Nordic Navy Seals

[BerserkrKin]

In my random interest as an avid reader I came across a book by one DR.Haha Lung(not his real name wrote a few other good books)the history of night time warriors.
In this book he wrote a few pages on a type of warrior called Ulfhednar(sp) that were basically the stealthy cousins of the Berserk.
They wore wolf heads as and painted themselves as camo and attacked when least expected leading the enemy to think they were werewolves and such.

Basically ancient german tribe Navy Seals not sure if its true or not.
Any comments or corrections?

[edit](just realized could have put this post in a better spot but I found the book in the martial arts section at barnes and nobles so ...)[edit]

[Tyr's Hand]

hmmm sounds interesting, sort of like the bear people in that 13th warrior movie. what was the name of the book?

[Der Einzelgänger]

I remember reading something about them in a book... Can't remember what book. I'll look for it an get back to ya.

[Norsk Blod]

hmmm sounds interesting, sort of like the bear people in that 13th warrior movie.
thats what I first thougth too. would be interesting to find out more

[Der Einzelgänger]

Some kinds of berserks (in the first sense of the word) were referred to as "ulfhednar," meaning wolf-coats in the same sense as the second meaning of berserk. There may also have been boar-berserks and cat- (of the large predatory variety) berserks.


This ritual is written specifically for an ulfhednar's initiation. (An ulfhednar is a berserk who becomes a wolf spiritually.)

Quotes from http://www.winterscapes.com/uppsala/trollaukin.htm

[Hengest]

The book was Eaters of the Dead.

[æinvargR]

Ulfhednar is Swedish for wolf heathens. In Norwegian/Danish it would end with -er I think. And it's certainly not German. But I've never heard the word before.

[æinvargR]

Never heard hednar meaning coats but I'm probably wrong.

[Norsk Blod]

Ulfhednar is Swedish for wolf heathens. In Norwegian/Danish it would end with -er I think. .
yea it would

[MgFalcon]

I like wearwolfs, i seem to have always liked them, now I must google this word "Ulfhedner" and find more about it :)

ty

[Vanatru]

You might like this group then, I don't vouch for 'em, but if the wolf is your thing:

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/xcalabr08/ulfhednar.html

Ulfhednar Hearth
Children of the Volsungs

The Ulfhednar Hearth is a meeting place and information source for independent and solitary AsatruR/Norse Pagans as well as for the Children of the Volsungs (Were-'s). As is the custom of our ancestors, all who come are welcome with mead and feasted at our hearth.

"When Odin created the humans, he instructed them to learn from the wolf. The wolf could teach them how to care for their family, how to cooperate with each other in the hunt for food, and how to protect and defend their families."
from "OLD STORIES" by Rik Pfaelzer

[MgFalcon]

Does anyone know Stormwatcher's e-mail? he lives close to me and i want to know if there is a kindred he is in that i could join... i like wolfs too you know :)

[Teufelhunden]

looks cool as long as it is not just another universalist site.

[MgFalcon]

I still can't find that e-mail... :(

[pinlighter]

Does anyone know Stormwatcher's e-mail? he lives close to me and i want to know if there is a kindred he is in that i could join... i like wolfs too you know :)


Who do you mean? there is no user of that name :confused:

[Loki's Advocate]

I wouldn't vouch for them either.

As far as I know, the Volsungs were the (partially?-) mythological heroes who were direct descendents of Volsung the son of Rerir. The most notable of which being, of course, Sigurd the slayer of Fafnir.

I think the people who wrote that page were confused by Volsung's son Sigmund and Sigmund's son Sinfjotle (who were both Volsungs), who did transform to wolf-shape and hunt together. But anyway, since when have the words 'Volsung' and 'were-anything' been synonomous?

[MgFalcon]

Who do you mean? there is no user of that name :confused:
it was on the Ulfhednar website, the guy who created it is called Stormwatcher

[Son Of Odin]

isn't 13th warrior (the movie) based on " the eaters of the death" ?

i mean it looks simmilair to what i've read in this topic.

Although the characters in the movie are the bad guys dressed as bears .. it has some resemblence.

[hrolf]

isn't 13th warrior (the movie) based on " the eaters of the death" ?

i mean it looks simmilair to what i've read in this topic.

Although the characters in the movie are the bad guys dressed as bears .. it has some resemblence.
Yes, it is. You are exactly right.

[Hednar]

Ok, lets make somethings straight. My name is Rickard Hednar and I´m from sweden. Hednar is from the beginning Hedner and means absolutely nothing. And for the record, Ulf is just a common name in sweden wich comes from the word ulv, ulv means wolf.

The only reason i signed up for this forum was so i couls straight this out. thanks.

[pinlighter]

Hmmm, thanks Hednar. I don't think disagreements about this are going to lead to any one being killed!!!! :p

[Fenris]

There is another spelling of the term for Wolf-berserks that I seem to recall from some years ago: Ulfenhar.

However, google returned no results for it so it must have been a literary source I got it from rather than an online one.

And yes, Crichton's Eaters of the Dead was turned into the 13th Warrior. A damned good book and a damned good movie - except for that swarthy arab getting his groove on with Nordic women :mad:

[KarlMagnus]

Old Norse heðinnar (nom. pl.) meaning a jackets of fur or skin. (think of Mod. Engl. "hides").

Old Norse heiðinnar (nom. pl.) meaning heathens.

Either one could have normalized to the form "Hednar". In Mod. Norwegian the word for 'heathen' is hedning(-er) and I suspect it is much the same in Swedish. It is possible that whichever is its true etymological root that people would have recognized the connection and may have thought of it as a double meaning or even a pun.

KM

[Hednar]

Hmmm, thanks Hednar. I don't think disagreements about this are going to lead to any one being killed!!!! :p

eeh, no I dont think so either but it´s really bothering people goes around using my family name, that we've had for centurys and they have no idea what the're doin.
A connection to hedning is not that far away and I can agree with som arguments.
What you all must understand is that Hednar is my family name, it has been and it will be for a very long time and you can't run around using it as you please.
If you all understand that, then I wont kill anyone ;)

[æinvargR]

As KarlMagnus almost said, hedningar is Swedish for "heathens." Hedna as a prefix means "heathen," as in hednatro - "heathen belief." So in May I took for granted that it was some alternative to, or an older form of hedningar; though, as I wrote then, I have never heard it. Stupid. But etymologically it seems there must be some connection.

[Crazy Cowboy]

do a search for Wolf-Skins I read a book that mentioned them they wore wolf skins to break up their outline and fought at night, now I wish I could remember what book it was

[Vincent]

do a search for Wolf-Skins I read a book that mentioned them they wore wolf skins to break up their outline and fought at night, now I wish I could remember what book it was

Knights of Darkness? (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873649710/qid=1136978786/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-3390667-9097554?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

[Crazy Cowboy]

I believe that was the book thanks vincent

[Star of the North]

Old Norse heðinnar (nom. pl.) meaning a jackets of fur or skin. (think of Mod. Engl. "hides").

Old Norse heiðinnar (nom. pl.) meaning heathens.

Either one could have normalized to the form "Hednar". In Mod. Norwegian the word for 'heathen' is hedning(-er) and I suspect it is much the same in Swedish. It is possible that whichever is its true etymological root that people would have recognized the connection and may have thought of it as a double meaning or even a pun.

KM

I vaguely remember an article I was reading that concerned the practice of going under an animal skin for a number of days in order to determine fate. Does anyone else recall this concept?