In the war-centered culture of the Vikings, the ethos of heroic death occupied a special place.The measure of a warrior’s worth was not his victory, but his final defeat and the way he leftthis world, showing no fear or regret, presenting an attitude of cold contempt of pain. Thesource material shows, however, that although the characters, being under the pressure ofcultural pattern, do not openly reveal their emotions accompanying death, they betray themthrough somatic symptoms that are beyond their conscious control, theatrical gestures orsurprising behavior. Feelings such as joy at the upcoming revenge, surprise, grief, anger andenvy for the survivors unexpectedly show the ethos of heroic death and the people of theViking Age in a slightly different light than they are usually perceived in