blood eagle real life photo

This, in turn, led to a more nuanced discussion of not only what could have happened, but how and why. "Class War" is Back in the Headlines. 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. 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. NY 10036. Related: Fierce fighters: 7 secrets of Viking seamen. 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. 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. There has been continuing debate about whether the rite was a literary invention, a mistranslation of the original texts, or an authentic historical practice.[1][2][3]. The blood eagle was an execution method done by the Vikings of Scandinavia. The Disturbing Truth About The Vikings' Blood Eagle Execution 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. The Vietnam War Crimes You Never Heard Of. 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. And then, as a grand finale, the recipient's lungs are sort of, kind of removed but left sort of attached, so that the audience can watch them kind of "flutter" as the victim tried to take a few last breaths. Jrvk, skorit.[9]. A typical Iron Age fighting knife would have been ideal for this purpose. Experts havelong debatedwhether the blood eagle was a literary trope or an actual punishment. 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. 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. Many historians suggest that even the earliest literary references to the Blood Eagle were in poems rather than in historical accounts, which may mean they were merely intended for entertainment and not to be taken literally. Some accounts also mention the pouring of salt on the victim's wounds. Vikings, like many medieval people, could be spectacularly violent, but perhaps not more so than other groups across a range of time periods. Brutal Viking 'blood eagle' ritual execution was anatomically possible Her writing has also appeared in Scientific American, The Washington Post and How It Works Magazine. A posterior view of the thorax illustrating the results of detaching or cutting the ribs. Mindy Weisberger is a Live Science editor for the channels Animals and Planet Earth. According to Saxo, the term eagle was used by men who rejoiced in "[crushing] their most ruthless foe by marking him with the cruellest of birds.". Jarl Borg's character was one of the most popular in the series as he was. The tallest guy in recent history was a man named Robert Wadlow, who stood at 8 11 and did indeed need braces to stand due to his enormous height. The Disturbing Truth About The Vikings' Blood Eagle Execution. Next, take an axe there's nothing about sharpening it first and use the axe to hew the victim's ribs from the spine. Her videos about dinosaurs, astrophysics, biodiversity and evolution appear in museums and science centers worldwide, earning awards such as the CINE Golden Eagle and the Communicator Award of Excellence. Saxo, who wrote duringthe late 12th and early 13thcenturies, recorded oral traditions and history as well as events from his own time. As the story progressed, Vikings shifted its focus to Ragnars sons and their own journeys, with them taking over the series after Ragnars death in season 4. Was the Legendary Viking "Blood Eagle" Torture Real? The [ritual], as it exists in popular culture today, owes a lot to the attitudes of Victorian scholars who were keen to exaggerate its role.. The second account comes from Norse poet and historian Snorri Sturluson: "Afterwards, Earl Einarr went up to Halfdan and cut the 'blood eagle' on his back, in this fashion that he thrust his sword into his chest by the backbone and severed all the ribs down to the loins, and then pulled out the lungs; and that was Halfdan's death.". A detail from a Viking-era picture stone in Gotland, Sweden, shows a ritual execution resembling a practice described in Nordic. 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. Single-edged "fighting knives" with rigid handles have been found in elite Viking burials, and some resemble large knives that are used in modern autopsies, according to the study. 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The blood eagle is referred to by the 11th-century poet Sigvatr rarson, who, some time between 1020 and 1038, wrote a skaldic verse named Kntsdrpa[9] that recounts and establishes Ivar the Boneless as having killed lla and subsequently cutting his back. [19][20], Ragnar Lodbrok's sons and King lla of Northumbria. "There is no possibility that a victim would have remained alive throughout the procedure," the researchers wrote. Matthew Gillis, a historian at the University of Tennessee and the author of an upcoming book on medieval horror, describes medieval Christian authors as horror experts. He says that textual vignettes like the ones featured in the new study were intended to teach a lesson, such as frighten[ing] their audiences into returning to God. Though some of the Old Norse sources detailing the practice predate Christianitys rise in the region, they were read and retold for centuries after their creation. 936 Blood Eagle Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock In each of the extant nine accounts, the victim is captured in battle and has an eagle of some sort carved into their back. So it probably comes as no surprise that the group known as the Vikings gets a new veneer every few years or so. BLOOD EAGLE EXECUTION OF KING AELLE - BEHIND THE SCENES PICTURES - VIKINGS - YouTube 0:00 / 1:54 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users. breium hjrvi Historians are divided as to whether the Blood Eagle was a real practice or simply a myth that originated from misinterpretation of ancient Nordic sagas. Few were better Thorbjrn Harr played Jarl Borg of Gtaland in the first two seasons of the History Channel series. Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. ), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Hacking away at the ribs with a sword or small axeas Ragnar does in the Vikings scene would have seriously damaged the lungs. York, cut. The use of salt was later adopted by writers; they described the process as a "saline stimulant" intended to inflict additional pain and suffering, usually applied before the lungs were spread. Supposedly, this was reserved for the worst of the worst criminals, like someone who murdered his parents , but there is some question as to whether or not the . - Jan 10, 2022 7:22 pm UTC. There was a time when George Custer was a genuine American hero; now, not so much. 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. "), There are also two accounts of Torf-Einarr's execution of Halfdan Haaleg. About 50 percent died during the first year due to their inexperience at meeting the dangers of living in the wild. 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. That's especially the case with the blood eagle ritual, which has long been dismissed as mere legendwhether because of repeated misunderstandings during translations of the poems or perhaps a desire by Christian scholars to portray the pagan Vikings as barbaric. | READ MORE. If you know anything about history, its that they winners are never content simply winningthey need to justify their victory by claiming their victims were evil and deserved it. The Vikings may have performed the "Blood Eagle" or "Butterfly Cut" cracking the victim's ribs from the back and pulling out his lungs, and spreading them out like wings behind him. 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). had Ella's back The answer is complex. Jennifer Ouellette - 1/10/2022, 11:22 AM. He's currently the senior academic advisor in the History Department at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

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