The fleur-de-lys (or fleur-de-lis, plural: fleurs-de-lis; pronounced 'fluhr-duh-lee', translated from French as "lily flower") is a stylized design of either an iris or a lily and is used both decoratively and symbolically. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people It may be purely ornamental or it may be "at one and the same time political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic and symbolic",^[1] especially in heraldry. A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations An emblem is a pictorial Image, abstract or representational that epitomizes a Concept — e Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. While it has appeared on countless European coats of arms and flags over the centuries, the fleur-de-lis is particularly associated with the French monarchy on a historical context, and nowadays with the Spanish monarchy as the only remaining monarchs of the House of Bourbon (Anjou Bourbon). A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people List of Queens and Empresses of France Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. It is an enduring symbol of France, but, being regarded most notably as the emblem of the monarchy, was not adopted officially by any of the French republics. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The First Republic in France, officially the French Republic (République française was proclaimed on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. By contrast, as Spain is a constitutional monarchy, the fleur-de-lis symbol is associated with the Spanish King Juan Carlos I (of French dynasty origin) and the Kingdom of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic In North America, the fleur-de-lis is often associated with areas formerly settled by France, such as Quebec and Louisiana and with the Francophones in other Canadian provinces. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America The adjective francophone (alternately Francophone) means French -speaking typically as primary language whether referring to individuals groups or places Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page It is also the emblem of the Swiss Municipality of Schlieren, Zurich. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Schlieren ( Zürich German Schlierä) is a municipality in the district of Dietikon in the canton of Zürich in

It appears on military insignia and the logos of many different organizations, and during the 20th century it was adopted by various Scouting organizations worldwide for their badges. A logo ( Greek el λογότυπος = el-Latn logotypos is a graphical element ( Ideogram, Symbol, Emblem, Icon, Sign) Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual A badge is a device, patch or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service a special accomplishment a symbol of authority granted by taking Architects and designers may use it alone or as a repeated motif in a wide range of contexts, from ironwork to bookbinding. In art a motif is a repeated idea pattern image or theme Paisley designs are referred to as motifs Ironwork is any Weapon, artwork, Utensil or architectural feature made of Iron especially used for decoration As a religious symbol it may represent the Trinity, or be an iconographic attribute of the archangel Gabriel, notably in representations of the Annunciation. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных Iconography is the branch of Art history which studies the identification description and the interpretation of the content of images Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation ^[2] It is also associated with the Virgin Mary.

The fleur-de-lis has been something of a unifying (and since Hurricane Katrina somewhat defiant) symbol for citizens of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The symbol has always been a presence in Louisiana but has become ubiquitous of late. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Bearing the symbol on the official flag of New Orleans, houses, clothing, jewelry, cars, etc. is widely viewed as a symbol of the rebuilding of the city and as a reminder of home.

The symbol is also often used on a compass rose to mark the north direction, a tradition started by Flavio Gioja. For Compass Airlines an Airline in the US using the Callsign "Compass Rose" See Compass Airlines A compass rose is a figure displaying the orientation This is about the direction for other uses see North (disambiguation. Flavio Gioja or Gioia (fl 1302 was an Italian mariner and inventor

It is represented in Unicode at U+269C FLEUR-DE-LIS (⚜). In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's

Contents 1 Earliest usage 2 Royal symbol 2.1 King Clovis I 2.2 From Frankish to French kings 2.3 Other European monarchs and rulers 2.4 North America 2.5 Coats of arms and flags 3 Symbolism in religion and art 4 Modern usage 4.1 Symbol of Scouting 5 In literature 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Earliest usage

Fleur-de-lis is literally translated from French as "lily flower", and is widely thought to be a stylized version of the species Iris pseudacorus. Iris pseudacorus is a species of Iris, native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. Decorative ornaments that resemble the fleur-de-lis have appeared in the artwork from the earliest civilizations. For other uses of the term see Ornament In Architecture, ornament is a decorative detail used to embellish parts of a building or interior A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements

"The use for ornamental or symbolic purposes of the stylised flower usually called fleur de lis is common to all eras and all civilizations. It is an essentially graphic theme found on Mesopotamian cylinders, Egyptian bas-reliefs, Mycenean potteries, Sassanid textiles, Gaulish coins, Mameluk coins, Indonesian clothes, Japanese emblems and Dogon totems. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding A cylinder seal is a cylinder engraved with a 'picture story' used in ancient times to roll an impression onto a two-dimensional surface generally wet Clay. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now A bas-relief (baʁəljɛf in French; French for "low relief" derived from the Italian basso rilievo) or low relief is a Sculpture "Lion Gate" redirects here For other uses see Lions' Gate (disambiguation. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Dogon are a group of people living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti The many writers who have discussed the topic agree that it has little to do graphically with the lily, but disagree on whether it derives from the iris, the broom, the lotus or the furze, or whether it represents a trident, an arrowhead, a double axe, or even a dove or a pigeon. Brooms are a group of Evergreen, semi-evergreen and Deciduous Shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the Legume family Fabaceae See Lotus for other uses including several other plant taxa bearing this name Gorse ( Ulex) comprises a Genus of about 20 species of Evergreen Shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family A trident (ˈtrаɪdənt also called a leister or gig, is a three- pronged Spear. It is in our opinion a problem of little importance. The essential point is that it is a very stylised figure, probably a flower, that has been used as an ornament or an emblem by almost all civilizations of the old and new worlds. "^[3]

It has consistently been used as a royal emblem, though different cultures have interpreted its meaning in varying ways. Gaulish coins show the first Western designs which look similar to modern fleurs-de-lis. For Gaul before the Roman conquest see Gaul. Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings ^[4] In the East it was found on the gold helmet of a Scythian king uncovered at the Ak-Burun kurgan. The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various Cultures social structures and philosophical systems of " the East " The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic Kurgan (курга́н is the Russian word (of Turkic origin for a Tumulus, a type of Burial mound or barrow heaped over a This helmet now resides in Saint Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River The State Hermitage Museum (Государственный Эрмитаж Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest ^[5]

Royal symbol

King Clovis I

According to legend, the French monarchy first adopted the fleur-de-lis for their royal coat of arms as a symbol of purity on the conversion of the Frankish King Clovis I to the Christian religion in 493. The Merovingians (also Merovings) were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region (known as Francia in Latin Clovis I (c 466 &ndash 27 November 511) was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth ^[6] The story takes various forms, many of which relate to Clovis' conversion, and support the claim of the anointed Kings of France that their authority came directly from God, without the mediation of either the Emperor or the Pope. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and

Some versions of the legend enhance the mystique of royalty by describing a vial of oil sent from heaven to anoint and sanctify Clovis as king,^[7] perhaps brought by a dove to Saint Remigius. Saint Remigius (Saint Rémi or Saint Rémy Remigio Remigio Romieg Remigiusz and Remig was Bishop of Reims and Apostle of the Franks, (c Another variation says a lily appeared at Clovis' baptismal ceremony as a gift of blessing from an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is often associated with the flower. This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary ^[8]

Clovis' Burgundian wife, Clotilde, later to be Saint Clothilda, is usually significant in these stories. Saint Clotilde (475 – 545 also known as Clotilda or simply Clotild, was the daughter of Chilperic II of Burgundy and Caretena and wife of the Frankish As well as her part in encouraging her husband to become a Christian, her presence helps emphasise the importance of Burgundy's support for the monarch. Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) ^[9]

A story which places less emphasis on Christianity and the divine right of the French kings tells of Clovis putting a flower in his helmet just before his victory at the Battle of Vouillé, leading him to choose the fleur-de-lis as a royal symbol. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Divine Right of Kings is a general term that refers to the philosophy and ideas used to justify the authority and legitimacy of Monarchs in Medieval and The Battle of Vouillé or Campus Vogladensis was fought in the northern Marches of Visigothic territory at a small place near Poitiers ( Gaul ^[10]

From Frankish to French kings

Through this connection to Clovis, the fleur-de-lis has been taken to symbolize all the Christian Frankish kings, most famously Charlemagne. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his In the 14th century French writers asserted that the monarchy of France, which developed from the Kingdom of the West Franks, could trace its heritage back to the divine gift of royal arms received by Clovis. West Francia or the West Frankish Kingdom was a short-lived kingdom encompassing the lands of the western part of the Carolingian Empire that came under the undisputed This story has remained popular, even though scepticism started in the 17th century and modern scholarship has established that the fleur-de-lis was a religious symbol before it was a true heraldic symbol. ^[11] Along with true lilies, it was associated with the Virgin Mary, and in the 12th century Louis VI and Louis VII started to use the emblem, on sceptres for example, so connecting their rulership with this symbol of saintliness. Louis VI ( 1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137) called the Fat (le Gros was King of France from 1108 until his death (1137 Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor A sceptre or scepter is a symbolic ornamental staff held by a ruling Monarch, a prominent item of royal Regalia. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Louis VII ordered the use of fleur-de-lis clothing in his son Philip's coronation in 1179,^[12] while the first visual evidence of clearly heraldic use dates from 1211: a seal showing the future Louis VIII and his shield strewn with the "flowers". Philip II Augustus (Philippe Auguste ( 21 August[[ 165]] &ndash 14 July 1223) was the King of France from 1180 until his death A seal can mean a wax seal bearing an impressed figure or an embossed figure in paper with the purpose of authenticating a document but the term can also mean any device for Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor ^[13] Until the late 14th century the French royal coat of arms was Azure semé-de-lys Or (a blue shield "seeded" (semé) with small golden fleurs-de-lis), but Charles V of France changed the design from an all-over scattering to a group of three in about 1376. This article is about the heraldic tincture. For other meanings see Azure (disambiguation. In Heraldry, or (from the French word for gold) is the tincture of gold, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals" Charles V ( 21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380) called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death and a member ^[a][b] These two coats are known in heraldic jargon as France Ancient and France Modern respectively. For Wikipedia jargon see WikipediaGlossary. For hacker slang see Jargon File.

In the reign of King Louis IX (St. Louis) the three petals of the flower were said to represent faith, wisdom and chivalry, and to be a sign of divine favour bestowed on France. ^[14] During the next century, the 14th, the tradition of Trinity symbolism was established in France, and then spread elsewhere.

In 1328, King Edward III of England inherited a claim to the crown of France, and about 1340 he accordingly quartered France Ancient with the arms of the Kingdom of England. Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. Quartering in Heraldry is a method of joining several different coats of arms together in one shield by dividing the shield into equal parts and placing The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official Coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. ^[c] After the kings of France adopted France Modern, the kings of England imitated them from about 1411. ^[15] The monarchs of England (and later of Great Britain) continued to quarter the French arms until 1801, when George III abandoned his formal claim to the French throne (see English claims to the French throne). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places The English claims to the French throne have a long and rather complex history between the 1340s and the 1800s

King Charles VII ennobled Joan of Arc's family on 29 December 1429 with an inheritable symbolic denomination. Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461 called the Victorious (le Victorieux or the Well-Served (le Bien-Servi was King of France from 1422 Joan of Arc (c 1412 Joan asserted that she had visions from God that told her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II The Chamber of Accounts in France registered the family's designation to nobility on 20 January 1430. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. The grant permitted the family to change their surname to du Lys.

France Modern remained the French royal standard, and with a white background was the French national flag until the French Revolution, when it was replaced by the tricolor of modern-day France. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The National flag of France (known in French as drapeau tricolore, drapeau français,and in military parlance les couleurs The fleur-de-lis was restored to the French flag in 1814, but replaced once again after the revolution against Charles X of France in 1830. Charles X (9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836 ruled as King of France and Navarre from 20 May 1824 until the French Revolution of 1830, when he abdicated ^[d] In a very strange turn of events after the end of the Second French Empire, where a flag apparently influenced the course of history, Henri, comte de Chambord, was offered the throne as King of France, but he would agree only on condition that the French give up the tricolor and bring back the white flag with fleurs-de-lis. The Second French Empire or Second Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870 between the Second Henri V of France and Navarre ( Henri Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné d'Artois de France – September 29, 1820 – August 24, 1883 ^[16] His condition was rejected and France became a republic. The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe

France Modern was also on the coat of arms of the old French province of Île-de-France (for instance, as a badge on the uniforms of the local gendarmerie). Île-de-France is one of the ancient Provinces of France, and the one that has been the centre of power during most of French history. See Gendarmerie for similar forces in other countries In France, the National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale is the national

Other European monarchs and rulers

Fleurs-de-lis feature prominently in the Crown Jewels of England and Scotland. The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the Coronation ceremony and at various other The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the Scottish Crown Jewels, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are the oldest set of In English heraldry, they are used in many different ways, and can be the cadency mark of the sixth son. In Heraldry, cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same Family.

The tressure flory-counterflory (flowered border) has been a prominent part of the design of the Scottish royal arms and Royal Standard since James I of Scotland. The Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland was the official Coat of arms of the monarchs of Scotland, and were used as the official coat of arms of the Kingdom of The Royal Standard of Scotland, also known as the Royal Standard of the King of Scots or more commonly the Lion Rampant was the flag used historically by the James I ( December 10, 1394 &ndash February 21, 1437) was nominal King of Scots from April 4, 1406, and ^[e]

The treasured fleur-de-luce he claims
To wreathe his shield, since royal James

–Sir Walter Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel^[17]

In Florentine fleurs-de-lis,^[f] the stamens are always posed between the petals. Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout The Lay of the Last Minstrel ( 1805) is a long Narrative poem by Walter Scott. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The stamen ( Plural stamina or stamens, from Latin stamen meaning "thread of the warp " is the male A petal (from Ancient Greek petalon "leaf" "thin plate" regarded as a highly modified leaf is one member or part of the corolla This heraldic charge is often known as the Florentine lily to distinguish it from the conventional design. As an emblem of the city, it is therefore found in icons of the bishop Zenobius. Saint Zenobius (San Zanobi Zenobio (337 – 417 is venerated as the first bishop of Florence. ^[18] The currency of Florence, the fiorino, was decorated with it, and it influenced the appearance and name of the Hungarian forint and other florins. The forint ( Currency code HUF) is the Currency of Hungary. It is divided into 100 Fillér, although fillér coins have not been Elsewhere in Italy, fleurs-de-lis have been used for some papal crowns^[g] and coats of arms, Farnese Dukes of Parma, and by some doges of Venice. For the town in Italy with the same name see Farnese (VT. The Farnese family was an influential family in Renaissance Italy. The Duchy of Parma was created in 1545 from that part of the Duchy of Milan south of the Po River, as a fief for Pope Paul III 's illegitimate son The Doge ( Venetian language, also Doxe, derived from Latin Dux military leader duke cf

The fleur-de-lis was also the symbol of the House of Kotromanić, a ruling house in medieval Bosnia allegedly in recognition of the Angevin, where the flower is thought of as a Lilium bosniacum. The Kotromanić dynasty is a Bosnian ruling house that ruled in the regions of Bosnia and the surrounding lands from the 13th century as Bans until the The Byzantines restored control over Bosnia at the end of 10th century but not for long as it was soon taken by Emperor Samuil of Bulgaria. Angevin (ˈændʒəvɪn ( French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin Andegavinus from Andegavia Anjou, France) is the name applied Lilium carniolicum var bosniacum is a lily native to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was used on the Bosnia and Herzegovina flag between 1992 and 1998. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan ^[h] Today, fleur-de-lis is a national symbol of Bosniaks,^[i] one of three Bosnian constitutive ethnic groups (other two being Serbs and Croats). The Bosniaks or Bosniacs (Bošnjak pl Bošnjaci bɔ'ʃɲaːt͡si are a South Slavic people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Bosnia" Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan Serbs ( Serbian: Срби Srbi) are a South Slavic people living in the Balkans and Central Europe, mainly in Serbia, Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries

Other countries using the emblem heraldically include Serbia and Spain in recognition of the Bourbons. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country

The heraldic fleur-de-lis is widespread: among the numerous cities which use it as a symbol are some whose names echo the word 'lily', for example, Lille, France and Liljendal, Finland. Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. This is called canting arms in heraldic terminology. Canting arms is a technique used in European Heraldry whereby the name of the individual or community represented in a Coat of arms is "translated" into As a dynastic emblem it has also been very widely used: not only by noble families but also, for example, by the Fuggers, a medieval banking family. The Fugger (ˈfʊgɐ family was a historically prominent group of European Bankers members of the fifteenth and Sixteenth-century mercantile

North America

Fleurs-de-lis crossed the Atlantic along with Europeans going to the New World, especially with French settlers. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. Their presence on North American flags and coats of arms usually recalls the involvement of French settlers in the history of the town or region concerend, and in some cases the persisting presence there of a population descended from such settlers.

The Fleur-de-lis appears on the flags of Quebec^[j] and Nova Scotia in Canada, and south of the border on that of Detroit (originally a French name, though at present pronounced quite differently), New Orleans, and elsewhere. Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's The Acadiana^[k] region and various cities in southern Louisiana, such as Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, also use the fleur-de-lis. Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) (L'Acadiane is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population Lafayette is a City in and the Parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. Baton Rouge (French Bâton-Rouge ˌbætən ˈruːdʒ in English, and in French) is the capital city of Louisiana.

So do several places whose name came from one of the French King Louis: amongst them, Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri where the three-petalled symbol also denotes the convergence of three rivers (the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois). The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 273 miles (439 km long in the U

Coats of arms and flags

^ French arms before 1376	^ French arms after 1376	^ The arms of Edward III, including the fleur-de-lis; similar arms were used by subsequent English monarchs	^ Standard of the French royal family prior to 1789 and from 1815 to 1830	^ Scottish royal arms	^ Fleur-de-lis of Florence
^ Fleur-de-lis in the coat of arms of Pope Paul VI	^ Fleur-de-lis of Bosnia	^ National symbol of Bosniaks	^ Flag of Quebec	^ Flag of Acadiana

Symbolism in religion and art

In the Middle Ages the symbols of lily and fleur-de-lis (lis is French for "lily") overlapped considerably in religious art. Michel Pastoureau, the historian, says that until about 1300 they were found in depictions of Jesus, but gradually they took on Marian symbolism and were associated with the Song of Solomon's "lily among thorns" (lilium inter spinas), understood as a reference to Mary. Michel Pastoureau is a French specialist in Medieval history who was born in Paris on 17 June 1947 Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Other scripture and religious literature in which the lily symbolizes purity and chastity also helped establish the flower as an iconographic attribute of the Virgin. The fleur could also draw its design from Jewish tradition. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The design is very similar to a lulav, made with a palm frond which sticks up straight and the branches of willow and myrtle trees, which are not as rigid. Lulav (לולב is a ripe green closed frond of the Date palm tree Arecaceae or Palmae (also known by the name Palmaceae, which is taxonomically invalid or commonly palm tree) the palm family is a family of Flowering Willows, sallows and osiers form the Genus Salix, around 400 species of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs found primarily The Myrtle ( Myrtus) is a genus of one or two species of Flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north

In medieval England, from the mid-12th century, a noblewoman's seal often showed the lady with a fleur-de-lis, drawing on the Marian connotations of "female virtue and spirituality". Great Britain during the Middle Ages (from the 5th century withdrawal of Roman forces from the province of Britannia ^[19] Images of Mary holding the flower first appeared in the 11th century on coins issued by cathedrals dedicated to her, and next on the seals of cathedral chapters, starting with Notre Dame de Paris in 1146. Chapter ( Latin capitulum) designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran NotreDameFlyingButtressjpg|right|thumb|250px|Notre Dame de Paris Flying Buttress]] Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic Cathedral on the eastern half of the A standard portrayal was of Mary carrying the flower in her right hand, just as she is shown in that church's Virgin of Paris statue (with lily), and in the centre of the stained glass rose window (with fleur-de-lis sceptre) above its main entrance. The Virgin of Paris, dating from the early 14th century is sometimes called one of the most decorative statues in all of Catholicism. For the Blackford Oakes novel see Stained Glass (novel The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured Glass or to the art The flowers may be "simple fleurons, sometimes garden lilies, sometimes genuine heraldic fleurs-de-lis". ^[20] As attributes of the Madonna, they are often seen in pictures of the Annunciation, famously in those of Sandro Botticelli and Filippo Lippi. Images of the Madonna and Madonna and Child are one of the central Icons of Christianity, representing the Madonna or Mary mother of Jesus Fra' Filippo Lippi (1406 &ndash October 8 1469 Lippi also uses both flowers in other related contexts: for instance, in his Madonna in the Forest.

The three petals of the heraldic design reflect a widespread association with the Holy Trinity,^[21] a tradition going back to 14th century France,^[22] added onto the earlier belief that they also represented faith, wisdom and chivalry.

"Flower of light" symbolism has sometimes been understood from the archaic variant fleur-de-luce (see Latin lux, luc- = "light"), but the Oxford English Dictionary suggests this arose from the spelling, not from the etymology. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time ^[23]

Modern usage

Also see North America section above. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States The fleur-de-lys (or fleur-de-lis, plural fleurs-de-lis ˌfləː(rdəˈliː (ˌfləː(rdəˈlɪs in Quebec) translated from French as "lily

Some modern usage of the fleur-de-lis reflects "the continuing presence of heraldry in everyday life", often intentionally, but also when users are not aware that they are "prolonging the life of centuries-old insignia and emblems". ^[24]

Fleurs-de-lis feature on military badges like those of the Israeli Intelligence Corps and the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Israeli Intelligence Corps (חיל המודיעין Heil HaModi'in, abbreviated to Haman) is an Israel Defense Forces corps which falls under World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the group of Canadian military units formed for service overseas in the First World War. They may be chosen for sports teams, especially when it echoes a local flag, as with the former Quebec Nordiques National Hockey League hockey team, the Fiorentina soccer team, the New Orleans Saints football team and the New Orleans Hornets basketball team, and in coats of arms and logos for universities (like the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Saint Louis University and Washington University in Missouri), schools (in St. Peter, Minnesota) and companies (like the Royal Elastics shoe company). The Quebec Nordiques (Nordiques de Québec pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated into English as "Northerners" were The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans Louisiana. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The New Orleans Hornets are a professional Basketball team based in New Orleans Louisiana, United States. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m History Timeline 1898 - State approved the creation of an "industrial institute and academy Saint Louis University (also known as SLU) is a private co-educational Jesuit University in the United States of America located in St Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. K-Swiss, Inc is an American Footwear company based in Westlake Village CA. The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps have a fleur-de-lis as their official logo, with members and past members sporting exclusive fleur-de-lis tattoos. The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps is a highly competitive summer youth drum corps in the Drum Corps International (DCI circuit The flag of Lincolnshire, county in England, has had a fleur-de-lis in the middle since 2005. A flag for Lincolnshire was unveiled at five separate ceremonies across the county on October 24, 2005. The counties of England are territorial divisions of England for the purposes of administrative political and geographical demarcation It is also one of the symbols of the national women's fraternity Kappa Kappa Gamma, as well as the international coed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal Kappa Kappa Gamma ( ΚΚΓ) is a college women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, Illinois. Alpha Phi Omega (commonly known as APO but also ΑΦΩ A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses an

The symbol may be used in less traditional ways. After Hurricane Katrina many New Orleanians of varying ages and backgrounds were tattooed with "one of its cultural emblems" as a "memorial" of the storm, according to a researcher at Tulane University. A tattoo is a permanent marking made by inserting ink into the layers of Skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons Tulane University is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ^[25] The US Navy Blue Angels have named an elegant looping flight demonstration manoeuvre after the flower as well, and there are even two surgical procedures called "after the fleur. The United States Navy 's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and was the world's first officially sanctioned "

The Chevrolet Corvette also takes note of the fleur-de-lis and incorporated it into the original Corvette emblem. The Chevrolet Corvette is a Sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953 "Where did the fleur-de-lis come from? At the time, Chevrolet was conducting research on various emblem designs for the 1953 and 1954 passenger cars. They looked at the Louis Chevrolet family history in an attempt to discover a crest or some type of heraldry that they could utilize. Louis-Joseph Chevrolet ( December 25, 1878, Bonfol, Canton of Jura, Switzerland - June 6, 1941 Unfortunately, they came up empty, but they did realize that Chevrolet is a French name and the fleur-de-lis (flower of the lily) is a French symbol meaning peace and purity. ^[26]

Symbol of Scouting

Main article: Fleur-de-lis in Scouting

The fleur-de-lis is the main element in the logo of most Scouting organizations, representing a major theme in Scouting: the outdoors and wilderness. The Fleur-de-lis is the main element in the logo of most Scouting organizations representing a major theme in Scouting the outdoors and wilderness The World Scout Emblem is the emblem of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is worn by Scouts and Scouters around the world to indicate their The World Scout Emblem of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, has elements of which are used by most national Scout organizations. The World Scout Emblem is the emblem of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is worn by Scouts and Scouters around the world to indicate their The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 28 million The symbol was chosen by Robert Baden-Powell as it had been the arm-badge of those soldiers qualified as "Scouts" (reconnaissance specialists) when BP served in the British Army. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces.

In literature

The symbol has featured in modern fiction on historical and mystical themes, as in the bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code and other books discussing the Priory of Sion. The Da Vinci Code is a controversial mystery / detective Novel by US author Dan Brown, published in 2003 by Doubleday The Prieuré de Sion, translated from French as Priory of Sion, is the name of multiple groups both real and fictitious It recurs in French literature, where examples well-known in English translation include the fleur-de-lis character in The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, and the reference in Dumas' The Three Musketeers to the old custom of branding a criminal with the sign. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris is an 1831 French novel written by Victor Hugo. Victor-Marie Hugo ( ( February 26, 1802 – May 22, 1885) was a French Poet, Playwright, Novelist The Three Musketeers ( Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a Novel by Alexandre Dumas père. Human branding is the process in which a mark usually a symbol or ornamental pattern is burned into the skin of a living person with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent (Fleurdeliser in French). During the reign of Elizabeth I of England, known as the Elizabethan era, it was a standard name for an iris, a usage which lasted for centuries,^[27] but occasionally refers to lilies or other flowers. Romance and reality The Victorian era and the early twentieth century idealised the Elizabethan era It also appeared in the novel A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole on a sign composed by the main character. A Confederacy of Dunces is a Novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author's Suicide. John Kennedy Toole ( December 17, 1937 &ndash March 26, 1969) was an American Novelist from New Orleans Louisiana

The lilly, Ladie of the flowring field,

The Flowre-deluce, her louely Paramoure

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, 1590^[28]

Gallery

The Royal Standard of Spain

The flag of Spain

The flag of St. Louis, Missouri

The flag of Detroit, Michigan

See also

• Trefoil
• Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Flag of Louisville, Kentucky
• 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)
• Black Madonna of Częstochowa
• Prince of Wales's feathers
• Tree of life
• Palmette

References

1. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning translated by Francisca Garvie (Thames and Hudson 1997), ISBN 0-500-30074-7, p. Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590 and later in six books in 1596 The Royal Standard of Spain ( Estandarte Real or Estandarte del Rey) is the official flag of the King of Spain. The Flag of St Louis Missouri was designed by Yale University professor Theodore Sizer. The Flag of the US city of Detroit Michigan was adopted in 1948 Trefoil (from Latin trifolium, "three-leaved plant" French trèfle, German Dreiblatt and Dreiblattbogen) is a graphic form composed The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina contains a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow Isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the The Municipal Flag of Louisville consists of a golden Fleur-de-lis with two stars surrounded by the circular Louisville • Jefferson County METRO on a blue background The 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a modular Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Louisiana Army National Guard. The Black Madonna of Częstochowa ( Czarna Madonna or Matka Boska Częstochowska in Polish, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae The Prince of Wales's feathers is the Heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales. A tree of life is a mystical concept a Metaphor for common descent or a Motif in various world theologies and philosophies. Palmette also called anthemion (from the Greek ανθεμιον a flower is an artistic motif based on the fan-shaped leaves of a Palm tree. 98
2. ^ Hall, James (1974). Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-433316-7. p. 124.
3. ^ Michel Pastoureau (2006) Traité d'Héraldique, "Treatise on Heraldry", translated by François R. Velde
4. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p. 99
5. ^ Gold helmet of Scythian tsar found at Ak Burun, 6th century B.C.
6. ^ Lewis, Philippa & Darley, Gillian (1986) Dictionary of Ornament
7. ^ Ralph E. Giesey, Models of Rulership in French Royal Ceremonial in Rites of Power: Symbolism, Ritual, and Politics Since the Middle Ages ed. Wilentz (Princeton 1985) p43
8. ^ A.C. Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry (London 1909) p273
9. ^ British Library commentary on the legend presented in the Bedford Book of Hours.
10. ^ François R. Velde
11. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p. 99-100
12. ^ Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry p274
13. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p. 100
14. ^ Chronicles of Guillaume de Nangis quoted in Nouvelle collection des mémoires pour servir a l'histoire de France (1839)]
15. ^ Fox-Davies
16. ^ Pierre Goubert, The Course of French History, translator Maarten Ultee, (Routledge 1991) p.267
17. ^ Sir Walter Scott (1833) The Complete Works of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 1 of 7, Canto Fourth, VIII, NY: Conner and Cooke
18. ^ Hall, James (1974). Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-433316-7. p. 124.
19. ^ Susan M. Johns, Noblewomen, Aristocracy and Power in the Twelfth-Century Anglo-Norman Realm (Manchester 2003) p130
20. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p. 100
21. ^ F.R.Webber, Church Symbolism 1938 (Kessinger 2003) p.178
22. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p. 99
23. ^ A "fanciful derivation", Oxford English Dictionary (1989)
24. ^ Michel Pastoureau, Heraldry: its origins and meaning p. 93-94
25. ^ Times-Picayune, July 16 2006
26. ^ Corvette logo 1953
27. ^ OED
28. ^ Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene 2:vi

External links

• Heraldica.org
• Baronage.co.uk
• Paintings of Mary, Gabriel, Annunciation and lilies
• Stained glass Madonna with fleur-de-lis at Notre Dame de Paris

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