Scene from Vikings, S2E8: "Boneless." Uncle Rollo schools his nephew Bjorn in some berserker training and provides some words of advice in the process. "Always remember to finish off your opponent if you can. You'll find ones playing dead or pretending to run away. Perhaps the Saxons are the same. No man ever ran away with his entrails hanging down to his knees or his head cut off. That's just a fact of life." -- Uncle Rollo Training and, sometimes, fighting bare chested was a religious rite for some berserker cults. Doing so was a message to the enemy that the berserker gave no concern for any potential wounds received from an enemy, and that he would fight to the death in any instance. "His (Odin's) men rushed forwards without armour, were as mad as dogs or wolves, bit their shields, and were strong as bears or wild oxen, and killed people at a blow, but neither fire nor iron told upon them. This was called Berserkergang." -- from the Ynglinga saga, by Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241)