blood eagle

English

Noun

blood eagle (plural blood eagles)

1. A method of Viking ritual execution, in which the ribs are opened from the back, and the lungs pulled out and arranged to resemble wings.

Usage notes

• Some historians maintain that blood eagle executions were actually never carried out, and that the concept is based on misinterpretation of the Norse sagas.

Translations

method of execution

• Finnish: verikotka
• French: aigle de sang (fr) m
• German: Blutaar m, Blutadler m
• Italian: aquila di sangue f
• Spanish: águila de sangre f
• Swedish: blodörn c
• Turkish: kan kartalı