The nature of the art of Berserk was little understood by the average viking,
much less by the modern academic. Many Sagas make little distinction between
foul tempered bullies and those devotees of Odin who became divinely inspired,
wading into the sea of blades, seemingly invincible.
In my own training, the word "berserk" was attributed to "bear"
and "sark" (a shirt). A berserk was one who fought without a shirt,
or with only a bear skin from the waist up. Not only did they scorn body
armor, they often went without the psychological advantage of a layer of
clothing between their skin and the enemy's sword.
In our tradition, the symbolism of removing the armor is of great importance,
but before it is safe to do so, one must be adept at doing battle fully
armored. Whether on the battlefield or in the marketplace we all wear some
sort of armor against "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune",
or more to the point, the barbs of our fellow humans. In order to operate
efficiently we must know our strengths and weaknesses, and become aware
of the style and construction of our armor.
As our movements become increasingly efficient, we find that we can afford
to shed some of our armor. We then find that our movements become even more
efficient with the resulting freedom. Eventually we find ourselves totally
open to the world. No longer encumbered with layers of protection we are
free to be our true selves. Every act becomes a spontaneous and joyous act
of pure will. We become a vortex of pure will force.
Paradoxically, while a novice stripped of armor would be instantly slain,
an adept becomes impervious to steel. The berserk ceases to be a target
by becoming as if devoid of gross substance. The Ynglinga Saga describes
the Berserks when inspired by Odin, "They cut down the enemy, while
neither fire nor iron could make an impression on them." That which
offers no resistance cannot be cut. That which is flexible cannot be broken.
Anyone who has been in combat situations will realize that uncontrolled
anger is rarely a friend in battle. Such emotion may well stimulate enthusiasm
and fearlessness, but at the cost of judgement and precision, there is a
Samurai saying-"The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well
as in life." The true berserk rage is certainly not blind anger. An
angry warrior may be frightening and deadly but is unlikely to come out
of a battle alive, let alone unscathed.
There is in certain circles, the belief that drugs were used to induce the
rage, in particular Amanita Muscaria. While the use of drugs in occult training
is almost universal, and the training of berserks most probably included
them, there is no evidence that they were ever taken to induce the rage.
Gordon Wasson, who studied in great depth the historical use of Amanita
Muscaria, presents in detail the recent origin of this myth, and the reasons
for dismissing it, in his epic work Soma, The Divine Mushroom. Our point
of view is that, as with anger, drugs would tend to diminish the precision
of a warrior's actions.
The secret of the berserk's invulnerability is the ability to let the True
Will flow unimpeded. This requires the warrior to be totally calm and centered
while at the same time unleashing the destructive forces of the Will. This
is a form of meditation infinitely more difficult than being calm and centered
in a quiet room (something most people find almost impossible anyway). The
slightest distracting thought can be fatal. By not letting thoughts interfere
with the flow of Will, the berserk is always in the right place at the right
time. Action flows, there is no rigidity or predictability, there is nowhere
a blade can strike.
The berserk acts without hesitation and is always in harmony with any situation.
Harmony in this case means being true to the self and interacting with the
situation in a way which is honest with the self. This can only be done
when there is no barrier between the self and the situation. One becomes
a fluid part of the situation without losing one's individuality, an indispensable
and autonomous part of the whole, every movement being a vital adjustment
of one's position in the universe.
Sweyn
Organiser Rune-Net