Join the new world

Hello everyone! I am pleased to once again be named the Minister of Public Relations and to resume my old duties which will see an updated version of what I used to do. Prior it was my duty to host "Ask a Minister Articles" which I would take questions anonymously and give them to the Ministers of Norway and have them answer them, something which I will continue to do. As well it was my job to announce elections and their results which I will also continue to do.

I want to also work on including some different articles about Norway itself as a nation in RL to give everyone a more in depth look at it with informative articles starting with the different national symbols of Norway.


National Animal: Elk (Moose)

I ran into a bit of difficulty when researching this as it appears that in Norway it is called an Elk but was confusing to me (being from Canada in RL) as it looks like a moose. But when researching it I found that what is called a moose in North America is called an Elk in Norway (and Im assuming other parts of Europe?)

In Norway alone the population is estimated to be around 120,000 (2007 estimates.) They have little predators due to their size but wolf packs along with siberian tigers and different types of bears, mainly being brown and black bears. They are huge creatures reaching an average weight of 360kg while eating up to 32kg a day. There size has also made them a nuisance as they are deadly when involved in vehicle collisions often becoming lethal. Some 13,000 Elk (Moose) have died in vehicle collisions since 2000 in Norway.

When choosing mates, females are attracted to the size of the males antlers. I know where most of your minds just went... They will however fight to mate like most mammals using their antlers. A female is pregnant for generally around 8 months giving birth to one but sometimes two calves who will stay with their mother for about a year. The average life span is 15-25 years.




Coat of Arms (State Version)

The use of a golden lion on a red shield was adopted as the Norwegian Coat of Arms before the 13th century with the silver axe being added in the later part of the same century and has been used continuously since then making it one of the oldest state used coat of arms in the world today. It has however evolved and taken on different looks since then. The lion, known as the Norwegian Lion has been a popular symbol embraced for centuries. Note that the Royal Coat of Arms differs form the State Coat of Arms.

It is told that Sverre, who was King between 1184 and 1202, had a lion in his coat of arms. This coat of arms appears in 1225 when it was used by Earl Skule Bårdsson who had relations to the royal family. A coat of arms with a lion was also used by Haakon the Young Haakonson who was King between 1240 and 1257. This was in 1250. Haakon the Young's father King Haakon the Old Haakonson had a lion in his seal. This lion however does not appear in a coat of arms but in the shape of a small lion which lies between the King's feet. This might be the same lion that Earl Skule and Haakon the Young used in their seals. On the other hand, lions were a frequently used symbol of kings and royal power.

Approximately in 1280, either King Magnus VI (dead in 1280) or the guardianship of his son Eric Magnuson let the lion be equipped with a crown of gold and in the foremost paws an axe of silver. The axe was a symbol of Saint Olaf, King Olaf II, and by inserting it into the coat of arms it was symbolised that the King was the rightful heir and descendant of the 'Eternal King of Norway.'

Unlike in Sweden and Denmark where the respective coats of arms were mostly restricted for official use the Norwegian Lion was for centuries well known to and even embraced by the people. It appears in numerous works of Norwegian folk art.



Thats all for symbols for now, I hope to bring you some more in the coming weeks. Please subscribe to this paper to keep yourself updated from the Government as we hope to use this as a one-stop info centre for Norway's latest updates (aside from the MoD of course.) If you have any suggestions on how to make communication better between the Government and people please let us know with your comments or messages. I also hope to include a few games and prizes this term which I will explore with the Congress and Government.

Dont forget to V,S&S!

Kind Regards,

Joshua Morriseau
Minister of Public Relations