“ Bloody eagle ” ( Swede. Blodörn , Norwegian. Blodørn , date. Blodørn ) - the legendary execution of the Viking times, which consisted of allegedly cutting ribs on the back of the convict, spreading them apart like wings and pulling out the lungs . The cause of imminent death in this case would have to be a traumatic shock or pneumothorax .
History
Most historians question the existence of such an execution or attribute it to the area of ritual mockery of the corpses of enemies, although references to this execution occur in various historical documents. Messages about the "bloody eagle" in this case are attributed to the anti-pagan propaganda of Christian authors or to the exuberant imagination of the skalds of later times.
The drawing of a “bloody eagle” on the opponent’s back is mentioned in the Great Saga of Olaf Tryggvason , the Saga of Orkney Jarl , and also in the stories about the revenge of Ivar Beskostny and his brothers to the Northumbrian king Ella II for the death of their father, Ragnar Lodbroka . Based on these brief references, it is difficult to get an idea of the nature of the execution.
In later Christian authors, the "bloody eagle" has acquired sinister details and has been presented as an example of barbaric cruelty. For example, Saxon Grammatik in the 9th book of Dan Acts reports that salt was poured on Ella's back during execution.
In support of the existence of such a ritual of sacrificing enemies to Odin , the image on the Stura-Hammar stone , one of Gotland 's memorial stones , is not clear.
In popular culture
- This type of punishment was demonstrated in the TV series “ Vikings ” (season 2, episode 7; season 4, episode 18).
- “Blood Eagle” is shown in the video “Blood eagle wings” performed by the metal band “ Anthrax ”.
- Mentioned in the series “ Hannibal ” (season 1, episode 5).
- Mentioned by Ari Aster's Solstice 2019
Literature
- Roberta Frank "Viking Atrocity and Skaldic Verse: The Rite of the Blood-Eagle." The English Historical Review . Vol. 99, No. 391, Apr. 1984.