(12/23/98)
OSLO, Dec 23 (Reuters) - A Norwegian woman has been jailed for giving her son a name the authorities did not like.
Kirsti Larsen, a 46-year-old mother of 14, was sent to jail for two days from Tuesday in Fredrikstad, south Norway, for refusing to pay a fine imposed for choosing the name ``Gesher'' for her son, her 13th child born in April 1995.
``Many people back down to `big brother' and pay a fine. But I couldn't accept that as a matter of principle,'' Larsen told the Norwegian daily Verdens Gang from her cell.
Norwegian authorities have a list of approved children's names. Other names are outlawed on the grounds that they might expose children to ridicule in a society that prizes equality almost to the point of conformism.
Larsen told the daily she was a strong Christian and that an English voice told her in a dream days before her son was born that she should call the child ``Bridge.'' She changed it to ``Gesher,'' the Hebrew word for bridge.
After losing a string of appeals when the name was turned down, Larsen refused to pay a fine of 1,600 crowns ($200) and was jailed. The authorities argued that ``Gesher'' was too unusual and too similar to the Norwegian surname ``Geser.''
A Justice Ministry official said the ministry was aware of the case but declined immediate comment.