Editing Sarpsborg (section)

==General information==

===Name===
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2012}}
In [[Norsemen|Norse]] times the city was just called ''Borg'' (from ''borg'' which means "[[castle]]"). The background for this was the [[fortification]] built by Olav Haraldsson (see History section).  Later the [[genitive case]] of the name of the [[waterfall]] ''Sarpr'' ([[Sarp Falls]]) was added, it's unclear how Sarpsborg received this part of its name, two interpretations are the most prevalent. The first coming from the Icelandic word ''Sarpr'' which means [[birdcage]] in English. The other interpretation is that ''Sarpr'' means "the one who swallows", probably referring to the local waterfall.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sarpsborg kommune - Om Sarpsborg|url=https://www.sarpsborg.com/byen-og-kommunen/om-sarpsborg/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=www.sarpsborg.com|language=no|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031132459/https://www.sarpsborg.com/byen-og-kommunen/om-sarpsborg/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Norse times Østfold county was called ''Borgarsýsla'' which means "the county (sýsla) of Borg" and the law district of southeast Norway was called ''Borgarþing'' meaning "the [[thing (assembly)|thing]]/court of Borg".

The old name has been revived in the [[diocese of Borg]] (1968) and [[Borgarting Court of Appeal]] (1995).

===Coat of arms===
The [[Coat of arms|coat-of-arms]] is from modern times and was granted on 13 November 1991.  It is based on a coat of arms dating from 1556 and shows a bear above a castle. The bear was introduced as early as some time in the 13th century, by the [[earl]] of Sarpsborg ''(Comes de Saresburgh)'', [[Alv Erlingsson]]. He used the bear to symbolise his strength.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} The castle symbolises the fortress (borg) that gave the city its original name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sarpsborg.com/portal/page?_pageid=33,3140&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&articleId=11573&artSectionId=1246|title=Vedtak om bruk av byvåpenet i den nye kommunen|publisher=Sarpsborg|access-date=2008-12-15|language=no|archive-date=2011-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716005409/http://www.sarpsborg.com/portal/page?_pageid=33,3140&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&articleId=11573&artSectionId=1246|url-status=dead}}</ref>