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Quiz about The Vikings  Berserkers
Quiz about The Vikings  Berserkers

The Vikings: Berserkers Trivia Quiz


Those Vikings who fought in a trance-like rage were called Berserkers. What do you know about these elite warriors?

A photo quiz by ponycargirl. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
ponycargirl
Time
4 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
374,807
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
569
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 176 (8/10), Guest 192 (8/10), Guest 98 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The etymology of the term "berserker" is still debated today. Some believe that it may derive from the fact that Berserkers went into battle without clothes.


Question 2 of 10
2. There are some who believe the term "berserker" came from the animal pelt that was worn into battle. Which animal gave the Berserker the strength he needed to fight? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. It is believed that Viking Berserkers belonged to a cult of one of their gods. With which Norse god were they associated? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Some Norse stories insinuate that Berserkers could shift-shape or at least acquire the qualities of which of the following animals? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What ability do Norse legends say a Berserker had in regards to the weapons of his opponents? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Many believe Berserkers fought "under the influence". Which of the following do historians believe they consumed before battle? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. According to Norse sagas, there were usually twelve members in a band of Berserkers, and the name of their leader was often a form of a name that meant "bear". Which of the following could be the name of the Berserker leader?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What did a Berserker do to alter his physical appearance so as to further try and terrorize his opponent? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. According to Norse sagas, how did a Berserker look when he went into battle? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. It is believed that the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VII, had a contingent of Norse Berserkers who served him. What was this group called? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The etymology of the term "berserker" is still debated today. Some believe that it may derive from the fact that Berserkers went into battle without clothes.

Answer: False

One side of the etymology debate is that the term Berserker may mean "bare-sark", or "bare of shirt". Snorri Sturluson, a thirteenth century Viking poet and historian, wrote "they went without coats of mail, and acted like mad dogs...."; it is believed they went into battle bare-chested or without armour.
2. There are some who believe the term "berserker" came from the animal pelt that was worn into battle. Which animal gave the Berserker the strength he needed to fight?

Answer: Bear

Other people believe the term should be "bear-sark," and that it came from the fact that a Berserker would normally wear the pelt of a bear when going into battle. The bear was an animal associated with Norse gods, and by wearing the pelt, a Berserker could hope to win the gods' favor and the animal's strength.
3. It is believed that Viking Berserkers belonged to a cult of one of their gods. With which Norse god were they associated?

Answer: Odin

Berserkers are sometimes described as Odin's special warriors. The name Odin, or the old Norse Óðinn, means rage or fury. It is related to the German "Wut" (Wóden), which means rage and in Old High German also meant "possession" in the sense of being possessed (with fury).

There are over 170 names for Odin, which all describe the various aspects of his persona. Of course, the attributes ascribed to Berserkers are just part of the multifaceted Odin, but the madness of the Berserker seems to fit Odin's name.
4. Some Norse stories insinuate that Berserkers could shift-shape or at least acquire the qualities of which of the following animals?

Answer: Wolf

It was believed that Berserkers could shift-shape into either a bear or wolf. Berserkers are also called "Úlfhéðnar", or "men clad in wolfskins" in one of the oldest surviving poems called the "Haraldskvæði":
"I'll ask of the berserks, you tasters of blood,
Those intrepid heroes, how are they treated,
Those who wade out into battle?
Wolf-skinned they are called."
Of course, shape-shifting is also a talent ascribed to Odin!
5. What ability do Norse legends say a Berserker had in regards to the weapons of his opponents?

Answer: He could blunt them by his gaze.

Stories about Berserkers say that "no weapon could bite them" or "iron could not bite into him." In fact, while in animal-form, it is said that a Berserker could not be harmed, that "blades and weapons glanced off" him. It is believed that while a Berserker was in his rage, that he had some kind of immunity from harm; even though he might receive severe wounds, he would make no note of them until the madness had passed.
6. Many believe Berserkers fought "under the influence". Which of the following do historians believe they consumed before battle?

Answer: Mushrooms

Modern scholars believe the Berserkers may have used hallucinogens, especially the mushroom "amanita muscaria". This idea was first suggested in 1784 by the Swedish professor Samuel Ödmann, who based his theory on reports that the mushroom had been used by shamans in Siberia. No evidence of this type of intoxication has been found in Viking writings.

It has also been suggested that the Berserkers may have consumed massive amounts of alcohol, self-induced the fits of hysteria, or have been mentally unbalanced.
7. According to Norse sagas, there were usually twelve members in a band of Berserkers, and the name of their leader was often a form of a name that meant "bear". Which of the following could be the name of the Berserker leader?

Answer: Bjorn

Bjorn, from the Old Norse for "bear", or some form of the name, would be chosen for the leader of the group. It is thought that Berserkers went through some sort of initiation rite and that battle, either real or imaginery, with a bear was part of the action.

In the "Grettirs Saga" there is a story of a man named Bjorn throwing Grettir's cloak into the den of a bear. Grettir retrieves the cloak, kills the bear, and comes out of the den with the bear's paw.
8. What did a Berserker do to alter his physical appearance so as to further try and terrorize his opponent?

Answer: He dyed his body.

As if the fit of rage was not terrifying enough, the Berserker also dyed his body. So, does the image of the shape-shifter, wolf or bear, raging mad, body-colored Berserker fill you with terror?
9. According to Norse sagas, how did a Berserker look when he went into battle?

Answer: Like a troll

The Viking sagas describe Berserkers as being very ugly; in fact, they were so ugly that sometimes they were mistaken for trolls. There is a story that a Berserker, Egil, was invited to the court of King Æthelstan. At the feast, Egil was making such terrible faces at the king, that he paid Egil a gold ring to stop! "His eyes were black and his eyebrows joined in the middle.

He refused to touch a drink even though people were serving him, and did nothing but pull his eyebrows up and down, now this one, now the other...." In another saga it was said that "for size and ugliness they were more like monsters than like men".
10. It is believed that the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VII, had a contingent of Norse Berserkers who served him. What was this group called?

Answer: Varangian Guard

An elite guard in the Byzantine army, the Varangian Guard served as personal bodyguards to the emperor. Primarily composed of Germanic people such as Scandinavians, the Guard swore an oath of loyalty to the emperor and had ceremonial and police duties.

They were only used in battle when the situation was exceptionally grave. Contemporary writers describe them as "frightening both in appearance and in equipment, they attacked with reckless rage and neither cared about losing blood nor their wounds".
Source: Author ponycargirl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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