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Volkniv In reply to Zenoxen [2013-12-11 18:13:59 +0000 UTC]

thanks a lot!

You can find some information about the wotanic-berserker cult here norse-mythology.org/gods-and-c…
also with the references.
About me, I prefer to study the ''cinocefali'' (''dogshead'' or ''wolfshead''), they were elite warriors among the Langobard, the germanic tribe that invaded northern Italy in 568 ac. They are just a type of berserker .The initiation rite of the cynocephals among the longobards was very bloody like the others, the man must find a wild dog or a wolf ( note: at the time there wasn't too much difference between dogs and wolves) and kill it to drink his blood to assimilate the animal power and rage, after this, during wars he have to dress with the skin of his totem animal.
But the legend of the howling berserker who fight naked with only animal skin it's probably a fake, you can see in the Gutestein Scabbard for example, the wolf warrior is wearing a wolf head and an armour (probably a leather kaftan or a gambeson)

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runehammer9 In reply to Volkniv [2014-01-06 01:58:59 +0000 UTC]

I would highly recommend the book "

The One-eyed God: Odin and the (Indo-) Germanic Männerbünde (Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph No. 36

" by Kris Kershaw. It is a bit pricey ($48 US) but well worth it in my opinion. It has the most information of this type (the Indo-European/Germanic Wolf Cult surrounding Wodhanaz/Odin) in one scholarly work that I have found. For a "Less Scholarly" approach I would recommend "Compleat Vampyre: The Compleat Vampyre: The Vampyre Shaman, Werewolves, Witchery & the Dark Mythology of the Undead " by Nigel Jackson. The title is misleading and had much more to do with the Wolfcult than Vampires, although the line between these two was a bit blurred in history. Just some suggestions!

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