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Concept
Olaf II of Norway
Summary
Olaf II Haraldsson (995 – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf, was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae (Eternal/Perpetual King of Norway) and canonised at Nidaros (Trondheim) by Bishop Grimketel, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. His remains were enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral, built over his burial site. His sainthood encouraged the widespread adoption of Christianity by Scandinavia's Vikings/Norsemen.
Pope Alexander III confirmed Olaf's local canonisation in 1164, making him a recognised saint of the Catholic Church and started to be known as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae – eternal king of Norway. Following the Reformation he was a commemorated historical figure among some members of the Lutheran and Anglican Communions.
The saga of Olav Haraldsson and the legend of Olaf the Saint became central to a national identity. Especially during the period of romantic nationalism, Olaf was a symbol of Norwegian independence and pride. Saint Olaf is symbolised by the axe in Norway's coat of arms and Olsok (29 July) is still his day of celebration. Many Christian institutions with Scandinavian links as well as Norway's Order of St. Olav are named after him.
Olaf's Old Norse name is Óláfr Haraldsson ˈoːlɑːvz̠ ˈhɑrɑldsˌson. During his lifetime he was known as Olaf "the fat" or "the stout" or simply as Olaf "the big" (Ólafr digri ˈdiɣre; Modern Norwegian Olav Digre). He was also called Olaf 'the Lawbreaker' for his many brutal ways of converting the Norwegian populace. In Norway today, he is commonly called Olav den hellige (Bokmål; Olaf the Holy) or Heilag-Olav (Nynorsk; the Holy Olaf) in honour of his sainthood.
Olaf Haraldsson had the given name Óláfr in Old Norse (etymology: Anu- "forefather", -laibaR —"heir"). Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur ˈouːlaːvʏr̥, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Olav, in Swedish Olof, and in Finnish Olavi.
Official source
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