Norway Has a Knighted Penguin That’s an Actual Brigadier
Norway’s most decorated penguin isn’t a mascot. It’s an officer with medals, rank, and a proper salute. At Edinburgh Zoo, the Norwegian King’s Guard once stood in formation while a penguin named Nils Olav made his slow, deliberate march past them. Cameras clicked as soldiers tried not to smile.
The ceremony looked almost surreal, but it was completely official. Nils Olav was promoted that day, papers signed, medals awarded, salutes exchanged. What began years ago as a simple mascot tradition turned into a royal honor. The penguin now holds the title of Sir Nils Olav, Brigadier of the Norwegian King’s Guard, and remains a small but cherished symbol of respect, humor, and cross-country friendship.
The Penguin With A Career Path
Sir Nils Olav’s story began in 1972 when a Norwegian officer, Major Nils Egelien, visited Edinburgh Zoo. He was amused by the penguins’ upright walk and disciplined way of moving, which reminded him of soldiers on parade. Wanting to honor that resemblance, he arranged for one of them to become an honorary member of Norway’s King’s Guard. The zoo agreed, and a king penguin was chosen and named Nils Olav, after both the officer and King Olav V of Norway.
Promotions Fit For Royalty
Every few years, the King’s Guard visits Scotland to perform at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and when they do, Nils Olav climbs another rank. What began as a lighthearted gesture turned into a decades-long tradition spanning generations of penguins. The first Nils Olav worked his way from lance corporal to sergeant before passing away. His successors carried on the name and the titles, each inheriting the honor and continuing the service.
By 2008, the penguin had earned a knighthood personally approved by King Harald V of Norway, and this prestigious event had over 130 soldiers attending! In 2016, during another visit from the Guard, he was promoted to brigadier, a moment captured by international media. And in 2023, his latest incarnation, Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands, was honored once again for “setting a superb example for the rest of the penguins.”
The Legend Marches On
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Farmer erik
The connection between Norway and Edinburgh Zoo goes back to 1914, when a Norwegian company gifted the zoo its first king penguins. This friendly cultural exchange evolved into a quirky but heartwarming symbol of unity. Norwegian soldiers send fish and Christmas cards to their flippered colleague each year, and a bronze statue of Sir Nils Olav now stands proudly at the zoo’s Penguins Rock exhibit. Another statue watches over the Guard’s compound in Oslo.
The tradition has lasted more than fifty years, bridging humor, heritage, and respect. Sir Nils Olav’s military career might sound absurd at first, but it’s impossible not to smile at how seriously it’s taken. The Norwegian King’s Guard salutes him. The King himself knighted him. And every time the band strikes up during a Tattoo performance, the crowd watches as their feathered brigadier steps forward, ready to inspect the troops.