For the novel by Craig Russell, see Blood Eagle (novel).
Detail from Stora Hammars I, Sweden shows a man lying on his belly with another man using a weapon on his back. Note the triangular Valknut symbol above, which is theorized to represent an ecstatic state.
The blood eagle was a method of ritual execution as detailed in late skaldic poetry. According to the two instances (both loosely derived from one source which merely mentions that the victim had been "touched by an eagle" – which makes no zoological sense as eagles are not carrion birds) mentioned in the Christian sagas, the victims (in both cases members of royal families) were placed in a prone position, their ribs severed from the spine with a sharp tool, and their lungs pulled through the opening to create a pair of "wings". There has been continuing debate about whether the rite was a literary invention of the original texts, a mistranslation of the texts themselves, or an authentic historical practice.[1][2][3]
^Frank, Roberta (1984). "Viking atrocity and Skaldic verse: The Rite of the Blood-Eagle". English Historical Review. XCIX (CCCXCI). Oxford Journals: 332–343. doi:10.1093/ehr/XCIX.CCCXCI.332.
^Tracy, Larissa (2012). Torture and Brutality in Medieval Literature: Negotiations of National Identity. DS Brewer. pp. 109–111. ISBN 9781843842880. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-03-30.
^Dash, Mike (18 March 2013). "The Vengeance of Ivarr the Boneless". Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
The bloodeagle was a method of ritual execution as detailed in late skaldic poetry. According to the two instances (both loosely derived from one source...
well apart Spread Eagle (steamboat), a steamboat that operated on the Missouri River in the 19th century Bloodeagle or spread-eagle, an alleged Viking...
with the release of The Blood Crows in 2013. The novels since Under the Eagle first being published have contained the word 'Eagle' in the title however...
free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Disembowelment. Bloodeagle List of people hanged, drawn and quartered Seppuku Gill, C. O. (1 October...
According to legend, Ælla was executed by Ivar and his brothers using the bloodeagle, a ritual method of execution of debated historicity whereby the ribcage...
the typical causes of death due to flaying are shock, critical loss of blood or other body fluids, hypothermia, or infections, and that the actual death...
calling this mindset the "evil twin" of humanity. Ian has described "BloodEagle Wings" as the "centerpiece" of the album, and admitted having difficulty...
an image of a warrior about to be hanged from a tree, possibly as a bloodeagle sacrifice, with a nearby Valknut (considered to be Odin's cult symbol)...
the eagle on Ælla's back". From this the story of the atrocious revenge of Lodbrok's sons already seems to be present. The reference to a "bloodeagle" punishment...
expected shot. At last, a rifle was fired into the back of his head, and the blood poured out of the nose and mouth like water from a briskly handled pump...
and scaphism. Other methods which appear only in legend include the bloodeagle and brazen bull. The use of formal execution extends to the beginning...
the Chinese character cǎn (慘; "cruel, awful") seven times with his own blood before dying. After hearing this, the Yongzheng Emperor abolished this form...
Beheading Stoning Ancient and Post-classical methods Damnatio ad bestias Bloodeagle Blowing from a gun Brazen bull Boiling Breaking wheel Burial Burning...
and a barely alive Simon on display in a barn, having been made into a bloodeagle. An elder blows a powder in his face, paralyzing him. For the final ceremony...
saw the spot an hour or two later, the ground was all bespattered with blood, and disturbed by the death-struggles of the man. Mitford also describes...
also appeared in the Anthrax music videos for "What Doesn't Die" and "BloodEagle Wings". Posehn appeared on a Season 4 episode of the music talk show...
"The provisions of the Islamic Shari’a shall apply to the retribution and blood money crimes. Other crimes and their respective punishments shall be provided...
Global Information