What does the arms of Norway mean. Its origin and history.

The coat of arms, along with the flag, is one of the main state symbols. In the old days, all noble families had their own emblems. They not only served as distinctive signs of aristocrats and rulers, but also were original carriers of memory. And every detail in the design of the coat of arms has its own meaning and meaning. The Norwegian coat of arms also has its centuries-old history. How and when did the arms of Norway appear? The description and its meaning that he can tell us about the past of the country - later in this article.

The coat of arms of Norway today

One of the most important state symbols, the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Norway, like many other emblems, is created in the form of a shield that has a dark red color (often characterized by the word "scarlet"). It depicts a golden lion, which holds in the forepaws an ax made of precious metals - the hilt is made of gold, and the blade is made of silver. The head of the lion and the shield itself are crowned with crowns.

To date, the President has at his disposal a special personal coat of arms, the distinctive features of which are the presence of the insignia of the Order of St. Olav and the Mantle. In this case, the Norwegian crown crowns the mantle, and not the scarlet shield.

Coat of arms and legislation

As in many world legislations, in Norway since 1937 such royal decree of the relative State Emblem operates:

1. The state coat of arms of Norway is depicted as a golden crowned lion in a scarlet field. The lion holds a silver ax with a hilt of gold in front paws.
2. The State Emblem has the form of a shield, which, in turn, must be crowned by the royal crown. The cross and the power are the obligatory hallmarks of the crown.
3. Official bodies wishing to change and use the State Emblem at their own discretion are required to agree all edits with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Exceptions are cases when the changes were initiated by the head of state.
4. The state seal of Norway has the form of the State Emblem and the inscription with the name and title of the king around it.
5. From now on, the Royal Decree on the State Press and the State Emblem dated 14.12.1905 is considered invalid.

The origin of the coat of arms

The appearance of a lion on the coat of arms of the Norwegian kings is attributed to the end of the 12th - the beginning of the 13th centuries. On the shields of the rulers of that time, beginning with Hawkon Hoconsson, there was an image of a lion. Later, King Eyric II Magnusson, the grandson of Hawkon Hoconsson, changed the emblem design, crowning the lion's head with a crown and adding a battle ax to his paws. The new coat of arms was first seen on silver pennies, issued by King Eric Magnusson in 1285. Since then, the arms of Norway consistently represent the image of a golden crowned lion on a scarlet field, holding in its paws a silver ax with a golden handle.

What information does the coat of arms of Norway bear? The value of the lion in heraldry is strength, and the battle ax was a popular weapon among the ancient Norwegians. Also the ax is an attribute of St. Olav, the heavenly patron of Norway. It was she who, according to the "Saga of Olav the Holy", caused his death.

Changes in the coat of arms over the centuries

In Norway, no laws and decrees regulating the use or correctness of the image of the emblem have been issued, so for centuries, its design has changed. Thus, in the late Middle Ages the handle of the poleaxes was gradually lengthened, and the ax began to resemble the halberd rather. Only thanks to the royal decree of 1844 in the clutches of the lion again appeared the familiar battle ax with a short handle.

In the time of the Reformation (XVI-XVII centuries), a tradition appeared to depict the Norwegian coat of arms crowned with the royal crown, this custom was firmly established around 1671. By this time the medieval crown was replaced by the royal crown, represented by a closed, crowned power and a cross.

For centuries, Norway was under the rule of Sweden and Denmark, and only in 1905 the country was completely independent. The newly elected king issued a decree, in which the draft of the new State Emblem was approved. Now the coat of arms of Norway should be depicted according to the medieval canons, as on seals and ancient coins of the 12th-13th centuries. Later, the design of the emblem changed twice - in 1937 and in 1992, but these changes were not so significant.

Interesting Facts

In the XII century, the knights used rather bulky equipment, and the closed helmet did not allow to make out the faces of the warrior, which made it difficult to navigate the battlefield. Distinctive signs for this reason could be seen, for example, on the shields or cloaks of soldiers.

It is interesting that quite often on the arms of some states of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, such exotic animals for these places as a lion or a leopard are depicted for a long time. The drawing of a lion holding an ax, or rather a halberd, was also present on the flag of Norway in 1814. Lions and leopards, according to heraldry, symbolize strength, courage and generosity. Knowing this, you can understand what the coat of arms of Norway means for the inhabitants of this country today and what was its meaning in the past.