Vincent Samson
The berserkers are among the most fascinating figures in medieval Scandinavian literature. These elite warriors, “like bears or wolves,” reveal their “second nature” in terrifying fits of savagery. Highly prized by the rulers of the ancient North, the berserkers were considered companions of Odin, a furious deity who mastered the art of metamorphosis. Going beyond an analysis of legendary stereotypes, this book seeks to demonstrate the historicity of a tradition associated with the sacred aspects of the royal function. The berserkers embody a model of military companionship attested in various forms in ancient Germanic societies. This is the first comprehensive study published in France on the subject. The author subjects all medieval sources (poems, sagas, chronicles, epigraphic, onomastic, and archaeological documentation) to rigorous critical examination, as well as interpretations proposed over the past two centuries by Scandinavian, German, and Anglo-Saxon specialists. The approach taken is resolutely interdisciplinary, combining philology and the study of iconographic evidence, comparative mythology, and the history of societies and institutions. This book is not only intended for specialists in Viking civilization—linguists, historians, and archaeologists—but also for readers interested in the martial practices and religious beliefs of pre-Christian Europe.