Disturbing Viking ritual could have really happened, say researchers

[Judi Lynn]

3. Brutal Viking Ritual Called 'Blood Eagle' Was Anatomically Possible, Study Shows

LUKE JOHN MURPHY, HEIDI FULLER & MONTE GATES, THE CONVERSATION 20 DECEMBER 2021

Famed for their swift longboats and bloody incursions, Vikings have long been associated with brutal, over-the-top violence. Between the eighth and 11th centuries, these groups left their Nordic homelands to make their fortunes by trading and raiding across Europe.

Particularly infamous is the so-called "blood eagle", a gory ritual these warriors are said to have performed on their most hated enemies. The ritual allegedly involved carving the victim's back open and cutting their ribs away from their spine, before the lungs were pulled out through the resulting wounds.

The final fluttering of the lungs splayed out on the outspread ribs would supposedly resemble the movement of a bird's wings – hence the eagle in the name.

Depictions of the ritual have recently featured in the TV series Vikings and the video game Assassins Creed: Valhalla, as well as the 2019 Swedish horror film Midsommar.

. . .

However, our new study, takes an entirely new approach on the matter. Our team, made up of medical scientists and a historian, bypassed the long-standing question of "did the blood eagle ever really happen?", asking instead: "Could it have been done?" Our answer is a clear yes.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/brutal-viking-torture-method-anatomically-possible-concludes-new-research