Description
Howling like animals and biting their shields, berserkers took on the appearance of wild animals, entering battle in an almost trance-like state. Worked into a rage before combat, possibly through the use of drugs, they had little protection but were utterly convinced of their invulnerability against fire, blade and indeed any blow that came their way. At the time, berserkers were thought to be shape-shifters that actually became the animals whose skins they wore. Other, more rational views suggested that they were simply carried along by a wave of group euphoria. However, their intended victims did not have the luxury of considering the opponent that stood before them; berserkers fought with a reckless fury, making them very uncompromising opponents to face, and to slay a berserker was thought a most impressive act of courage. One theory behind the appearance of bearskins in the Roman army was the premise that they were trophies, plucked from the corpses of German berserkers and worn by the Romans as symbols of bravery and prestige.
