THE FOUR LANDS.

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

THE FOUR LANDS

The United Kingdom

of Great Britain,
consists of four lands:
England, Wales,
Scotland and
Northern Ireland

A National Emblem

-symbolically represents a nation

-most national emblems originate in the natural world (animals, birds,

flowers)

-they may appear on many things such as:

- national flags
-coat of arms
-other patriotic materials
-should not be confused with clichs or less formal symbols associated
with tourism, ( windmills in Netherlands)

-official symbols are defined by law

Englands National Emblem

-the ROSE adopted
since the time of the
War of the Roses
-the house of Lancaster
was represented by a
red rose
-the house of York, by a
white one

Scotlands National Symbol

thistle is the national

symbol
Adopted as the
emblem of Scotland
during the reign of
Alexander III (12491286)

Legend of the Thistle

an army of the king Haaken of

Norway intent on conquering the
Scots to surprise them by landing at
the Coast of Largs at night
they removed their footwear to move
silently under the cover of darkness
one of the Vikings stepped into one
spiny little plant and cried out in pain
thus altering the sleeping Scots who
won

Thistles
found in the fields pastures of the highlands

first use as a royal symbol of Scotland on silver coins issued by

King James III in 1470
in 1540 king James V founded the ORDER OF THE THISTLE
the common badge worn by the knights are:
-a cross surmounted by a star of four silver points,
and over
them a circle bordered and lettered with gold
containing the motto:

Nemo me impune lacessit (No one harms me without

punishment) but often translated by Scots as Dont mess
with me!

Wales National Symbols

History of the Flowers

the national flower of Wales is usually

considered to be the daffodil

however, the leek has even older
associations as a traditional symbol of
Wales - possibly because the its colours,
white over green
echo the ancient Welsh flag

Legend of the Leek

it is associated with St. David, the patron of Wales

St. David ordered his soldiers to wear the leek on their
helmets in a battle against the pagan Saxon invaders of
Britain
the battle itself took place in a field full of leek
this famous spot is to be found in the village of Llanddewi
Brefi
Every year on ST. David's Day (March 1), the leek is
worn in the cap badges of every soldier in every Welsh
regiment
In 1984 authorities decided that the British 1 coin
representing the Welsh part of the United Kingdom to
feature the LEEK on reverse

Northern Irelands Symbol

The Legend of the Shamrock

when Ireland was the land of Druids, a great Bishop, Patrick

came to teach the word of God throughout the country
this St. Patrick was well loved everywhere he went

one day, a group of his followers admitted that it was difficult for
them to believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity

he reflected a moment and then, stooping down, plucked a leaf

from the shamrock and held it before them, showing them the
living example of the "Three-in-One"

St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy
Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

the simple beauty of this explanation convinced these skeptics

from that day the shamrock has been revered throughout Ireland

Shamrock

the shamrock is a plant

similar to a clover
the tiny green clover has
always been considered a
symbol of good luck in
Irish culture
according to legend, the
leaves of a three-leaf
clover represent hope,
faith, and love, and God
added another leaf for
luck

The Harp

the official emblem of Ireland

it appears on:
- Irish coins
-presidential flag
- state seals
- uniforms and
documents