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I believe this may be a reference to the Blood Eagle practice. There is in fact a huge ongoing controversy over whether it was real. For example, one book I have on the Vikings from the 1960s asserts it as common practice (complete with a detailed description), while another I have offhandedly asserts it was made up by Christians.

On the pro side, it is attested in three old sagas: The Orkneyinga, Heimskringla, and Norna-Gests and there's probably a reference to it in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons. Here's the description (translated) from Orkneyinga:

Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won...

On the minus side, both of those first two sagas refer to the same incident, so it could well have been a one-off that was thought up on the spot. The third saga was not written down until the Medieval period was in full swing. The "blood eagle" isn't attested in any of our oldest and best sources (eg: The Eddas). All of the references we do have came well after Christianization, and Christians had a vested interest in portraying pagans as barbaric. Particularly literate Christians, who tended to be associated with the Catholic Church.

I believe this may be a reference to the Blood Eagle practice. There is in fact a huge ongoing controversy over whether it was real. For example, one book I have on the Vikings from the 1960s asserts it as common practice (complete with a detailed description), while another I have offhandedly asserts it was made up by Christians.

On the pro side, it is attested in three old sagas: The Orkneyinga, Heimskringla, and Norna-Gests and there's probably a reference to it in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons. Here's the description (translated) from Orkneyinga:

Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won...

On the minus side, both of those first two sagas refer to the same incident, so it could well have been a one-off that was thought up on the spot. These particular sagas were not written down until the Medieval period was in full swing. The "blood eagle" isn't attested in any of our oldest and best sources (eg: The Eddas). All of the references we do have came well after Christianization, and Christians had a vested interest in portraying pagans as barbaric. Particularly literate Christians, who tended to be associated with the Catholic Church.

According to Gilbert Poole's Viking Poems on War and Peace, earlier sagas covering the same incident as the first two say that the death in question happened in battle, and only mention an "Eagle" as a carrion bird afterwards. He claims the origin of the story was a mistranslation/misunderstanding of these earlier sagas.

I believe this may be a reference to the Blood Eagle practice. There is in fact a huge ongoing controversy over whether it was real. For example, one book I have on the Vikings from the '60s asserts it as common practice (complete with a detailed description), while another I have offhandedly asserts it was made up by Christians.

On the pro side, it is attested in three old sagas: The Orkneyinga, Heimskringla, and Norna-Gests and there's probably a reference to it in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons. Here's the description (translated) from Orkneyinga:

Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won...

On the minus side, both of those first two sagas refer to the same incident, so it could well have been a one-off that was thought up on the spot. The third saga was not written down until the Medieval period was in full swing. The "blood eagle" isn't attested in any of our oldest and best sources (eg: The Eddas). All of the references we do have came well after Christianization, and Christians had a vested interest in portraying pagans as barbaric. Particularly literate Christians, who tended to be associated with the Catholic Church.

I believe this may be a reference to the Blood Eagle practice. There is in fact a huge ongoing controversy over whether it was real. For example, one book I have on the Vikings from the 1960s asserts it as common practice (complete with a detailed description), while another I have offhandedly asserts it was made up by Christians.

On the pro side, it is attested in three old sagas: The Orkneyinga, Heimskringla, and Norna-Gests and there's probably a reference to it in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons. Here's the description (translated) from Orkneyinga:

Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won...

On the minus side, both of those first two sagas refer to the same incident, so it could well have been a one-off that was thought up on the spot. The third saga was not written down until the Medieval period was in full swing. The "blood eagle" isn't attested in any of our oldest and best sources (eg: The Eddas). All of the references we do have came well after Christianization, and Christians had a vested interest in portraying pagans as barbaric. Particularly literate Christians, who tended to be associated with the Catholic Church.

I believe this is a reference to the Blood Eagle practice. There is in fact a huge ongoing controversy over whether it was real. For example, one book I have on the Vikings from the '60s asserts it as common practice (complete with a detailed description), while another I have (on the Celts) offhandedly asserts it was made up.

On the pro side, it is attested in three old sagas: The Orkneyinga, Heimskringla, and Norna-Gests and there's probably a reference to it in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons. Here's the description (translated) from Orkneyinga:

Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won...

On the minus side, both of those first two sagas refer to the same incident, so it could well have been a one-off that was thought up on the spot. The third saga was not written down until the Medieval period was in full swing. The "blood eagle" isn't attested in any of our oldest and best sources (eg: The Eddas). All of the references we do have came well after Christianization, and Christians had a vested interest in portraying pagans as barbaric. Particularly literate Christians, who tended to be associated with the Catholic Church.

I believe this may be a reference to the Blood Eagle practice. There is in fact a huge ongoing controversy over whether it was real. For example, one book I have on the Vikings from the '60s asserts it as common practice (complete with a detailed description), while another I have offhandedly asserts it was made up by Christians.

On the pro side, it is attested in three old sagas: The Orkneyinga, Heimskringla, and Norna-Gests and there's probably a reference to it in The Tale of Ragnar's Sons. Here's the description (translated) from Orkneyinga:

Einarr made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won...

On the minus side, both of those first two sagas refer to the same incident, so it could well have been a one-off that was thought up on the spot. The third saga was not written down until the Medieval period was in full swing. The "blood eagle" isn't attested in any of our oldest and best sources (eg: The Eddas). All of the references we do have came well after Christianization, and Christians had a vested interest in portraying pagans as barbaric. Particularly literate Christians, who tended to be associated with the Catholic Church.