Sandnes
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Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen |
SANDNES
Province : Rogaland
Additions : 1965 Høyland, Høle
Official blazon
På grønn bunn en sølv leirgauk.
Origin/meaning
The arms were granted on April 21, 1972.
The arms show a piece of pottery, as pottery was one of the main industries in the late 18th century. The symbol is a leirgauk, which in English would be a ceramic cuckoo-bird (leir(e)=clay/ceramic and gauk/gjök=cuckoo-bird). The ceramic cuckoo-bird or Sandnes-cuckoo is a whistle or simple flute (which is why it is called a "cuckoo") which was made by the potteries in Sandnes and used to advertize their products. Later it also became a nick-name for Sandnesians.
Literature : Norwegian Municipal Network; Capellen, 1987; information from Fredrik Björgo