Sandnes

SANDNES

Province : Rogaland
Additions : 1965 Høyland, Høle

Official blazon

På grønn bunn en sølv leirgauk.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on April 21, 1972.

The arms show a piece of pottery, as pottery was one of the main industries in the late 18^th century. The symbol is a leirgauk, which in English would be a ceramic cuckoo-bird (leir(e)=clay/ceramic and gauk/gjök=cuckoo-bird). The ceramic cuckoo-bird or Sandnes-cuckoo is a whistle or simple flute (which is why it is called a "cuckoo") which was made by the potteries in Sandnes and used to advertize their products. Later it also became a nick-name for Sandnesians.