"period tales mentioning historic figures such as Attila the Hun (legendary sagas). Objects and monuments such as the Rök Runestone and the Kvinneby amulet feature runic inscriptions—texts written in the runic alphabet, the indigenous alphabet of the Germanic peoples—that mention figures and events from Norse mythology. Objects from the archaeological record may also be interpreted as depictions of subjects from Norse mythology, such as amulets of the god Thor's hammer Mjölnir found among pagan burials and small silver female figures interpreted as valkyries or dísir, beings associated with war, fate or ancestor cults. By way of historical linguistics and comparative"
"Berserker Berserkers (or ""berserks"") were champion Vikings who are primarily reported in Swedish sagas to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English word ""berserk."" These champions would often go into battle without mail coats. Berserkers are attested to in numerous Old Norse sources, as were the Úlfhéðnar (""wolf-coats""). The English word ""berserk"" is derived from the Old Norse words ""ber-serkr"" (plural ""ber-serkir"") possibly meaning a ""bear-shirt""—i.e., a wild warrior or champion of the Viking age, although its interpretation remains controversial. The element ""ber-"" was interpreted by the thirteenth-century historian Snorri Sturluson as"
"earlier sagas portrayed berserkers as bodyguards, elite soldiers, and champions of kings. This image would change as time passed and sagas would begin to describe berserkers as ravenous men who loot, plunder, and kill indiscriminately. Within the sagas, Berserkers can be narrowed down to four different types. The King’s ""Berserkr,"" the Hall-Challenging ""Berserkr"", the ""Hólmgangumaðr"", and the Viking ""Berserkr"". Later, by Christian interpreters, the berserker was viewed as a ""heathen devil"". The earliest surviving reference to the term ""berserker"" is in ""Haraldskvæði"", a skaldic poem composed by Thórbiörn Hornklofi in the late 9th century in honor of King Harald Fairhair,"
"during a seafaring battle a Viking happened to get thrown overboard they were told to put their shield over their head to protect themselves from arrows or other shrapnel that could kill them. Sagas of the Viking Age often mention berserkers. These fabled Viking warriors are said to have spiritual magical powers from the god of war Odin that allowed them to become impervious to injuries on the battlefield. While these stories are exaggerated, the term ""berserks"" is rooted in truths about Viking warriors who were able to enter an intense, trance-like state whereupon they would ""engage in reckless fighting."""
"Berserker (Saberhagen) The Berserker series is a series of space opera science fiction short stories and novels by Fred Saberhagen, in which robotic self-replicating machines strive to destroy all life. These Berserkers, named after the human berserker warriors of Norse legend, are doomsday weapons left over from an interstellar war between two races of extraterrestrials. They all have machine intelligence, and their sizes range from that of an asteroid, in the case of an automated repair and construction base, down to human size (and shape) or smaller. The Berserkers' bases are capable of manufacturing more and deadlier Berserkers as need"
"Berserker (2004 film) Berserker, also known as Berserker: Hell's Warrior, is a fantasy-action-horror film based on Norse mythology. It was written, directed and produced by Paul Matthews and had its main release in 2004. The film begins with a voice-over by ""Barek"" who refers to a pagan legend. According to the saga Odin was spurned by Brunhilda. The irate pagan god chained her to an altar in Asgard, surrounded by a ring of eternal fire. He decreed that only a pure-hearted man could overcome the supernatural flames and save the alluring valkyrie. Her saviour's fate should then be connected to"
"was a form of self-induced hysteria. Initiated before battle through a ritualistic process, also known as ""effektnummer,"" which included actions such as shield-biting and animal-like howling. Jonathan Shay makes an explicit connection between the berserker rage of soldiers and the hyperarousal of post-traumatic stress disorder. In ""Achilles in Vietnam"", he writes: Another theorist has suggested that werewolves are the cultural memory of the beserkers. Berserker Berserkers (or ""berserks"") were champion Vikings who are primarily reported in Swedish sagas to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English word ""berserk."" These champions would often"
"battle weapon. The Húscarls, the elite guard of King Cnut (and later of King Harold II) were armed with two-handed axes that could split shields or metal helmets with ease. The warfare and violence of the Vikings were often motivated and fuelled by their beliefs in Norse religion, focusing on Thor and Odin, the gods of war and death. In combat, it is believed that the Vikings sometimes engaged in a disordered style of frenetic, furious fighting known as ""berserkergang"", leading them to be termed ""berserkers"". Such tactics may have been deployed intentionally by shock troops, and the berserk-state may"
"arises. The ""Berserker"" stories (published as novels and short stories) depict the fight between Berserkers and the sentient species of the Milky Way Galaxy: ""Homo sapiens"" (referred to as ""Earth-descended"" or ""ED"" humans, or as ""Solarians"") is the only sentient species aggressive enough to counter Berserkers. The first story, ""Without a Thought"" (1963), was basically a puzzle story, whose protagonist must find a way to simulate intelligence to fool an enemy trying to determine whether there was any conscious being present in a spaceship. Saberhagen came up with the Berserker as the rationale for the story on the spur of"
"stories involve the Qwib-qwib, an anti-Berserker berserker. Other examples of science fiction stories containing replicators bent on the destruction of organic life include: Berserker (Saberhagen) The Berserker series is a series of space opera science fiction short stories and novels by Fred Saberhagen, in which robotic self-replicating machines strive to destroy all life. These Berserkers, named after the human berserker warriors of Norse legend, are doomsday weapons left over from an interstellar war between two races of extraterrestrials. They all have machine intelligence, and their sizes range from that of an asteroid, in the case of an automated repair and"
"humans who have a powerfully violent and uncontrollable rage living inside them which gives them superhuman strength and power, but also clouds their judgement and renders them unable to tell friend from foe. Meanwhile, two mysterious organizations, Midgard International and Asgaard, seek them out for their powerful abilities for their own purposes while Farris and Aaron struggle to come to grips with their newfound power and dangerous heritage. Berserker combines elements of superheroes with Norse mythology and human themes of courage and determination. Berserker (comics) Berserker is a series of American comic books printed by Top Cow Productions. The comic"
"Berserker (1987 film) Berserker (a.k.a. Berserker: The Nordic Curse) is a 1987 American slasher film written and directed by Jefferson Richard.The film centers on a group of campers who are stalked and murdered by a Viking berserker. According to an old Nordic legend, a Berserker was a bloodthirsty warrior who ate human flesh, forbidden a restful death and fated to be reincarnated in their blood kin. A summer camp accidentally stumbles across the Berserker legend when it arises in Rainbow Valley, an area settled by Norwegian immigrants. The camp is abuzz with rumours of a wild bear killing people in"
"by a berserker until three days after Yule. The bodies of dead berserkers were laid out in bearskins prior to their funeral rites. The bear-warrior symbolism survives to this day in the form of the bearskin caps worn by the guards of the Danish and British monarchs. In battle, the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy. They would howl like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth, and gnawed the iron rim of their shields. According to belief, during these fits they were immune to steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy. When the"
"Hildisvíni (""battle swine""), and these boars can be found depicted on Swedish and Anglo-Saxon ceremonial items. The boar-warriors fought at the lead of a battle formation known as Svinfylking (""the boar's head"") that was wedge-shaped, and two of their champions formed the ""rani"" (""snout""). They have been described as the masters of disguise, and of escape with an intimate knowledge of the landscape. Similar to the berserker and the ulfhednar, the svinfylking boar-warriors used the strength of their animal, the boar, as the foundation of their martial arts. Berserkers appear prominently in a multitude of other sagas and poems, Many"
"as brave fighters. To fight the war, they migrated from the Balkan peninsula into Asia Minor. The Pelasgians fought against the tribes of Greeks in the war of Troy. Pelasgus fought alongside the Dardanians and other allies defending the walls of the city of Troy. Pelasgus In Greek mythology, Pelasgus (, ""Pelasgós"" means ""ancient"") was the eponymous ancestor of the Pelasgians, the mythical inhabitants of Greece who established the worship of the Dodonaean Zeus, Hephaestus, the Cabeiri, and other divinities. In the different parts of the country once occupied by Pelasgians, there existed different traditions as to the origin and"
"The Combatribes The player takes control of one of three strongmen, the titular ""Combatribes"": Berserker, a blond-haired man in a blue outfit who is endowed with a balance of speed and strength; Bullova (who takes his name from an Indian battle axe), a man in a yellow outfit who is the strongest of the trio, but also the slowest; and Blitz (short for ""blitzkrieg""), is a long-haired man in a red outfit who has the most agile attacks, but lacks the strength of the other two characters. The heroes boast a variety of unique techniques in addition to the standard"
"rituals of berserk männerbünde, or used the name as a deterrent or claim of their ferocity. Emphasis has been placed on the frenzied nature of the berserkers, hence the modern sense of the word ""berserk"". However, the sources describe several other characteristics that have been ignored or neglected by modern commentators. Snorri's assertion that ""neither fire nor iron told upon them"" is reiterated time after time. The sources frequently state that neither edged weapons nor fire affected the berserks, although they were not immune to clubs or other blunt instruments. For example: Similarly, Hrolf Kraki's champions refuse to retreat ""from"
"five of the king's champions""."" Wolf warriors appear among the legends of the Indo-Europeans, Turks, Mongols, and North American Indians. The Germanic wolf-warriors have left their trace through shields and standards that were captured by the Romans and displayed in the ""armilustrium"" in Rome. The ""Úlfhéðnar"" (singular Úlfheðinn), another term associated with berserkers, mentioned in the ""Vatnsdæla saga"", ""Haraldskvæði"" and the ""Völsunga saga"", were said to wear the pelt of a wolf when they entered battle. Úlfhéðnar are sometimes described as Odin's special warriors: ""[Odin's] men went without their mailcoats and were mad as hounds or wolves, bit their shields...they"
"as one-of-a-kind flights of dark imagination with poignant characterization, even as they struggle under such a lackluster production."" Berserk (2016 TV series) The story follows Guts as the ""Black Swordsman"", an appearance which was briefly seen in the first episode of the 1997 television series as well as in the final scene of the """" films. Guts was once a wandering mercenary taken in by the mercenary group known as the and he fought alongside them before their mutilated leader, Griffith, sacrificed his followers to become one of the God Hand and continue his dream of ruling a kingdom of"
"Bellerophon Bellerophon (; Ancient Greek: Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes () is a hero of Greek mythology. He was ""the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles"", and his greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail: ""her breath came out in terrible blasts of burning flame."" Bellerophon was born at Corinth and was the son of the mortal Eurynome by either her husband Glaucus, or Poseidon. One possible etymology that has been suggested is: Βελλεροφόντης from βέλεμνον, βελόνη, βέλος"
"Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (; ) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty, who, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, was the greatest Greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles. He beheaded the Gorgon Medusa for Polydectes and saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus. He was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë, as well as the half-brother and great-grandfather of Heracles. Because of the obscurity of the name Perseus and the legendary character of its bearer, most etymologists presume that it might be pre-Greek; however, the name of Perseus’ native"
"group of robots with one goal: to destroy all organic life. Berserkers exist in a multitude of shapes, sizes and forms. The most common Berserkers are large spherical interstellar spacecraft, heavily armed and armored, equipped with self-replicating factories, and capable of producing numerous scout craft, foot soldiers, and other weapons of war. Little is known of the Berserkers' history other than that they were created to destroy the Red Race, who are now extinct. The creators of the Berserkers are known as the Builders, who were also later destroyed by the Berserkers. The Builders were a precursor race, of whom"
"Norse warrior ""Baresark"", who fought without armour in the Norwegian sagas. Although born in Scotland, the Archer family lived for many years in Larvik, Norway and members of the family moved between Queensland and Norway throughout their lives. A small amount of gold mining took place in the 19th century, and grazing leases were issued in 1900. The area was declared a timber reserve in 1940 and logged, with ironbark, white mahogany and lemon-scented gum being the main trees harvested. Grazing ended in 1974 with the conclusion of the last lease, and logging ceased in 1985. Berserker Range The Berserker"
"published in book format. Together, the main characters form the Gastonian Peacemakers. Charged with representing Gastonian interests through establishing peaceful relations with foreign powers, their mandate also includes the use of violence to solve the problems of potential allies. — Human Berserker<br> Said to be the only survivor of the ""War That Felled Battleshire"", Byron The Berserker is just about the most professional and genial sort a dual-axe wielding killing machine could be. His good head for tactics and strong sense of loyalty make him the de facto ‘quarterback’ for the group. Byron is normally very cool-headed, but his berserking"
"an ultimate weapon, by a race now known only as the Builders, to wipe out their rivals, the Red Race, in a war which took place at a time corresponding to Earth's Paleolithic era. The Builders failed to ensure their own immunity from Berserker attack, or they lost those safeguards through an unknown malfunction that changed the Berserker programming, and they were exterminated by their own creation very shortly after the demise of the Red Race. The Berserkers then set out across the galaxy to fulfill their core programmed imperative, which is now, simply, to destroy all life wherever they"
"Hecatoncheires The Hecatoncheires (In English, stress on the fourth syllable; singular: ""Hecatoncheir"" ; ), also called the Centimanes () or Hundred-Handers, were figures in the archaic, pre-Olympian era within Greek mythology, three giants of incredible strength and ferocity that surpassed all of the Titans, whom they helped overthrow. Their name derives from the Greek (', ""hundred"") and (', ""hand""), ""each of them having a hundred hands and fifty heads"". The Hundred-Handed-Ones are ""giants"" of great storms and hurricanes. According to Hesiod, the Hecatoncheires were children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (sky). They played no known part in cult. They were:"
"to stop when he instead becomes the kanima. Gerard bleeds and vomits black ooze when his body rejects the Bite because of his ingestion of mountain ash. Berserkers are men who wear the skins/bones of bears within the ""Teen Wolf"" Universe. According to Chris Argent, Berserkers don't just wear the bear parts to channel the animal's ferocity, they actually become animals themselves. Argent says their human side doesn't last long because they are not tempered by the moon. Based on the two Berserker deaths shown: the body turns to dust at the moment of death suggesting they were no longer"
"ease, with the privations suffered by the good—is apparently the basis for Aristophanes' imputation of ""atheism"" to the poet. The replacement of Bellerophon by the more familiar culture hero Perseus was a development of Classical times that was standardized during the Middle Ages and has been adopted by the European poets of the Renaissance and later. Bellerophon Bellerophon (; Ancient Greek: Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes () is a hero of Greek mythology. He was ""the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles"", and his greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that"
"Heracles Heracles ( ; , ""Hēraklês"", Glory/Pride of ""Hēra"", ""Hera""), born Alcaeus (, ""Alkaios"") () or Alcides (, ""Alkeidēs"") () was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon. He was a great-grandson and half-brother (as they are both sired by the god Zeus) of Perseus. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity, the ancestor of royal clans who claimed to be Heracleidae (), and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters. In Rome and the modern West, he is known as Hercules, with whom"
"are by the fifth century BC poet Pindar. According to Pindar, Heracles and Telamon were traveling through Phlegra, where they encountered Alcyoneus, whom Pindar describes as a ""herdsman ... huge as a mountain"", and a ""great and terrible warrior"". A battle occurs in which Alcyoneus ""laid low, by hurling a rock, twelve chariots and twice twelve horse-taming heroes who were riding in them"", before finally being ""destroyed"" by the two heroes. The participation of Telamon and other mortals in the battle, and the lack of mention of any of the gods, or other Giants, seem to imply that for Pindar,"
"the hero Beowulf, King of the Weder-Geats or Angles, around the middle of the 5th century. The author is unknown, and no mention of Britain occurs. Scholars are divided over the date of the present text, with hypotheses ranging from the 8th to the 11th centuries. It has achieved much acclaim as well as sustained academic and artistic interest. Other heroic poems besides ""Beowulf"" exist. Two have survived in fragments: ""The Fight at Finnsburh"", controversially interpreted by many to be a retelling of one of the battle scenes in ""Beowulf"", and ""Waldere"", a version of the events of the life"
"649, 1269, 1512 ... In the first ... the referent can be either Beowulf or Grendel. If the poet and his audience felt the word to have two meanings – ""monster"" and ""hero"" – the ambiguity would be troublesome; but if by āglǣca they understood a ""fighter"", the ambiguity would be of little consequence, for battle was destined for both Beowulf and Grendel and both were fierce fighters (216–217). O'Keefe has suggested that Grendel resembles a Berserker, because of numerous associations that seem to point to this possibility. Sonya R. Jensen argues for an identification between Grendel and Agnar, son"
"Berzerker (comics) Berzerker (Ray Carter) is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Berzerker has also appeared in two X-Men animated series, both times in minor recurring roles. His first appeared in ""X-Factor"" #11 (December 1986) and was created by Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson. Berzerker was the leader of The Tunnelers, an offshoot group of Morlocks who hated Callisto's main group and dubbed them Drain Dwellers. Initially a group of ten, six of the Tunnelers were killed when the Marauders were sent to kill the Morlocks. Berzerker and three others survived the"