How Vikings Allegedly Used The “Blood Eagle” To Torture And Kill
Wikimedia CommonsA sacrificial scene that may show the blood eagle torture method.
After Vikings invaded England in the 9th century, they purportedly introduced one of the most brutal torture methods known to man: the “blood eagle.”
In 867 C.E., a Viking named Ivar the Boneless reportedly set out to exact revenge on Aella, the king of Northumbria, who had killed Ivar’s father Ragnar Lothbrok by throwing him into a pit of live snakes.
Ivar knew exactly how he wanted to punish Aella. Once he got his hands on the English king, he allegedly subjected him to death by blood eagle. During this torture, the victim’s hands and legs are tied up and their bare back is exposed. Then, the executioner stabs the victim by their tailbone and up toward the rib cage. From there, each rib is separated from the backbone with an ax. With the victim’s internal organs in full view, the torturer pulls out the lungs to create a gory, eagle-wing-like display.
Public DomainA depiction of Vikings sailing to England to avenge the death of Ragnar Lothbrok.
Horrifically, the victim allegedly remains alive during the entire procedure. But they don’t live long, of course. Suffering from multiple broken bones and exposed lungs, victims of the blood eagle quickly perish.
That said, some experts believe that this torture was exaggerated by later writers to emphasize the brutal ferocity of the Vikings. However, others support the idea that it was a very real sacrificial ritual.
In any case, the blood eagle — if it truly existed — stands as one of the most horrific torture methods of the Middle Ages. The next torture method on this list is not quite as gruesome, but it was incredibly cruel.
