Coat of arms of Iceland

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Coat of arms of Iceland
Coat of arms of Iceland.svg
Details
Introduced June 17, 1944
Sign holder Bull, eagle, dragon, giant

The coat of arms of Iceland was introduced in 1944.

history

  • Coat of arms of the Norwegian county of Iceland from 1262

  • Coat of arms under Danish rule from around the 16th century to 1903

  • Coat of arms during the autonomy ( Home Rule )

  • Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Iceland 1918 to 1944

  • Coat of arms of King Christian X of Iceland 1918 to 1944 and Denmark 1903 to 1947. Iceland is represented by the silver falcon in the lower left corner. The falcon was removed from the Danish coat of arms in 1948.

A first coat of arms of Iceland is known from the "Norwegian times".

It consisted of 12 horizontal stripes in blue and white. Later a red heraldic shield with a silver cod under a crown was used.

The current state coat of arms has existed since June 17, 1944, the day the Republic of Iceland was founded. This day is also a national holiday.

description

Flag of Iceland

It shows a coat of arms with the Icelandic flag , which stands on a rock slab as a pedestal . This is a reference to the rocky coast of Iceland. It is a red cross with a white border in blue .

In addition are the sign holder the right one gold reinforced bull and a giant in the silver coat with gold lining and gold-black belt leaning on a staff. A red-tongued and gold-armored dragon on the left and a silver, gold-armored red-tongued eagle on the right , as the legendary protectors of Iceland, as described in the Heimskringla saga, are placed above the coat of arms . According to this legend, Harald Blauzahn wanted to conquer Iceland in the 10th century . But four powerful guardian spirits - a giant with an iron rod in the south, a bull in the west, an eagle in the north, a dragon in the east - stood in his way and prevented him from landing with his warships. In heraldry , all four heraldic figures are referred to as land guards (isl .: Landvættir).

Landvættir's "eagle" is not referred to as "örn" (Isl. For "eagle"), but as "gammur", which is the modern Icelandic term for "vulture" - even if there are no vultures in Iceland.

literature

  • Karl-Heinz Hesmer: Flags and coats of arms of the world. History and symbolism of the flags and coats of arms of all states . Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh 1992, ISBN 3-570-01082-1 .

Web links