According to legend,
Berserker warriors were a religious order who underwent rituals to commune with the spirit of wild animals before going into battle.
The animal most closely associated with the Berserkers is the bear.
Berserker means “bear coat”. But there were also Ulfhednar, “wolf coats”, and Jofurr, “boar coats”.
What is important is that these are wild animals native to the region and known to fight ferociously.
The warriors were part of a kind of religious order in which they learned rituals to commune with the spirit of the animal before going into battle to adopt its ferocious spirit.
The men would then enter battle in a frenzy, displaying great strength and courage, but also lose their senses to an extent.
They are often described as doing things such as gnawing on their own shields to control their bloodlust while waiting for the battle cry.
They were considered all but untouchable while fighting in this state. It was believed that they could not be hurt by steel or fire while in their frenzy. But importantly, they also went into battle naked or using furs rather than armor.
This may have alarmed their opponents as it shows an extreme level of fearlessness
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