("They caused the bloody eagle to be carved on the back oflla, and they cut away all of the ribs from the spine, and then they ripped out his lungs. who rule land 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. 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. 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. Stay up to date on the latest science news by signing up for our Essentials newsletter. Other sources detail the practice more fully. Now is the bloody eagle In the Orkneyinga saga, the blood eagle is described as a sacrifice to Odin. And varr, the one 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. 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. at, had, the one who dwelt, Jrvk, skorit.[9]. Captors would cut and open large flaps of skin and muscle from their living victim's back and then sever the ribs from the spine, opening the ribs out to the sides to form "wings." A Viking Blood Eagle is a graphic form of execution where an individual's back would be sliced open and the ribs, intestines, and lungs pulled out while the victim was still alive. Find Blood Eagle stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. New York, "It is clear that a victim undergoing a 'full' blood eagle would have died long before their ribs could have been formed into the shape of wings and their lungs externalized.". 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. 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. He was previously a professor of medieval history at Dominican University from 2006-2017. Second, the mere act of opening the thoracic cavity from behind would likely weaken or sever several major arteries of the body, and probably deflate the lungs. Viking historian Luke John Murphy of the University of Iceland decided to enlist the aid of actual anatomical specialists to assess whether performing the blood eagle would even be feasible. Archived post. The victim, it is said, would still be alive at this point to experience the agony ofsaline stimulanthaving salt rubbed, quite literally, into his vast wound. Matthew Gabriele is a professor of medieval studies and chair of the Department of Religion & Culture at Virginia Tech. These representations take their cue from medieval sources written in both Old Norse and Latin. 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 allegedly performed throughout all of Scandinavia and also in conquered Viking lands that now comprise modern England and Ireland. A lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages. Was its inclusion in Viking sagas part of Christian propaganda meant to depict the Scandinavian pagans as heathens? bana Sigmundar In each of the extant nine accounts, the victim is captured in battle and has an eagle of some sort carved into their back. I'll 'vengeThee well; According to the two instances mentioned in the Sagas, the victims (in both cases members of royal families) were placed in a prone position, their ribs severed from the spine with a sharp tool, and their lungs pulled through the opening to create a pair of "wings". kinsmen of kings, Experts have long debated whether the blood eagle was a literary trope or an actual punishment. 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. The blood eagle is a method of execution detailed in late skaldic poetry. Around 1300 AD in the saga Norna-Gests, another reference appears, but it, too, is vague: Now the blood eagle Mindy studied film at Columbia University; prior to Live Science she produced, wrote and directed media for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. TheSagagoes on to explain thatthe Earl Einarsubjected Hdlfddnto the Blood Eaglebecause he had killed the Earl's father. According to 12th and 13th century authors, the Blood Eagle had a long tradition in Scandinavia, often being associated with Vikings, and was used against the most heinous enemies. The blood eagle was a method of ritually executing a chosen member as detailed in late skaldic poetry.According to the two instances mentioned in the Sagas, the victims (in both cases members of royal families) were placed in a prone position, their ribs severed from the spine with a sharp tool, and their lungs pulled through the opening to create a pair of "wings". One would first need to rapidly remove all the skin and muscles of the back; it would otherwise not be possible to cut and manipulate the underlying ribs so the lungs could be removed. Select from premium Blood Eagle of the highest quality. "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. The sources are often vague, referencing legendary figures of dubious veracity or mixing up accepted historical chronology. 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. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. Borg later attacked Kattegat when Horik excluded him from their raids and battled Ragnar and his men. Depends on who you ask. Thus, the blood eagle was manifested in all its gory glory. His latest book, co-authored with David M. Perry, is The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe (Harper, December 2021). Ragnars legacy and presence could still be felt until the end of the series, and he left behind various memorable moments, both good and violent, and falling into the latter category is the death of Jarl Borg (Thorbjrn Harr). Blood-Eagle lines on Thy foe shall be flowing.". Either way, the rituals appearance in these texts is intended to send a message tied to honor and revenge. 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. Her writing has also appeared in Scientific American, The Washington Post and How It Works Magazine. According to the books of history, the Blood Eagle was a religious rite dedicated to the god Odin with the objective of imparting fear to the enemies of the Viking's. This method is mentioned in The Tale of Ragnars sons, in which Ivar the Boneless captured King Aelle and sentenced him to die by blood eagle as he was responsible for Ragnars death. had Ellas back Cut with an eagle? Well, thats sort of vague, isnt it? No contemporary accounts of the rite exist, and the scant references in the sagas are several hundred years after the Christianization of Scandinavia. A common element in the medieval sources, according to the authors of the new study, is that the aggressors perform the ritual on enemies who killed one of their family members. "The blood eagle was thus no mere torture: it had meaning," the researchers wrote in the study. The Heimskringla Saga from 1230 describes the same alleged incident: According to 12th and 13th century authors, the Blood Eagle had a long tradition in Scandinavia, often being associated with Vikings,and was used against the most heinous enemies. This they did at the appointed time; and when they had captured him, they ordered the figure of an eagle to be cut in his back, rejoicing to crush their most ruthless foe by marking him with the cruellest of birds. Popular opinion ebbs and flows, especially regarding history. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round. The vertebral column would still present an obstacle to removing the lungs, and the primary bronchi and pulmonary veins and arteries aren't long enough to allow the lungs to be removed while they are still attached. Thorbjrn Harr played Jarl Borg of Gtaland in the first two seasons of the History Channel series. "[15] She concludes that the authors of the sagas misunderstood alliterative kennings that alluded to leaving one's foes face down on the battlefield, their backs torn as carrion by scavenging birds. 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. The victim was offered up as a ritual sacrifice to Odin, the Nordic god of war. of the killer of Sigmund. She suggests that these tales of martyrdom inspired further exaggeration of the misunderstood skaldic verses into a grandiose torture and death rite with no actual historic basis. In TheOrkneyingaSaga, Hdlfddn(Halfdan) underwent the Blood Eagle after he was defeated in battle: "Next morning they found Hdlfddn Hdlegg on Kinar's Hill. The show led them to medieval sagas, which opened up further questions and made them realize they needed to consult a historian. One account describes the cut as extending "down to the loins," and in that case, the lower back's latissimus dorsi muscle would also have been cut. Some precision is called for here, since they're supposed to be removed one at a time. Next, take an axe there's nothing about sharpening it first and use the axe to hew the victim's ribs from the spine. Jennifer Ouellette 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. Then we come to various rituals and rites that don't involve reciting sagas and drinking a lot. 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. About 50 percent died during the first year due to their inexperience at meeting the dangers of living in the wild. 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. The give-and-take nature of the pairs collaboration with Luke John Murphy, a historian of religion at the University of Iceland, proved eminently fruitful, with the different perspectives of history and medicine pushing the scholars in unexpected ways. Fr var fremri, There is debate about whether the blood eagle was historically practiced, or whether it was a literary device invented by the authors who transcribed the sagas. 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). 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. According to Saxo Grammaticus'sGesta Danorum, after the previously detailed mutilation, the flesh was rubbed with salt. "[18], While taking no view on the historical authenticity of the ritual, the authors of a 2022 study concluded that the ritual as described was not inconsistent either with physiology or the tools available within the sociocultural context of the Viking era. The work of scholars is to understand how this violence fit into a complex societyand a new study does just that. 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. The only evidence comes from the Sagas, written many years after the events they describe and are thus notoriously unreliable. 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. Early in the series, a rival leader named Jarl Borg (Thorbjrn Harr) of nearby Gtaland leads an attack on Ragnar's men and even convinces Ragnar's brother to betray him. Heimskringla/Harald Harfager's Saga#Halfdan Haleg's Death. A BRUTAL Viking torture ritual rubbished by researchers may have actually been a thing, according to a new study. They further concluded that, were it performed in the most extreme versions depicted in the sagas and the subject of the torture still lived at that point, death would have followed the severing of the ribs from the spine within seconds, due either to exsanguination or asphyxiation. Borg doesn't get an easy death when his schemes ultimately fail and he is captured. David Horspool in his book King Alfred: Burnt Cakes and Other Legends, while not committing to the historical veracity of the rite, also saw parallels to martyrdom tracts. Study co-authorsMonte GatesandHeidi Fuller, both medical scientists at Keele University in England, were spurred to investigate the blood eagle by the Vikings series. The Norse god Odin was traditionally the recipient of Blood Eagle sacrifices before and after battles. The account of lle, the king of Northumbria being thus treated by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok in retaliation for Ragn. 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.) It was great. Always loved the ending of Midsommar for the Blood Eagle. His co-authors conducted several simulations using modern anatomy software, while Murphy re-assessed the stories, archaeological evidence, and historical accounts in light of their findings. The work of scholars is to understand how this violence fit into a complex societyand a new study does just that. Saxo, who wrote duringthe late 12th and early 13thcenturies, recorded oral traditions and history as well as events from his own time. had Ella's back David M. Perry The 'Blood Eagle' ritual was allegedly practiced from the 8th to the 11th centuries by Scandinavian sea raiders. who dwelt at York, A detail from a Viking-era picture stone in Gotland, Sweden, shows a ritual execution resembling a practice described in Nordic. After that, his exposed lungs would be pulled out of his body and spread over his wings, offering witnesses the sight of a final bird-like fluttering as he died. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The show led them to medieval sagas, which opened up further questions and made them realize they needed to consult a historian. David M. Perry is the co-author ofThe Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. They then looked at weapons from that era, to see how diverse blades might have been used for a task so laborious and grisly. 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. Performing such a horrific act would have been "anatomically challenging" for the torturer but it would not have been impossible, scientists reported in the January 2022 issue of Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies. In the numerous sagas that mention the Blood Eagle practice, revenge and pure disdain often preceded its usage. But What is it, Really. Before we get into the details, remember that this one specialized in keeping the subject alive throughout the proceedings. Nec vulnus impressisse contenti, laceratam salivere carnem. 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. 10 Methods Of Execution For Utah That Are Way More Fun Than FiringSquads. The blood eagle seems to have been a more extreme case of this sort of behaviour conducted only in exceptional circumstances: on a captured prisoner of war who had earlier subjected the. Its important to remember that historical records on Vikings and their way of living are scarce and most information is based on sagas, poems, tales, and more, so there were going to be elements that would have to be changed, embellished, or created in order to tell a cohesive story in Vikings. (Warning: some graphic anatomical descriptions follow.). Whats more, its spectacular brutality would have ensured that everybody who heard about it would be keen to tell the story in all its gory detailsjust as were still telling them today.". [16] Frank's paper sparked a "lively debate". Why Did Madison Write the Second Amendment? It would have been very difficult to separate the ribs from the vertebrae, since the joints are stabilized by very strong ligaments. But one thing is beyond dispute: Either the Vikings were sick individuals, or their conquerors had a sick imagination. Spectacular executions, displaying of dead bodies, and "deviant burials" did occursuch as the skeleton of a beheaded noblewoman buried with her head tucked under arm and her jawbone replaced by a pig's mandible. 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. In 1984, historian Roberta Frank published Viking atrocity and Skaldic verse: the rite of the Blood Eagle, in which she suggests that the earliest references may have only meant that Vikings would allow birds to peck away at the backs of people that theyd already murdered: The blood-eagling procedure varies from text to text, becoming more lurid, pagan, and time-consuming with each passing century. This horrific murder method was allegedly practiced not only on conquered soldiers, but on Viking men whod performed evil deeds and had thus lost all honor in the eyes of the community. Lists about punishments, penalties, systemic harm, and execution methods used then, now, here, and all around the world. It is alleged that the practice was invented by Ivarr the Boneless, a Viking military leader in occupied England who lived in the 800s and disappeared from the historical record by 870 AD. The debate among historians about whether or not the Blood Eagle actually occurred continues. The Vietnam War Crimes You Never Heard Of. cut with [an] eagle.[1]. He dedicated the victim to Odin as a victory offering.. Real Executions Downplayed in Film and TV, Execution and Infamy in 18th Century Britain, Details About The Blood Eagle, One Of History's Most Nightmarish Torture Methods. The torturer would then complete the ritual by pulling out the victim's intact lungs and laying them over the extended ribs (by this point, the victim was certainly deceased, the researchers wrote). Set to be published inSpeculum: A Journal of Medieval Studieslater 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.
