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In the Battle of the Nordics: Why did the death of Bandan make the Blood Eagle Ritual a myth?
The Blood Eagle was a method of ritual execution that is described in detail in late Scardian poetry. According to two examples in the Christian sagas, the victims (both members of the royal family) were placed in a prone position, their ribs severed from their spines with a sharp instrument, and their lungs were pulled out to form a pair of "wings". . The authenticity of this ritual has sparked controversy to this day. Is it a product of literary creation, a mistranslation of the text itself, or a practice with real historical basis?
Legend of the Blood Eagle
The Blood Eagle Ritual appears in only two instances in Norse literature, plus a few indirect references. The main versions have in common that both victims were nobles (Halfdanhalai or "Longshanks" was a prince; Ella of North Anglia was a king), and both executions were in revenge for the father's death. murder.
Einar and Bandan
Two sources describe the ritual execution of Harald the Fair's son Halfdan Halig by Tov-Einar in the late 9th century. Both sources were written centuries after the events and there are different versions that influenced each other. In the Orknes Saga, the Blood Eagle is described as a sacrifice to Odin.
“I’m afraid the world will keep turning around, because I can’t see the light of day anymore.”
Here they found Halfdan Halig, and Einar carved an eagle into his back with his sword, severed the ribs from the spine, pulled out the lungs, and offered it to Odin for victory.
Snorri Sturulason's Heimskringla contains a similar account of the incident, with Einar performing the deed himself.
“I’m not going to be in Hálfdanar anymore; I’m just a little tired, because I can’t stand it anymore; I’m just in Hálfdanar.”< /p>
After that, Duke Einar went to Bandan and cut off his "blood eagle" in this way, stabbing the sword into the chest and cutting off all the ribs, and then pulling out the lungs; this was the death of Bandan.
Ragnar's son and King Ella of North Anglia
In The Tales of Ragnar's Son, Ivar the Boneless captures King Aela of North Anglia, who is seeking revenge for the murder of Ivar's father, Ragnar Lordbrook. Ivar's description of Ella's execution after the battle for York is as follows:
"They carved a bloody eagle on Ayla's back, cut out all the ribs in his spine, and ripped out his lungs."
The Blood Eagle is mentioned in the works of the 11th-century poet Sigvart Thordarsson, who recounts Ivar's successful slaying of Ella in his Canute, written between 1020 and 1038. Matters.
Other Documents
Another possible allusion to the ritual occurs in the Tales of Norna-Gastes, which contains two verses that suggest a similar situation.
Authenticity of the Blood Eagle Ritual
Debate continues as to whether the Blood Eagle ritual is a true historical event or a literary device created by later Christian Norse writers. There are no direct records from the time, and the sparse mentions in the Sagaras were written hundreds of years after the Christianization of Scandinavia. In the 1970s, Alfred Smith supported the historicity of the ritual, noting that it was clearly a human sacrifice to the Norse god Odin.
"In the early nineteenth century, various sagas of the Blood Eagle - the depiction of an eagle, the separation of ribs, the operation on the lungs and 'salt stimulants' - were combined in designs designed to produce maximum shock. ”
She also compares the horrific details of the Blood Eagle to Christian martyrology texts, arguing that these martyrdom stories may have further exaggerated misinterpretations of the Scardi verse into a fictitious torture and death ritual. Furthermore, in a 2022 study, the authors concluded that, despite heated debate, the possibility that the ritual originated in the Viking Age cannot be ruled out.
So, is the Blood Eagle ritual based on real history, or is it just a product of literary creation?
