What does Olav stand for?

Usually the first thing we are asked when introducing our company is; what does Olav mean? The letters O-L-A-V do not stand for anything. The name Olav comes from King Olav, the king of Norway. There is an interesting story of King Olav I.

Born towards the end of the Viking era in 995 AD, Olav Haraldson was raised without a father in present day Norway. Haraldsson in Norwegian means son of Harald. Olav's father was King of Vestfold County in Norway. Harald died before Olav was born. His father had a reputation as a revered and feared trader along the Baltic coasts.

In 1007, at the tender age of 12, Olav was ready to become a man by learning the ways of a Viking warrior. He was given a ship with men and a mentor; Rane. Olav's early teens were spent 'visiting' and trading with neighboring Baltic countries. During subsequent visits to Normandy, Olav was introduced to Christianity. Young Olav was convinced that Christianity was the right religion for himself and his countrymen.

In 1015 at the age of 20, Olav headed back home for Norway. Olav returned to see a country that was ruled by many different petty, regional kings, earls and chieftains. Parts of his country were even ruled by the king of Sweden and the King of Denmark. Olav traveled the entire country. Unlike many of his peers, he also learned to be diplomatic. Instead of fighting the Swedes, he negotiated with them for the land in southern part of the country. He went on to marry Astrid, the daughter of the King of Sweden.

Many battles and successful negotiations later, Olav became the first King of all of Norway…..at the age of 22. Shortly after his death in battle in 1030, Bishop Grimkel of England officially declared Olav a Saint.

To this day Olav's descendants still reign over all of Norway, although the Norwegian Royal family's reign is more or less ceremonial these days. Never the less, the Norwegian Monarchy remain one of the most well loved and respected Royal families in all of Europe. King Olav V, became known as "The People's King" after riding public transportation during the oil crisis of the early 1970's.

It would be easy for us to say that we chose the name Olav because it represented strength, respect, integrity and resourcefulness. However, the reason we chose the name Olav Consulting was not because of the story of King Olav. In this day and age where the names of many companies start with "E" or "I" or end with "net" or "soft", we wanted a name that would stand out from the crowd. In short, we just like the way the name "Olav" sounds.put here