Historien om den norske løve
Knut Johannessen
Why is Norway’s coat of arms a lion with an axe, and not a native Norwegian animal? Why can’t anyone and everyone use the coat of arms in the same way as the flag?
Historien om den norske løve tells how the coat of arms is used in our time. But above all, the account traces the long lines of history, all the way back to when the motif first appeared as a royal emblem in the 13th century. Through many centuries of unions, the lion had to relate to Danish and Swedish royal symbols and find its place within the union coats of arms. In key historical years such as 1814 and 1905, the Norwegian lion played a part in the political power struggle. During the Second World War, both the Quisling regime and the London government used the lion as their emblem. The Norwegian lion has left its mark on a rich visual tradition.
We encounter the lion on coins, banknotes, and stamps; in church decorations; on cast-iron stoves and glass goblets; and on cupboards and chests in folk art. It appears on military uniforms and banners, on bookbindings and sheet music, in digital design programmes, and of course on the royal standard.
The book presents an extensive and largely unknown collection of images.
The author, Knut Johannessen, is a historian and former Head of Department at the National Archives of Norway.
© Orfeus Publishing & Knut Johannessen
Author: Knut Johannessen
Publishing editor: Inger Schjoldager
Picture Editor: Knut Johannessen
Design/repro: Halvor Bodin
Photography: Credited in captions
Front cover photo: Arnstein Arneberg’s design of the coat of arms on the Telegraph Building in Oslo. Photo: Halvor Bodin
Orfeus Publishing
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2025
248 x 272 mm
288 pages
ISBN 978-82-93959-20-5
Livonia Print SIA, 2025, Latvia
Paper: Arctic Matt 150 g/m²
Endpapers: Munken Lynx 150 g/m²
Book jacket: Geltex 11 LS
Typography: Store Norske Leif Regular 9/13 pkt., Store Norske Gangster, Store Norske Skandia Condensed
Language: Norwegian
The publication has received support from the Bergesen Foundation, the Fund for Danish-Norwegian Cooperation, the Arts Council Norway, and Societas Heraldica Scandinavica.
The author has received support from the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association.
More documentation photos to come.
248 x 272 mm
288 pages
ISBN 978-82-93959-20-5
Livonia Print SIA, 2025, Latvia
Paper: Arctic Matt 150 g/m²
Endpapers: Munken Lynx 150 g/m²
Book jacket: Geltex 11 LS
Typography: Store Norske Leif Regular 9/13 pkt., Store Norske Gangster, Store Norske Skandia Condensed
Language: Norwegian
The publication has received support from the Bergesen Foundation, the Fund for Danish-Norwegian Cooperation, the Arts Council Norway, and Societas Heraldica Scandinavica.
The author has received support from the Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association.
More documentation photos to come.
