Throughout the ages, people have blended mysticism with militarism. Take a look at...
The Nagas of India come from an ancient tradition of mystics. With dreadlocked hair and nudity covered in ash, these devotes of Shiva make for an otherworldly sight.
The Naga Sadhu are said to have begun with Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, a time when Hindus were under threat. A pragmatic holy man, he recognized that both knowledge and weapons would be needed to keep Hinduism alive - so he designated weapons as the religious "ornaments" of the Naga. These armed mystics attempt to embody Shiva by meditation and combat. As a result, their gatherings are known as "chhaavni" or armed camps and feature combat drills or duels.
The Naga featured in the British occupation of India, fighting on both sides. The Naga would enter battle clad only in a leather weapon belt, and had a reputation as dangerous shock troops. Some Naga forces were armies in their own right - Anupgiri Gosain was said to have commanded around 20,000 of his fellow Naga at one point, equipped with sabers, guns, horses and even cannon.
The Templar came from the "Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon" who were tasked with protecting pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. They followed a religious life based on the Benedictine rule - they swore an oath of poverty, chastity and obedience, whist renouncing the material world as a whole. Though they lived like monks, they were not cloistered and their primary duty was to fight - they were viewed as deadly warriors by Sultan Saladin.
The Templar amassed a fortune in treasure from the crusades however, and were viewed as bankers in spite of their vows of poverty. This inspired resentment amongst other religious orders, and the Templar were accused of heresy along with a smorgasbord of other unsavory practices (including the worship of cats) by Philip IV of France. That France was critically short of cash and was able to seize the accumulated wealth of the order was, no doubt, a fortuitous coincidence.
Climbing the ranks in the Aztec military meant taking prisoners. Capturing a warrior would lead to an increase in rank, better equipment and special costumes as a mark of honor. The top tier of warrior a commoner could aspire to was an eagle or jaguar warrior at four captives, a title that conferred nobility. Eagle warriors worshiped Huitzilopochtli (a god of war and the sun) and dressed in a feathered costume. Jaguar warriors followed Tezcatlipoca (another war god, but associated with night and cunning) and wore a costume representing a jungle cat.
As for why the Aztecs needed so many captives to sacrifice... they believed that sacrifices fed the gods. If the gods were not kept fed they would grow weak - and the world would end.
Berserkers: Frenzied Warriors of the NorthTo go berserk (ferociously enraged) is a word with ancient origins - it comes from a particular class of Scandinavian warrior, depicted as far back as the Iron Age.
The word comes from ber (bear) serkr (shirt) and could mean bearskin shirt - though some descriptions claim they fought naked or clad only in a bearskin cloak. These warriors were said to wind themselves into a frenzy before or in combat, fighting with no regard to their own lives... or that of their allies. Ulfsarks (wolf-shirts) were a similar group who fought in the same manner - and may offer an explanation for some werewolf folklore!
To add to the mystique, berserkers were supposedly extremely strong and inured to pain while fighting. Multiple explanations have been put forwards for this, including hallucinogenic mushrooms and auto-hypnosis... but my money is on pure adrenaline and hysterical strength.
Though it sounds like an urban legend, humans have been known to rip doors off cars or even lift them off family members in a burst of seemingly-superhuman strength. Typically they don't notice the injuries sustained from overexertion until the situation has ended. This would tie in with another characteristic of berserkers - supposedly they were utterly drained and weak after a battle.
Many of the more outlandish tales about the order can be traced to Marco Polo, who wrote a sensationalized account of the group. He claimed that a mysterious "Old Man of the Mountain" indoctrinated fighters with drugs and damsels, promising them similar rewards in the afterlife if they died for the cause.
Though Polo may have been exaggerating for effect, we do know that contemporary Muslims called them Hashishin - users of the drug hashish. This is would become the origin of the term "assassin."
- The Naga Sadhu of India
- The Templar of Europe
- The Eagle and Jaguar Warriors of Mesoamerica
- The Berserkers of Scandinavia
- The Assassins of the Middle-East
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| A fearsome sight... (balouriarajesh) |
Naga Sadhu: Mystic Warriors of India
The Naga Sadhu are said to have begun with Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, a time when Hindus were under threat. A pragmatic holy man, he recognized that both knowledge and weapons would be needed to keep Hinduism alive - so he designated weapons as the religious "ornaments" of the Naga. These armed mystics attempt to embody Shiva by meditation and combat. As a result, their gatherings are known as "chhaavni" or armed camps and feature combat drills or duels.
The Naga featured in the British occupation of India, fighting on both sides. The Naga would enter battle clad only in a leather weapon belt, and had a reputation as dangerous shock troops. Some Naga forces were armies in their own right - Anupgiri Gosain was said to have commanded around 20,000 of his fellow Naga at one point, equipped with sabers, guns, horses and even cannon.
The Templar: Framed for Their Wealth
Often portrayed as a shadowy organization behind conspiracy theories, the Knights Templar were very real.The Templar came from the "Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon" who were tasked with protecting pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. They followed a religious life based on the Benedictine rule - they swore an oath of poverty, chastity and obedience, whist renouncing the material world as a whole. Though they lived like monks, they were not cloistered and their primary duty was to fight - they were viewed as deadly warriors by Sultan Saladin.
The Templar amassed a fortune in treasure from the crusades however, and were viewed as bankers in spite of their vows of poverty. This inspired resentment amongst other religious orders, and the Templar were accused of heresy along with a smorgasbord of other unsavory practices (including the worship of cats) by Philip IV of France. That France was critically short of cash and was able to seize the accumulated wealth of the order was, no doubt, a fortuitous coincidence.
Eagle and Jaguar Warriors: Aztec Man-Hunters
In Aztec civilization, war and religion were tied together. Battles were fought for the usual reasons - territory, resources and power - but also to collect sacrificial victims. The Aztecs and their enemies even organized ritual battles called flower wars, where the objective was to capture foes in hand-to-hand combat.Climbing the ranks in the Aztec military meant taking prisoners. Capturing a warrior would lead to an increase in rank, better equipment and special costumes as a mark of honor. The top tier of warrior a commoner could aspire to was an eagle or jaguar warrior at four captives, a title that conferred nobility. Eagle warriors worshiped Huitzilopochtli (a god of war and the sun) and dressed in a feathered costume. Jaguar warriors followed Tezcatlipoca (another war god, but associated with night and cunning) and wore a costume representing a jungle cat.
As for why the Aztecs needed so many captives to sacrifice... they believed that sacrifices fed the gods. If the gods were not kept fed they would grow weak - and the world would end.
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| After a hard night's berserking... (Alexandru-Bogdan Ghita) |
Berserkers: Frenzied Warriors of the NorthTo go berserk (ferociously enraged) is a word with ancient origins - it comes from a particular class of Scandinavian warrior, depicted as far back as the Iron Age.
The word comes from ber (bear) serkr (shirt) and could mean bearskin shirt - though some descriptions claim they fought naked or clad only in a bearskin cloak. These warriors were said to wind themselves into a frenzy before or in combat, fighting with no regard to their own lives... or that of their allies. Ulfsarks (wolf-shirts) were a similar group who fought in the same manner - and may offer an explanation for some werewolf folklore!
To add to the mystique, berserkers were supposedly extremely strong and inured to pain while fighting. Multiple explanations have been put forwards for this, including hallucinogenic mushrooms and auto-hypnosis... but my money is on pure adrenaline and hysterical strength.
Though it sounds like an urban legend, humans have been known to rip doors off cars or even lift them off family members in a burst of seemingly-superhuman strength. Typically they don't notice the injuries sustained from overexertion until the situation has ended. This would tie in with another characteristic of berserkers - supposedly they were utterly drained and weak after a battle.
The Nizari Ismaili: The Original Assassins
The Nizari were a particularly secretive sect of medieval Shiite Muslims, formed after disagreements with mainstream Islam. Viewed as heretics, the group none-the-less managed to take a number of castles (such as Alamut) by force... these would form the training grounds and redoubts of the fedayeen, fanatical warriors who specialized in infiltration and assassination. They were responsible for a number of high profile murders in furtherance of their goals.Many of the more outlandish tales about the order can be traced to Marco Polo, who wrote a sensationalized account of the group. He claimed that a mysterious "Old Man of the Mountain" indoctrinated fighters with drugs and damsels, promising them similar rewards in the afterlife if they died for the cause.
Though Polo may have been exaggerating for effect, we do know that contemporary Muslims called them Hashishin - users of the drug hashish. This is would become the origin of the term "assassin."
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