Heraldists want penis reinstated on military badge
Sweden's chief heraldists remain dissatisfied with a decision by the Nordic Battlegroup to remove a lion's penis depicted on its coat of arms.
But staff at the National Archives are hopeful that the Nordic
Battlegroup will reconsider its position and re-erect the lion's member
on its insignia.
"They stepped over the line when they made alterations to the badge
without consulting us. It was a clear breach of copyright," said state
heraldist Henrik Klackenberg.
Although the heraldry unit is unlikely to take any legal action,
Klackenberg said he would appreciate an apology from the Armed Forces.
"We could make the dimensions a bit smaller, for example. Once we were
commissioned to create a similar symbol for Swedish Customs. When they
thought it was a bit much they sent it back to us and we just shrank
the organ," said Klackenberg.
Though clearly irritated by the army's attack on the lion's virility,
Sweden's state heraldist admitted he was fascinated by the story's
global appeal.
The Nordic Battlegroup is one of eighteen such military groups in the
European Union. Some 2,000 of its 2,400 soldiers come from Sweden, with
the rest coming from Finland, Norway, Ireland and Estonia.