Joined to the god of sovereignty by initiatory rites, the young warriors willingly distinguished themselves in particular by a bestial ferocity; they knew neither rules nor limits. In their ecstatic rage, they were taken for wild animals, for furious bears, for wolves. The Harii of Tacitus augmented the fright provoked by their delirium by employing black shields and, wanting to surprise their enemies, to terrify them, rubbed their bodies with soot. This 'funereal army' in order to augment the terror, chose 'pitch-dark nights.' Often the name Beserkir ['warriors in bear skins'] was given to them...
Bataille / Gilles de Rais / 33
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