Channel your inner berseker with this extra heavy Norse bear torc.
Design Details
The Norse Bear Torc is constructed with an extra heavy braid of wire, and is approximately 5/8 inch (16mm) thick. It is available in bronze and sterling silver set.
Which Torc Is Right For You?
We also have a Celtic Bear Torc.
Historical Inspiration
Dating back as far as the ninth century, the berserker Norse Warriors were said to be able to do things that normal humans could not. According to ancient legend, the berserkers were indestructible, and no weapon could break them from their trance. They were described as being immune to fire and to the strike of a sword, continuing on their rampage despite injury. The Icelandic historian and poet Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241 AD) wrote the following description of berserkers in his Ynglinga saga:
Odin's men rushed forwards without armthe, were as mad as dogs or wolves, bit their shields, and were strong as bears or wild oxen, and killed people at a blow, but neither fire nor iron told upon them.
In battle, the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy. They would howl like wild beasts, foam at the mouth, and gnaw the iron rim of their shields, before launching into battle, indiscriminately injuring, maiming, and killing anything in their path. It was believed that the berserkers drew their power from the spirit of the bear. While some accounts portray berserkers fighting and charging into the fray bare-chested, other stories depict them wearing the skins of bears. The bear was one of the animals representing Odin, and by wearing such a pelt the warriors sought to gain the strength of a bear and the favor of Odin.
