The exchange of gifts has taken place in various forms for centuries. Even now it plays an important part in the unwritten norms of social relations.

The exchange of gifts today

In modern times the exchange of gifts has lost some of its political and social significance, becoming instead largely a symbolic act. Yet the tradition of exchanging gifts is still designed to create or build up friendship, whether this is at a personal level or between nations. During official visits it is common for the hosts and their guests to exchange gifts.

Gifts from the Storting

The Storting hands over gifts in conjunction with events, when travelling and during official visits in Norway and abroad. It is also the custom to present foreign parliaments with gifts on such special occasions as the celebration of constitutional jubilees.

The type of gift presented depends on the occasion and the recipient. Principal gifts are usually exchanged on official visits – both to and by the Storting. Such gifts might consist of art glassware from the Nøstetangen glassworks or a special English edition of the Old Norse kings' sagas by Snorri. Several other smaller gifts, including pewter dishes, glass paperweights, crystal polar bears, books about Norway and CDs of Norwegian music are also often presented.

Gifts to the Storting

Many of the gifts received by the Storting are registered and stored by the Archives of the Storting. The photos below provide a taste of what can be found in the Archives’ stockrooms.

Gift to the Storting from the Althingi – the Icelandic Parliament – on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution in 2014.

Ceremonial sword bearing the design of the three-legged symbol of the Isle of Man on its hilt. Engraved on the blade are the words “By appointment to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Sword Cutlers. Wilkinson Sword. Made in England”. Occasion unknown.

Dish with the design of the Indian Parliament and the words “His Excellency Thorbjorn Jagland. President of the Norwegian parliament. With the compliments of the Governor of West Bengal, India. Kolkata, 15 March 2007.”

Gold-plated statuette in the shape of the entrance to the Kuwaiti parliament and with Kuwait’s national coat of arms in enamel. The plaque attached to the base bears the words “Kuwait national assembly” and the equivalent words in Arabic. Occasion unknown.

Bronze statuette with a design of the Polish eagle on the one side and a building with the words “Sejm Rzeczypospolitej polskiej” on the other. Occasion unknown.

Wooden box bearing the inscription “Some of Stalingrad’s blood-stained earth with a German bullet 1942-1943” in Russian. Presented to a Storting delegation during a visit to Stalingrad from 18th August – 7th September 1956.

Medal showing the Spanish constitution of 1978. The tape scroll reads “Constitucion Aprobada por las cortes Españolas Y ratificada por referendum nacional del Pueblo Español 1978”. Presented as a gift to the then President of the Storting, Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl. Occasion unknown.

Medal with a design of the French National Assembly and the text “Assemblée Nationale”. On the reverse side is the parliament building seen from the outside with a statue of Colbert in the foreground. The medal is signed C. Gondard. Occasion unknown.

Salutatory address from Sweden’s Riksdag on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution in 1964.

Huge variety

As the assortment above demonstrates, the Storting’s collection contains a great range of different gifts. Perhaps one of the most visible is the gavel still used during sittings in the Storting Chamber. This was given to the Storting in 1949 by one of the American descendants of Ole Torgersen Gillebo, a Member of the Storting for the Liberal Party between 1895 and 1906. Inscribed on it are the words “Til presidenten for Norges Storting. Gud signe Norges land og folk.” (“To the President of Norway’s Storting. God bless Norway’s country and people.”).

Several works of art have also been donated to the Storting, including Oscar Wergeland’s canvas Eidsvold 1814. Arguably Norway’s most famous historical painting, it hangs behind the President’s podium in the Storting Chamber.

This presentation has been compiled by the Archives of the Storting. Photos: Vidar M. Husby/Odd Harald Kvammen.

Sources and literature:

Gustin, Ingrid, Mellan gåva och marknad. Handel, tillit och materiell kultur
under vikingtid. Lund studies in Medieval Archaeology 34, 2004.

Mauss, Marcel, Gaven. Utvekslingens form og årsak i arkaiske samfunn,
translated by Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Cappelens upopulære skrifter, Cappelen akademisk forlag, Oslo 1995.

Miller, William I., Bloodtaking and peacemaking. Feud, law and Society in
Saga Iceland, The University of Chicago Press, London 1990.

The Storting’s Presidium