Whether the Blood Eagle actually happened or is simply a propaganda tool, may not be clear. Such a horrific act could not possibly just be a figment of someone’s imagination. It is possible that someone performed this gruesome ritual given the gory details it is described. Although it is possible that there could have been a mistranslation of certain texts that indicated the death of the enemy, the poets who wrote them down used a specific method. Still, there are many passages in Scandinavian literature that mention the blood eagle, including the saga of King Aella, not to mention the accounts of the other nobles.
Considering that the victims of the Blood Eagle died between the 800-1000s, it is difficult to verify the truth. Some scholars believe that the ritual may have only involved the drawing of an eagle on the back of the victim before execution. It could be possible that the appalling details of the ordeal may have been exaggerated to demonize the Vikings. What’s more, the first people to talk about it were Monks in Europe who were the main victims of Viking invasions. There are many reasons behind this doubt, the main one being that the accounts of the blood eagle start from the 12 th and 13 th centuries, which is way past the Viking age. To date, there is still speculation as to whether or not the blood eagle was ever performed, especially given its gory details. Ivar performed this form of execution to send a message and strike fear to his enemies.ĭid The Vikings Really Do The Blood Eagle? They include Archbishop Aelheah, King Edmund of England, King Maelgualai of Munster, and Prince Halfdan of Norway. At least four other nobles in Northern European history were believed to have suffered the same fate. King Aella wasn’t the only noble to face this gruesome death. That is why he sentenced him to death by the blood eagle. Seeing that his father had died a slow and painful death, Ivar wanted Aella to suffer the same fate if not more. Seeking revenge, Ragnar’s sons including Ivar, invaded England during the Danish invasion of York. Years before, Ragnar, a Viking leader was killed by King Aella of Northumbria, who threw him in a pit of live snakes. The first account of this horrific act was said to have happened in 867 when Ivar the Boneless took vengeance for his father, Ragnar Lothbrok’s death. The pain experienced during this process was indescribable since it was performed while the victim was still alive until their ultimate death. The name was derived from the fact that the victim’s internal organs would be pulled out from the back and made to seem like the fluttering wings of an eagle.
The Blood Eagle is a gruesome execution ritual, believed to have been practiced by the Vikings as a slow and painful way to kill their enemies. Did The Vikings Really Do The Blood Eagle?
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