Rage of the Bareserker – Chapter 7, Act 2, Strip 37

As the old Skandinavian saying goes: “The rage of the berserker is short, but his embarrassment is enduring.” That’s probably why modern-day Skandinavians don’t berserk a lot.

For the Barbessor’s bout of berserk rage won the team the battle handily, but at which price? I guess if you’re completely new to that whole berserkergang thing, you do tend to get carried away…uh, wait a moment, I think that’s actually the whole point to begin with. And I guess the Profarian still subscribes to the somewhat old-fashioned assumption that the “ber” in “berserker” derives from “bare” instead of from “bear”…which has little support, nowadays, but hey, it’s what no-one less than Snorri Sturluson believed. Who, on the other hand, wasn’t really known for fighting in the nude himself…

Anyway, the Barbarian went full hog…or rather, wild boar…on the berserker thing, and now his foes lie vanquished, and his clothes lie strewn about. It’s a good thing Mopey wasn’t there, otherwise the Professor might even have taken a bite out of her shield in his enthusiasm.

And, with his rage subsided, he’ll now feel quite enfeebled for a while…and kinda humiliated, too? Let’s hope he learns to keep some more control of himself in future episodes…which are likely to happen, since berserker-dom tends to be chronic…

Fortunately, his modesty is saved, at least to a large degree, by the fact that he didn’t fling his helmet away…and by some conveniently placed modesty shrubbery. Modesty shrubbery is a hardy plant native to all fictional places and climes, known for its lush and opaque foliage, lack of thorns and tendency to grow spontaneously wherever and whenever a fictional character is in dire need of covering up. Its leaves closely resemble fig leaves, for some reason.

More on Thurs…uh, Monday.

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