The Story of Benjamin

Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, and the only full brother of Joseph.

He was the brother of Joseph, but throughout history was closely connected with the people of Judah. The Norwegians, who is the modern day Benjamin, created the Oslo Accords of 1993. It was a famous peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This shows their willingness to support their brother Judah. Also when Joseph asked for Benjamin to be brought to Egypt, it was Judah who intervened.

The Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary, “Benjamin was the only tribe which seemed to have pursued archery to any purpose, and their skill in the bow (I Sam.20:20, 36; II Sam.1:22),and sling (Judges 20:16) is celebrated.” Its ancient inheritance lay between Ephraim, Judah, Dan, and the Jordan River. Much of Benjamin went with the Southern Kingdom, after the dispersion of the Ten Tribes to the north.

Likewise a wolf was the symbol of Benjamin. The Coat of Arms of Benjamin has a wolf on it!! William the Conqueror bore a wolf on his standard. Godfroi de Bouillon, Crusader King of Jerusalem, claimed descent from Benjamin.

“Benjamin shall be as a ravening wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil” (Gen.49:27).

This is the story about the concubine who was raped and killed by a group of homosexuals in the land of Benjamin. And Benjamin refused to turn over these sinful men to be prosecuted and punished. This lead to a war between combined tribes against Benjamin. Although the Benjaminites were outnumbered 400,000 to 26,700, they won the first two battles. The Benjaminites were fierce warriors. The Israelite tribes had to fast and obtain God’s divine help to defeat the Benjaminites. At the end of this needless war, the entire tribe of Benjamin was reduced to only 600 men. The remainder was allowed to snatch a wife from amongst the dancing maidens. This is the account from scripture.

Judges 20:1: "All the people of Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, as well as from the land of Gilead in the east, answered the call. They gathered in one body in the LORD’s presence at Mizpah."

Judges 20:2: "The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were present at this gathering of God’s people, and there were 400,000 foot soldiers."

Judges 20:3: "Meanwhile the people of Benjamin heard that all the other Israelites had gathered at Mizpah. The Israelites asked, 'Tell us, how was this crime committed?'”

Judges 20:4: "The Levite whose concubine had been murdered answered, 'My concubine and I went to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.'"

Judges 20:5: "The men of Gibeah came to get me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me; instead they raped my concubine, and she died.

Judges 20:6: "I took her body, cut it in pieces, and sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. These people have committed an evil and immoral act among us."

Judges 20:7: "All of you here are Israelites. What are we going to do about this?”

Judges 20:8: "All the people stood up together and said, 'None of us, whether he lives in a tent or in a house, will go home.'"

Judges 20:9: "This is what we will do: we will draw lots and choose some men to attack Gibeah."

Judges 20:10: "One tenth of the men in Israel will provide food for the army, and the others will go and punish Gibeah for this immoral act that they have committed in Israel.”

Judges 20:11: "So all the men in Israel assembled with one purpose -- to attack the town."

Judges 20:12: " The Israelite tribes sent messengers all through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin to say, 'What is this crime that you have committed?'"

Jewish Medieval tradition said that the Tribe of Benjamin had gone into exile to the Balkan region.

From the Balkans emerged the Dacae part of the Scythians. The Dacae were together with the Getae. They originated in north Germany according to Julian. The Normans moved into Scandinavia and dwelt in parts of Denmark and Norway before moving onwards.

Benjamin was also the Vikings in History. Benjamin was the only son of Jacob who did not bow down to Esau when the family were returning to the land of Canaan to live. The kingdom of Rome is known as the Kingdom of Esau. Rome never had control over the Scandinavian countries especially Norway, the homeland of Benjamin!

The Viking Age began as a result of certain actions by Charlemagne, the king of France, in year 772, when he chopped down Irminsûl, the holy column or tree of the Saxons. He had assassinated approximately 5,000 Saxon noblemen, in cowardly ambushes. This was a war that started the age we know as the Viking Age. In 772 the kings of Norway were actually allied to Charlemagne in a war against the Danes, but they broke this pact when he cut down Irminsûl and assassinated the Saxon lords, and instead they too went to war against Charlemagne.

As a result of this the Scandinavians began burning churches forcing many of them to flee and look for other places to live. Then they began attacking the monasteries in England and France. This attack is the first recorded Viking attack in history and took place the 6th of June in 793. The vast majority of the Viking attacks were naturally attacks on France, because Charlemagne was seen as the main enemy. In the eighth Century the advancement of the Vikings in Britain was stopped by Alfred the Great.

It is important to note that the Vikings were 800 years ahead of their time in sword making. The method of the sword making can not be duplicated today -- it is a lost art. Loyal followers of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones will be familiar with Valyrian steel -- an ancient material used for forging swords so exclusive and so powerful that they are almost unbeatable. For those familiar with Viking lore, the notion of a super-strong sword may not seem at all far-fetched. In fact, the Vikings had something quite similar – and it carried the name “Ulfberht”.

Researchers have uncovered approximately 170 of these Viking superswords. They date from 800 to 1,000 A.D. and are all inscribed with a single word -- “Ulfberht”, which some believe is linked to the identity of their maker -- and two crosses.

One of the most perplexing things about the Ulfberhts is the strength of the metal from which they were made. The material, known as “crucible steel”, is so strong and pure that it seems inconceivable that any blacksmith of that time could have handled it. In fact, since the age of the Ulfberht, this quality of steel was not seen again in Europe for over a thousand years. However, at the time the Ulfberht swords were being forged, similar weapons were also being produced in the Middle East. The latter were made of so-called “Damascus steel”, which comes from a raw material known as Wootz steel, and originates in Asia. Both Damascus steel and crucible steel have been found to contain unusually high amounts of carbon.

To own an Ulfberht sword was not only prestigious, a good quality sword increased the changes to survive a battle.

Benjamin was part of the Norman Invasion (Davidy, The Tribes, p. 232). Although the Normans were made up of more than one tribe. The Tribe of Dan was also part of the Normans. The Normans were mainly from Denmark. They did have some Swedes mixed in with them. Dudo (ca. 960), himself a Norman, said that the Normans came from Danes who were descendants of the ancient (Greek) Danae and had reached the north via the Balkans, and that their forefathers were the Dacae.

The Normans really became recognizable to the historian when in 860 a band of Vikings led by Rollo received the area afterwards called Normandy from the King of France. Those Vikings who settled in Normandy became known as the Normans. When they settled into the area, they intermarried with the local Celts and Alans who had settled there earlier. The Celts in that region worshipped Esau as one of their gods.

Having settled by Lake Ladoga by the 750s, Viking Rus' forces played an important role in the early ethno-genesis of the Russian people and in the formation of the early 9th century Russian Khaganate. The Viking Rus' left a number of rune stones in their native Sweden that tell of their journeys to what is today Russia, Ukraine, Greece and Belarus. Most of these rune stones can be seen today, and are a telling piece of historical evidence. The Viking Rus' rune stones tell of many notable Viking Rus' expeditions -- and even account for the fates of individual warriors and travelers.

The Russian Primary Chronicle offers a small glimpse into these historical events and tells of the early, invading Viking Rus' nation with its base in Aldeigjuborg. As a result a Scandinavian prince thus became the first to rule all the tribes of Russia and, as well, establish an actual, multicultural Russian nation.

The Arab geographer Ibn Rustah described the Viking Rus' as carrying excellent swords and wearing baggy trousers that were tight below the knee -- a style that evidently reflected the Eastern influence in their attire. They were, in his estimation, heroic men who displayed great loyalty to each other. The philosopher and historian Miskawayh described them as men with "vast frames and great courage" who carried an impressive arsenal of weapons, including swords, spears, shields, daggers, axes and hammers. He noted that their swords "are in great demand to this day for their sharpness and excellence."

The Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that the term “Russia” is linked to the term “Russ,” a name given to Viking Norsemen of the 10th century A.D. who migrated from Scandinavia to the regions of Novgorod and Kiev. The name, “Russia,” has a Scandinavian/Viking origin, not a Slavic one, even though modern Russia is now overwhelmingly Slavic. The Viking name, Russ, may well reveal a Benjaminite origin as one of the sons (and clans) of Benjamin was named “Rosh” (Genesis 46:21). (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1943 Ed., Vol. 19, See “Russia,” Subheading; “Origin of the Russ,” p. 712).

The people from Norway were Celtic Christians and remained that way until the 15th century. When Norway became a part of Denmark in 1450 we too became officially Catholics, but the Danes had to send Danish priests to Norway. In 1189 many Templars fled to Norway, where they found a safe haven and continued to practice their Gnostic faith.

Benjamin constitutes Norway and Iceland. The Icelandic people are in reality a colony of Norwegians. Jerusalem, David’s capital, was in the tribe of Benjamin. There were also Benjaminites in part of Norway though most of Israelite-Norway is descended from Naphtali. The tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) would be closer genetically to the Benjaminites than any other tribe of Israel because Joseph and Benjamin were the only sons of Jacob and Rachel. Norway has traditionally had excellent relations with the British and Americans, which one would expect of the descendants of Benjamin.

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