 Norway's national arms are among the world's oldest national arms still in use. Official drawing of 1992 by Sverre Morken. | |
| Heraldic tradition | German-Nordic |
|---|---|
| Governing body | King |
Norwegian heraldry has roots in early medieval times, soon after the use of coats of arms first appeared in continental Europe. Some of the medieval coats of arms are rather simple of design, while others have more naturalistic charges. The king-granted coats of arms of later times were usually detailed and complex. Especially in the late 17th century and the 18th century, many ennobled persons and families received coats of arms with shields containing both two and four fields, and some even with an inescutcheon above these.
There are very few civic arms dating from before 1900, and most of today's governmental and civic arms are from the last decades of the 20th century. Today the public arms are popular in Norway and are used extensively by the official authorities.
The Norwegian Heraldry Society is a private heraldic organisation.