In popular lore, few images are as synonymous with Viking brutality as the blood eagle, a practice that allegedly found torturers separating the victims ribs from their spine, pulling their bones and skin outward to form a set of wings, and removing their lungs from their chest cavity. Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. Privacy Statement ), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Review: AP Program Undermines Humanities, Devalues College, and Cheats Students of Learning, SCOTUS's Stay of Mifepristone Ruling a Win for Abortion Rights, but Shows Dangerous Power of "Shadow Docket", How the Reagan Administration Used "A Nation at Risk" to Push for School Privatization, Ned Blackhawk Unmakes the American Origin Story. For Ivarr the Boneless, the feared Viking portrayed in Assassins Creed: Valhalla, the Old Norse Kntsdrpa simply says, And varr, who ruled at York, had llas back cut with an eagle. (This succinct description has led some scholars to posit that an actual eagle was used to slice open the Northumbrian kings back.) Alfred Smyth argues that it was a historical method of execution but bear in mind he is a specialist in medieval history of the British Isles, not Viking Age Scandinavia. who dwelt at York, Hdlfddn's death inThe Orkneyinga Sagawas as much an act of revenge as an offering to Odin, thoughwriters lateromittedthe reference to the Norse god. "Class War" is Back in the Headlines. Their findings indicate, for instance, that torturers may have used spears with shallow hooks to unzip the ribs from the spinea conclusion that could explain the presence of a spear inone of the few(possible) medieval visual depictions of the ritual. Scan this QR code to download the app now. David M. Perry In popular lore, few images are as synonymous with Viking brutality as the " blood eagle ," a practice that allegedly found torturers separating the victim's ribs from their spine, pulling. The victim had become a slimy, bloody bird. This ritual appears in two instances in Norse literature and they coincide in the victims being noblemen, just like Jarl Borg, though in these cases the executions were in retaliation for the murder of a father. It's described as a sacrifice to Odin in thanks for Einarr's victory. It consists of having the ribs severed from the spine and the lungs pulled through the opening to simulate a pair of wings. But wait: there's more. "They've provided a totally fresh perspective on some very old questions, and let us tackle the blood eagle in a new way," he said. Seemingly 'empty' burial mound is hiding a 1,200-year-old Viking ship, Rare, 1,000-year-old Viking Age iron hoard found in basement in Norway, Extremely rare white killer whale spotted off California coast. Each rib was then meticulously separated from the backbone with an ax, which left the victims internal organs on full display.". Borg doesn't get an easy death when his schemes ultimately fail and he is captured. Some precision is called for here, since . However, theres a lot of debate on whether the blood eagle was real, a literary invention, or a mistake in the translation of the original texts. Updated June 19, 2019 567.2k views5 items The Blood Eagle is one of the most graphic, cruel, and lengthy torture methods ever described. During the 1980s, Murphy says, the prevailing attitude in scholarship [was] that the Vikings had been unfairly maligned as bloodthirsty barbarians, and that they were really savvy [and rational] economic actors. The pendulum had swung the other way. ok hugin gladdi.[12]. However, ribs could potentially be "unzipped" from the spine with a small, barbed spearhead, and such weapons have also been recovered from Viking burials, the researchers reported. A posterior view of the thorax, illustrating some deeper structures encountered while exposing the ribs. The blood eagle was a method of ritually executing a chosen member as detailed in late skaldic poetry. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. baki ristinn. After that, his ribs would be hacked from his spine with an ax, one by one, and the bones and skin on both sides pulled outward to create a pair of wings from the mans back. Citing accounts from books published in 1799 and 1834, Smithsonian Magazine provides a much more elaborate (and nauseating) definition of the Blood Eagle torture method: First the intended victim would be restrained, face down; next, the shape of an eagle with outstretched wings would be cut into his back. Photos: 10th-century Viking tomb unearthed in Denmark, 1,200-year-old pagan temple to Thor and Odin unearthed. Archived post. See more at profgabriele.com. They used anatomical modeling software to effectively recreate extreme versions of the blood eagle, simulating the effect of each step of the torture on the human body. The debate among historians about whether or not the Blood Eagle actually occurred continues. Saxo Grammaticus in Gesta Danorum tells the following about Bjrn and Sigvard, sons of Ragnar Lodbrok and king lla: Idque statuto tempore exsecuti, comprehensi ipsius dorsum plaga aquilam figurante affici iubent, saevissimum hostem atrocissimi alitis signo profligare gaudentes. Now is the bloody eagle Not satisfied with impressing a wound on him, they salted the mangled flesh. Hacking away at the ribs with a sword or small axeas Ragnar does in the Vikings scene would have seriously damaged the lungs. The work of scholars is to understand how this violence fit into a complex societyand a new study does just that. The conventional interpretation of the Blood Eagle stipulates that the shape of an eagle was carved onto the victim's back, after which the skin was pulled back and the ribs were detached from the spine. It was great. The primary versions share certain commonalities: the victims are both noblemen (Halfdan Haaleg or "Long-leg" was a prince; lla of Northumbria a king), and both of the executions were in retaliation for the murder of a father. Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. He characterized St. Dunstan's description of lla's killing as an "accurate account of a body subjected to the ritual of the blood eagle". Ragnar performs theblrn (blood eagle) on Borg, a gruesome process of ritualized torture and execution allegedly carried out during the Viking Age (c. 7501050). Lots of people become victims of other people's press, and more than a few have tripped over their own feet and created image problems forever after. David M. Perry is a freelance journalist covering politics, history, education, and disability rights. Victims likely lost consciousness early in the process as flesh was removed from their backs; the quantity of blood loss and subsequent lung collapse would have killed them long before the grisly ordeal was finished, and "much of the procedure would have been performed on a corpse," the scientists reported. Cookie Settings, The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe, Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States, Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Otherand the Birds Loved It, Balto's DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog, The Science of California's 'Super Bloom,' Visible From Space, What We're Still Learning About Rosalind Franklins Unheralded Brilliance. The execution method shows up twice in the popular History Channel drama series Vikings as a ritual reserved for the protagonists worst enemies, Jarl Borg and King lla, a fictionalized counterpart to the actual Northumbrian ruler. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Vikings told the story of legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels and raid alongside his Viking brothers, from the beginning of the Viking Age (marked by the Lindisfarne raid, as seen in season 1) onward. The lungs were then pulled out and over the ribs, mimicking the image of the wings of a spread eagle. New research reveals the feasibility of the infamous execution method. Viking warriors were known to go to extreme lengths to protect their reputations, and the blood eagle appears to have been reserved for exacting revenge for the dishonorable killing of a father (or other male relative). Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. The conventional term for this ancient form of persecutionrefers to eagles, though it has also been historicallyassociated with owls. Related: Fierce fighters: 7 secrets of Viking seamen. The life span of eagles in the wild is generally around 30 years. A brutal, ritualized method of torture and execution that was allegedly practiced by Nordic people during the Viking Age was so gruesome that some scholars questioned whether it was even possible to perform on a human body. If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission. Experts havelong debatedwhether the blood eagle was a literary trope or an actual punishment. Unless performed very carefully, the victim would have died quickly from suffocation or blood loss; even if the ritual was conducted with care, the subject wouldve almost certainly died before the full blood eagle could be completed. I'll 'vengeThee well; Work on the anatomical limits of the ritual spurred me to consider the wider social and cultural limits within which any historical blood eagle would have had to have taken place, Murphy says. Ritual torture like the blood eagle dehumanized by literally transforming man into an animal. This is technically possible, although it would require tremendous strength and coordination, and the ribs would likely need to be fractured again somewhere on the victim's side. We wouldnt wish the Blood Eagle upon our worst enemyOK, except for maybe that one guy who did that one thing one time. Her writing has also appeared in Scientific American, The Washington Post and How It Works Magazine. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The game begins with Senua arriving on 49 A gruesome form of execution whereby an eagle is carved onto the victim, their ribs severed from their spine and their lungs pulled out to resemble wings . 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With a broad sword Advertising Notice The History Channel series Vikings is a fictional account of legendary Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), who was born a farmer and became a Scandinavian king. The victim was allegedly alive the entire time, and his last breaths would cause a final fluttering of the lungs, akin to the fluttering of a bird's wings. In the paper, the authors move methodically through the medieval sources before discussing what would happen to the human body if the fullest version of the procedure was carried out (in short, nothing good). Theres nothing about severing the ribs from the spine or pulling the lungs over the exposed ribsthose details would be piled on, one-by-one, over the coming years. The answer is complex. Per the authors, "holding a sharpened blade parallel to the underlying muscle layer, while making long cutting incisions just superficial to the muscles" would have made it possible to remove the outer skin and muscle. Set to be published in Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies later this month, the article sidesteps the question of whether the ritual actually took place during the Viking Age, instead asking whether the blood eagle could feasibly serve as a torture method. Borg later attacked Kattegat when Horik excluded him from their raids and battled Ragnar and his men. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. The longest that any Bald Eagle has been known to live in the wild is 39 years. The victim was offered up as a ritual sacrifice to Odin, the Nordic god of war. The work of scholars is to understand how this violence fit into a complex societyand a new study does just that. A Note to our Readers Matthew Gabriele is a professor of medieval studies and chair of the Department of Religion & Culture at Virginia Tech. Find Blood Eagle stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. While dissecting a living human body in this way was within the realm of possibility, surviving such torture was not. "There is no possibility that a victim would have remained alive throughout the procedure," the researchers wrote. The research team also stated that the ritual was 'consistent with the Viking . cut with [an] eagle.[1]. The blood-eagle ritual-killing rite appears in just two instances in Norse literature, plus oblique references some have interpreted as referring to the same practice. However, the first literary reference to this practice didnt emerge until sometime between 1020 and 1038 AD in this simple passage from the Viking saga The Tale of Ragnars Sons, which describes Ivarrs murder of King Ella: And varr, the one [5], Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won.[6]. who dwelt at York, Haralds Saga, from the Orkney Islands, states that Viking Earl Torf-Einar had his enemys ribs cut from the spine with a sword and the lungs pulled out through the slits in his back. Here's your blood eagle how-to, as related by Smithsonian Magazine: First, fasten the victim, face-down, and carve the image of an eagle, wings outstretched, on the victim's back. It was allegedly performed throughout all of Scandinavia and also in conquered Viking lands that now comprise modern England and Ireland. lla and Edmund were both victims of Ivar the Boneless. So it probably comes as no surprise that the group known as the Vikings gets a new veneer every few years or so. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine There are two sources that purport to describe Torf-Einarr's ritual execution of Harald Fairhair's son, Halfdan Long-Leg, in the late 9th century. Vikings saw Jarl Borg being killed through the "blood eagle" ritual, and while some texts talk about this method, it might have not been real. Free or royalty-free photos and images. However, when it comes to the depictions of blood eagle, Murphy pointed out one crucial aspect regarding the perception of Vikings in the 21st century. DOI: Speculum, 2021. David M. Perry is the co-author ofThe Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. The blood eagles prominence within Viking societyboth during the medieval era and as ascribed in the centuries sincestems from its emphasis on ritual and revenge. NY 10036. However, the victim inevitably would have died from shock and blood loss very early on in the process, so the final fluttering of the lungs is likely poetic license. But in the nine known written accounts of the blood eagle ritual, the people who ordered the torture and their victims were men of elevated social status, and most of them were royal, according to the study. Oral tradition can screw up details, especially when theres a 200-year lapse between the alleged event and the description. The account of lle, the king of Northumbria being thus treated by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok in retaliation for Ragn. Jennifer Ouellette - 1/10/2022, 11:22 AM. In Vikings, Jarl Borg endures the entire process in silence before expiring, thereby earning his place in Valhalla. [14], Roberta Frank reviewed the historical evidence for the rite in her "Viking Atrocity and Skaldic Verse: The Rite of the Blood-Eagle", where she writes: "By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the various saga motifseagle sketch, rib division, lung surgery, and 'saline stimulant'were combined in inventive sequences designed for maximum horror. Perception may or may not be reality, and if you tend to see the Vikings as cruel, sadistic, muscle-bound axe-lovers, here's evidence to back it up. Regardless of whether it is fact or legend, performing such a ritual, while challenging, would have been anatomically possible with the tools available at the time, according to the authors ofa recent paper published in the journal Speculum, and would be in keeping with the Vikings' cultural mores.

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