Editing Sortland Municipality (section)

===Coat of arms===
The [[coat of arms]] was granted on 15 March 1985. The official [[blazon]] is ''"[[Azure (heraldry)|Azure]], a [[castle]] with three towers without [[crenelation]] [[Or (heraldry)|Or]]"'' ({{langx|no|I blått en gull borg med tre tårn uten krenelering}}). This means the arms have a blue [[field (heraldry)|field]] (background) and the [[charge (heraldry)|charge]] is a castle with a gate and three towers without [[crenelation]]. The castle has a [[tincture (heraldry)|tincture]] of [[Or (heraldry)|Or]] which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of sea and the castle is an updated version of an old coat of arms for Sortland. The castle gate symbolizes Sortland as the gateway to the [[Vesterålen]] region and that it is the commercial centre of the region as well. The arms were designed by Kurt Myrland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen |url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Sortland |access-date=2023-02-04 |publisher=Heraldry of the World}}</ref><ref name="FW">{{Cite web |title=Sortland, Nordland |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/no-18-70.html |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Flags of the World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1985-03-15 |title=Godkjenning av våpen og flagg |url=https://lovdata.no/dokument/LF/forskrift/1985-03-15-712 |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Lovdata.no |publisher=Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet |language=no}}</ref>

The old [[coat of arms]] was in use from the 1950s until 1985 when the new arms were granted. The arms showed a castle (very similar to the one in the current arms) in a stylized landscape, including waves and sun rays. The arms included a golden border with three black-white-black [[Pile (heraldry)|piles]] issuing from both flanks of the white castle. Also, there were four red sun rays issuing from behind the castle (four piles issuant from chief and flanks conjoined in heart), and in the base there were waves of red, black, and white. In the white [[Chief (heraldry)|chief]] inscribed the word "Sortland". A [[mural crown]] with four [[Embattled (heraldry)|embattlements]] was on the top.<ref name="FW" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nordnorsk musikkstevne på Sortland, juni 1952. Abel Ellingsen taler. |url=https://digitaltmuseum.no/021015524660/nordnorsk-musikkstevne-pa-sortland-juni-1952-abel-ellingsen-taler |access-date=2014-11-19 |publisher=DigitaltMuseum Nord}}</ref> 
<gallery>
Sortland Coat of Arms 1950-1985.png|Former coat of arms of Sortland (1950s-1985)
Sortland komm.svg|Current arms (since 1985)
</gallery>