In 1944, the president of the island state of Iceland, Sveitn Björtnsson, signed a decree of the republic, which explained its significance. So, in Icelandic you can see a blue shield. There is silver on it, and bright red inside it. The ends on four sides reach the edges of the shield. The four guardian spirits of Iceland support this shield: the dragon is the patron of North-East Iceland, the bull - of South-West, the vulture - of North-West and the giant - of South-East. Guardian spirits stand on a slab of columnar basalt (volcanic rock).
The guardian spirits depicted on the coat of arms were greatly revered in ancient times. So, in order to land on the shores of Iceland, ships had to have an image of one of these creatures.
History of the modern coat of arms of Iceland
Initially, Iceland, settled by immigrants from Norway in 870-930 AD, did not have statehood, and therefore there were no symbols of state power such as a flag and coat of arms. However, at that time there were personal coats of arms of representatives of the nobility, as can be judged by the seals preserved from ancient times. Among the symbols of personal coats of arms, which were depicted on shields, were a falcon, a polar bear, etc.
Throughout its history, Iceland has been ruled by both Norway and Denmark. During this time, several coats of arms changed. Presumably, the first was a shield with six silver and six blue stripes, the second was a shield with an image of a red lion with an axe. A red shield with a headless cod and a crown above it, as well as a blue shield with a white falcon, were in use.
In 1940, German troops occupied the Danish mainland, which at that time included Iceland. Taking advantage of the weakening of Denmark, the national council decided to hold a referendum, as a result of which Iceland became an independent republic on June 17, 1944.
The newly formed Icelandic Republic approached the Vatican with a request to help develop a coat of arms, but the Vatican heraldists were unable to help due to their busy schedule.
The government appointed an expert group to design the coat of arms of the new republic. As a result, the royal coat of arms of Iceland was only slightly modified. For example, it was decided to abandon the image of the crown, because Iceland ceased to be part of the monarchy. The colors and design have also changed slightly. The shape of the shield and the outlines of the guardian spirits changed, and a slab of columnar basalt appeared. The artist Tryggvi Magnusson is the author of the final version of the coat of arms. His drawing is currently in the National Museum of Iceland.
Icelandic coat of arms(Skjaldarmerki Í lands ) V modern form adopted in 1944. It is a blue shield with a red cross on a silver cross. The shield is held by four patrons ( landvæ ttir ) Iceland standing on a piece of lava. Bull ( Grið ungur) - patron saint of South-West Iceland, eagle or griffin ( Gammur) - Northwestern, dragon ( Dreki) - Northeast, giant ( Bergrisi) - South-Eastern. These creatures were held in high esteem in Iceland, and so there was a law in Viking days that no ship could land on the shores of Iceland without having an image of one of the creatures on its ship (most often a dragon's head was used).
The patrons are depicted on the obverse of the Icelandic Crown, while the reverse depicts ocean animals (fish, crabs and dolphins). The Icelandic authorities use the Icelandic flag with a forked end with the Coat of Arms. The Icelandic National Police uses a white flag with the Coat of Arms when the use of the national flag is not permitted. Some other government services can do the same.
The Icelandic government uses a national flag with a coat of arms. The Icelandic police use a yellow flag with a coat of arms.
Iceland has used several coats of arms over the centuries.
The first one is probably- a shield with six blue and six silver stripes, symbolizing the 12 Things of the Icelandic Commonwealth
The second one is probably- coat of arms of the county of Iceland, granted by King Haakon of Norway IV Count Gissur Thorvaldsson in 1258. The shield depicted a red lion with an ax on a yellow background above and against the background of white and blue stripes from the previous coat of arms below.
Around 1500, the coat of arms of Iceland became a crowned stockfish on a red shield.
On October 3, 1903, the coat of arms of Iceland was replaced by a white falcon on a blue background. It was used until the official adoption of the first version of the coat of arms with patrons on February 12, 1919. The falcon was used on the royal coat of arms of Denmark under King Christian X.
Under Frederick IX in April 1947 the current coat of arms was adopted.
Flag of Iceland (Íslenski faninn ) was officially approved by the “Law on the National Flag of Icelanders and state emblem» No. 34 of June 17, 1944, the day Iceland became an independent republic. The law describes the flag as follows:
The civil national flag of the Icelanders is blue as the sky with a snowy white cross and a fiery red cross within a white cross. The ends of the cross reach the edges of the flag, their width is 2/9, and the red cross is 1/9 of the width of the flag. The blue fields of the flag are regular rectangles; the width and length of the pole (internal) fields are the same, and the length of the free (external) fields is twice their width. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 18:25.
The colors of the flag are associated with the Icelandic landscape: red is the color of the fire of Icelandic volcanoes, white is the color of ice and snow, and blue is the color of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the island.
National flag of Iceland (isl.Tjúgufáni ) differs from the national one in length and the presence of two braids formed by a triangular cutout in the free part of the flag. The length of the blue fields in the free part of the flag is three times their width. The cut goes from the edge of the free part to the horizontal axis of the flag, cutting off a triangle with sides equal to 3/7 of the length of the field and the width of the field from the blue field. The cut line, having reached the red cross, crosses it vertically. The proportions of the flag are 9:16.
Iceland's first national flag, known as the "Vitblain" (Fig.Hvítbláinn , literally: “white and blue”), was a white cross on a dark blue background. It was first raised in 1897. On November 22, 1913, a royal decree of Denmark confirmed Iceland's right to its own flag, and on June 19, 1915, the Althing approved the national flag of the island, similar to the modern one: the white cross was supplemented by an internal red cross. In 1918, Denmark recognized the sovereignty of Iceland as part of a union. On February 12, 1919, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland approved the Icelandic flag. In 1944, after achieving full independence, the flag remained almost unchanged, but its blue color acquired a darker shade (in the period from 1918 to 1944 it was defined as ultramarine). The design of the flag reflects the Scandinavian tradition, coming from the flag of Denmark. The red color of the cross also recalls Danish influence. Blue and white are the traditional colors of Iceland and are associated with the colors of the Order of the Silver Falcon.
The heraldic shield depicts the design of the national flag, supported by four shield holders, the guardian spirits of Iceland. According to the sagas, they protect the island from the Danish kings. The basis for their inclusion in the state emblem was an excerpt from the work “The Circle of the Earth” by the famous Icelandic skald, historian and politician Snorri Sturluson, created around 1230.
The saga of Olaf son of Tryggvi tells how the king of Denmark, Harald, son of Gorm, on a campaign against Jarl Hakon of Norway, decided to make a campaign against Iceland in revenge for the blasphemous verses that all the Icelanders wrote about him by decision of the Althing. “King Harald ordered a sorcerer to go to Iceland in someone else’s guise for reconnaissance and then report to him. He went in the guise of a whale. Having sailed to Iceland, he went west and rounded the camp from the north. He saw that all the mountains and hills there were full of the spirits of the country, large and small. And when he sailed past the Armory Fjord, he swam into it and wanted to go ashore. But then a huge dragon came out of the valley and behind him were many snakes, toads and lizards breathing poison. The sorcerer swam away and headed west along the coast towards the Island Fjord. But when he swam into this fjord, a bird flew out to meet him, so huge that its wings touched the mountains on both banks, and behind it were many other birds, large and small. The sorcerer swam away from there and headed first to the west, and then, skirting the country, south to the Wide Fjord and swam into it. But then a huge bull came out to meet him and waded through the sea with a terrible roar, followed by many spirits of the country. The sorcerer swam away and headed south, rounding the Cape of Smoke, and wanted to go ashore at Vikarskade. But then a giant came out to meet him with an iron club in his hand. His head was higher than the mountains, and many other giants followed him. From there the sorcerer swam along the coast to the east. But there, as he said, there is nothing but sandbanks, and nowhere to land, and strong surf, and a sea so vast between the countries that warships cannot cross there.”
Thus, these four figures began to symbolize the spirits guarding the country on the coat of arms.
© Snorri Sturluson. Circle of the Earth. (Snorri Sturluson "Heimskringla"). "The science". Moscow, 1980. © Translation, articles, notes Publishing house "Nauka", 1980. The publication was prepared by: A.Ya. Gurevich, Yu.K. Kuzmenko, O.A. Smirnitskaya, M.I. Steblin-Kamensky.
Description
The coat of arms is a blue shield with a red cross on a silver cross. The shield is held by the four patrons (landvættir) of Iceland standing on a piece of lava. The bull (Griðungur) is the patron of Southwestern Iceland, the eagle or griffin (Gammur) is the patron of Northwestern Iceland ,dragon (Dreki) - North-East, giant-risi (Bergrisi) - South-East.
The shield comes from the flag of Iceland (an 18:25 blue cloth with a red cross with a white border), which in turn was influenced by both Denmark and the colors of the local Order of the Falcon.
The base of the coat of arms is basalt, the stone from which Iceland is built. The shield holders refer to the Heimskringla saga, which dates back to the 12th century. It tells the story of how the king of Denmark, Harald Gormsson Bluetooth, wanting to conquer Iceland, sent a Finnish werewolf sorcerer to find out where it would be more convenient to land. The first time the sorcerer landed on the eastern shore (Vopnafjðrður), but was forced to leave it because of a terrible dragon. The second time the sorcerer tried to land, on the northern shore; but a giant eagle prevented him from landing. And for the third time the sorcerer tried to land in the west, but he was driven away by a huge bull, and the giant in the south made it clear to the sorcerer that the country could not be conquered.
The original origin of the shield holders is perhaps less poetic: these four symbols were borrowed from the Evangelists (Luke (bull), Mark (lion, became a dragon), John (eagle) and Matthew (man, became a giant)), which were adopted or modified by the author The Heimskringli saga has symbols more common to Norse mythology.
Story
The coat of arms was adopted in 1944, when Iceland became independent from Denmark.
In 1919-1944. the coat of arms was similar, except that the patrons were gold, and the crown was placed on a shield, and the shield was not set on basalt. Iceland at this time was an independent state in a personal union with Denmark.
The national coat of arms of Iceland features a heraldic shield with a design of the country's national flag. On a blue background there is a red cross with a white border. Just like on the flag, blue represents the sky, Atlantic Ocean, white color symbolizes snow cover and geysers, red color symbolizes fiery volcanoes.
The coat of arms was officially approved on June 17, 1944. The shield is supported by four guardian spirits (Il. Landvættir) of Iceland, standing on a slab of columnar basalt: the bull (Il. Griðungur) is the patron saint of Southwestern Iceland, the giant (Il. Bergrisi) is the patron of South-Eastern Iceland , vulture (Il. Gamur) - North-Western and dragon (Il. Dreki) - North-East. It was adopted in its modern form in 1944, after Iceland was declared a republic. All the characters from the "Earthly Circle" saga.
The saga tells how the Danish ruler ordered a sorcerer to penetrate the shores of Iceland and find a good place for Danish warships to moor. The sorcerer, turning into a whale, went to the island. On the west coast he met a huge fire-breathing dragon. The sorcerer went north, but there he was met by a huge vulture bird. The sorcerer sailed south. There he met a huge bull, which attacked him. Sailing past the Cape of Spirits, he came across a giant holding a club in his hands. The sorcerer eventually returned to the king, reporting that all the shores of Iceland were securely fortified.
Basalt personifies perseverance, courage, and indestructibility.
Historical coats of arms of Iceland
The coat of arms was a Varangian heraldic shield with alternating horizontal white and blue stripes.
The country was founded by immigrants from Norway. She was independent. In 1262, the country actually lost its independence, accepting the power of King Haakon IV of Norway.
Some heraldists believe that this coat of arms is a hoax.
After Iceland became dependent on Norway, a red lion with a yellow background was added to the coat of arms. The lower part of the coat of arms remains the same. Thus, the coat of arms is a union of two coats of arms.
The coat of arms was a shield of the Varangian heraldic form of red color, in the center of which was a cut silver cod, above which was a golden crown.
The first mention of this coat of arms dates back to 1593. A copy of the seal (coat of arms) is still kept in the museum, donated to him in 1897. The image of a cod was included in the coat of arms of Denmark in 1820, along with elements of the coats of arms of the Faroe Islands, as well as Greenland. It was in this year that elements of the coat of arms of Norway, over which power was lost, were excluded from the coat of arms of Denmark.
Icelandic coat of arms 1903
The coat of arms was a shield of the Varangian heraldic form of blue color, in the center of which was a silver-colored gyrfalcon bird.
The gyrfalcon belongs to the falcon family (falcon in heraldry).
Iceland was believed to be home to some of the finest falcons.
Since 1921, King Christian X of Denmark established the Order of the Icelandic Falcon, which was awarded “for services to Iceland and humanity.” After the death of a holder of the order, his signs must be returned to the Council of the order.
This coat of arms replaced the image of a falcon. This coat of arms was the prototype for the modern coat of arms.
Sources
- Coats of arms of the world / [Auth.-comp. K.Ya. Nezhinsky]. - M.: Eksmo, 2008. - 192 p.: ill.;
- Official website of the Prime Minister of Iceland (flag page) (English);
- Birgir Thorlacius. Islands vеben // Heraldisk Tidsskrift, Bd. 6, 1989, no. 60.;
- Svane E. Det danske rigsveben og kongevеben. Odense, 1994.
Today, January 3, 2019, on the weekend, we are waiting for the next episode of the television game “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
But since the issue is repeated, we decided to publish for you only the most difficult questions for January 3, 2019.
Who is not on the coat of arms of Iceland?
- the Dragon
- polar bear
It would seem that the question is not difficult, but who can immediately remember what the coat of arms of Iceland looks like?
Here, perhaps, you won’t immediately recognize the symbols of your native country, especially when a huge audience and television viewers are waiting for an answer from you).
So let's take a look. But not on the coat of arms). It will be very simple this way.
A little bit of history
Icelandic coat of arms - one of the main state symbols countries. It is an azure shield with a silver Latin cross, burdened with a scarlet Latin cross. The shield is supported by four guardian spirits (Il. Landvættir) of Iceland, standing on a slab of columnar basalt: the bull (Il. Griðungur) - the patron of South-West Iceland, the giant (Il. Bergrisi) - of the South-East, the vulture (Il. Gammur) - Northwestern and dragon (Il. Dreki) - Northeastern. It was adopted in its modern form in 1944, after Iceland was declared a republic.
Although not common, personal coats of arms were also found in medieval Iceland. Chroniclers mentioned "images on shields" (such as a lion, an eagle or a deer), which were often the same as those on seals. In the 14th and 15th centuries, when Iceland was already a possession of the Danish crown, many Icelanders were knighted and given the right to a coat of arms. For example, the coat of arms of Loftur Guttormsson (Il. Loftur Guttormsson) the Mighty was a white falcon on a blue field, but his seal was a snake. The coat of arms of Torfi Arason was a polar bear on a blue field and half a polar bear as a crest. The same coat of arms was used by Björn Þorleifsson (Il. Björn Þorleifsson) Mighty, but his crest was a whole polar bear.