History Northern European Germanic Warriors Used Stimulants in Battle

[Tautalus]

This article proposes that Germanic warriors during the Roman era used stimulants in battle.
Small spoon-shaped objects were found at archaeological sites in Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland, and the study proposes that these objects were likely used to measure doses of stimulant substances. The possible stimulants included opium, hops, hemp, henbane, belladonna, and various hallucinogenic mushrooms. These stimulants were used to enhance performance in combat, and possibly in religious ceremonies, medical practices, and social rituals.

In a narcotic trance, or stimulants in Germanic communities of the Roman period

The authors concluded that the spoon-ended fittings of the ends of the belt may have served as dispensers of stimulants for Germanic warriors to fight Germanic warriors into battle. They collated 241 such objects, dividing them typologically. It turned out that all of them were found together...

www.degruyter.com

 

[Tautalus]

We can see something similar in the Viking era with the berserkers, Norse warriors known for their savage and uncontrollable fighting style. They were believed to fight in a trance-like rage and they may have used drugs to achieve this state, they might have consumed substances like allucinogenic mushrooms, to induce altered states of consciousness, including greater aggression and pain insensitivity.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/viking-berserkers

The film The Northman portrays these warriors. The scenes are intense and depict the savage and animalistic fighting style of the berserkers, including their ritualistic behaviour before battle.