Berserkers

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɚˌsɚkɚz/

Definitions

1. Fierce Norse warriors known for their battle frenzy, often fighting with uncontrolled rage and apparent invulnerability
2. Individuals in ancient Scandinavian culture who exemplified extreme bravery and were said to channel animalistic ferocity in combat
3. Historically referred to as warriors who wore bearskins and entered a trance-like state during warfare, leading to ruthless aggression and intensity

Etymology: The Torslunda plates, a set of bronze dies found on the Swedish island of Öland and dated to roughly the sixth or seventh century, show a warrior in a wolfskin, and the name the Norse later gave these fighters seems to have meant "bear-shirt." The Old Norse "berserkr" is generally taken to combine "bjǫrn" ("bear") with "serkr" ("coat" or "shirt"), a reference to bearskins worn into battle. An older idea that the first element came from "berr" ("bare"), describing men who fought without armour, is now thought unlikely. The Scottish novelist and historian Walter Scott brought the word into English, first in 1814 in a work on Northern antiquities, where he spelled it "berserkir," and again in his 1822 novel "The Pirate," spelled "berserkar." Its close relative "berserk" is a doublet, reaching English by a different route and taking on the sense of uncontrolled rage.

Synonyms: warriors, fighters