In the Folk Tales of the Norseman, there are legends of warriors called "Berserkers". When engaged in battle , these warriors would go into a frenzy, fearing no one, feeling no pain, having superhuman strength and never surrendering. Before a battle the warriors would dress with a shirt made of bear or wolf skin (The term Berserker translates to "men in bearskin coats" and the warriors who donned the wolf skins were known as "ulfheobar", but today both groups are both described as Berserkers). The feeling was that once dressed with the skins of an animal, the warrior would take on the characteristics of that animal. A Byzantine emperor described the Berserkers in battle as being possessed by a ferocity and madness seen only in wild beasts. The term "berserk" was derived from the Berserkers.