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The Mysterious Ritual of the Blood Eagle: Is it a historical fact or a literary fiction?
In Norse mythology, the Blood Eagle is a cruel ritual execution method, which is described in detail in the late Skalder poem. According to two stories from Christian hymns, the victims (both members of the royal family) were placed in a prone position, their ribs cut with a sharp instrument, and their lungs subsequently pulled out to form a pair of "wings." There has been controversy in academic circles as to whether this ritual actually existed: Is it a historical fact or a fiction created by literary creation?
Description of the ceremony
The Blood Eagle Ceremony has only two clear records in Nordic literature, as well as some vague references, which have been interpreted by some scholars as referring to inhumane acts of the same kind. The main versions have some features in common: the victims were both nobles (Helfdan Heleg was a prince; Ella was the king of Northumbria), and both executions were in revenge for the death of their fathers.
Ainar and Helfdan
"There they found Helfdan Heleg, whom Einar carved the shape of an eagle on his back with his sword, cut off all the ribs and pulled out the lungs, which he dedicated Odin for victory."
This description appears in Orkney Wanderers, which records Einar's ritual killing of Helfdan in the late ninth century. These accounts were written centuries after the events, and multiple, interacting versions exist. In the epic poem Heimskringla, Einar is depicted performing this ritual himself.
Ragnar's son and King Ayla
In Ragnar's Sons, Eivar Boneless captures King Ayla who killed his father, Ragnar Lodbrok. Ella's death was described as:
"They carved the blood eagle into Ella's back, severed all the ribs, and ripped out his lungs."
In addition, the 11th-century poet Sigvart Thordarson retold the event in his work Canute Drapa, describing Ella's death and the treatment of her back in detail.
Historical authenticity
Whether there is historical evidence of the Blood Eagle Ceremony remains a matter of debate. There are no contemporary records to support the actual existence of this ritual, and the scattered mentions are hundreds of years old and were mostly written after the Christianization of Scandinavia.
"At the beginning of the 19th century, various waves of legends intertwined to form a design for the greatest horror experience."
Regarding this phenomenon, Alfred Smith supported the historical authenticity of the ceremony in his research in the 1970s. He believes this is an obvious description of an act of human sacrifice by the Norse god Odin.
Another scholar, Roberta Frank, commented in her document "Viking Atrocities and Skalder Poetry" that "over time, the rich symbolism of these ancient poems was misunderstood and reshaped into a An exaggerated death ritual, this ritual has no historical foundation and is somewhat similar to Christian martyr stories."
Other related records
In "The Life of Norna Geist", there are also some indirect clues mentioning the Blood Eagle Ceremony. The background of the rulers and wars involved in these verses reduces the possibility of further research on the existence of this ritual. .
Conclusion
With the interpretation of ancient documents and the understanding of African political and social background, experts have put forward many different opinions on the historical authenticity of the Blood Eagle Ceremony. Scholars' research points out that if this ritual exists, it is consistent with the social and cultural background of the Viking Age. However, whether such a ritual really exists, or whether it is just an exaggerated literary creation, is still an unsolved mystery, which makes people wonder whether this horrific ritual is just a fictitious phantom written by later generations. ?
