Friesia III, 5

- 350-
been eaten in the Viking-period. It is no proof that the natives in Siberia,
Mexico etc. have been addicted to it, As the tales of the poor
Korak people often mention the Fly Agaric, why is it that the proud
Seandinavia sagas never do? In no known Danish, Norwegian or lrish
document, legend, ornament or decoration from that period do fungi
seem to exist. We therefore eannot join S c h li b e l e r in his optimism
that it could have been a secret of the Berserks. There were thousands
of Berserks, and in any case the rulers, who employed the Berserks
must have known the secret. Nothing has been handed down. Maybe
there was nothing to hand down? Maybe the vocable "berserk" only
was meant as a literary flower telling from ancient times about the
fury of fighting. However, the fury of the Berserks remains a
mystery till new facts come to light.
LITERATUR
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S.103, 174, 185. (Translated into 12 languages).
Bergsøe, Vilhelm: Om giftige Svampe III. Avisartikel i "Nationaltidende",
9. Sept. 1887. (Kgl. Bibliotek).
Bjørnekær. K.: Svampe. København 1943. S.13.
Buchwald, N. Fabritius: Spise- og Giftsvampe. København 1937. S. 84.
Bugge, Alexander- Vikingerne II. København 1906. S. 76-82.
Ferdinandsen & Winge: Mykologisk Ekskursionsflora. København. 1. Udg.
1928. S. 22. '
Freuchen, Peter: Sibiriske Eventyr. København 1939.
Fries, Elias: Sveriges atliga och giftiga Svampar. Stockholm 1861. (Bo ­
tanisk Bibl.).
Goldsmith, Oliver: Citizens of the World. Vol. I. London 1774. S.158-160.
(Kgl. Bibl.).
Grøn, Frederik: Berserkergangens vesen og årsaksforhold. Et medisinskhistorisk
studie. Kgl. Norske Vidensk.s Selsk.s Skrifter 1'929, Nr.
4. Trondhjem 1929. S. 1-60. (Kgl. Bibliotek).
Horn, Winkel: Billeder af Livet paa Island. 1871. Droplaugssønnernes
Saga. (Til Sammenligning af B u g g e's og S c h ti b e l e r's
Paastande) .
Joeehelson, Waldemar: The Jesup North Pacific Expedition. Vol. VI (The
Koryak, Religion and Myths); Vol. VII (The Koryak, Material
Culture, social Organization). Edited by Franz Boas, Leiden
and New York 1908. S. 74, 116, 120, 148-149, 417, 582 ff.
(Haandbogsamlingen, Nationalmuseets etnografiske Afdeling).
Kennan, George: Tent Life in Siberia (New Edition). London 1871. S.139
-140, 160. (Universitetsbiblioteket).