The legendary Viking warriors known as berserkers were renowned for their ferocity in battle, purportedly fighting in a trancelike state of blind rage (berserkergang), howling like wild animals, biting their shields, and often unable to distinguish between friend and foe in the heat of battle. But historians know very little about the berserkers apart from scattered Old Norse myths and epic sagas. One intriguing hypothesis as to the source of their behavior is that the berserkers ingested a specific kind of mushroom with psychoactive properties. Now an ethnobotanist is challenging that hypothesis, suggesting in a recent paper in The Journal of Ethnopharmacology that henbane is a more likely candidate.Henbane is a flowering weed that grows in Scandinavia, that had been used for some time:
It's been around since ancient Greece and has been used in various cultures throughout history as a narcotic, painkiller, cure for insomnia, and anesthetic. It's a common treatment for motion sickness and can produce short-term memory loss. It can knock out someone for 24 hours, and in rare cases henbane can lead to respiratory failure. It's also been investigated as a possible truth serum. Henbane even found its way into early European beers, gradually being replaced with hops after the passage of the Bavarian Purity Law in 1516.Those characteristics don't sound rage inducing, but who knows:
Fatur argues that while both the mushrooms and henbane could account for increases in strength, altered consciousness, delirium, jerking and twitching, and red face commonly associated with the berserkers, aggressive rage is not common with the mushroom. Fatur cites several cases involving angry behavior associated with plants related to henbane, containing the same alkaloids.All rather speculative.
Speaking of vikings, I am close to booking a ticket for next year's Ring cycle in Brisbane. My "best" choice, for the cheap tickets left, is either to be sitting on the top balcony in the back row; the top row down the side and near the front but with some form of view restriction; or in the stalls right near the stage with a restricted view that means I may not see all the words on the surtitle.
I can't work out if it will be better to be near the front and being fully immersed in the music, but not knowing what they are singing; or up in the stratospheric second balcony and being able to see everything, at least if I use opera glasses.
Either way, perhaps if I take henbane before the performance, it will be particularly memorable.
7 comments:
Well, have fun with that henbane but remember that one of its side effects can be, er, death.
I actually have a henbane recipe in one brewing book. Not going to exactly rush to try it (it might be a tad ilicit to source henbane for brewing). There was a story I found somewhere on the internet that suggested henbane was also used by European crones - the Crazy Cat Ladies of the 12th century - and that they took it as a skin cream, which they put on the end of their brooms - which gave rise to the legend of witches. Well, I'll leave the details to your imagination.
In the rather James Bondian Alnwick Garden in the UK - every plant a poison! - you can find Henbane and many other delights. You'll learn all about which plants can kill you and how - for charity, of course!
Oh, yeah I think I read about witches and some mind altering skin cream before - that was henbane.
Back to my Ring cycle interest - this production is apparently being done with lots of floating video screens doing much of the stage work. Sounds like it could be quite a light show, and perhaps a bit trippy even without taking drugs. But the idea of a bunch of Ring groupies sitting stoned in their horned helmets amuses me, nonetheless.
Still can't decide whether to go distant balcony, or up and close and personal with the orchestra pit.
Did you see this article yesterday about the exciting toxic fungus discovered in Cairns? It's not just ingesting it that might put you in danger - the poisons can be absorbed through the skin. You just have to pick it up!
Oh, speaking of psychedelic plants and other oddities, I gather that because there's no moderation the Bird has been cast into outer darkness again?
Re Bird: he is commenting without moderation, but on warning, as I have had to delete a few in the last few days.
Re fungi: there's more of it around than I knew. An article at Nature says that one type we have hanging around in our body seems to encourage pancreatic cancer to grow. I will post about it.
I think it appropriate for Bird to comment on Berserking
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