The Berserk

by !_Nihil_!

The word Berserk is derived from a group of northern Europeans. Little is known of them, but they were absorbed by the Norse conquests. The tribesmen were said to have a habit of eating mushrooms and drinking urine before battle. Like many "hstorical facts" this is overblown, for the accounts came from Romans, who had given these traits to numerous Gallic and Germanic tribes. But this article is concerned little with the history of the word, just the implications of the state of mind that can be brought about in combat.

The state of "Berserk" or "Berserkergang" can be entred not only in physical combat, but during extensive, grueling labor. This option gives the aspiring warrior an oportunity to practice the enterance of this perticular state without rising serious harm to a sparring partner - mind you once the state is entered in combat, any friends or foes shoud be wary, but all inhabition is lost!. The first few attempts while sober will be no doubt fuitile, but with hallucingenic drugs it is much easier. I will contrast the pro's and con's of using drugs to enter the state later in this article. Most importantly, the majority of people lack the ability to enter thsi rage, the only way to learn if you do is to try!

To begin with, any attempts to attain the state for anything but overcomming an obstacle or the utter anhilation of human life will ultimatly result in failure - will not work for impressing friends! Now, stand with a pair of heavy clubs or axes in your hands in front of a tree or post. Begin slowly swinging, picking up speed as the time passes, never allowing anything but the thought of destrucion of that tree/post enter your mind. Eventually, you will be swinging with all of your little strength left, but do not let quitting enter your mind. Let yourself scream and relentlessly continue your assault. Do not attempt to surpress any of your needs to bellow, yell or jump - the point is to release these feelings! Once this phase begins, continue until you can not humanly bear the weight of the clubs/axes and let them drop and let yourself fall into a deep sleep - if you posess enough energy to walk to your house resume the assault at once! Continue the process until, once your strength is gone, and you have no intention of quitting,you find the objects to weigh little or nothing, and a new spring of energy to enter you. By now, you should not even end to remember to yell and jump about, for you will slowly forget your inhabitions of society, and all structured thought will leave you. Withing a few mroe seconds, nearly all of your memories will depart, leaing you with your rage. The feeling is impossible to describe save the feeling of pure rage, with few coherrent thought or memories. Eventually, the rage will depart, and tired does not begin to describe the feeling. The prospect of living will seem like a bad idea, and a gradually lessening tupor will begin, after which you will be back to normal. I myself am barely effected when the rage is over, but this amy vary for others. rest assured, the myths of permenent stupidity are msotly false!

Expect an artcle on entering the berserker state in combat comming soon.