APPENDICES

APPENDIX I

“WE LIT THE FIRES” by Finn Bjørn Tønder

[Front page story, Bergens Tidende newspaper January 20, 1993]

 

Devil Worshippers Take Responsibility for Eight Church Fires.

 

“We are behind all church fires in Norway. It started with Fantoft Stave Church. And we’re not stopping now.”

—Anonymous youth from Bergen, about 20 years old.

 

“Our intention is to spread fear and devilry. Fear of the powers of darkness—that is why we are telling this to Bergens Tidende. It started with Fantoft Stave Church. And we’re not stopping with the eight church fires so far.”

 

The person behind these words is an anonymous man from Bergen, about 20 years of age. By way of two youths that knew him, Bergens Tidende was able to meet him at nighttime in his apartment in the southern part of the city.

 

“Call us what you want. We worship the Devil, but prefer to not use the word Satan. That name has been made ridiculous by foolish groups of poseurs. Morons who think they are tough.”

 

The youth’s story is cruel and perhaps not immediately believable. However, he can give details about several of the fires. Among the details is information which has not been made public—information that Bergens Tidende had confirmed by police and the Gades Institute (the Forensic Science Institute at Haukeland hospital) yesterday. Therefore, much indicates that BT’s interviewee is telling the truth. In that case, there are groups in Norway that the public needs to take very seriously.

He Hates the Light

It is completely dark in the halls while we ascend to his loft apartment at the hour of midnight. We have also been given the message that the youth is armed—“In case you have contacted the police.”

 

The apartment is clearly not the residence of an ordinary person. It is either just an overgrown kid who finds Nazi paraphernalia, weapons, and Satanic symbols exciting, or BT’s reporters have come into a “world” few people understand.

 

The windows are completely covered by carpets. “I hate the daylight,” explains the thin, long-haired creature that introduces himself with an unintelligible name. [Translator’s note: This was obviously “Count Grishnackh,” Kristian Vikernes’s preferred alias at the time.] We quickly get the feeling that the youth simply likes excitement. It is difficult for us to grasp that he can be speaking the truth.

 

Later, we check the details he gives us about the church fires. One of the investigators of the fires tells us that he finds the youth’s description of the torching of Åsane Church to be credible. At the same time, Associate Professor Inge Morild at the Gades Institute, confirms information about the burned rabbit that was found by Fantoft Stave Church.

 

Fantoft

“We caught a rabbit by the Fana mountain. It was much more laborious than burning down Fantoft Stave Church. By the church we decapitated the now dead rabbit. We lay the body on the church steps. The head was laid on the ground next to it. The point was to spread more sorrow. Our hope was that the innocent rabbit would be found,” says the youth, “a symbol of goodness to be burned on the fire,” as the youth describes it.

 

Associate Professor Morild confirmed to BT yesterday that the rabbit carcass which was found was headless.

 

He says this is information that has not been made public before. “I don’t even think the police knew it,” says Morild. He cannot determine whether the head was cut or burned off the body. “Our examinations cannot determine this.”

 

One Man

The Devil worshipper tells us that there was only one man that set fire to Fantoft Stave Church. “He wanted to do it himself, he didn’t want to share the sacrifice with anyone. A church that had been revered for 800 years was something really big for us, and had more power. The day itself was carefully planned. The Eve of Pentecost, 1992 revealed the Satanic symbol 666. [Note: The arson took place on the sixth day of the sixth month, at six o’clock] The intention was that our contacts all over Norway should do the same with other churches at exactly the same time. But the others chickened out. They let it remain just talk. Luckily, their cowardice led to us gaining more power over them. Therefore they became easier to manipulate later.”

 

A Dead Student

He gives a detailed description of how the church was ignited. The information corresponds with the police investigation of the fire.

 

“We had been there for a long while before the arsonist stepped into the open hall on the East side of the church. We had planned to assault the first person that came through the forest. We knew that students [Translator’s note: Bergen is a university town] often walk that way. Unfortunately, no one came. It would have had greater effect to sacrifice a dead student than a rabbit,” he says.

 

He neither laughs nor looks sad. The brutal sentences just keep coming.

 

Åsane Church

The Devil worshipper talks in “we” form. He says there are six persons that have participated in the eight church fires in Norway. Even if he does not want to confirm it, BT gets the impression that he was himself present when Åsane Church was burned to the ground the night before Christmas Eve.

 

“That Åsane Church was ignited the night before Christmas Eve was just a coincidence. The fire was not planned. Åsane Church went up in flames because the word “peaceful” was said on TV. We got so irately mad at all the righteousness in society. A less intelligent person was utilized. He came with one of “us.” Tried to get into the church through the windows. That didn’t work. Even with an axe. The door, however, quickly gave in to the axe blows,” he says.

 

Gasoline

BT’s source tells that the two doused gasoline on the altar and on a Jesus figure. “If the church didn’t go up in flames, at least Jesus would burn.” He claims that psalm books were torn up and piled up against the walls. Under the church tower they poured extra amounts of gasoline. It didn’t take many matches before the whole church was in flames.

 

“After a few seconds, the church bells started tolling. The fire engines were there after two or three minutes. We were nearby. The descriptions of us in the press were almost accurate. The poor sucker that was called in for questioning had nothing to do with us,” grins the youth. The smile quickly stiffens: “It’s not good for us to laugh. We have nothing to laugh at in this laughable society.”

 

[Reprinted by courtesy of Finn Bjørn Tønder. Translated by Didrik Søderlind.]