"This fury, which was called berserkergang, occurred not only in the heat of battle, but also during laborious work. Men who were thus seized performed things which otherwise seemed impossible for human power. This condition is said to have begun with shivering, chattering of the teeth, and chill in the body, and then the face swelled and changed its colour. With this was connected a great hot-headedness, which at last gave over into a great rage, under which they howled as wild animals, bit the edge of their shields, and cut down everything they met without discriminating between friend or foe. When this condition ceased, a great dulling of the mind and feebleness followed, which could last for one or several days."

Which made me think about excited delirium syndrome...the possible modern day equivalent.


http://www.exciteddelirium.org

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3804/is_200307/ai_n9301741/

linked to hyperthermia though not hypothermia.

So were Berserks on drugs or using Ritchies suprastates CD?

There is also a Gaelic battle rage, well known to lovers of the character "Slaine" from 2000 A.D.

This was known as the Warp Spasm or Riastrad.

It is one of the famous primary attributes of Cu Chulainn, The Hound OF Ulster, one of Ireland's most famous son's.



From The Tain, Thomas Kinsella (translator)

The Tain desribes Cuchulain's warp-spasm, but other Celtic heroes went into similar berserker frenzies. Murdach, King Brian Boru's son at the Battle of Clontarf ,in 1014, was "the last man who killed a hundred in one day.

Bit better than chanting "Come on then! Who wants some!!!"

I used to collect Slaine comics - great stuff

I have hundreds of them still in the loft. I did not think them too many!

Interestingly enough I had a mate who did deoderant a lot (I.E. stuck a bag over his head and inhaled the fumes), and apparently he went beserk once at a party.

He was on the floor writhing around screaming like he was posessed apparently, arching his back and clenching his jaw. I didn't see it but can't help but wonder what state of mind he was in.

Suppose it's not the same, but in the same line. I don't think anyone would have wanted to restrain him.

Funny never tried sniffing anything even tippex. The had a glue sniffer on Juliet Bravo when I was a kid, put me completely off the idea. No sense of adventure, that's my problem.

I guess the filipino running Amok would fit in here as well, Theres references to this state or states in different cultures throughout the history of warfare. Perhaps Grendel was originally some completely bladdered post pub psycho.

Interestingly, the accounts of Berserkgang & Úlfhéðnar are not contemporary but were writen nearly 400 years after the events. So either they were that good that it stuck in oral tradition or there is an edge of artistic license.


The various theories of how they achieved the state are the usual hodgepodge, with of course very little evidence.

Mushrooms, alcohol (seems likely to me ), chanting & magic rights, dancing etc.

Anyone read the 13th warrior? Closest I have ever got to reading a book that goes slightly more in depth to the viking other than in a horrible histories kind of way. Perhaps I should give the icelandic sagas ago.

Arching back and clenching jaw huh... Sounds like poisonous crampety cramp cramps. Such as strychnine and tetanus effects. As a kid I used to laugh at the label on many deodorants that said "can kill if inhaled" or something to that effect. Laughing because some people had a tendency to turn the wardrobes into fucking gas chambers with those things. But a kid died from filling a small bathroom with that stuff some time ago. Was on the net. Full of poisonous stuff.

Back to the inhaler-kid and his freaky writhing. Smoking this kitchen herb was in a while ago, and some skin products and other stuff also contained stuff from the same plant family. The kitchen herb type caused hallucinations and freaky shit. but a lot of the other stuff the idiots thought was the same was from the neurotoxic variety of the plant. Smoking it leading to feelings of being on fire and seizures, sense of time stretching out and paralysis. I saw a video of one kid spazzing out, screaming frantically while rolling and rocking all over the couch, then tried to run his head through the wall. Doesn't sound like what we're looking for.

Berserkergang sounds like major doses of adrenaline and emotion. Removing the security catches of the body. The stuff from stories of the granny lifting the car of the kid, the green beret found unconscious with over 80 dead enemy around him. Steve Morris talked about how to train the body to physically handle this power without tearing yourself apart.

Because look at the strychnine and tetanus cramps again. The muscles have the power to tear themselves right off the bone. But try doing that consciously. Morris mentioned people being electrocuted from messing with wiring. Sending them flying across the room. Of course there is no explosion going on with the force to lift a man and throw him away, it's all muscle action. but try doing that consciously. normally the body won't let you access what you can't handle.

But think about the effects of PCP and amphetamines. People running themselves to death. fighting with steel pipes, breaking each others bones, and just laughing at it. Drugs open the doors so to speak, the capability is there with or without drugs. It is the body that does it. When the vikings went into berserkergang, it sounds like they found a pretty good way of accessing the potential, but without drugs? With?

I've heard they messed around with mushrooms, drinking their piss and so on. Likely a lot of hype and myth, but it's a crumb... Maybe they had a magic potion.



Hmm...

Did the vikings have some kind of old school amphetamine to go with their ill intent?

Or maybe their mumbo jumbo guy knew how to lead them there mentally. I am convinced it is possible. Psychotics and people in emergencies sometimes stumble into it. Functional insanity.

Huffing deodorant? That's pretty desperate really isn't it? Blearccchhh

I know I posted this awhile back, but I just can't resist: http://www.vikingfighting.com/
"Mug the mugger ...Rape the rapist"!

RichB - The Vikings sure had alcohol and hallucinogenics ... amphetamines I'm not so sure .....

Very interesting -
The brain is indeed a vast and fascinating place. I know we have much untapped potential, and it's interesting to read Steve Morris and others who have thought about how to access these abilities.
I do think though, that every state we access has a potential cost, and perhaps back in the bloody, axe wielding past, going berserk was a grand survival skill to have, but I suspect this kind of process must wreck havok with your bio chemistry in the long run. Not a problem if you have a 30 - 40 year life expectancy, but perhaps not so healthy in this day and age.
There is a book I read a while back called "The Biology of Belief" ( http://www.brucelipton.com/excerpt-chapter-one )
Now the guy gets a bit new age-y at the end, but I thought his work on how cell biology relates to the sub conscious was cool.