Berserca by Paul Kennelly June 2008
In his mind, he is all powerful, dressed only in the skin of the beast, his tanned and painted body tensed, sword in hand, held in an iron grip, the blade forged with magical runes.
He glistens with drops of sweat, rolling gently from his forehead and mingling with the dried blood of his prey, cast off across his body like a trophy of war. His left hand holds a shield of wood , bound in iron, the rim held against his chin as he bites into the leather that binds the edge like a snake entwined.
snarling fiercely like the creature that has surely taken over his body, eyes full of fire, nostrils wide with the mask of the Bear, pulled tightly upon his head , the Bearskin trailing off down his back.
he stands, his whole body like a finely tuned machine, each sinew wound up with anger, desire and the bestial thrill of the impending kill.
his heart is pounding…he is immortal….he cannot die and raising his sword, he releases the energy and the magic… he becomes the Bear…he wears the Bear shirt...he is The Bearsirker
be very afraid
Throughout history, Kings and Chieftains have had an appointed champion, from the knights of the Middle Ages to Napoleons “ old guard “.
Bersercas were legendry fighters who traditionally wore only the skin of a fierce animal , like a Bear or a Wolf. There is a school of opinion that states they would take hallucinatory drugs to gain a state of super human strength. Another thought is that it was a hereditary mental condition, thus explaining why many brothers were Bersercas “ keeping it in the family “ and these family groups would provide body guards for the chieftains. Whatever the truth, Bersercas did indeed exist and it seems “ knew no fear “ in the thick of battle.
So, now the reader knows how we got the saying “ going berserk”.
In his mind, he is all powerful, dressed only in the skin of the beast, his tanned and painted body tensed, sword in hand, held in an iron grip, the blade forged with magical runes.
He glistens with drops of sweat, rolling gently from his forehead and mingling with the dried blood of his prey, cast off across his body like a trophy of war. His left hand holds a shield of wood , bound in iron, the rim held against his chin as he bites into the leather that binds the edge like a snake entwined.
snarling fiercely like the creature that has surely taken over his body, eyes full of fire, nostrils wide with the mask of the Bear, pulled tightly upon his head , the Bearskin trailing off down his back.
he stands, his whole body like a finely tuned machine, each sinew wound up with anger, desire and the bestial thrill of the impending kill.
his heart is pounding…he is immortal….he cannot die and raising his sword, he releases the energy and the magic… he becomes the Bear…he wears the Bear shirt...he is The Bearsirker
be very afraid
Throughout history, Kings and Chieftains have had an appointed champion, from the knights of the Middle Ages to Napoleons “ old guard “.
Bersercas were legendry fighters who traditionally wore only the skin of a fierce animal , like a Bear or a Wolf. There is a school of opinion that states they would take hallucinatory drugs to gain a state of super human strength. Another thought is that it was a hereditary mental condition, thus explaining why many brothers were Bersercas “ keeping it in the family “ and these family groups would provide body guards for the chieftains. Whatever the truth, Bersercas did indeed exist and it seems “ knew no fear “ in the thick of battle.
So, now the reader knows how we got the saying “ going berserk”.