National coat of arms of Norway

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National coat of arms of Norway
Coat of arms of Norway.svg
Details
Heraldic shield Lion with ax
Eilif Peterssen's national coat of arms, 1905

The national coat of arms of Norway , the Norske Løve , is one of the oldest in Europe and was originally a personal coat of arms of the king .

history

The coat of arms is likely inspired by Scotland's coat of arms , a red lion on a gold shield. In 1280 King Erik II Magnusson equipped the lion with a crown and an ax. The ax was the symbol of Olav the Saint .

The appearance of the coat of arms of Norway has changed over the centuries. In the late Middle Ages, the shaft of the ax was lengthened several times until the ax looked more like a halberd . The shaft also became more and more crooked to fit the shield shape that was popular at the time. The lion, who held the halberd with the crooked shaft with all fours, remained unchanged during the entire time under the Danish crown, until King Oskar I resolved the appearance of the state and royal arms on June 10, 1844. Due to the historical research by Rudolf Keyser, the short-shafted ax was reintroduced, but with the lion in a bent position and an almost square shield shape. This was the first official change to the coat of arms. The resolution text that defines Norway's national coat of arms reads:

Et redt fiirkantet Skjold, i hvilket see en, at least fra Venstre and opad til Høire i foreignadskridende Stilling opreist kronet gylden Løve, with aabent Gab and out tract Tunge, holding in Forlabberne en opløftet Stridsøxe with Skjvetadent - en conical crown.

Translation:

A red, square shield, in which, from the bottom left and up to the right, an upright, crowned golden lion striding forward, with a raised leg and an outstretched tongue, with a raised battle ax with a golden shaft and a blade in its front paws Silver holds - a royal crown above the shield.

After the dissolution of the Union , a new official coat of arms was introduced based on a design by the painter Eilif Peterssen . This went back to the models from the Middle Ages with a rather upright lion in a triangular " Gothic " shield. Petersson's version of the national coat of arms was made binding by the royal resolution of December 14, 1905, which stated, among other things:

Rigsvaabenet he en heraldisk, kronet Løve med Olavsøksen, the har sølvfarvet Blad, i trekantet, høirødt Skjold uden Ramme.
Skjoldet he oventil ret, mod den nedre Spids let afrundet.
Løven er, væsentlig i Overensstemmelse med de Løver, the lake paa de gamle Kongesegl fra det 13de and 14de Aarhundrede, en opreist, gylden, kronet Løve, vendt mod Høire. Løvens Stilling he adapts a Skjoldets Form, the hall is at the hviler pair of venstre Bagben and holder of the height in the Løftet, foreign adskridende Stilling. Løvens Hale er bøiet indover mod Løvens Ryg. Paa sit Hoved bærer Løven en aaben, trebladet Krone. Øksen holdes i ret Stilling. Over det Skjold, i hvilket Løven he is on, he the en hatch cone crown. Denne afsluttes foroven i en Kugle (Rigsæble) med Kors. Bag corset staar en halv, opreist, kronet Løve, as seen from Siden.

Translation:

The imperial coat of arms is a heraldic, crowned lion with the Olavs ax, which has a silver-colored leaf, in a triangular, crimson shield without a frame.
The top of the shield is straight, with a slightly rounded point at the bottom.
The lion is, essentially in accordance with the lions, as on the old royal seals from the 13th and 14th centuries, an upright, golden, crowned lion, turned to the right. The position of the lion is adapted to the shape of the shield, so he rests on the left hind leg and holds the right one in the air, in a walking position. The lion's tail is curved behind the back. The lion wears an open, three-leaved crown on its head. The ax is held in a straight position. Above the shield in which the lion is attached is a closed, royal crown. This closes above in a ball with a cross. Under the cross stands a half, upright, crowned lion, seen from the side.

Peterssen's model for the national coat of arms was used for both the king and the state until 1937 when a new design for state purposes, drawn by archivist Halvard Trætteberg , was put into use. However, the king kept the 1905 version and still uses it in the royal flag and coat of arms.

The design of the state coat of arms for state use was determined by a royal resolution of March 19, 1937:

  1. Noregs riksvåpen er an upprett gull-løve on raud green with gullkrone on hovudet and gullskjeft sylvøks in framlabbane.
  2. Riksvåpnet should be in the form of a letter. Over the skirts should be placed on a conical crown with rikseple and cross.
  3. All parts to the riksvåpnet to the bridge for the disclosure institusjonar må bli godkjende av Utanriksdepartementet, so framt the ikkje he eller fastsett av Kongen.
  4. Noregs riksinnsigle shall be stamped with riksvåpnet in skjoldform under the crown with the name and title in the omenscript.
  5. The kgl.res. from December 14, 1905 from the riksvåpnet and riksinnsiglet gjeld ikkje lenger.

Translation:

  1. Norway's national coat of arms is an upright gold lion on a red background with a gold crown on its head with the king's name and title in the inscription.
  2. The national coat of arms should usually have a shield shape. A royal crown with an orb and a cross should usually be placed above the shield.
  3. All drawings of the national coat of arms for use by public institutions must be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, unless they are or will not be determined by the king.
  4. Norway's state seals are said to have the imperial coat of arms in the form of a shield under the royal crown with the royal name and title in the inscription in their stamp.
  5. The royal resolution of December 14, 1905 on the state coat of arms and insignia no longer applies.

The resolution of 1937 is still valid today and Trætteberg's drawings, without naturalistic details, are still in use with small changes. The current version of the national coat of arms was approved by the king on December 16, 1992.

use

The royal resolution of May 20, 1927 states:

Riksvåbenet må kun used of statens mndigheter i utøvelsen of their public virksomhet.

Translation:

The state coat of arms may only be used by the state authorities in the exercise of their public activities.

The national coat of arms can be used by the court, the Storting , ministries, the court and the district president. Any private use is prohibited.

See also

literature

  • Karl-Heinz Hesmer: Flags and coats of arms of the world. History and symbolism of the flags and coats of arms of all states . Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, 1992. ISBN 3-570-01082-1

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