War, law & ruleMyths & disputes

berserk

Old Norse berserkr was a warrior who fought in a trance-like fury, probably 'bear-shirt' after the bearskins they wore. Scandinavian antiquarians revived it from the sagas, Walter Scott's novels brought it into English, and video games have since carried it as far as Japan.

Weakest linkCertain

The story you may have heard

That the first element is berr 'bare', i.e. warriors who fought without armour; specialists now consider 'bear' far more likely.

The road to English

From Old Norse to Icelandic

From Old Norse to Swedish, Finnish

From Old Norse to Danish, Norwegian

From Old Norse to Faroese

From Old Norse to German, Russian

From English to Japanese

900 CEOld Norse

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

The road to English

From Old Norse to Swedish, Finnish

From Old Norse to German, Russian

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