Lambda Omega () was a national collegiate sorority operating in the United States from October 31, 1915 until 1933.

History

The Norroena Club was founded in 1915 on the campus of

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. The sorority remained a local for seven years. The name meant "Breath of the North". The ritual combined a Native American legend with a Norse

motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...

. The motif emphasized the hardihood, hospitality, economy, and friendship of the Norse (Miner, p. 180). In 1923, the name changed to Lambda Omega. Baird's 20th ed. notes that Lambda Omega's founding date was to coincide with this name change, and marked the decision to expand nationally. Expansion began immediately. By 1931, eight collegiate chapters had been chartered, with a total membership of 500. The sorority was granted associate membership in the

National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 (inter)national women's Fraternities and sororities, sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek alphabet#Use ...

(Martin, p. 70.) The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
In 1933, Lambda Omega and Alpha Sigma Delta, which had joined Lambda Omega just 17 months earlier, were absorbed by

Theta Upsilon Theta Upsilon () was a national women's fraternity operating in the United States from February 1921 until May 1962, when the group was absorbed by the Delta Zeta sorority. Local Club Theta Upsilon began as a local club at the University of Cali ...

(Miner, p. 180).

Insignia and Traditions

* Open Motto- ''I Will Be Worthy'' * Pledge pin- Silver

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* Member pin- Monogram of sorority letters * Colors- Violet and green * Flower- Wood violet * Jewel-

Amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...

* Symbols- Pharetra, Torch * Patron- Artemis * Publications- ''The Pharetra'' (1925) ''The Norroena'' (esoteric, 1925) (Martin, p. 70)

Chapters

Chapters of Lambda Omega as of 1933 and the merger with were as follows. Active chapters at the merger are noted in bold, inactive chapters noted in ''italics''.

Alpha Sigma Delta Sorority

Iaqua Club was founded in 1919 at

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

(Miner, p. 181). It changed its name to Alpha Sigma Delta and had four chapters by the time it was absorbed by Lambda Omega. The Baird's archive notes that "supposedly five chapters were established." The known chapter list follows:

Chapters of Alpha Sigma Delta

Alpha Sigma Delta published a quarterly magazine, called ''The Crown''. The badge was a shield of red enamel, bearing the Greek letters vertically. The colors were Gold and White.Noted in th
Colby ''Oracle yearbook'', 1932
p.129. Alpha Sigma Delta merged with Lambda Omega in

1962 merger with Delta Zeta

Lambda Omega and Alpha Sigma Delta sororities, through their absorption by Theta Upsilon, have their legacies in Delta Zeta sorority. In 1962, Theta Upsilon joined Delta Zeta (Miner, p. 181).

References

* Martin, Ida Shaw (1931). ''The Sorority Handbook'', 11th edition. Published by Ida Shaw Martin, Boston, Massachusetts. * Miner, Florence Hood (1983). ''Delta Zeta Sorority 1902- 1982: Building on Yesterday, Reaching for Tomorrow''. Published by Delta Zeta Sorority, Compolith Graphics and Maury Boyd and Associates, Inc, Indianapolis, Indiana. {{National Panhellenic Conference Delta Zeta Defunct former members of the National Panhellenic Conference 1915 establishments in the United States Student organizations established in 1915