“a penguin who lives at the Edinburgh Zoo but is the official mascot of the Norwegian Royal Guard”
Huh? Doesn’t Norway have any penguins in zoos that were suitable for this purpose? There’s so much about this story that I don’t understand.
I like to imagine that there’s Scottish nationalists who’re angry that their zoo animals are being co-opted as mascots for foreign powers…
I bet there’s some weird historical reason for it. Like the bear that Winnie the Pooh was named after was the mascot of a Canadian cavalry regiment. They smuggled the bear into Britain during the First World War and left her there while they went to France.
I want to know what he did between 2001 and 2005. RSM to Colonel in one go? That’s a hell of a promotion.
The articles seems to be implying some sort of long-standing connection by mentioning that the zoo’s first penguin was supplied by Norway in 1913. But all I get out of the articles is that the royal regiment happened to be in Edinburgh for a regular international military event, happened to go to the zoo in the '60s and randomly decided to adopt the penguin as mascot in the '70s, adding more rituals and honors since.
These foreign mascot/honorary leaders could be worse. Remember that Kaiser Bill was technically a Field Marshall of the British Army at the outbreak of WWI. Oops. At least penguins and bears are unlikely to declare war on you.
Anatole France’s Penguin Island begins with a colony of penguins being baptized by a nearsighted priest. This is obviously the next step.
You can’t be too careful when it comes to monkeys, though.
This idea naturally got me wondering whether it’s possible for a nun to be knighted. As far as I can tell a male member of the clergy can be knighted and women can be knighted, but I can’t find any precedent for the human variety of “penguin” getting the honor.
Shouldn’t the Emperor be knighting the Man, not the other way around?
It’s all part of the long term conspiracy to make Scotland part of Scandinavia
Worth drawing attention to Norwegian territorial claims to huge tracts of Antarctica. Nils Olav is most likely from there. Also, the Edinburgh Tattoo is a big deal in certain circles.
Scotland can’t be part of Scandinavia, but joining the Nordic Union is not impossible.
If only.
Cointelpro and Dossier Sexing-Up.
Just wait til that penguin gets his Zanpakuto.
Aren’t all venerated traditions just a matter of random shit plus time and repetition?
You’d think that after 1000 years of effort, they would have given it up as a lost cause… or stepped up the efforts a notch.
Usually there’s some significant initiating event or symbolism, even if it’s warped by time. People don’t, for example, just decide, “Hey, you know what spring really needs? A celebration of a rabbit that shits out colored eggs and hides stuff…”
“Just wait til that penguin gets his Zanpakuto.”
Uhmmm, don’t you mean Krag-Jorgenson?
