One of the most gruesome Viking rituals is the Blood Eagle which is done by opening the back, hacking the ribs then pulling out the lungs like wings.
A study was done to verify if it was true and not just a hearsay of history. The practice was utterly brutal if accounts were true.
The Scandinavians were savage raiders and warriors who would use the legendary punishment for their most despised enemies.
The shocking savagery of the Vikings
This ritual is supposed to be practiced by the Norse raiders in the 8th to 11th centuries. There are no actual written records to prove it exists, reported the Daily Mail.
Its only evidence that it actually existed is in the poetry and sagas inspired from this dark time when Europe was in the thrones of an unenlightened era.
Many historians double that the unusually grotesque practice was not real but a misinterpretation of Nordic poetry.
Another explanation is that Christianity sought to portray the Vikings as heathens who were the enemy of the church. These descriptions were used to make the Vikings look bloodthirsty and awful.
Recently, an organized study by a group of scientists from Iceland University set out to verify if the practice were done with Viking arms, cited Vigourtimes.
The authors of the study added that victims would have died shortly, not like the legends saying the victims were still alive once the grisly torture was done.
Also, it was just as how Vikings would regard the remains of their foe, with a connection to their concept of maintaining their honor. The Viking Ritual called Blood Eagle was exceptionally brutal based on how it was done.
The bloody practice is seen in a show depicting and dramatizing the life of Scandinavians. Even a horror film featured it emphasizing the sheer violence and brutality.
The study
The research was under historian Luke John Murphy of the University of Iceland, and Keele University scientists.
According to the Conversation, it was skinning the victim's back in two equal halves like wings. Next, the ribs were broken to allow the lungs to slip from the back. It is utterly barbaric and unthinkable to even consider it as punishment. When the exposed lungs stop working, it is supposed to look like the wings of a bird.
There is debate on the barbaric ritual, said the authors. Most were looking at the dark age tests. Terms like cutting or carving the back of victims are argued over. Dr. Murphy decided if the ritual can be possible at all.
Is Blood Eagle Possible?
They said it was possible and the conclusion was reached through nine accounts in the dark ages. They studied how they understood anatomy and physiology and how the terrible act would affect the body.
According to Dr. Murphy, the use of barbed or lugged spearheads could have removed the skin and cut the ribs to draw out the lungs. It was possible to do, they determined.
They said that the weapon is carved in a 7th century 'Stora Hammars' stone monuments found in Gotland, showing the Blood eagle or another execution.
This gruesome Viking ritual was seen as very cruel and reflected how the victims suffered before dying, and how Norsemen treated enemies.
Related article : Seven Viking Tombs from the 10th Century With Remains of Eight People Discovered by Swedish Archeologists
