This week, we look at color. There is so much about color that entire courses and books can be written about the topic. According to Cath Caldwell there are two psychological pieces about color. “How colors make us feel” and “The Symbolism of colors.” (Caldwell, p. 72). I could easily go down the path of color psychology and how it’s applied in branding and marketing, but I wanted to challenge myself. I love to learn about other cultures and see what similarities we share but also understand what difference we have and understand why. I’m a martial artist. I’ve studied American, Korean, and Japanese styles. Naturally, I could write about the differences between American and Asian cultures as it regards to color. Then, it struck me. My wife and I will be travelling in June to visit Norway. Why not start my learning of the Norwegian culture through the symbolism of color? For that reason, this blog is dedicated to Professor Akselsen. I look forward to meeting you and your family. Now here’s my blog on the meaning of color in Norway. Specifically, the meaning of Norway’s country flag!
Flag of Norway
A nations flag is symbolic of it’s people and the country itself. To understand the colors of Norway’s flag we first need to understand the history of the flag itself. You see, this was not Norway’s first flag. It is actually the sixth iteration. Note throughout the history of the flag red and white remained a part of the theme. This will become important for when we eventually get to the current version of the flag.
1200’s to 1380 (1st)
The first use of a banner of flag is believed to have started in the middle ages around the 13th century. While Norway was independent they flew a bright red flag with a gold upright lion holding a yellow and white axe.
1600’s to 1814 (2nd)
Then when Olaf Haakonsson assumed both the thrones of Denmark and Norway a simpler red flag with a nordic cross was created. This represented the political union of Denmark and Norway. The Nordic cross represents Christianity which was and still is the predominant religion of the region. The red flag with the white cross is actually the Danish flag.
1814 to 1821 (3rd)
With the defeat of the Danish in the Napoleonic war, Norway was now able to separate from Denmark. While similar to the previous Denmark-Norway flag, Norway added a modified version of the Norwegian crest. The gold lion with a yellow and white curved axe in the canton (upper left) of the flag.
1821 (4th)
This current version of the Norwegian flag was developed in 1821 and presented by Fredrik Meltzer, who was at the time a member of the constitutional assembly. The addition of the blue cross symbolized liberty. It’s believed that inspiration of the red, white, and blue colors were drawn from the flags of countries like UK, Netherlands, France and the United States. Meltzer saw these countries as a beacon of freedom.
1844 to 1898 (5th)
Political situations made it difficult for Norwegians to fly there own flag developed by Meltzer. While they could fly it on land, merchants and naval vessels were required to fly the Swedish flag to avoid capture by pirates. Otherwise, they were not protected. In 1844 per the King of Sweden a modification to the flag was allowed for merchant and naval vessels. The Norwegians had to place a smaller emblem in the canton of their national flag. This became known as the “herring salad” flag.
1905 to Present (6th)
While the present flag of Norway was used on dry land, the adoption of the current flag was delayed on merchant and naval ships. This delay to about seven years. It wasn’t until the union of Norway and Sweden ended on 10 June 1905, that all of Norway could fly the flag we see today.
Remember I stated earlier, a red and white theme remained throughout the history of the flag. Well, the red and white actually signifies their original union with Denmark, while the blue symbolizes their union with Sweden. The whole of the flag (red, white, and blue) represents the freedom they share with other nations such as the UK, Netherlands, France and the United States. Also, it keeps the connection of their history and how they were formed. So, you see a nation’s flag and the colors they choose can have a significant cultural meaning. Maybe in another blog, if we were to compare the flags of the nations here who share the red, white, and blue theme you would see similarities in color but differences in what they mean to a given nation.
Citations
Caldwell, C., et. al. (2019). Building Blocks. In Graphic Design For Everyone (pp. 71-89). , DK Publishing.
Gundersen, M. P. (2019, September 11). Norway’s Flag: The evolution of a Norwegian icon. Life in Norway. https://www.lifeinnorway.net/norway-flag/
The Norwegian Flag. Sons of Norway. (2014, June). https://www.sofn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/MiniPres327.pdf
WorldAtlas. (2021, February 24). Flags, symbols, & currencies of Norway. https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/norway