Norway Journey

Anders Behring Breivik is a self-described “rightwing extremist.” He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia by court-appointed psychiatrists after his arrest for the murder of 69 people and the wounding of 242 more on the island of Utoeya on July 22, 2011.

Breivik started off that day by bombing government builds in Oslo, killing eight people. He then went to the island of Utoeya where a Workers' Youth League (AUF) of the Labour Party camp was taking place.

He opened fire from several weapons and—as the only armed person—had the run of the island for over an hour, firing the guns methodically and indiscriminately.

Norwegian police were fully aware of what was happening on the island but were clearly unprepared in the decision-making process as well as resources.

Police blamed communication systems, breakdown of a boat en-route to the island with a swat team, refusal to use an available helicopter and the overloading of the boat that broke down. Other, unnamed “mishaps” were cited.

At an early age, Breivik became estranged from his parents after his condemnation of them as a super-liberal, dominating and feminizing influence on his development into a man. He claimed he has been planning his actions since the age of nine years. He founded and operated several businesses during his teens and early twenties to capitalize his grandiose right-wing plans. He went bankrupt at 24 years of age and was under investigation for breaking several laws.

Prosecutors have already stated they regard Breivik as mentally ill and he will be sent to a mental health facility instead of jail if he is found guilty.

The far northern stretches of the European continent harbor Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. Norway is a long narrow country of almost 600,000 square miles. It is wild, rugged and unbelievably beautiful. One third of the land mass is covered with dense forests crisscrossed by rivers and streams and dotted with huge lakes. Fully one half of the country is ruggedly mountainous, with tall jutting peaks and long smooth slopes.

Norway has a population of approximately 5.0 million Norwegians—approximately one-tenth of whom live in the capital city of Oslo—the business and cultural center of the country. Norway has an additional 30,000 Sami. The Sami are the indigenous people of Norway—many of whom live as did their ancestors for thousands of years—and after many years of conflict are slowly being assimilated into the mainstream of Nordic life. Rich in its own culture and traditions, many of the Sami live semi-nomadic lives working as fishermen and herding reindeer. The physical characteristics of Sami range from European blonde hair and blue eyes to a decidedly Asian physical structure.

The country has room to spare for the small population and the income per capita ranks among the highest in the world. The North Sea oil and gas fields—as well as fishing, forestry, mining, manufacturing and shipping industries—form a strong economic base.

Norway has a great deal to offer to the traveler and that is why the United Nations claim Norway is the best country in the world in which to live.

Vikings were intrepid and prolific explorers, traveling Europe by ocean and rivers, while trading, conquering and raping as the situation dictated. During the Viking Era from the late 8^th to 11^th centuries the Norse Vikings were on the move in their fabled longboats. Europe was their playground as well as Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and Anatolia. Some evidence suggests that Vikings sailed all the way to the North American continent.

Vikings were first and foremost warriors. The ability and desire to fight protected them whether trading or exploring. Two types of Viking warriors existed, the warriors chosen due to strength, courage and ability to fight in the king’s army, and the common Viking citizen soldier.

The uniform used by the King’s soldiers typically consisted of a conical metal helmet with a reinforcing strip extending down above the nose as well as metal strips covering the upper part of the face. The warrior could see out fine and the metal protected his eyes. There were no unwieldy and clumsy horns on the helmets.

Warriors wore leather jackets with a woolen or linen tunic underneath. Leather pants, boots and woolen socks along with a heavy cloak completed his outerwear. The clothing was tight and did not have anything to get in the way during battle.

Regarding armor, Viking soldiers wore a heavy birnie, or long chain mail tunic from their necks to their knees. This afforded some protection from sword blows and arrow strikes.

Viking adult males were heavily armed at all times. Soldiers, of course, were no exception. Every soldier owned at least one spear, several axes and a sword and knife. The most treasured weapons were the sword and axe. These were useful in the close combat favored by Vikings.
A Vikings sword was made of hammered iron and decorated with good luck charms to afford protection in battle. The blade was double-edged and came to a sharp point. The handle was decorated as much as possible with gold, silver or copper.
The axe was a fearsome weapon that wreaked pure destruction in close quarter battle. Each soldier owned an axe made for throwing and one made to be held and used to hack at the enemy.

The axes were heavy and sharp; a powerful Viking very easily could and did chop off legs, arms and heads.  

Bows and arrows were specialized weapons used by trained archers in specific situations.

Each Viking carried a round shield made of wood and reinforced with leather. The shields had a metal piece in the middle on the outside of the shield to protect the user’s hand where it grasped the shield on the inside.
Vikings were berserkers who attacked their enemy in a blitzkrieg assault before the opponent even knew what was going on. Their reputation alone won them many battles because their opponents simply did not have the will to fight the Viking warriors.