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Nils_Olav Latitude and Longitude:
55°56′40″N 3°16′20″W / 55.94444°N 3.27222°W / 55.94444; -3.27222
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55°56′40″N 3°16′20″W / 55.94444°N 3.27222°W / 55.94444; -3.27222

Nils Olav
Nils Olav II in 2008
Species King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
SexMale
Hatched Edinburgh, Scotland
Residence Edinburgh Zoo
Named after Nils Egelien and Olav Siggerud [1]
Military career
Allegiance  Norway
Service/branch Norwegian Army
Years of service
  • 1972–1987 (first)
  • 1987 – after 2008 (second)
  • before 2016 – present (third) [2]
Rank Major General
Unit Hans Majestet Kongens Garde ( Major-General and military mascot)

Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands (Norwegian: [ˌnɪls ˈôːlɑv]) is a king penguin who resides in Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland. He is the mascot [3] [4] [5] and colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King's Guard. The name 'Nils Olav' and associated ranks have been passed down through three king penguins since 1972, the current holder being Nils Olav III. [2] [6]

History

The family of Norwegian shipping magnate Christian Salvesen gave a king penguin to Edinburgh Zoo when the zoo opened in 1913. [3]

When the Norwegian King's Guard visited the Edinburgh Military Tattoo of 1961 for a drill display, [7] a lieutenant named Nils Egelien became interested in the zoo's penguin colony. When the King's Guard returned to Edinburgh in 1972, Egelien arranged for the regiment to adopt a penguin. This penguin was named Nils Olav in honour of Nils Egelien, commander of the drill platoon, and Olav Siggerud, contingent commander of HMKG in 1972. [8]

Sir Nils inspects troops of the King's Guard, of which he is colonel-in-chief, following his knighthood ceremony in 2008. Military insignia is attached to his right flipper.
The bronze statue of Nils Olav

Nils Olav was initially given the rank of visekorporal ( lance corporal) in the regiment. He has been promoted each time the King's Guard has returned to the zoo. He was made a corporal in 1982, then promoted to sergeant in 1987. [3] Nils Olav I died shortly after his promotion to sergeant in 1987, and his place was taken by Nils Olav II, a two-year-old near-double. He was promoted in 1993 to the rank of regimental sergeant major and in 2001 promoted to 'honourable regimental sergeant major'. [3] On 18 August 2005, he was appointed as colonel-in-chief of the same regiment. [3] [9] During the 2005 visit, a 4-foot-high (1.2 m) bronze statue of Nils Olav was presented to Edinburgh Zoo. [3] The statue's inscription includes references to both the King's Guard and to the Military Tattoo. A statue also stands at the King's Guard compound at Huseby, Oslo.

The next honour was a knighthood, awarded during a visit by soldiers from the Norwegian King's Guard on 15 August 2008. [10] The knighthood was approved by King Harald V and Nils was the first penguin to receive such an honour in the Norwegian Army. [11] During the ceremony a crowd of several hundred people watched the 130 guardsmen on parade at the zoo, and a citation from the King was read out, which described Nils as a penguin "in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood". [12]

A third penguin, Nils Olav III, took over at some point between 2008 and 2016. [2] On 22 August 2016 he was promoted to brigadier in a ceremony attended by over 50 members of the King's Guard. [2] [3] [13] [14] On 21 August 2023 he was promoted to major general. [15] Nils Olav is recognised by Guinness World Records as the highest-ranking penguin. [16]

Nils Olav outranked the human Nils Egelien from 2005 onwards; [3] Egelien died on 11 December 2020, aged 87. [17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Eikli, Erling. "Generalmajor Nils Olav III: Ikke oppkalt etter kong Olav" (in Norwegian). Forsvarets Forum. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "King penguin made a Brigadier in Edinburgh". BBC News. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sir Nils Olav". Edinburgh Zoo. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  4. ^ Panganiban, Roma (4 April 2013). "Sir Nils Olav, Norway's Penguin Knight". mentalfloss.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Military penguin becomes a 'sir'". BBC. 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Norwegian Knight". Scandinavian Press. Vol. 15, no. 4. Fall 2008. p. 9.
  7. ^ "The Edinburgh Military Tattoo Programme 1961". Archived from the original on 7 October 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
  8. ^ Eikli, Erling. "Generalmajor Nils Olav III: Ikke oppkalt etter kong Olav" (in Norwegian). Forsvarets Forum. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Nils Olav promoted to Colonel in Chief". Norwegian Consulate in Edinburgh. 17 August 2005. Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  10. ^ "King penguin receives Norwegian knighthood" Archived 21 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. 15 August 2008. NBC News. Retrieved 13 June 2010. ( Archived on 13 June 2010)
  11. ^ "Penguin power: Norwegian regiment honours pint-sized chief". Sydney: ABC News. 16 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  12. ^ "Military penguin becomes a 'Sir'". BBC News. 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  13. ^ "Nils Olav the most famous king penguin in the world, parades his way to a new honour". Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Sir Nils Olav". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Sir Nils Olav promoted at Edinburgh Zoo". Edinburgh Zoo. Edinburgh Zoo. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Edinburgh penguin's GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ™ title upgraded after historic promotion". Edinburgh Zoo. Edinburgh Zoo. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Nils Steen Egelien". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nils Olav.
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