Fraternitas and Gevjon were originally societies for pupils at Drammen

Latin School The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

, and the societies continue today at the Latin School's successor, Drammen Upper Secondary School. Fraternitas (

latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for " fraternity") is a male fraternity, and was founded as a literary fraternity under the name of Silentium ("silence") on 19 November 1850. 22 members of the original Silentium are known, and the fraternity's existence remained secret for ten years. Gevjon was founded in 1911 as a girl

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

and the sister society of Fraternitas, and was named for the goddess

Gefjon In Norse mythology, Gefjon (Old Norse: ; alternatively spelled Gefion, or Gefjun , pronounced without secondary syllable stress) is a goddess associated with ploughing, the Danish island of Zealand, the legendary Swedish king Gylfi, the legendar ...

in Norse mythology.''Poesi og prosa fra "Fraternitas" (discipelsamfundet ved Drammens latingymnasium).'' Drammen 1880.

Notable members

The 22 members of the original fraternity ''Silentium'' include * Anders Nicolai Kiær, the first director-general of Statistics Norway * Georg August Thilesen, cabinet minister and industrialist * Michael Schjelderup Hansson, director of Storebrand *

Bernhard Pauss Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (born 6 April 1839 at Tangen, Drammen, died 9 November 1907 in Christiania) was a Norwegian theologian, educator, author and humanitarian and missionary leader, who was a major figure in girls' education in Norway in his ...

, theologian and educator

References

Youth organisations based in Norway Student societies in Norway 1850 establishments in Norway Drammen Student organizations established in 1850