Lambda Omega

Lambda Omega (ΛΩ) 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 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. 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 1923-05-05 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 (Martin, p. 70.)

In September 1933, Lambda Omega and Alpha Sigma Delta, which had joined Lambda Omega just 17 months earlier, were absorbed by Theta Upsilon (Miner, p. 180). In turn, Theta Upsilon merged into Delta Zeta in 1962.

Insignia and Traditions

 * Open Motto- I Will Be Worthy
 * Pledge pin- Silver pharetra
 * Member pin- Monogram of sorority letters
 * Colors- Violet and green
 * Flower- Wood violet
 * Jewel- Amethyst
 * 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 ΘΥ 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 (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.

Alpha Sigma Delta merged with Lambda Omega in 1932-04

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).