The brutal ‘blood eagle’ torture technique that gave victims ‘wings’ is among the ‘worst methods to die’
It has been thought-about one of many worst execution strategies in historical past, however what precisely is the Viking ‘blood eagle’ and was it truly actual?
It would not take a genius to infer that medieval torture is not going to be any enjoyable and, because the title suggests, a blood eagle is a reasonably grim option to go.
First cropping up in Norse skaldic poetry, the blood eagle is known as a ritual execution the place the unfortunate soul has their again slashed open and their ribs pulled outwards and upwards to resemble wings. In a closing insult in the direction of the condemned, their lungs have been additionally pulled out.
A reasonably grim option to go certainly.
Given the execution technique’s extreme bloodiness, it has popped up in popular culture in varied kinds through the years. In Historical past collection Vikings, the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok famously avenge their father by murdering his killer, King Ælla, in such a technique.
Which – within the Vikings-world – was a simply punishment for condemning the present’s star character to demise through a pit of snakes.
Ari Aster’s 2019 people horror flick Midsommar additionally options the blood eagle, with one of many characters assembly their finish on this grisly method.
However was the blood eagle ever truly carried out, or was it merely an exaggeration dreamed up by Norse poets after changing to Christianity?
Did the blood eagle truly exist as an execution technique?
The blood eagle apparently seems solely twice in Icelandic sagas, with Smithsonian adding that the ritual is talked about in 9 historic accounts written in each Outdated Norse and Latin.
In every account the condemned man is captured in battle and their execution comes as a retaliation for the homicide of a father.
Descriptions of what precisely constitutes a blood eagle additionally range, however each the Orkneyinga and Heimskringla depict the execution in all of its violent glory, whereas different accounts vaguely discuss with an eagle being ‘carved’ into the again.
Nevertheless, strong proof for this notably grizzly technique of execution seems to be reasonably skinny on the bottom.
Human stays becoming the outline of the grisly blood eagle are but to be found, which implies we have no conclusive archaeological proof for the strategy. Though a current paper published by educational journal Speculum does conclude that demise by blood eagle is anatomically doable.
Talking in regards to the findings, College of Iceland’s Dr Luke John Murphy said: “Working with the anatomists on this venture has been fascinating.
“They’ve offered a completely recent perspective on some very previous questions, and allow us to deal with the blood eagle in a brand new approach, which has produced all kinds of thrilling outcomes.”
In the meantime, College of Tennesse historian Matthew Gillis argued to Smithsonian how the blood eagle could have been a fraction of Christian creativeness, that was wielded in an effort to frighten ‘their audiences into returning to God’.
So was the blood eagle truly an actual technique of torture and execution? We could by no means know, however it certain reveals the darkest depths of mankind’s creativeness.
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