Norsefire




 * "Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith"
 * --The Voice of Fate

Official Name: Norsefire Nicknames: The Party Former Team Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Team Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status
Status: Inactive Identity: Public Base of Operations: London, England

Organization
Team Leader: Adam Susan (Chancellor) Active Members: Active members unknown Former Members: Former members unknown Known Allies: No known Allies Known Enemies: V; Evey Hammond

Origin
Origin: Born from Nuclear Winter following World War III, Norsefire quickly became the ruling party of the United Kingdom.

Place of Formation: London, England Place of Deformation: London, England First Appearance: Warrior Magazine #1 (reprinted in V for Vendetta #1) Final Appearance: V for Vendetta #10

History
History: Although the United Kingdom did not suffer any nuclear attacks, the effects of full-scale nuclear war on other countries had severe effects on the environment, and thus on agriculture. This in its turn had a knock-on effect on the British economy, and mass riots broke out. The government quickly collapsed and chaos overran the country.

The situation quickly turned. From the madness of the violence came the Norsefire regime, a group of fascists that united with surviving large companies and businesses, giving them the appearance of wealth and stability. However, while the Norsefire regime did indeed bring order back to the country, this order came at a terrible cost.

Minorities such as black people, Indians, Chinese and Pakistanis were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Other groups such as Jews, homosexuals and political leftists were also persecuted. With their potential enemies all removed within a short space of time, Norsefire began consolidating their power over the country. They began to sink their influence into the Church of England, promoting and demoting members of the clergy as they saw fit. They also took over the television companies, creating NTV (Norsefire Television), and implemented the technologies which would allow for a closely-monitored society, including closed circuit television cameras. It is shown, however, that they allowed the monarchy to continue their existence (although perhaps they only do so in the role of a figurehead).

Statistics
Total Members: Total number of members unknown Total Allies: Total number of allies unknown Total Enemies: 2

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: No known weapons.

Alternate Media
Norsefire is featured as the primary antagonist in the 2006 feature film V for Vendetta. Although Norsefire still bears their largely repressive policies in the movie adaptation, some differences are worthy of note.

The openly-fascist Norsefire comes to power in the film through the ordinary political process, with an excess of 80% of the vote. The mechanism is elaborated in the film to a much greater extent than was ever discussed in the comic. It is worth noting, however, that much of the following explanation comes from Finch's speculation that the biological attacks were a Reichstag fire ploy. His fears are "confirmed" by a discussion with one of the agents involved, but it is later made clear that the agent was 20 years dead and V was manipulating Finch to get to Creedy. In place of the nuclear war of the novel version, biological weapons are used instead. Alan Moore later states in the foreword to the trade paperback edition of V for Vendetta that scientists now felt that even a "limited" nuclear war was not survivable. Thus biological weapons would today be considered more plausible. In the film, Norsefire had staged a plan that would sweep them into full control of the nation; they conducted horrific medical experiments on prisoners in the detention centers to perfect a deadly virus (as well as the cure,) which they then used to stage a terrorist attack by foreign religious extremists.

To maximize its effect, the virus was released in a water treatment plant called Three Waters, a London Underground station, and the St. Mary's Elementary School. The "St. Mary's virus" quickly killed almost 100,000 people in Great Britain, and the populace was gripped by fear. Several "terrorist" scapegoats were tried and executed. Norsefire then promised to bring back security against the new "terrorist threat". Upper party members had bought stock in the pharmaceutical companies that would later mass produce it, becoming very rich in the process. Not long after the biological attack and their ascension to power, the public was informed that a cure was miraculously discovered and distributed throughout the country. Adam Sutler (the film version of Adam Susan) was then elected to the new office of High Chancellor.

Norsefire still has the primary government divisions of the graphic novel: the Finger (the secret police), the Eye (the visual surveillance division), the Ear (the audio surveillance division), the Nose (the police department), and the Mouth (the propaganda division which runs the BTN).

The rest of the world is only passingly mentioned, although it is stated in several news reports that at least the United States (referred to as the "former United States," not unlike "the former Soviet Union") has fallen upon desperate times. Early in the movie it is mentioned that the U.S. has become so desperate for medical supplies that it has sent Britain a tremendous amount of grain and tobacco in a bid for aid, and at least by the end of the movie has broken out into its second civil war, perhaps a consequential result of the war the United States led in the Middle East; however, it should be taken into account that the Voice of London is a propaganda tool.

The name of the government party, Norsefire, is only used passingly in the film. It is stated in the film that Sutler originally came to power in the Conservative Party, but a chart of election results show that Sutler broke away and formed his own party ("Labour", "Conservative" and "Norsefire" are shown). The computer system "Fate", which played an important role in the graphic novel, is also absent.

Trivia

 * A common recurring motto is "Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith" (or in the movie, "Strength Through Unity, Unity Through Faith".) This could well have been inspired by the Motto of Ingsoc in George Orwell's dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-four", "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength". Another maxim would be "England Prevails" which could be a take on Nazi greeting, "Sieg Heil", which literally means "For the Win"/"Hail Victory".


 * In the movie, the symbol of the Norsefire party resembles the Croix de Lorraine, the heraldic symbol of the province of Lorraine in France, which was adopted as the official symbol of General Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces between 1940 and 1944. It was later used for various Gaullist political parties in France, notably the RPR (Rally for the Republic). It would also be believed to be a cross between the St. George's Cross and the Nordic Cross Flag.

Recommended Readings

 * V for Vendetta #1
 * V for Vendetta #2
 * V for Vendetta #3
 * V for Vendetta #4
 * V for Vendetta #5
 * V for Vendetta #6
 * V for Vendetta #7
 * V for Vendetta #8
 * V for Vendetta #9
 * V for Vendetta #10

Related Articles

 * Norsefire members
 * Adam Susan
 * Anthony Lilliman
 * Conrad Heyer
 * Eric Finch
 * Lewis Prothero
 * Peter Creedy
 * Roger Dascombe
 * V