Atlantic Heraldry

General Heraldry subjects
User avatar
Chris Green
Posts: 3621
Joined: 10 Jul 2012, 13:06
Location: Karlstad, Sweden

Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Chris Green » 23 Apr 2017, 13:07

Having been challenged to discover obscure heraldry of the Pacific, I thought we might try the same with the Atlantic. There aren't quite so many island nations, but we should be able to keep this thread going for some days.

Let's start with the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the British Antarctic Territory:

Falkland Islands:

Image

Per fess azure and barry wavy argent and azure, in chief a ram proper upon a grassy mount issuant from the division vert, and in base a galley proper, its mainsail charged with four torts in cross.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Falkland_Islands

South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands:

Image

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_South_Georgia_and_the_South_Sandwich_Islands

The rather amateurish emblazonment assumes that the field is argent and bleu celeste which it isn't. The azure should be the same tint as in the mantling. (The arms of the Falkland Islands also suggest the use of bleu celeste rather than azure as specified in the blazon, but in this case I suspect the use of a lighter blue was deliberate to make the arms more visible when used on the Falklands' blue ensign.)

British Antarctic Territory:

Image

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_British_Antarctic_Territory
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert

User avatar
Arthur Radburn
Posts: 1331
Joined: 11 Jul 2012, 09:56

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Arthur Radburn » 23 Apr 2017, 16:09

Another image (possibly from the original College of Arms painting) of the Falklands arms, which were granted in 1948 :

Image

They replaced these arms, which had been granted in 1925 :

Image
Regards
Arthur Radburn

User avatar
Chris Green
Posts: 3621
Joined: 10 Jul 2012, 13:06
Location: Karlstad, Sweden

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Chris Green » 24 Apr 2017, 09:02

St Helena:

Image

Ascension Island:

Image

Tristan da Cunha:

Image
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert

User avatar
Chris Green
Posts: 3621
Joined: 10 Jul 2012, 13:06
Location: Karlstad, Sweden

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Chris Green » 24 Apr 2017, 11:14

On the face of it, Iceland's arms are simply its flag depicted as a shield. There is neither helm, crest nor mantling, but (uniquely?) there are four supporters: a bull, an eagle, a dragon and a giant.

Image

These arms date from 1944 when Iceland ceased to be a monarchy and became a republic. Historically, Iceland had had a variety of arms, as explained here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Iceland
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert

User avatar
Arthur Radburn
Posts: 1331
Joined: 11 Jul 2012, 09:56

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Arthur Radburn » 24 Apr 2017, 18:51

Chris Green wrote:Ascension Island:
Image
Not the College of Arms' most successful design, to my mind -- or rather, my eyes. The white seabirds simply don't show up clearly enough. Perhaps if the blue bands were a bit wider and the white ones a bit narrower, so that there is blue above and below each bird, it might help.
Regards
Arthur Radburn

User avatar
Chris Green
Posts: 3621
Joined: 10 Jul 2012, 13:06
Location: Karlstad, Sweden

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Chris Green » 25 Apr 2017, 11:08

Not the College of Arms' most successful design, to my mind -- or rather, my eyes. The white seabirds simply don't show up clearly enough. Perhaps if the blue bands were a bit wider and the white ones a bit narrower, so that there is blue above and below each bird, it might help.


It would have helped a bit if the artist had chosen a darker shade of azure.
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert

User avatar
Chris Green
Posts: 3621
Joined: 10 Jul 2012, 13:06
Location: Karlstad, Sweden

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Chris Green » 25 Apr 2017, 11:14

The Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal:

Image

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Azores

I immediately warmed to these arms, as they feature the same azure eagle as the Swedish county of Värmland, where I live:

Image
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert

User avatar
JMcMillan
Posts: 613
Joined: 13 Jul 2012, 22:33
Location: United States

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby JMcMillan » 25 Apr 2017, 14:21

"The still-vexed Bermoothes," otherwise known as Bermuda.

Image
Joseph McMillan
Alexandra, Virginia, USA

User avatar
Chris Green
Posts: 3621
Joined: 10 Jul 2012, 13:06
Location: Karlstad, Sweden

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Chris Green » 25 Apr 2017, 14:44

The Bahamas were granted arms in 1971:

Image

The Bahamas’ coat of arms is a composition of things indigenous to these islands, while the motto “Forward Upward Onward Together” heralds to the direction and manner in which the Bahamian nation should move.

The crest of the arms, a light pink conch shell, symbolises the marine life of The Bahamas. The top of the crest is composed of wavy green palm fronds, symbolic of the natural vegetation. The Santa Maria, flagship of Christopher Columbus, appears on the shield of the coat of arms. Wavy barrulets of blue symbolise the waters of The Bahamas.

The shield is charged with a resplendent or radiant sun to signify the world-famous balmy resort climate, and it also connotes the bright future of these islands. A flamingo, the national bird, and a silvery blue marlin support the shield. The national motto is draped across the base of the coat of arms.


Each island also has its own arms.
Chris Green
IAAH President

Bertilak de Hautdesert

User avatar
Arthur Radburn
Posts: 1331
Joined: 11 Jul 2012, 09:56

Re: Atlantic Heraldry

Postby Arthur Radburn » 25 Apr 2017, 18:25

The Bahamas' previous arms, granted in 1959, were :

Image

They were based on the pictorial flag badge which had been used since 1869.

If we're moving into the Caribbean, may I suggest a separate thread? There's a lot of heraldry in the Caribbean, and stories to tell about some of the arms.
Regards
Arthur Radburn


Return to “General Heraldry”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests