Are the flag and coat of arms of Wales. It would be more accurate to say not the coat of arms, but the Royal Badge of Wales. Since the Principality of Wales does not have an approved coat of arms, the Royal Badge of Wales serves as the highest heraldic symbol of Wales, after its approval in 2008.
The Royal Badge of Wales (the emblem of Wales) is a shield divided into gold and red sectors, each of which contains one to the magnificent lion, with azure tongue and claws. The shield is framed by a green ribbon, on which are written the words from the Welsh anthem: "I am true to my country" and a wreath of heraldic plants: leek, thistle, shamrock and double Tudor rose. The royal badge of Wales is surmounted by the royal crown of St. Edward.
There is an ancient legend about such a symbol of Wales as the leek, according to which, in the 6th century. In one of the battles between the Welsh and the Saxons, which took place in an onion field, Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, ordered the soldiers to attach leek petals to their helmets. So in battle the Welsh could easily distinguish their soldiers from the enemy. Already in the 14th century, white and green colors, the colors of leeks, began to be used as the colors of Welsh archers. On St David's Day, March 1st, people in Wales attach leeks to their clothes.
Leek.
The flower symbol of Wales has been called the yellow daffodil since the 19th century, and this happened because the word “cenhinen” can be translated as both daffodil and leek. And since a great many yellow daffodils bloom in Wales in the spring, this is probably why the daffodil has become another, no less beloved and revered symbol of Wales.
“Listen, Your Majesty, do you know what kind of dragons we have there in Wales?... Here,” he took out from his wallet a well-worn photo identikit of a red dragon, for clarity, drawn sitting on the railing of an abstract castle. - “These are such creatures, as big as the elephant in your circus, but not at all as funny. Don't look at how small he is here - I drew this from afar, from the pub. They’re always on guard near pubs, well, you remember, you came to the barbecue last year!”
The king, who miraculously survived after that trip, hastily nodded: the dragons, after the Welsh moonshine, which unobtrusively replaced all the kebab on that trip, really arrived excellent. (epigraph from here)
Dragons are found in the legends of peoples all over the world, both in the West and in the East. Great Britain is no exception, where the main place of residence of dragons is Wales. And this is not surprising, since this is a rather wild and also mountainous place. Most of the territory of Wales has long been covered with rather gloomy forests, where everyone found refuge - from gnomes and trolls to druids and dragons. The dragon has been used in Britain since Roman times. Initially it was depicted on the banners of Roman cohorts, and in post-Roman times it was used not only by the Britons, but also by the Saxons and Scots.
However, the red dragon is a specifically British symbol. Nennius's British dragon is red, but in the Middle Ages it was found in various variations on the theme of fire (red, fiery, gold).
In the Middle Ages, the British created stories about their ancestors' battles with the dragon to establish land ownership. Dragons may have been a figment of the imagination, but sometimes the stories about them had a basis in reality. An interesting episode, documented by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
“In 793, the monks from the monastery of St. Gutbert, located on the rocky islet of Lindisfarne off the east coast of England, heard a loud hissing... The eyes (of the holy fathers) were presented with a truly extraordinary sight: many dragons were playing and frolicking in the sky. The scales of huge snakes glittered dimly in the unclear northern sun... Soon after, on the sixth day before the Ides of January, the pagans bringing violence and death destroyed the Church of God on Lindisfarne..."
According to an ancient Irish legend, the city of Cork was founded by Saint Finebarr in the late 6th and early 7th centuries in honor of the victory over the last dragon in Ireland.
To the county of Essex in a bottomless hole, which was called "Naker's Hole", according to ancient legend, there lived a dragon who ate people and animals. The King of Essex offered his daughter in marriage to whoever slayed the dragon. Jim Palk, a local boy, the son of a farmer, outwitted the dragon. He prepared a poisoned pie, which the dragon ate and then died. But even after death, the dragon Naker managed to take revenge, because during the celebration of the victory over the dragon, the boy fell dead. He probably didn't wash his hands after baking the poisoned pie.
On November 30, 1222, an incredible thunderstorm broke out over London. Due to the heavy rainfall, the Thames overflowed its banks and many houses were damaged as a result of devastating flooding. Some believed that this disaster was caused by dragons. There were also eyewitnesses who saw dragons in the sky.
For the first time, the Welsh red dragon or I-Ddraig Goch (from the Welsh. Y Ddraig Goch) is mentioned in the Mabinogion, in the story “Lludd and Llefelys” (Welsh. Lludd a Llefelys), about King Llyud, and his brother - the French king Llewelis, who deliver Britain from the red and white dragons fighting among themselves. Every year on the eve of May 1, a terrifying scream of incredible power was heard over the island, and it was so terrible that because of it the water, land, trees and animals of Britain became barren. And this was the cry of a dragon who was fighting with another dragon somewhere in the south of the island. Llyud, the king of Britain, managed to free the island from these disasters, following the wise advice of Llevelis. According to legend, the kings ordered a hole to be dug and filled with honey. When the dragons, having taken the bait, got drunk and fell asleep, their bodies were wrapped in canvas, and the hole was covered with earth. After this, relative calm reigned on the island.
The story of the dragons buried in Snowdonia (the most elevated area of Wales) is described by Hennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth, where it is said that King Vortigern (Gurteirn the Weak) built the fortress of Dinas Emrys on this site (Welsh: Dinas Emrys, later the Fortress of Ambrose). Ambrosius). But the fortress began to collapse for no reason. To get rid of this scourge, the king is advised to sacrifice a boy born without a father. This child turns out to be Ambrose Aurelian (Merlin Ambrosius, Myrddin Emrys), the future associate of King Arthur Ambrosius (Merlin). that the reason for the failure of the construction was the underground lake where two warring dragons were buried. When, by order of the king, the earth was excavated there, two dragons actually escaped from there - red and white, who immediately began to fight with each other and the red dragon won. As Ambrose explained this to the king. , an underground lake - personifies the image of a world where the red dragon is the people of Vortigern, and the white dragon is the people who captured many regions in Britain and subjugated many of the peoples living in it - the Saxons.
“Woe to the red dragon, for his humiliation is near. A white dragon wants to occupy his cave, personifying the Saxons you have called upon, while the red dragon is the original tribe of Britons, oppressed by the white dragon. The mountains of Britain will become equal to her valleys, and the rivers in her valleys will flow with blood.
But a boar from Cornubia will come to the rescue and trample the foreigners with its hooves. With his power he will protect the islands lying on the ocean and take possession of the Gallic forests. His deeds will provide food for singers and bards, and the people will glorify his valor."
Allegedly, since ancient times the red dragon has been a symbol of Wales.
Many people have conquered Wales, starting with Caesar. But no one was able to suppress it. To this day, the border between the “land of Cymru” and “good old England” is considered to be “Offa’s Ditch,” a giant earthen rampart built in the 8th century by the Anglo-Saxons, who tried to somehow protect themselves from the attacks of the inhabitants of the heather mountains and wastelands. And Wales (not everyone knows this) is a sovereign principality that is part of Great Britain, but is not formally subordinate to its monarch. The once shaggy Celtic leaders said to the victorious conqueror: “Either war to the end, or give us a master born on our soil and who does not speak a word of English.” And the wise King Edward brought to them his one-month-old firstborn, born on Welsh soil: “Here is your lord.” Since then, Llewelyn's iron ring, a symbol of power over Wales, has belonged to the crown princes. But on the eve of the coronation of the new monarch, the sacred relic passes to the next heir.
But let's return to the dragon.
The War of the Roses was a war fought by the descendants of Edward III, and scarlet was the symbol of the red dragon and white was the symbol of the white dragon. Accordingly - Britons and Angles + Saxons.
In 1485, the contender for the English throne Henry Tudor (Lancaster) - the future king of England Henry VII, before the Battle of Bosworth between York and Lancaster, in order to emphasize his ancient Welsh ancestry, added an image of a red Welsh dragon to his banner and officially approved it as his coat of arms
The Royal Mint even placed an image of a dragon on the obverse of Henry VII's gold coins. This is the first time a British monarch has used the image of a dragon as a mint mark.
Although Henry initially used the Welsh dragon as his personal emblem, under his descendants the red dragon with raised wings on a green mountain became established as the symbol of Wales. And in 1807, a red dragon on a green hill on a white field was officially approved as the royal badge of Wales.
In 1953 the badge was changed to a red dragon passan on a white and green field, the shield was surrounded by a ribbon with the motto Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn and topped with a crown. The flag of Wales was proclaimed to be the royal badge on a white field. In 1959, the Welsh flag took on its current form.
Wales. Gold Pattern Crown, 1830. George IV
Wales. Gold Pattern Crown, 1830. William IV
1911 Double Florin:
Based on Norman Sillman's sketches from the House of Heraldic design, the red dragon was reproduced on the 1995 and 2000 £1 coins:
And if you don't have enough of a real dragon coin, you can buy a chocolate bar:
2004 One Pound Coin:
There is a Welsh dragon on eurocents:
EuroEcu:
Two pound coin 2002.
Y Ddraig Goch)Other flags of Wales
Historical flags
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The national flag is one of the most important and revered symbols of the country. As a rule, the motifs depicted on the flag reflect the history and culture of the state. Despite the fact that most national flags consist of various geometric shapes, common symbols, different colors, there are flags with incredibly strange elements on them. Here are the 25 weirdest things found on flags. different countries peace.
Mozambique
The national flag of Mozambique is decorated with an AK-47 assault rifle, symbolizing protection and vigilance. The open book signifies the importance of education, and the hoe signifies rurality.
Butane
Bhutan has a dragon on its flag, an important symbol for many Asian countries. The yellow part represents civic traditions and the red part represents the Buddhist religion.
Swaziland
Black and white shield means people with different colors skins can live together. In addition, the flag depicts two spears and three blue bird feathers. However, only the king of the country can use the feather symbol.
Kyrgyzstan
The sun crossed by the lines represents the stylized crown of the traditional Kyrgyz structure - the yurt. 40 identical rays of the sun symbolize 40 Kyrgyz tribes united against the Mongols under the leadership of the epic hero Manas.
Belize
The design of the flag is quite complex. At its center are Mestizos and black loggers, armed with cutting tools, surrounded by 50 green leaves, symbolizing the logging industry, which is a major industrial sector of the country.
Libya
This flag was used in the state from 1977 to 2011. It was the only single-color, undesigned flag in the world. It was chosen by Muammar Gaddafi to commemorate his political philosophy and Islam. After 2011, an earlier version of the flag was adopted.
Nepal
This is the only non-rectangular flag in the world. It consists of two triangles depicting a crescent moon and a sun.
Kenya
The flag features spears, which, along with the dominant red color, symbolize the defense of the country and the blood shed in the struggle for independence. The black color represents the people of the country, and the green stripe represents the landscape.
Isle Of Man
The flag features three legs with golden spurs on a red background. Officially known as the triskelion, this strange symbol was used by the ancient peoples of Mycenae and Lycia.
Cyprus
Since 1960, the flag of Cyprus has depicted an island with two olive branches below. The olive branches and white background symbolize peace, while the orange color represents large deposits of copper ore.
Uganda
In the center of the flag is a gray crane, a native of the African savannah. Black symbolizes the African people, yellow represents the sun of Africa, and red represents brotherhood. The bird's raised leg means the country is moving forward.
Grenada
6 yellow stars represent the six districts of the country. The central star in the red circle is the capital St. George's, and the small symbol on the left is a nutmeg. Red stands for courage and vitality, yellow for the wisdom and friendliness of the people, and green for vegetation and agriculture.
Mongolia
One of the 3 stripes of the flag depicts the national symbol of Mongolia, soyombo, consisting of images of fire, sun, moon, earth, water and the Yin-Yang sign. Blue represents the sky, red represents Mongolia's ability to thrive in difficult conditions.
Saudi Arabia
The green background of the flag symbolizes Islam, the sword symbolizes military power, and the Arabic inscription above the sword is the Islamic declaration of faith, shahada.
Ecuador
The flag consists of three stripes with an extremely complex coat of arms in the center, which depicts Mount Chimborazo, a river, a steamboat, the sun, spears, laurel and palm leaves, and several other elements associated with the country. Rising above all this is the condor, which symbolizes the strength of Ecuador.
Angola
The cogwheel on this flag symbolizes industry, the machete symbolizes the peasantry and armed struggle. The flag dates back to 1975, when Angola was ruled by a Marxist government.
Gibraltar
The red castle with three towers symbolizes the Kingdom of Castile - a large and powerful medieval kingdom, and the key marks Gibraltar's access to the Mediterranean Sea.
Papua New Guinea
Five stars arranged in the shape of the Southern Cross indicate that the country is in the southern hemisphere. The bird of paradise is an iconic symbol for the state. It should be noted that the flag was designed by a 15-year-old schoolgirl who won a national competition for a new flag design in 1971.
Turkmenistan
It is the most detailed national flag in the world. It features a crescent moon (the symbol of Islam), five stars (the country's five provinces), and a red stripe with five incredibly detailed, intricate carpet patterns symbolizing the five major tribes of Turkmenistan.
Sri Lanka
The lion symbolizes the Sri Lankan nation and its bravery, the sword signifies the country's ability to defend itself. The bo leaves at the corners symbolize Buddhist traditions and the four virtues: love, compassion, understanding and self-control. The two stripes on the left are the Tamils and Moors, the main ethnic groups of the country.
Wales
This dragon, also known as the Welsh dragon, commemorates the legendary King Cadualadr, who ruled Wales in the 7th century. He was often compared to a dragon.
Virgin Islands
The national flag of the islands is a simplified version of the coat of arms of the United States, the state to which this island region belongs. The three arrows in the eagle's left paw are the three large islands of the archipelago, and the letters under the wings are the initials of the state.
This is the old flag of the Benin Empire. It depicts a naked man with a sword cutting off the head of another man. The exact origin of the flag is uncertain. It is believed that the image symbolizes ethnic group the Itsekiri, who acted as intermediaries between the Edo people (the people of Benin) and the Europeans.
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