A section of the Cultural History Museum in Oslo is devoted to the history of the Norwegian lion on coins. Following is a translation of this exhibit, plus examples of lions on coins over the years. If you spot any errors, please let me know!
The Norwegian Lion through 700 yearsIn Europe, only Denmark's royal arms is older than Norway's. The motif of the coat of arms is the Norwegian lion: ready to fight, armed with an ax, front paws, and wearing a crown.
The lion was first used as a royal arms under King Sverre (1177-1202). Haakon and Magnus Lagabøte continued using the lion. During Eirik Magnusson, the lion was armed with an ax in his front paws, and crown on the head. This symbolizes that the Norwegian kings ruled as proxies for the country's eternal King, Saint Olav. In the 1300s, the lion, ax and shield became the permanent Norwegian coat of arms.
The coat of arms is the same today as in 1285. The only addition is a crown over the shield that was added in 1699. The form, however, has changed significantly. Besides, we have picked out examples of the design of the shield and the Norwegian lion through 700 years -- from an Eirik Magnusson coin in 1285 to contemporary coins.
Here is the earliest coin of the exhibit bearing the lion, minted under Eirik Magnusson in 1285.
Next is Norway's first gold coin. I think the inscription is for king John, 20 July 1483--20 February 1513.
Christian II, 1513--1523
Frederick I 1523--1533
Christian III, 1537-- 1 January 1559
Christian IV, 4 April 1588--28 February 1648
Under Christian IV to Frederik III, the lions got more ornate, probably reflecting Renaissance artistic tastes.
During Christian V's reign, the ornate engraving of the lion reflected the style of the high Renaissance.
As during earlier times, the minor coinage had simplified lions, such as on this 2 Skilling
An interesting variant is this 2 Skilling, which has a differently stylized lion--compare their heads.
After the union with Denmark the Norwegian lion celebrates triumphs in the 1700s. A medal was released to celebrate the Danish-Norwegian victory in 1718. Swedish King Karl XXII besieged the Fredrikstein fortress in November and December this year. In an onslaught on 11 December Karl XXII fell and the siege was abandoned. Karl 12s fall was the beginning of the end of for Swedish military expansion and the Great Northern War. The reverse shows a proud, Norwegian lion who triumphs over a grand Swedish lion, lying at its feet.
Frederik V 1746-66
This unusual coin shows the Norwegian lion facing the other direction, as if it's looking at his tail! Despite the Kongsberg mint mark, it is believed this coin was minted in Copenhagen.
In the 19th Century, the size of the lion was noticeably reduced, perhaps due to new minting policies under Swedish rule?
In the 20th Century, under Norwegian independence, the lion took a form reminiscent of pre-Renaissance styles. This nicely toned coin dates from 1964.
Posted 01/13/2012 06:23 am
