The Berserker State
Some warriors entered a battle trance where fear vanished and they fought with inhuman fury.
Berserkers were elite warriors who could enter a trance state of battle fury. In this state, they felt no fear or pain and fought with supernatural strength. This represented the most extreme warrior dedication - complete surrender to the battle god.
When Odin's fury takes the warrior, he becomes the storm itself.
Berserker rage represents the extreme edge of Norse warrior spirituality.
Ynglinga Saga
Written about in
- What Norse tradition says about courage
The battle trance is recorded as an extreme rather than a model: a man who has got rid of fear by getting rid of control, which is not the same as courage and was not always welcome afterwards.