From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Coat of Arms of Norway is one of the oldest in Europe. It originated as a personal coat of arms for the royal house.

Håkon the Old (1217-1263) used a shield with a lion. The earliest preserved reference to the colour of the arms is the King's Saga written down in 1220.

In 1280 King Eirik Magnusson added the crown and silver axe to the lion. The axe is the martyr axe of St. Olav, the weapon used to kill him in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030.

The design of the Norwegian arms has changed through the years, following changing heraldic fashions. In the late Middle Ages, the axe handle gradually grew longer and came to resemble a halberd. The handle was usually curved in order to fit the shape of shield preferred at the time, and also to match the shape of coins. The halberd was officially discarded and the shorter axe reintroduced by royal decree in 1844, when an authorized design was instituted for the first time. In 1905 the official design for royal and government arms was again changed, this time reverting to the medieval pattern, with a triangular shield and a more upright lion. The present design was introduced in 1937, but slightly modified with royal approval approval 20 May 1992.

The coat of arms is always to be displayed sourmounted with the royal crown. During World War II the Quisling regime continued to use the lion coat of arms. In 1943 the design of the lion was modified, and the royal crown was replaced with an open medieval type of crown. The legitimate Norwegian government continued to use the coat of arms with the royal crown during exile.

According to the rules of heraldry, any design is acceptable and recognizable as the arms of Norway, provided it fits the blazon "gules a lion rampant or, crowned and bearing an axe with blade argent".

The Norwegian official blazon: "Ei upprett gull-løve på raud grunn med gullkrone på hovudet og gullskjeft sylvøks i framlabbane".

The coat of arms of the royal house as well as the Royal Standard uses the lion design from 1905. The shield features the insignia of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav around it.

The shield is framed by a royal ermine robe, surmounted by the crown of Norway.

Seal of Haakon V of Norway

Eirik Magnussons Great Seal from 1280, the arms as approved 10 July 1844 and Oscar II's Great Seal.

The Coat of arms on the first Norwegian postage stamp - 1855.

Royal Standard

• On the general use of the arms (Norwegian)
• Use on stamps (Norwegian)
• Pictures of older versions of the arms (German)
• The oldest preserved example (from 1292) (Norwegian)
• Penny issued 1285, the earliest known official use
• History of the arms (English)
• General information and legal definitions of the flag and coat of arms of Norway from the University of Oslo