws were passed to combat berserkers who were expelled or ruthlessly destroyed. Some of the former invulnerable warriors were able to join new life, it was believed that for this they must be baptized, then faith in Christ would save them from the fighting madness. The rest, it is possible that they constituted the majority of the former military elite, were forced to flee to other lands or were simply killed. So gradually the berserker's rage from history went into myths and legends.
