Coat o airms o Iceland

The Coat o airms o Iceland or Skjaldarmerki Íslands is a cross o siller on a sky-blue shield, wi a fire-red cross inside the siller cross (seemilar tae the Icelandic banner). The shieldbearers are the fower protectors o Iceland (landvættir) staundin on a pahoehoe lava block. The bull (Griðungur) is the protector o soothwastren Iceland, the eagle or griffin (Gammur) protects northwastren Iceland, the draigon (Dreki) the northeastren pairt an the Rock-giant (Bergrisi) is the protector o sootheastren Iceland. Great respect wis gien tae thir creatures o Iceland, sae muckle that thare wis a law durin the time o the Vikings that nae ship shoud bear grimacin seembols (maist aften draigonheids on the bou o the ship) when approachin Iceland. This wis sae the protectors wad no be provoked unnecessarily.

The landvættir an aa decorate the obverse (front) o the Icelandic króna coins but ainimals o the ocean (fish, crabs an dolphins) appear on the reverse (back). The Icelandic presidency uises a swallaetailed Icelandic banner wi the Coat o airms. The Naitional Commissioner o Icelandic Polis uises a white banner wi the Coat o airms, when the uise o the state banner is no warrantit, an sae mey some ither state services dae as well.

The shield mey be blazoned, Azure, on a cross argent a cross gules.

History

Iceland heas haed various distinct coats o airms throu the ages: depictit belaw.

• The first oae is believed tae hae been a shield wi sax blue stripes an sax siller stripes, possibly signifyin the 12 þings o the Icelandic Commonweel.
• The seicont ane is believed tae be the ane that wis gien tae Earl Gissur Þorvaldsson bi the King o Norawa, Hákon Hákonarson, durin 1258. It wis patterned on the Keeng's awn coat o arms, exchnging the colors o the shield wi the colour o the lion an addin the blue an siller stripes o the previous coat o airms.
• Aroond or efter 1500 the Icelandic coat o airms became a crouned stockfish on a reid shield. It is kent as the Þorskmerkið (the cod markins) an the fish wis depictit occasionally in a variant form.
• On October 3, 1903 the coat o airms o Iceland wis chynged tae a white falcon on a blue shield. It remained in uise till the first version o the Coat o airms wi the landvættir became offeecial on Februar 12, 1919 as the Coat o airms o the Kinrick o Iceland. The falcon still remained in the Ryal coat o airms throughoot the reign o Keeng Christian X even tho Iceland haed acome a Republic in 1944.
• When unthirldom wis declared on 17 Juin 1944, the present coat o airms wis adoptit.

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  The coat o airms o the Icelandic Commonweel

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  The coat o airms o the Earldom o Iceland frae 1262

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  The coat o airms unner Dens rule, ca. 16t – 1903

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  The coat o airms o the Hame-rule period

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  The coat o airms o the Kinrick o Iceland 1919 tae 1944

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  The Coat o Airms o King Christian X o Iceland 1918 tae 1944 an Denmark 1903 tae 1947. Iceland is representit bi the siller falcon in the lawer left corner. The falcon wis removed frae the Dens airms in 1948.

See an aa

• Banner o Iceland
• Icelandic heraldry

Freemit airtins

• The Icelandic Prime Minister's Office on the Coat of Arms
• Official website of the President of Iceland on national heraldry Archived 2009-05-09 at the Wayback Machine