Foreword / Introduction

For this guide, information from the site and the Spunky117 guide from the forum were used. This guide is a translation and combination of information from these two sources. The videos below are made by Spunky117.
For this the guide used information from site and guide of Spunky117 from forum . This guide is a translation and information counter the union of these two sources. The author of the videos is Spunky117.

Review of skills / Review of skills

Berserk


Active skill.
In this mode, the character switches to hand-to-hand combat, sweeping away everything in its path. Also in this mode, he increases resistance to damage and restores health.
The left hand hits harder (damage 300%), the right hand is faster (damage 100%).
Duration: 18 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.
Active skill.
In this mode, the character moves to the melee, sweeping away everything in its path. Also in this mode, it increases the resistance to damage and restore health.
The left hand has harder (300% damage), right hander faster (100% damage).
Duration: 18 seconds. Recharging: 60 seconds.

Buyan- Brick's first skill tree. Focuses on active skill (Berserk) and melee attacks.
brawler- the first skill tree Brick. It focuses on active skills (Berserk) and melee attacks.

Iron Fist


Increases melee damage dealt by 6% (up to 30%).
Increases damage inflicted during melee by 6% (to 30%).

Overflowing Rage (Endless Rage)


Increases the duration of the berserk state by 10% (up to 50%).
Increases the duration of the state of berserk by 10% (to 50%).

Sting Like a Bee


A berserk strike causes the character to lunge forward at opponents. Throwing distance is increased by 1.2 meters (4 feet) per point.
Kick in the state of berserk character makes opponents rush forward. Throw distance increases by 1.2 meters (4 feet) per point.

Heavy Hit (Heavy Handed)


Killing an enemy increases the character's melee strength by 12% for a few seconds (up to 60%).
Killing the enemy for a few seconds increases the strength of character in melee by 12% (to 60%).

Prize Fighter


While berserk, attacking an enemy gives a 6% chance of cash prizes (up to 30%). P.S. Not a particularly useful skill, because there was almost always enough money. In principle, if you wish, you can take it, but later reset it.
Attack in the state of berserk on the enemy gives you a 6% chance of occurrence of cash prizes (to 30%). P.S. It "s not a particularly useful skill, since the money is almost always enough. Basically, if you want you can take, but later discarded.

Short Wick (Shot Fuse)


The cooldown of being able to go berserk is reduced by 6 seconds (to 30 seconds).
Recovering possibilities go to the state of berserk reduced by 6 seconds (to 30 seconds).

Blood Sport


Killing an enemy in the Berserk state restores 2% of the character's health (up to 10%).
Killing enemies berserk restores 2% of the character's health (to 10%).

Tank- Brick's second skill tree. Focuses on reducing damage to both the player and the team.
tank- the second skill tree Brick. It focuses on reducing the damage both to the player and the team.

Hardened


Increases maximum health by 12% (up to 60%).
Increases the maximum volume of health by 12% (to 60%).

Bodyguard


Increases shield defense by 8% (up to 40%).
Increases defense shield by 8% (to 40%).

Beating (Bash)


A melee attack can blind the opponent. This chance is increased by 10% (up to 50%).
Melee attack can blind the enemy. The chance of this is increased by 10% (to 50%).

Crushing Force (Juggernaut)


Killing an enemy makes the character immune to damage for a few seconds. +10% damage resistance (up to 50%).
Killing the enemy is doing the character immune to damage for a few seconds. 10% resistance to damage (to 50%).

Retribution (Pay Back)


As soon as the energy of the shield ends, the character gains an attack bonus for 10 seconds. +8% bonus per point (up to 40%).
As soon as the energy shield ends, the character gains a bonus to attack for 10 seconds. + 8% for bonus per point (to 40%).

Die Hard


Increases the amount of health the character gains on recovery or Second Wind by 30%. Also increases time to death when disabled by 20%. (Up to 150% and 100% respectively).
Increases the amount of health that a character gains in the reduction or second wind by 30%. Also extends the time before his death, in case of failure by 20%. (Up to 150% and 100% respectively).

Unbreakable


As soon as the energy of the shield ends, the character gains 5 seconds of fast energy regeneration of the shield. 3% regeneration per second (up to 15%).
As soon as the energy shield ends, the character receives 5 seconds rapid regeneration of energy shield. 3% recovery per second (15%).

Demoman- Brick's third skill tree. Focuses on using explosive weapons, specifically rocket launchers and grenades.
Blaster- the third skill tree Brick. It focuses on the use of explosive weapons, such as rocket launchers and grenades.

Capable (Endowed)


Increases damage dealt by explosives by 3% (up to 15%).
Increases the damage dealt by explosives by 3% (to 15%).

Rapid Reload


Increases the reload speed of all types of weapons by 4% and reduces recoil by 6% (up to 20% and 30% respectively).
Increases recharge rate of all types of weapons by 4% and reduces the impact of 6% (to 20% and 30% respectively).

Revenge


Killing an enemy increases the damage dealt by all weapon types for a few seconds. +10% damage (up to 50%).
Killing the enemy for a few seconds increases the damage caused by all types of weapons. +10% damage (to 50%).

Large capacity (Wide Load)


Increases the number of missiles Brick can carry by 1 per point.
It increases the number of missiles that can carry Brick 1 per point.

Liquidation


Dealing explosive damage to an enemy reduces the cooldown on your ability to go berserk by 1 second per hit, up to 5 seconds.
Damage inflicted on enemies with explosives reduces the cooldown of opportunities to go to the state of berserk 1 second per hit (to 5 seconds).

Cast Iron


Increases the character's resistance to explosive attacks by 8% (up to 40%).
Increases resistance character attacks using explosives by 8% (to 40%).

Demoman (Master Blaster)


Killing an enemy increases fire speed by 12% (up to 60%) for a few seconds and allows you to regenerate 2 rockets per minute (up to 10).
Kills an enemy to a few seconds the flame speed increases by 12% (to 60%) and recovers two missiles per minute (to 10

Melee build / Melee Brick

For this build, a good class modifier would be Loner, which gives +4 to Short Wick and gives an increase (+%) to the health of the whole team. There will also be a shield giving an increase of + 60% to health.
It "s also good to run a skirmisher class mod with +4 in Short Fuse and a +% Team Maximum Health. You will also need a good shield with 60% Health Boost.

Below is a game with this build.
Gameplay Melee Brick shown in the video below.

Levels (Level) 5-15


"The time of heroes has died. Christian, God, killed him. Leaving people nothing but martyrs, fear and shame"

Beowulf (Beowulf, literally "bee wolf", that is, "bear")

The essence of this phenomenon was the conditional "reincarnation" of a person into a ferocious beast, most often a wolf.

WOLF - the ancient totemic ancestor of the peoples. He is the patron of military alliances, many nations called him their progenitor. In legends, he eats devils, vampires, the dead, drinking the blood of people and cattle. In nature, it tears up sick and old animals, controls the number of foxes and stray dogs, in the areas where it lives, it is not possible to meet rabies of wild animals.

Wildlife is also impossible without a wolf, just as a fairy tale or myth is unthinkable without it. The wild she-wolf nursed with her milk Romulus and Remus, Dietrich, Cyrus, the ancestor of the Turks, the Slavic heroes Valigora and Vyrvidub. The Gagauz swore by wolves, such an oath was recognized as more convincing than the usual word of honor or traditional oaths in the name of God.

The wolf is, first of all, the highest symbol of freedom in the animal world, a symbol of independence, while the so-called king of animals - the lion is trained in the circus. The wolf is also a symbol of fearlessness. In any fight, the wolf fights to victory or to death.

Bestial incarnations were considered the highest form of combat rage in many military traditions. These were suicide warriors, striving not to save their lives in battle, but to sell it as expensive as possible, taking more enemies to the next world. Berserk is typical of many European nations.

We can judge what the image of a warrior-beast was like, first of all, according to Scandinavian sources, because in Scandinavia such warriors existed until the XII-XIII centuries. Ber is “bear” (in Old Norse - “bersi”), and "serk" can mean "shirt". Most often, this term is interpreted in this way - “bear shirt”, in a literal translation from Old Norse “berserk” means “one who is in the skin of a bear”. However, bad luck, the totem of the berserkers was a wolf, and they had nothing to do with the bear, sometimes they were also called "Ulfheadners", that is, wolfheads. Probably, these were different incarnations of the same phenomenon: many of those who are called berserkers were nicknamed "Wolf" (ulf), "Wolf skin", "Wolf mouth", etc. However, the name "Bear" (bjorn) is no less common. Not everything is in order with the shirt either, because among the features of the berserker is his revealingly naked torso, they usually fought half-naked - dressed to the waist, or in bear or wolf skins.

There is another interpretation of the meaning of the roots of the word "berserk". The old German "berserker" can be translated in different ways, "Berr" in translation from Old Low German means ... "naked"! This concept is literally translated - a naked grunt. In the "Saga of the Tomsk Knights" the root "serker" is used, which comes from the concept of "axe". From here, a not entirely correct version of the name has been preserved - “berserker”. In Russian tradition, the "berserk" variant is more often used.

The only documented evidence of their existence is the poetic images preserved in the Scandinavian sagas about invincible warriors who, overwhelmed by fighting fury, burst into the ranks of enemies with one sword or ax, crushing everything in their path. Modern scientists do not doubt their reality, but much of the history of berserkers remains an unsolved mystery today.

In written sources, berserkers were first mentioned by the skald Thorbjorn Hornklovi, in a song about the victory of King Harald the Fair-haired, in the battle of Hafsfjord, which supposedly took place in 872. It is highly likely that his description is documented: more than a thousand years ago, Harald the Fair-Haired founded the Kingdom of Norway, this was far from a peaceful enterprise, since the noble families did not want to lose their lands. He needed an army. For the front battle formations, he chose especially strong, determined and young men, those same berserkers. They devoted their lives to Odin, the God of War, and in the decisive battle of Boxfjord, dressed in bearskins, stood at the prow of the ship, “Berserkers, dressed in bearskins, growled, shook their swords, bit the edge of their shield in rage and rushed at their enemies. They were possessed and felt no pain even if they were hit by a spear. When the battle was won, the warriors fell exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. Similar descriptions of the actions of berserkers in battle can be found in other authors. For example, in the Ynglinga saga by the famous Icelandic poet Snorri Sturlusson: “The men of Odin rushed into battle without chain mail, but raged like mad dogs or wolves. In anticipation of a fight, from the impatience and rage that bubbled in them, they gnawed their shields and hands with their teeth until they bled. They were strong, like bears or bulls. With an animal roar, they smashed the enemy, and neither fire nor iron harmed them, and, like rabid animals, foam flowed from their mouths ... ". In battle, the berserkers entered into a state of combat trance, they fell into an uncontrollable rage (amok) which the Vikings called fighting spirit, and showed a complete disregard for death. The berserker could draw a spear from a wound and throw it at an enemy. Or continue to fight with a severed limb - without an arm or leg. Probably, in this we should look for an analogy with the invulnerability of werewolves, who could not be killed with conventional weapons.

In chapter 31 of Germania, the Roman writer Tacitus writes: As soon as they reached adulthood, they were allowed to grow their hair and beard, and only after killing the first enemy they could style them ... Cowards and others walked with loose hair, in addition, they wore iron ring, and only the death of the enemy freed them from wearing it. Their task was to anticipate every battle; they always formed the front line. Tacitus mentions a special caste of warriors, which he calls "Harier" and who bear all the signs of berserkers (800 years before the battle of Hafsfjord): "... they are stubborn warriors. They are characterized by natural savagery. Black shields, painted bodies, choose dark nights for battle and instill fear in opponents. No one can resist their unusual and, as it were, hellish appearance."

Unwavering loyalty to one's ruler is found in several places in the old sagas. In one of the sagas, the king of the Danes, Hrolf Krake, had 12 berserkers who were his personal guards: “Bödvar, Bjarki, Hjalti, Hochgemuth, Zvitserk, Kün, Wörth, Veseti, Baygud and the Svipdag brothers.” This indicates the elitist nature of this warrior caste.

After the adoption of Christianity in Scandinavia, the old pagan customs were banned, in particular, fighters in animal skins. A law issued in Iceland in 1123 states: "A berserker seen in a rage will be imprisoned for 3 years of exile." Since then, the berserk warriors have disappeared without a trace.

In literature, berserkers often appear in pairs, often twelve at once.

Purely berserkers, even the Vikings themselves, were treated with a feeling somewhere between admiration, fearful deference and contempt. These are the true "dogs of war"; if they were able to be used, then mainly - in the position of “tamed animals”. Under normal conditions, berserkers were not tolerated. They were forced to leave the villages and retire to mountain caves, to which they were afraid to go. But in the Viking units, the berserkers found a worthy use for themselves.

None of them had their own house or field, any care. They came to anyone, they were treated, they used someone else's, they were careless in their affairs, and only the weakness of old age made them unsuitable for military life. They considered it shameful to die in their own beds from decrepitude, and when death was near, they were stabbed to death with a spear.

The sword entered Scandinavia quite late, and even after its widespread use, it was for some time not in honor among the berserkers, who preferred a club and an ax, with which they struck circular blows from the shoulder, without connecting the brush. The technique is quite primitive, but the degree of mastery of it was very high.

Traditionally, berserkers were the vanguard that started the fight. 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 to ordinary warriors who completed the defeat of the enemy.

Not every berserker knew how to correctly use internal energy. Sometimes they spent it too extensively - and then, after the battle, the warrior fell into a state of “berserker impotence” for a long time, which was not explained only by physical fatigue. After the attacks of rage, the berserkers fell into a deep depression, until the next nervous breakdown.

The attacks of this impotence were so severe that the warrior-beast could sometimes die after the battle, even without being wounded.

There are official theories according to which the aggressiveness of the berserker is explained by the use of psychotropic substances before the battle, namely muscarine, fly agaric poison. Today we know that people, when poisoned by fly agaric, fight wildly around themselves, they are excited, they are visited by delusional thoughts. In others and doctors, they see fabulous creatures, gods, spirits. The toxic effect wears off after 20 hours, and then people fall into a deep sleep, from which, in most cases, they wake up only after 30 hours. This view is the most common, but other possible causes have been cited, such as hysteria, epilepsy, mental illness, and heredity.

"The legendary power of the berserkers had nothing to do with spirits, drugs, or magical rituals, but was a hereditary disease," says Professor Jesse L. Bayock. The Icelandic poet Egil was quick-tempered, angry, invincible just like his father and grandfather. Stubborn character, and his head was so massive that even after the death of Egil it was impossible to split it with an ax. So it is written in the saga of Egil. The descriptions there indicated allowed Bayok to learn that Egil's family suffered from Paget's syndrome, a hereditary disease in which there is an uncontrolled increase in bone. But is it possible to attribute the myth around berserkers only to a hereditary disease?

The image of a werewolf may be associated with a psychiatric disorder "clinical lycanthropy", in which a person considers himself to be some kind of animal, for example, a wolf .. The first known description of werewolf was given by the Greek physician Marcellus of Sidia

BERSERKERS OF ANCIENT Rus'

And what is known about Russian berserkers?

The wolf is the totemic ancestor of many Slavic tribes and the memory of this is still strong.

Vilktaki is a lycanthrope in Lithuanian mythology. Werewolf is a lycanthrope in German and Anglo-Saxon mythology. Bisclavert is a lycanthrope in the Breton tradition. Ulfhednar - literally "wolfheads" - a man who turns into a wolf in Scandinavian mythology.

The Russians had Volkolaki (Volkodlak, Vovkulak, Vovkun) - a person capable of turning into a wolf (bear).

In Slavic mythology, half-human werewolf warriors are half-wolves from the retinue of Yarila and Veles (among the Scandinavians in the retinue of the god Odin). Volkolak has tremendous physical strength, many times greater than human, as well as an impressive speed of movement: a werewolf is able to overcome several hundred kilometers overnight.

The Tale of Igor's Campaign describes the capture of Novgorod by Vseslav of Polotsk and the battle on Nemiga. Vseslav is represented by a sorcerer and a werewolf. - Vseslav-prince ruled the court for people, dressed the princes of the city, and he himself scoured the night like a wolf: from Kyiv he roamed to the roosters of Tmutorokan, the great Khors roamed the path like a wolf ....

"The Slavs are superior to the Germans both in body and spirit, fighting with bestial ferocity ..." (Jordan, ancient historian, VI century).

In the Nikon Chronicle there are amazing lines dated to the year 1000: “Ragdai the Udaloy died, as if he had run into this three hundred warriors” (Ragdai the Udaloy, who fought alone against 300 soldiers, died).

It is known from the legends that Ragdai was like a wolf, and fairy tales about the sword-hoarder originate precisely from this character. Which he waved as if it had no weight.

The Byzantine writer Leo the Deacon wrote about the Russians, who, with huge shields, before going on the attack, growled, shouting something incomprehensible. The historian Klyuchevsky wrote: Demyan Kudenevich went to the Polovtsian army “without a helmet and shell”, the naked khorobry of Svyatoslav the Great is also eloquently described in the annals:

“Olbeg Ratiborich, take your bow, and put on an arrow, and hit Itlar in the heart, and his squad is all beaten ...” (Radziwill chronicle: L .: Nauka, 1989, p. 91.)

“The filthy ones had 9 hundred mines, and Rus' had ninety copies. Rising up to strength, the filth of pondos, and ours are against them ... And the wallpaper is dreaming, and there was evil ... and the Polovtsy run away, and ours are driven by them, ovs secant ... ”(Radziwill chronicle, p. 134. 26) ..

“And they began to flog without mercy, and all the Tatar regiments mixed up. It seemed to the Tatars that the dead had risen ... "("Tales of the devastation of Ryazan by Batu")

Were they just crazy, die-hard fanatics? Did they have supernatural powers that protected them from injury? Or was it a drug effect? Did they suffer from hereditary diseases?

So who are the berserkers?

Among the ancient Germans and the Viking, a warrior was called a berserker, whose hallmarks were impeccable martial arts, lack of armor, a ritual bearskin on his shoulders, and, probably, the ability to put himself 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 the North of Europe in the early Middle Ages.

The word "berserk" (sometimes - berserker) comes from the Old Norse form "berserkr", which is obtained by merging the bases "ber" (which means "bear", in fact, in Ancient Rus' the bear was also called berm) and "serkr", which translates as "skin ' or 'cloth'. Some linguists put forward the version that "ber" in Old Norse can also mean "naked".

Thus, the word "berserk" ("berserker") literally means "bear skin" 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 traditional English, the form "berserkr" took on the form "berserk", today this word is translated as "furious".

It is believed that before the battle, the Viking berserker (a photo of images from archaeological finds is presented below) praised Odin and received his blessing. There is not a single unambiguously proven hypothesis about whether the Norman berserkers used any pharmacological drugs. Many researchers believe that we can talk about decoctions and tinctures from hallucinogenic mushrooms, or herbs and rhizomes, which could act as powerful stimulants.

Historical evidence of berserkers

Many researchers agree that skaldic poetry largely embellishes the image of a berserker, and it should be noted here that in traditional Eddic texts there is no mention of these furious warriors. The berserk first appears in the Glimdrapa saga, which was written by the famous skald Thorbjorn Hornclovy, who lived in Norway in the 9th century. This epic work tells about the military campaigns of the Norwegian king Harold I the Fair-Haired, 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, Snorri Sturluson's epic collection of sagas, there is also a phrase "to fall into a berserker's rage." This turn Snorri uses when describing Scandinavian warriors who "fell into a rage, biting shields and the layer could be compared to bears." Further, Snori points out that "such a Viking could not be defeated by either steel or fire."

The most important and very interesting description of the Viking berserker is given in Tacitus' Germania. In chapter XXXI, he writes that berserk warriors prepared for their role from childhood, they were not allowed to grow their hair and beards until adulthood. 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 an iron ring, which he could remove only after the first kill, and only then was he recognized as a berserker. Tacitus also mentions that among the Normans, berserkers always formed the first rank 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 not exist in Scandinavian. Tacitus, describing the fierce Germanic warriors, says that they were "stubborn and wild", wore black shields, and their bodies were "skillfully painted." According to Tacitus, berserkers attacked enemies with lightning speed and unexpectedly, choosing the darkest 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 motif of the elitism of the Viking berserkers can be traced in many sagas, they often act as something like a personal guard of the king. A.N. also mentions this. Tolstoy in his epic "Peter the Great", in particular, he writes that berserker means "obsessed with rabies." Tolstoy explains that berserkers are warriors who drank tincture from fly agaric and became so cruel and ferocious that even the Scandinavians themselves began to fear them, and therefore the berserkers had their own ship in the army of King Kanut.

It is important to note that the Norman berserkers, apparently, could not adapt to civilian life. Egil's Saga, Gisle's Saga, Nyala's Saga and many other skaldic works tell that outside the military circle, berserkers became murderers, maniacs, robbers and rapists.

In the 12th century, after the final Christianization of Scandinavia, the cult of berserkers began to wane, and references to fierce warriors are gradually disappearing. This is probably due, among other things, to a legislative act that was adopted in Iceland in 1123. This law forbade the wearing of bearskins, and it also stated that a person who was seen "in a berserk rage" would be punished with a three-year exile.

Versions of the "battle rage" of berserkers and common myths

As already mentioned, the main hypothesis accepted today in the scientific community is the version that the berserk Vikings (pictures based on this image are presented above) used psychotropic tinctures, in particular, based on fly agaric. In this regard, some researchers have suggested that after taking such a tincture, the berserkers literally went crazy, feeling invincible, but when the effect of the drug wore off, the warriors quite obviously experienced severe withdrawal. In order to minimize negative feelings, 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 Viking berserkers did not use any means, and their “battle rage” is the result of a congenital disease, possibly mental and inherited. According to this hypothesis, berserkers could be subject to severe forms of hysteria.

There are other versions, according to which the special state of berserkers is explained by directed meditation. Warriors could consciously put themselves into a combat trance through special psychological and spiritual practices. 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 this is just a hypothesis, and none of them has a clear confirmation. In the same way, some researchers express the 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 generally in the spirit of the Viking warriors, there is not a single historical fact or evidence that could confirm this.

Thus, we do not know much about the Viking berserker cult, although this image is very popular in popular culture. We do not know if the berserkers used any special weapons, whether they performed any rituals, and whether it was a full-fledged military subculture or the concept of "professional berserker" actually did not exist. One thing we know for sure - they were great warriors who possessed exceptional courage and excellent command of 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), during the crossing of the English army across the bridge, only one warrior held back their onslaught for several hours. In the end, the Scandinavian was killed, but he gave King Harald enough time to line up the army in battle order, and in doing so managed to kill 40 Englishmen. Despite the fact that the data on this warrior and the course of the battle itself differ, many researchers tend to believe that it was just about the berserker. Probably - about the last berserk, because with the defeat of Harold the Severe at Stamford Bridge, the "Viking Age" actually ended.

What do we know about berserkers? That they fought like beasts, biting their shields and almost went into battle with their bare hands. So we were told about them. Meanwhile, scientists are still arguing about who the berserkers really were.

The word "berserk"

The ambiguity with the berserkers begins already from their name. Where did this word come from? It is first mentioned in the Elder Edda, then it is used by the skald Thorbjorn.

For a long time, until the middle of the 19th century, none of the experts had any doubts that berserkr means "without a shirt." However, Sveinbjorn Egilsson suggested in his dictionary that "berserk" means "bear shirt". The suggestion was readily accepted, although there is no alliance between bears and berserkers in the generic Irish sagas. Since then, there has been confusion.

The image of berserkers was influenced by pre-Christian beliefs about werewolves, so the translation "bear shirt" was met by mythologists even with enthusiasm. It gave them a lot of room for interpretation.

There is still no unity about where this word came from.

Sources

Berserkers were first mentioned by the skald Thorbjorn Hornklovi in ​​a poem about the victory of King Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Havrsfjord (presumably 872). The skald wrote about them: "The berserkers roared, / the battle was in full swing, / dressed in wolf skins howled / and shook their swords."

Berserkers are also mentioned in the Edda. Twice. Both times they are like semi-legendary heroes. Semi-legendary are also the wives of the berserkers who fight in the "Songs of Harbard" with Thor himself. But here, probably, as is often the case in mythology, there was an overlap of images, and the author means mythological giantesses by the wives of the berserkers.

The main source of information about the berserkers was a chapter dedicated to Odin from the History of the Norwegian Kings, written by Snorri Sturluson: “Odin knew how to make his enemies go blind or deaf in battle, or they were seized with fear, or their swords became no sharper than sticks, and his people went into battle without armor and were like rabid dogs and wolves, biting their shields and compared their strength with bears and bulls. They killed people, and they could not be taken by fire or iron. It's called going berserk."

That is, here the berserkers act as "Odin's people", which is quite remarkable, since nowhere before in the sagas and myths Odin is accompanied by any retinue of warriors.

There are also Icelandic family sagas. In them, the berserkers are already quite real people, but, to put it mildly, unattractive. They come to the houses of ordinary people on the eve of Christmas and arrange a rout there, rob and rape women. The positive hero in such stories is usually some brave Icelander who defeats the berserkers either with a club (because they are supposedly invulnerable to fire and iron) or cunning, because it is recognized as an axiom that berserkers are stupid.

In historical terms, it is this image of the berserker that is closest to the truth. The adoption of Christianity, centralization, "reformation of the army", the collapse of the Viking squads - all these factors left a large group of former warriors without a source of food, who, apart from how to fight, knew nothing more. Therefore, they robbed and reveled until the “anti-berserk” law of 1123 was issued in Iceland, in which it was written in black and white: “A berserker seen in a rage will be punished with 3 years of exile.”
It is significant that the law refers specifically to the “rage of the berserker”, as a special condition, and not a professional trait of warriors. We will return to this.

Did berserkers eat fly agarics?

Having figured out a bit about where the berserkers came from, in principle, you need to answer the main question ...

The “fly agaric theme” is constantly exaggerated in conversations about berserkers. However, these ideas do not have any objective basis.

First, the Icelandic skald Snorri spoke about the intoxication of the berserkers, he assured that the berserkers drink the drink of the trolls. There is no mention of anything like this in the berserk sagas.

Then, at the end of the 18th century, researcher S. Edman spoke about intoxicating berserkers with psychotropic drugs. At the same time, he connected the religion of the Vikings with East Siberian shamanism. Why? He alone knew this ... but the myth began to take root. Scientists, such as Reikborn-Hjennerud, for example, even admit that one of the berserkers really fought in a state of intoxication, indicate that this is not confirmed by any facts, so talking about this topic is sheer nonsense.

If you think logically, it is highly doubtful that the king would surround himself with 12 drug addicts with swords and axes.

Berserkers we know

We owe the idea of ​​berserkers that we have today to the medievalist historian, one of the theorists of Nazism, a member of the NSDAP and an employee of Annenerbe Otto Hoefler.
It was he who developed the idea that the berserkers are the warriors of Odin himself, a certain male caste of selected warriors who, for their fearlessness, go straight to Valhalla after death, where they form an alliance and enjoy life. Meanwhile, according to mythological ideas, the warriors in Valhalla do not form any alliances. During the day they indulge in "military fun", that is, they fight and kill each other, and at night they already indulge in fun. Such an "eternal battle".
It was the image of the berserker created by Hoefler and his ideas about the state-forming function of men's unions that became for the scientist a "pass" to both the National Socialist Party and Annenerbe. This was the new mythology of Nazism, in which racially correct berserkers were recognized as real "dogs of war", not tied to life, recklessly following Odin. Such glorification was beneficial to the new German government, it fit well into the framework of propaganda.