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Vestvågøy, Nordland (Norway)

Last modified: 2021-08-25 by christopher oehler
Keywords: vestvagoy | stockfish (2) |
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image by Tomislav Šipek, 18 February 2017
Adopted on 7 September 1984

• About Vestvågøy
• The Flag
• Coat of Arms

See also:

• Nordland
• Norwegian city flags
• Norway

About Vestvågøy

From: www.travels-in-time.net.

The Vestvågøy Island, with its 400 km2 is the largest island of the Lofoten archipelago. The area is well suited for agricultural settlement as it is less mountainous than the other islands. In fact, Vestvågøy is regarded as one of the better farming districts in North Norway.In old written sources, the island of Vestvågøy was given the name Lofotr. Icelandic sources from the 12th/13th centuries confirm that the name Lofoten is used exclusively for Vestvågøy (Nielssen, in press). Later, the island of Vestvågøy gave its name to all the islands in the archipelago. The name is interpreted in two ways, and which is the correct one is still discussed. One explanation is Lofotr in the meaning of the foot of a lynx, from the shape of the island. The other meaning is Lofotr as the country by the mountain foot. F. Myrvang tries to explain the name Lofotr in connection with topographical conditions in the area of Borg.

Valentin Poposki, 25 September 2005

The Flag

Two white stockfish on blue. Adopted: 7 September 1984. Designer: Kjell Kvivesen.
Valentin Poposki, 25 September 2005

Flag of Vestvågøy is already reported, so here is coat of arms and better image of flag. Administrative center is Leknes.
Source: https://lovdata.no/dokument/OV/forskrift/1984-09-07-1692?q=flagg
Tomislav Šipek, 22 January 2016

Coat of Arms

image by Tomislav Šipek, 22 January 2016

Blazon: I blått to opprette og motstilte sølv tørrfisker. In English: Azure two stockfish addorsed.
Approved by the royal resolution of 7 September 1984 after a drawing by Kjell Kvivesen. [c2j87]
Vestvagoy is the largest Norwegian exporter of stockfish - dried cod. [c2j87] notes that stockfish became a heraldic charge relatively early as an important trade commodity all around Europe. It was included in a number of Norwegian family arms in 17th and 18th century in North Norway and in Bergen, while the Hansa office in Bergen used a crowned stockfish in its seal since 1406. It may also be found in the same time in arms of Iceland.
The Bergen Hansa office arms may be seen in a moder rendition here being a beer logo, I believe... A period representation at http://lughlvga.altervista.org/meu/hansa_kontors.png  from http://www.medioevouniversalis.org/phpBB3eu/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1390
Željko Heimer, 28 January 2016

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