What Would The Vikings Do?
The blood eagle is known to us through ancient Nordic legends. When a person is to be executed in this way, they are forced to lie face down on a table while the execution cuts a slit in their back giving access to the ribcage. The ribs are then cut so they expand out into the shape of wings. The executioner then removes the lungs of the (still living) victim and sprinkles salt in the wounds.
Actually, it was first documented by an Arab merchant, ironically, observing the Rus - the Vikings in Russia.