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This Is the Way... Vikings Are Coming, Again!
by Robin Webber
Long ago in Europe, one of the great cries
of desperation spoken in many languages was "the Vikings are coming, the
Vikings are coming!" As these bands of raiders sailed along the waterways
of Europe, their impact over time changed entire political norms of their
day.
The cumulative effect of these Scandinavian
adventurers from 800 to 1066 A.D. was felt in the courts and ports of
Kiev, Palermo, Paris, Dublin, York, London and Constantinople. Seemingly,
the Vikings were everywhere! These were not simply hit-and-miss pirates
with long ships and horned helmets, but as historians have come to recognize,
an ingenious collection of people who were highly organized in their desire
to expand their peoples' impact on kingdoms near and far.
It's amazing how things change and don't change
over a thousand years. The descendants of the Vikings seemingly are everywhere
still, but now their "landings" on foreign soil are of a gentler nature.
The anguished screams of terror of long ago have been transformed into
the deliberate hush of quiet diplomacy. This is borne out in Peter Ford's
article that appeared in the Christian Science Monitor of May 31,
2000, titled, "Norway Helps Itself by Helping Others Make Peace."
Mr. Ford states, "You will find Norwegians
in the most unlikely places. In Sri Lanka, for example, a Norwegian deputy
foreign minister is leading efforts to bring the government and Tamil
rebels to the negotiating table. In Colombia, a Norwegian United Nations
official is seeking to cement peace between the army and the Marxist guerrillas.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Norwegian church workers are fostering talks
between religious leaders on both sides of the war."
He quotes Geir Lundestad, director of the
Norwegian Nobel Institute, as proudly stating, "everywhere there is a
crisis, there seems to be a Norwegian." What an amazing difference a millennium
makes, as "the People of the North" have turned from the industry of war
to the "business of peace."
Related Information on UCG Sites:
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