Scary Viking's 'Blood Eagle' ritual: Gouging the back, excavating the enemy's lungs

The legendary "Blood Eagle" ritual of Viking warriors to torture their mortal enemies is described in extremely macabre epic stories involving dissecting the back, cutting ribs and rips out their enemies' lungs, turning them into bloody wings.

According to the Daily Mail, many historians today refute the epics or myths related to the ritual practice of "Blood Eagle" by Viking warriors - people who lived in Scandinavia (Northern Europe) since the 20th century. 8th to 11th centuries - for lack of archaeological evidence and modern records.

The Blood Eagle ritual is featured in the British History Channel TV series 'Vikings'.

However, a team of researchers from the University of Iceland believe that the "Blood Eagle" ritual - dedicated to the Vikings' "invincible" enemies may be real and performed by means of rituals. Their famous weapon that we already know.

The Blood Eagle Ritual is reserved for the Vikings' arch-enemies only.

The researchers said that any victim would not be able to live too long with the horrible painful tortures in the "Blood Eagle" ritual - dissecting his back, cutting his ribs and removing his lungs. enemies out so that they look like a pair of bloody wings.

Contrary to legend or epic, researchers believe that the victim will definitely die before their lungs are completely removed.

The team from the University of Iceland also says that the ritual is consistent with the Vikings' brutal treatment of enemies and corpses, and could be tied to protecting their honor.

The Blood Eagle ritual has been depicted in both the British History Channel television series "Vikings" and the 2019 US-Swedish horror film: Midsommar.

An execution - possibly the Blood Eagle ritual - is inscribed on a 7th-century stele on the Swedish island of Gotland.

Research carried out by historian Luke John Murphy of the University of Iceland along with a team of medical scientists from Keele University suggested that the Blood Eagle ritual involved gouging the victim's back, cutting off the ribs. to pull the lungs out through the wound.

"The final vibration of the lungs emitted over the protruding ribs is thought to resemble the movement of a bird's wings - hence the name Blood Eagle," the researchers wrote in the Conversation.

In his research, Dr. Murphy decided to ignore the long-debated question of whether the Blood Eagle ritual really exists and instead focus on whether performing the ritual Is that really anatomically feasible?

"Our answer is clearly yes," the researchers assert.

Dr. Murphy and colleagues suggest that the "spike/mark" with spikes or lugs could completely cut the rib cage quickly from the back.

The Viking weapon we already know can perform the legendary Blood Eagle ritual.

Various muscles are required to break and push the rib cage outward to form "wings". However, contrary to legend, the researchers admit, the victim will die very quickly with this kind of brutal execution. Therefore, the final shaking of the lungs on the ribs may not have occurred as it is described in the legend.

"So any attempt to reshape the ribs into 'wings' or remove the lungs would be done on a corpse. So the final 'fluttering' of the lungs is highly unlikely to happen. out," the researchers wrote.

According to the researchers, the fact that there is archaeological and historical evidence suggests that the Blood Eagle ritual was not unfamiliar to the brutal warriors of the Viking era.

"They have no qualms about displaying human and animal carcasses in special ceremonies, including in holy executions," the researchers said.