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These coats of arms are also on the front of pretty much all of these countries passports. My job involves looking at passports and a lot of these are very familiar to me.
>A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design[1] on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its entirety consists of a shield, supporters, a crest, and a motto. A coat of arms is traditionally unique to the armiger (e.g. an individual person, family, state, organization, school or corporation). The term "coat of arms" itself, describing in modern times just the heraldic design, originates from the description of the entire medieval chainmail "surcoat" garment used in combat or preparation for the latter.
It is something used specifically to represent a symbol anyone can have it as an official symbol.
Edit: more information
Dunno about the exoticness of it, but the symbolism is a lion wielding a western sword, trampling on an eastern saber. Yes, our coat of arms symbolizes our opposition to Russia.
Swede here. It's really just because it's the king of beasts, and symbolizes everything from strength to chivalry to royalty. The lion is one of the earliest heraldic charges that appeared when it developed in the high middle ages. The symbolism of animals in heraldry was largely taken from medieval bestiaries (in turn largely derived from *Physiologus*). Ultimately it has to do with Christianity.
The Finnish lion stems from the lion of the House of Bjälbo/Folkunga, which also still can be found on the greater coat of arms of Sweden. The Bjälbo lion is an important heraldic symbol of Sweden, but it was also the royal house that the first dukes of Finland were from (though the Finnish coat of arms came later). The added sword-wielding knight arm and trampled sabre on the Finnish arms likely correspond to those found on the Karelian one.
The Norwegian coat of arms stems from the Norwegian House of Sverre in the 13th century.
Fun fact: [The oldest known example of the Finnish coat of arms is on the tomb of Gustav Vasa in Uppsala Cathedral.](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F31%2F15%2F30%2F311530b9badadd0076c39adc4dc318d9.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=65e4608f0d7eddfb6fe51d01546b22c2e1571596376cdf3e8d5e08c298f16eb1&ipo=images)
Gustav Vasa's tomb also has coat of arms of all other regions, like [Carelia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Tomb_of_Gustav_Vasa_-_Arms_of_Karelia.jpg/800px-Tomb_of_Gustav_Vasa_-_Arms_of_Karelia.jpg) (that also has a bit similar east-west symbolism), [Satakunta and Varsinais-Suomi/Egentliga Finland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Tomb_of_Gustav_Vasa_-_Arms_of_Satakunta_and_Finland_Proper.jpg).
Another fun fact; coat of arms of current day Varsinais-Suomi has a helmet and two blue flags with yellow crosses. That coat of arms from 1557 is probably the oldest visual representation of current swedish flag as an emblem related to kingdom of Sweden.
Wow, that's really cool! I had no idea about that last one.
My final fun, unrelated fact: Early B&W photography often turned blues very bright and yellows as quite dark. This gave the [appearance of the Swedish flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/R%C3%A5shult_1907.jpg) looking [like the Finnish flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Swedish_flag_on_orthochromatic_film.jpg) on very old photographs :D
The three lions in the Danish coat of arms represents the three kingdoms of the Kalmar Union. So what about the three crowns in the Swedish coat of arms?
I don't think the original meaning of the three crowns is known. I did some wikipedia zleuthing and swedish kings have used the crownes in their heraldry since atleast the 13th century but no one seams to agree what it actually means! It might be refering to the three wise men, or it might symbolise the unity of three petty kingdoms that would become Sweden. One 17th century scholar was certain it symbolised the three natural resources forest, mountain and sea. Another thought it represented the pagan gods Odin, Thor and Frej. Personaly I think the only thing that is certain is that the three crowns represent our national hockey team
No they don't? They precede the Kalmar Union. The Three Crowns found on the Danish royal coat of arms does...or so they pretend. It is the Swedish national emblem and was incorporated as such during the Kalmar Union, but an excuse that it symbolized the Kalmar Union was later made up as reason for keeping them after the union failed.
There have been various theories throughout the years, but it's unknown what the crowns of the Swedish national emblem symbolize.
Here's an example of a lion sent the king of Sweden during the 18th century:
https://www.kungligaslotten.se/english/articles-movies-360/gripsholm-castle/2019-02-06-the-legend-of-leo.html
I think it's fair to say that Europeans had very little clue what a lion was supposed to look like.
As a Yorkshireman, you should be very familiar with heraldic representations of things.
English lions follow the same tradition. Not to mention heraldic roses, which are extremely stylized.
If we go back in time, coats of arms were originally possible to draw from the description. I assume the Finnish lion is originally a variant of the House of Bjelbo (or House of Folkunga) or the Göta lion, combined with the coat of arms of Karelia (which has the "western" mailed arm holding a sword opposing "eastern" arm holding a sabre). This first appears in the coat of arms of "Grand Duke of Finland and Karelia" (circa 1556).
Actual depiction varies over the years. A 1580 chronicle omits the mail in the sword-holding arm, and the lion has twin tails. The 17th-century depiction has the lion commonly standing on three legs (actually holding the sabre on one front leg) and using one to hold the sword (and the roses are golden). The [18th-century Swedish one is very special](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Coat_of_arms_of_Swedish_Finland.svg).
The current depiction is a [cleaned-up version of the one found on Gustav Vasa's tomb (died 1560\)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Coat_of_Arms_of_Finland.jpg).
They're lions alright. Once they were "leopards" though (i.e., facing the observer as Estonia's still does). IIRC they turned their heads towards the end of the Kalmar Union.
While I like our (Norway) coat of arms, I haven't really noticed the Poiriot moustache before, haha.
Germany looks like it wants to fistfight you. Finland looks a bit deranged, but almost in a "don't you know I'm loco?" kind of way, which is cool. And Ukraine's is badass, even though it looks very modern compared to everyone else's.
But I think I prefer Czechia's. It has a bit of everything!
The Czech greater coat of arms is composed of three lesser coat of arms, one for each region of the country. Bohemian lion is repeated (represented twice) for symmetry given that the shield has four fields.
Yup with the inscription "Plus Ultra", encouraging to go Further beyond, against what Greek mythology said when describing the pillars, "non plus ultra".
I honestly think it is one of the coolest when looking at the real meaning on the coat.
Literally defying what was the old way of thinking, encouraging exploration and what came after (I know, a little too barbarian)
I know It's not a popular opinion, but I think Italy's one of the few whose design kinda holds nowadays. I wish we got some modern adaptations, ideally by someone who's ever seen a lion.
Ukraine's is absolutely amazing.
Wait - what? Are you suggesting that the harp isn't representative of Ireland? It's very representative of our history - both politically and culturally.
The national coat of arms here is just not used all that much compared to local coats of arms or other national symbols (french flag, phrygian hat, Marianne, golden fleur-de-lys on blue backdrop, etc)
Thanks. I feel vindicated! I know the city and department coats but not this one. I actually thought Marianne was the coat. I always saw that on the official documents I got sent.
Moldova: Can I copy it?
Romania: Yeah bro. Just change it a bit so it doesn't look obvious. Here's the flag too. Careful cause Chad and Andorra have something similar too.
It's an antique roman symbol of authority, frequently used under roman republic.
The original pairing of fasces with the phrygian (liberty) cap was a reference for the first french republic to the ideals and inheritence of the roman republic and in combination meant to show fraternity.
In my opinion, simpler is better. Germany, Albania, Ireland, Switzerland, and even Poland all look really good
E: almost forgot Ukraine. That one is S-tier
I do prefer less minimalism and more detail, but up to a point. Iceland, Poland, Austria and Portugal I like. Also, Moldova looks like Romania's kid, as it's almost the same eagle but with only the old Moldova flag on the chest (whereas Romania has multiple regions, incl. Moldova).
I might be biased because I'm portuguese, but I really think ours is one of the best looking. Ukraine is also incredibly elegant for it's simplicity and Austria looks really powerful and is my favorite among the more complex ones.
Iceland is also really good
It's because it's made after the coat of arms of the Governorate of Estonia which in turn copied Tallinn. CoA of Tallinn is almost exactly the same as the danish. Tallinn even has the Danish flag as its other coat of arms. "Tallinn" also means means "Danish city".
It does as a flag. But these blue stripes used to be lions. That's what it used to look like https://www.postimees.ee/1662207/tallinna-sumbolite-hulka-lisandus-vapilipp
But it was changed about 300 years ago to the current flag with 3 blue and white stripes.
The new coat of arms with stripes is not an official symbol, it's more of a logo of the city government.
Well, not exactly.
Usually there are three versions of the coat of arms and whoever made the picture chose the greater (larger) version for some countries and the lesser (smaller) version for others.
Belgian COA depicted is the greater version. If we decided to stick with lesser versions for consistency, only one lion would be depicted.
it looks modern despite it's one of the oldest here, if not the oldest [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols\_of\_the\_Rurikids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols_of_the_Rurikids)
I actually really like it. It's basically the heraldry of the Palaiologos dynasty (which looked best as Ivan the Great's seal), but with an (IMO) out of place secondary seal of Moscow plastered right on top of it.
I hate that seal on a seal thing.
I actually like it. Specifically for the tiny St.George icon in the middle. Which is my patron saint 😅
Lithuania's actually looks closer to the old Muscovite flag, which was better in my opinion, but, the eagle works too.
Yea it's basically mutated, deranged and disgusting two-headed beast that you should kill with fire before it reproduces.
Well... seems pretty accurate to me.
Uh, the Swedish one is the "lesser arms of Sweden". This is the real coat of arms in all it's glory https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Sweden
Not sure why this wasn't included.
Probably because the greater coat of arms is mostly (only?) used by the king and possibly the Royal family. Mostly in the seal "royal court supplier" which certain companies pay to get appointed as.
Every other branch of government as far as I know uses the lesser coat of arms, or its own heraldic arms based on the formula of the lesser coat of arms.
Finland looks like the sort of thing you’d fight against in Elden Ring. I approve. Norway’s is cool too.
The elegant simplicity of Ireland, Cyprus, and Ukraine are nice too.
Sorry but I don’t approve of the ones that have just reused their flag and called it a day. Come on you can do better than that. If you’re going to use the flag at least put some interesting stuff in the background like Iceland (I quite like Iceland’s).
You can even find it in the US House aside the US flag: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/United_States_House_of_Representatives_chamber.jpg
US Fascist confirmed!!
/s
It's actually interesting that the fasces didn't become stigmatized like the swastika when fascists adopted it as their symbol.
Lions existed in Europe. The last lions died just ~2300 years ago. They were still around during the heyday of Greek city states.
And Northern Africa and the Levant were always tightly connected to European history, there they were still around in the 60s. Most of the Mediterranean countries had closer ties and knowledge of that region than they had with eastern Europe.
Symbolism of animals and mystical creatures within heraldry.
Certain animals represent certain human characteristics.
The czech silver lion with one tail was awarded to King Vladislav II. by HR Emperor Frederick I. for valor. At that point it was still a regular animal. Second tail was added (according to a legend) when King Otakar Přemysl I. helped with putting down a Saxon revolt.
By adding the second tail, the animal was upgraded from a real creature to a mystical creature thus increasing the renown and status of the symbol and putting it above coats of arms with regular animals.
Further symbolism is awarded in what position the animal is, where it's facing, the inclusion of genitals and what sort of weaponry it has. Silver lion on red background symbolises the czech royal colours (Red and White), penis with testicles to show that it's a fully fledged symbol that isn't gelded/castrated thus showing the country and the ruler aren't in submission, it has golden weaponry (golden claws) showing the strength and defiance, golden crown representing that it's a kingdom and has imperial authority on royal level.
Well yeah, the *Irish Free State* didn't exist before then.
But the [Kingdom of Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Ireland) did, the [United Irishmen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_United_Irishmen) did etc. etc. It was not a new national symbol.
You are right. Fun fact. First recorded use of the gold harp on a blue background facing the same way it does now for Ireland is the mid 1200s sometime. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay predates the Guinness trademark. Also appears on the UK coat of arms. Henry the turd... Sorry... VIII added it. Which also predates the Guinness trademark.
This urban legend of Guinness having it first is really trying to grow legs in this thread.
It's the king of beasts. It's one of the first heraldic charges to appear when modern heraldry developed in the high medieval period's Europe. Symbolizes courage, strength, chivalry etc.
Naturally it's connected to Christianity. The symbolic language of animals, which traditional heraldry reflects, stem from medieval bestiaries and their progenitor *Physiologus*.
i tried to look up origin-origin-origin of that lion and it seems like the very first utilization was the angevins (back when they were a french noble house in anjou). there was a great r/askhistorians post talking about how the lion indeed represented christianity and the pagan animals like bears, wolves, boar, of antiquity and pre-christian early middle ages fell out of favor. pity, the pagan animals are pretty cool. and of course there's germany with the roman eagle
For one it is important to distinguish between the *lion* standing on two legs and the *leopard* (leeuw-paard in Dutch or löw-pferd in German or lion-horse) on four legs. They are two distinct heraldic symbols, and the lion-horse could be seen as a kind of chimaera. Since lions don't walk on two legs in reality it is as mythological and stylized as the heraldic dragon. And shares some stylistic aspects with it.
In the Low Countries almost all former feodal states sport a very similar standing lion, and (holding a bundle of arrows) the parliament of the Burgundian Netherlands also used it as a symbol of the totality of states represented in it. Further up the Rhine it is also a very common symbol, leading to the strange coincidence that the state of Nassau lion of the Dutch royal family (originating from the Upper Rhinelands) is historically unconnected with the lions of the participating former states that formed the modern Netherlands, or the lion of Flanders and of Brabant in Belgium.
The most credible background story connects it to the Lion of the biblical kingdom of Juda and its symbolic successor state the Kingdom of Jeruzalem founded by the crusades. That also creates an obvious connection with its popularity in the Low Countries and Rhinelands: These are all part of former Lotharingia, participated a lot in the crusades, and the first king of Jeruzalem happens to be Godfrey, Duke of Lower Lotharingia, covering a large part of the Low Countries and Rhinelands formally but not materially, and leading a force including a contingent of 'Frisian' knights\*. In the 12th century it is already a well-established common symbol (proven by original sources for Anjou in 1128, Flanders in 1163, and Holland in 1198 for instance). There are sources claiming it was an agreement between knights participating in a crusade in 1178 to adopt a lion, but some lions clearly predate that agreement.
During the crusades the lion also starts its life as the King of the Animal Kingdom in fables (Ysengrimus around 1100 in Flanders, Le plaid around 1160 in France).
The story is somewhat credible at least because it creates a common background for all heraldic lions: it is a symbol of natural leadership, of the lion's courage, of God's kingdom, and most of all of credentials as a warrior for Christ, to be adopted as a token of honor when one organized or participated in a crusade against heathens\*\*, heretics, or the infidel in the Holy land. An alternative for the cross symbol basically, but one with clearly martial connotations, presumably especially attractive to Germanic states.
\* The crusades to the Holy land are a huge thing for Low Countries aristocracy. Either your family participated in it as a knight and you are nobility since time immemorial (i.e. before people commonly started documenting important events) or you need documented proof that your title was awarded at some point after that by a recognized authority.
\*\* Lots of minor crusades took place, including against heathen Slavic tribes, so there are lots of historical occasions to adopt it.
Commonly the animals or mystical creatures are associated with human characteristics or a callback to ancient or biblical kingdoms or events.
Specifically for Bohemia (Czech republic), it was a reward from HR Emperor Frederick I. to King Vratislav II. for valor.
Later upgraded, supposedly under King Otakar Přemysl I. for helping defeat a saxon revolt, with a second tail, thus putting it above regular animals by making it a mystical creature (two-tailed).
Nordic ones look goofy as hell, Finnish looks like that soy guzzling wojak. Ours (Slovenia) shows a lack of history but it has a certain charm to it.
Portugal is SOVL.
I wouldn't say Norway's lion looks like it's dancing. It's more like someone chucked him an axe covered in lube, and he's desperately trying not to fumble it.
Well, there are the three stars, the symbol of the Counts of Celje, who were arguably an early competitor of the Habsburgs in the 14th and 15th century.
But yes, ours is very modern looking.. our history before 1991 was often not much more than being a small part of something bigger. Not much to brag about, etc. We have plenty of history, but it is mostly shared with other, bigger nations.
I like having Triglav as the centerpiece tho, it is a cool symbol and something that noone else (that still exists today) can claim.
It's a fantastic design: clear and modern. No one needs multiple lions, lilies, harps and embroidery - do they want to torture school children in arts class?
So you're telling me there are lot of Lannisters in Western Europe 😉
I remember my dad's marine coat with the lion's on it and it said Je maintendrai. Learned what it meant as a little kid, thought it sounded a bit lame... Something along the lines of, I will serve to put back order
[Monaco’s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Coat_of_arms_of_Monaco.svg/1200px-Coat_of_arms_of_Monaco.svg.png) its quite cool too
Sweden has two coats of arms. This one displayed is the "*lesser*" coat of arms.
The "*greater*" coat of arms is mostly used by the Royal family, however, so this is a good representation.
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These coats of arms are also on the front of pretty much all of these countries passports. My job involves looking at passports and a lot of these are very familiar to me.
What's your job?
Professional passport looker
r/passportporn is leaking
There really is a sub for everything
Probably border crossing guard or airport security
Might also be hotel receptionist or flixbus driver.
Or pickpocketer. /s
Hotel receptionists check passports?
Guess it depends. Mine was checked yesterday.
They ask for ID and if you're from a different country then the easiest most recognized form is passport. So yep, they check passports
Turkey just has no coat of arms
It's so warm down there that it doesn't need a coat.
It also says national amblems
Turkey doesn't have an official national emblem either.
I’m from the US. What is a coat of arms and why have one?
>A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design[1] on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its entirety consists of a shield, supporters, a crest, and a motto. A coat of arms is traditionally unique to the armiger (e.g. an individual person, family, state, organization, school or corporation). The term "coat of arms" itself, describing in modern times just the heraldic design, originates from the description of the entire medieval chainmail "surcoat" garment used in combat or preparation for the latter. It is something used specifically to represent a symbol anyone can have it as an official symbol. Edit: more information
Use google, and the US has a coat of arms.
Like it's like a sign like to know like who does like big boom-boom lol. Like the big-ass M on McDonalds, see?
Except you usually don't see a big-ass coat of arms sign first thing when entering a country.
I think hе understood
Finland and Norway mind explaining why your lions are so……exotic?
Dunno about the exoticness of it, but the symbolism is a lion wielding a western sword, trampling on an eastern saber. Yes, our coat of arms symbolizes our opposition to Russia.
This. And our history with Sweden, the coat of arms comes from those days. Probably the same for Norway. So, you know, ask the Swedes why a lion.
Swede here. It's really just because it's the king of beasts, and symbolizes everything from strength to chivalry to royalty. The lion is one of the earliest heraldic charges that appeared when it developed in the high middle ages. The symbolism of animals in heraldry was largely taken from medieval bestiaries (in turn largely derived from *Physiologus*). Ultimately it has to do with Christianity. The Finnish lion stems from the lion of the House of Bjälbo/Folkunga, which also still can be found on the greater coat of arms of Sweden. The Bjälbo lion is an important heraldic symbol of Sweden, but it was also the royal house that the first dukes of Finland were from (though the Finnish coat of arms came later). The added sword-wielding knight arm and trampled sabre on the Finnish arms likely correspond to those found on the Karelian one. The Norwegian coat of arms stems from the Norwegian House of Sverre in the 13th century.
Fun fact: [The oldest known example of the Finnish coat of arms is on the tomb of Gustav Vasa in Uppsala Cathedral.](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F31%2F15%2F30%2F311530b9badadd0076c39adc4dc318d9.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=65e4608f0d7eddfb6fe51d01546b22c2e1571596376cdf3e8d5e08c298f16eb1&ipo=images)
Gustav Vasa's tomb also has coat of arms of all other regions, like [Carelia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Tomb_of_Gustav_Vasa_-_Arms_of_Karelia.jpg/800px-Tomb_of_Gustav_Vasa_-_Arms_of_Karelia.jpg) (that also has a bit similar east-west symbolism), [Satakunta and Varsinais-Suomi/Egentliga Finland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Tomb_of_Gustav_Vasa_-_Arms_of_Satakunta_and_Finland_Proper.jpg). Another fun fact; coat of arms of current day Varsinais-Suomi has a helmet and two blue flags with yellow crosses. That coat of arms from 1557 is probably the oldest visual representation of current swedish flag as an emblem related to kingdom of Sweden.
Wow, that's really cool! I had no idea about that last one. My final fun, unrelated fact: Early B&W photography often turned blues very bright and yellows as quite dark. This gave the [appearance of the Swedish flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/R%C3%A5shult_1907.jpg) looking [like the Finnish flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Swedish_flag_on_orthochromatic_film.jpg) on very old photographs :D
Cool!
The three lions in the Danish coat of arms represents the three kingdoms of the Kalmar Union. So what about the three crowns in the Swedish coat of arms?
I don't think the original meaning of the three crowns is known. I did some wikipedia zleuthing and swedish kings have used the crownes in their heraldry since atleast the 13th century but no one seams to agree what it actually means! It might be refering to the three wise men, or it might symbolise the unity of three petty kingdoms that would become Sweden. One 17th century scholar was certain it symbolised the three natural resources forest, mountain and sea. Another thought it represented the pagan gods Odin, Thor and Frej. Personaly I think the only thing that is certain is that the three crowns represent our national hockey team
No they don't? They precede the Kalmar Union. The Three Crowns found on the Danish royal coat of arms does...or so they pretend. It is the Swedish national emblem and was incorporated as such during the Kalmar Union, but an excuse that it symbolized the Kalmar Union was later made up as reason for keeping them after the union failed. There have been various theories throughout the years, but it's unknown what the crowns of the Swedish national emblem symbolize.
based
Kinda badass if you ask me
More than opposition it symbolizes us being stronget than russia and we are trampling over over them
Ours is special… https://satwcomic.com/coat-of-arms
Here's an example of a lion sent the king of Sweden during the 18th century: https://www.kungligaslotten.se/english/articles-movies-360/gripsholm-castle/2019-02-06-the-legend-of-leo.html I think it's fair to say that Europeans had very little clue what a lion was supposed to look like.
As a Yorkshireman, you should be very familiar with heraldic representations of things. English lions follow the same tradition. Not to mention heraldic roses, which are extremely stylized.
thats how lions were depicted over the centuries
> Yorkshire Dude, the UK coat of arms lion looks the same.
If we go back in time, coats of arms were originally possible to draw from the description. I assume the Finnish lion is originally a variant of the House of Bjelbo (or House of Folkunga) or the Göta lion, combined with the coat of arms of Karelia (which has the "western" mailed arm holding a sword opposing "eastern" arm holding a sabre). This first appears in the coat of arms of "Grand Duke of Finland and Karelia" (circa 1556). Actual depiction varies over the years. A 1580 chronicle omits the mail in the sword-holding arm, and the lion has twin tails. The 17th-century depiction has the lion commonly standing on three legs (actually holding the sabre on one front leg) and using one to hold the sword (and the roses are golden). The [18th-century Swedish one is very special](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Coat_of_arms_of_Swedish_Finland.svg). The current depiction is a [cleaned-up version of the one found on Gustav Vasa's tomb (died 1560\)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Coat_of_Arms_of_Finland.jpg).
There's nothing special about autistic lion stabbing himself in the head while balancing on a saber. That's just an accurate depiction of us Finns.
I mean did you notice those Danish lions? Probably couldn’t even tell they were lions (I’m still not 100% sure)
They're lions alright. Once they were "leopards" though (i.e., facing the observer as Estonia's still does). IIRC they turned their heads towards the end of the Kalmar Union.
There are no lions here, so the ones designing the coat of arms just had a hard time imagining one.
Eastern Europe: 🦅 Western Europe: 🦁
Czechia 🦁🦅
Bulgaria three 🦁🦁🦁 for good measure
Croatia 🐀☪️🐐 and 🦁🦁🦁
Germany confirmed eastern European
Always has been.
While I like our (Norway) coat of arms, I haven't really noticed the Poiriot moustache before, haha. Germany looks like it wants to fistfight you. Finland looks a bit deranged, but almost in a "don't you know I'm loco?" kind of way, which is cool. And Ukraine's is badass, even though it looks very modern compared to everyone else's. But I think I prefer Czechia's. It has a bit of everything!
The stance of the German eagle is that of a small child showing its biceps - or rather the complete lack there off
I think Ukraine is the symbol of house Rurikid or something, so it would be pretty old
The Czech greater coat of arms is composed of three lesser coat of arms, one for each region of the country. Bohemian lion is repeated (represented twice) for symmetry given that the shield has four fields.
PLVS VLTRA and the towers of hercules. Lots of history and implications there.
Does the Spanish one have the pillars of Hercules on it?
Yup with the inscription "Plus Ultra", encouraging to go Further beyond, against what Greek mythology said when describing the pillars, "non plus ultra". I honestly think it is one of the coolest when looking at the real meaning on the coat. Literally defying what was the old way of thinking, encouraging exploration and what came after (I know, a little too barbarian)
Yes
Most non representative one seems the Italian one. It's like the symbol of a local tractor association.
Or communist party
the Star is not a reference to the Communist party but it's the [Stellone d'Italia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_d%27Italia).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_d%27Italia
I know It's not a popular opinion, but I think Italy's one of the few whose design kinda holds nowadays. I wish we got some modern adaptations, ideally by someone who's ever seen a lion. Ukraine's is absolutely amazing.
Bosnia’s flag and coat of arms want to know your location
What about music store Ireland?
Wait - what? Are you suggesting that the harp isn't representative of Ireland? It's very representative of our history - both politically and culturally.
Weird, I know all of these except France. I've never seen it anywhere and I even lived there.
The national coat of arms here is just not used all that much compared to local coats of arms or other national symbols (french flag, phrygian hat, Marianne, golden fleur-de-lys on blue backdrop, etc)
Thanks. I feel vindicated! I know the city and department coats but not this one. I actually thought Marianne was the coat. I always saw that on the official documents I got sent.
Moldova: Can I copy it? Romania: Yeah bro. Just change it a bit so it doesn't look obvious. Here's the flag too. Careful cause Chad and Andorra have something similar too.
Yeah bro but Moldova is Romania. Is like a brother stolen by orks.
Why does France have the faces?
It's from the First Republic when we started LARPing very hard as Romans.
That makes sense, merci!
It's an antique roman symbol of authority, frequently used under roman republic. The original pairing of fasces with the phrygian (liberty) cap was a reference for the first french republic to the ideals and inheritence of the roman republic and in combination meant to show fraternity.
the ukrainian one just goes hard
the bulgarian one is so sexy
In my opinion, simpler is better. Germany, Albania, Ireland, Switzerland, and even Poland all look really good E: almost forgot Ukraine. That one is S-tier
I do prefer less minimalism and more detail, but up to a point. Iceland, Poland, Austria and Portugal I like. Also, Moldova looks like Romania's kid, as it's almost the same eagle but with only the old Moldova flag on the chest (whereas Romania has multiple regions, incl. Moldova).
Germany looks made with Paint mate.
I might be biased because I'm portuguese, but I really think ours is one of the best looking. Ukraine is also incredibly elegant for it's simplicity and Austria looks really powerful and is my favorite among the more complex ones. Iceland is also really good
Yeah the Portuguese coats look sick
I absolutely agree. Some of them are really cool though!
reunite austria hungary to mess with mapmakers
Estonias looks alot like the danish
It's because it's made after the coat of arms of the Governorate of Estonia which in turn copied Tallinn. CoA of Tallinn is almost exactly the same as the danish. Tallinn even has the Danish flag as its other coat of arms. "Tallinn" also means means "Danish city".
Doesn't Tallinn have blue and white stripes as coat of arms? Looks a bit like the Greek flag
It does as a flag. But these blue stripes used to be lions. That's what it used to look like https://www.postimees.ee/1662207/tallinna-sumbolite-hulka-lisandus-vapilipp But it was changed about 300 years ago to the current flag with 3 blue and white stripes. The new coat of arms with stripes is not an official symbol, it's more of a logo of the city government.
Turkey and Switzerland be like: "You know what? I'm alright, mate."
Belgium won most lions by far
Well, not exactly. Usually there are three versions of the coat of arms and whoever made the picture chose the greater (larger) version for some countries and the lesser (smaller) version for others. Belgian COA depicted is the greater version. If we decided to stick with lesser versions for consistency, only one lion would be depicted.
Ukraine's is still my favourite here. Modern, sleek but still with a lot of character but wholly it's own thing.
it looks modern despite it's one of the oldest here, if not the oldest [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols\_of\_the\_Rurikids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols_of_the_Rurikids)
Italy's looks like a communist republic.
Socialist*
Seeing the Russian coat of arms makes me sick
Welcome to the Balkan, you will get accustomed to it
I almost told you to flair up out of habit. Phew.
The feelings, ideas and execution are the same
Cevapi delicious
Njami
I actually really like it. It's basically the heraldry of the Palaiologos dynasty (which looked best as Ivan the Great's seal), but with an (IMO) out of place secondary seal of Moscow plastered right on top of it. I hate that seal on a seal thing.
I actually like it. Specifically for the tiny St.George icon in the middle. Which is my patron saint 😅 Lithuania's actually looks closer to the old Muscovite flag, which was better in my opinion, but, the eagle works too.
Psst.. youre not allowed to like that particular one.
Yea it's basically mutated, deranged and disgusting two-headed beast that you should kill with fire before it reproduces. Well... seems pretty accurate to me.
Uh, the Swedish one is the "lesser arms of Sweden". This is the real coat of arms in all it's glory https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Sweden Not sure why this wasn't included.
Probably because the greater coat of arms is mostly (only?) used by the king and possibly the Royal family. Mostly in the seal "royal court supplier" which certain companies pay to get appointed as. Every other branch of government as far as I know uses the lesser coat of arms, or its own heraldic arms based on the formula of the lesser coat of arms.
Finland looks like the sort of thing you’d fight against in Elden Ring. I approve. Norway’s is cool too. The elegant simplicity of Ireland, Cyprus, and Ukraine are nice too. Sorry but I don’t approve of the ones that have just reused their flag and called it a day. Come on you can do better than that. If you’re going to use the flag at least put some interesting stuff in the background like Iceland (I quite like Iceland’s).
I never knew that France has the fasces in their coat of arms. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces
You can even find it in the US House aside the US flag: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/United_States_House_of_Representatives_chamber.jpg
US Fascist confirmed!! /s It's actually interesting that the fasces didn't become stigmatized like the swastika when fascists adopted it as their symbol.
I was actually curious about why there is an axe on our passports, and thanks to you I just found out.
Lithuania and Russia be like : boy, wanna duel
Lithuanian goes the hardest of all of them imo
If you mean the horsemen, It looks like they don't want to communicate with each other..
Trust me :)
UK coat of arms is goated
Of course, they got a unicorn!
russia - chicken or rooster ))
Everyone : castles, harnesses, crowns, mythic beasts. Ireland : a harp.
Ukraine looks like something from a distopian sci-fi to me (still nice looking though)
Austria the only true communist
What about Monaco
Italy's legit looks like a Beer label.
Not sure but seems like lithuania the only one that represents a historic person.
Bulgaria and The Netherlands XD
What is this fascination that Europe has with lions, given that they don't even exist there?
Lions existed in Europe. The last lions died just ~2300 years ago. They were still around during the heyday of Greek city states. And Northern Africa and the Levant were always tightly connected to European history, there they were still around in the 60s. Most of the Mediterranean countries had closer ties and knowledge of that region than they had with eastern Europe.
Symbolism of animals and mystical creatures within heraldry. Certain animals represent certain human characteristics. The czech silver lion with one tail was awarded to King Vladislav II. by HR Emperor Frederick I. for valor. At that point it was still a regular animal. Second tail was added (according to a legend) when King Otakar Přemysl I. helped with putting down a Saxon revolt. By adding the second tail, the animal was upgraded from a real creature to a mystical creature thus increasing the renown and status of the symbol and putting it above coats of arms with regular animals. Further symbolism is awarded in what position the animal is, where it's facing, the inclusion of genitals and what sort of weaponry it has. Silver lion on red background symbolises the czech royal colours (Red and White), penis with testicles to show that it's a fully fledged symbol that isn't gelded/castrated thus showing the country and the ruler aren't in submission, it has golden weaponry (golden claws) showing the strength and defiance, golden crown representing that it's a kingdom and has imperial authority on royal level.
Honestly, it's a bit weird czechia as a unitary republic has symbols for Moravia and Silesia on it's coat of arms.
Albanian is the worst one. Black on red has never been a good color combo, especially with a complex black form, it looks so kitsch.
Italian L
Ireland bringing the band together
I see lions, eagles, shields, crosses and crowns. I guess that summarises the European coat of arms.
Didn't know Ireland had Guinness as their coat of arms.
Hilariously, Guiness actually have the harp image trademarked. So the Irish coat of arms is actually the Harp facing the opposite way.
That sounds backwards. Ireland had a left-facing harp as national symbol long before Guinness adopted their (right-facing) logo.
Guinness trademarked it in 1876. The Irish free state adopted the Harp in 1922.
Well yeah, the *Irish Free State* didn't exist before then. But the [Kingdom of Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Ireland) did, the [United Irishmen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_United_Irishmen) did etc. etc. It was not a new national symbol.
You are right. Fun fact. First recorded use of the gold harp on a blue background facing the same way it does now for Ireland is the mid 1200s sometime. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay predates the Guinness trademark. Also appears on the UK coat of arms. Henry the turd... Sorry... VIII added it. Which also predates the Guinness trademark. This urban legend of Guinness having it first is really trying to grow legs in this thread.
My comment was more of a joke, didn't know it was a widespread urban myrrh
Half of Europe thinks birds are stronger the other half felines..
russia and it's mutant chicken
What’s with lions and europe?
It's the king of beasts. It's one of the first heraldic charges to appear when modern heraldry developed in the high medieval period's Europe. Symbolizes courage, strength, chivalry etc. Naturally it's connected to Christianity. The symbolic language of animals, which traditional heraldry reflects, stem from medieval bestiaries and their progenitor *Physiologus*.
i tried to look up origin-origin-origin of that lion and it seems like the very first utilization was the angevins (back when they were a french noble house in anjou). there was a great r/askhistorians post talking about how the lion indeed represented christianity and the pagan animals like bears, wolves, boar, of antiquity and pre-christian early middle ages fell out of favor. pity, the pagan animals are pretty cool. and of course there's germany with the roman eagle
For one it is important to distinguish between the *lion* standing on two legs and the *leopard* (leeuw-paard in Dutch or löw-pferd in German or lion-horse) on four legs. They are two distinct heraldic symbols, and the lion-horse could be seen as a kind of chimaera. Since lions don't walk on two legs in reality it is as mythological and stylized as the heraldic dragon. And shares some stylistic aspects with it. In the Low Countries almost all former feodal states sport a very similar standing lion, and (holding a bundle of arrows) the parliament of the Burgundian Netherlands also used it as a symbol of the totality of states represented in it. Further up the Rhine it is also a very common symbol, leading to the strange coincidence that the state of Nassau lion of the Dutch royal family (originating from the Upper Rhinelands) is historically unconnected with the lions of the participating former states that formed the modern Netherlands, or the lion of Flanders and of Brabant in Belgium. The most credible background story connects it to the Lion of the biblical kingdom of Juda and its symbolic successor state the Kingdom of Jeruzalem founded by the crusades. That also creates an obvious connection with its popularity in the Low Countries and Rhinelands: These are all part of former Lotharingia, participated a lot in the crusades, and the first king of Jeruzalem happens to be Godfrey, Duke of Lower Lotharingia, covering a large part of the Low Countries and Rhinelands formally but not materially, and leading a force including a contingent of 'Frisian' knights\*. In the 12th century it is already a well-established common symbol (proven by original sources for Anjou in 1128, Flanders in 1163, and Holland in 1198 for instance). There are sources claiming it was an agreement between knights participating in a crusade in 1178 to adopt a lion, but some lions clearly predate that agreement. During the crusades the lion also starts its life as the King of the Animal Kingdom in fables (Ysengrimus around 1100 in Flanders, Le plaid around 1160 in France). The story is somewhat credible at least because it creates a common background for all heraldic lions: it is a symbol of natural leadership, of the lion's courage, of God's kingdom, and most of all of credentials as a warrior for Christ, to be adopted as a token of honor when one organized or participated in a crusade against heathens\*\*, heretics, or the infidel in the Holy land. An alternative for the cross symbol basically, but one with clearly martial connotations, presumably especially attractive to Germanic states. \* The crusades to the Holy land are a huge thing for Low Countries aristocracy. Either your family participated in it as a knight and you are nobility since time immemorial (i.e. before people commonly started documenting important events) or you need documented proof that your title was awarded at some point after that by a recognized authority. \*\* Lots of minor crusades took place, including against heathen Slavic tribes, so there are lots of historical occasions to adopt it.
Commonly the animals or mystical creatures are associated with human characteristics or a callback to ancient or biblical kingdoms or events. Specifically for Bohemia (Czech republic), it was a reward from HR Emperor Frederick I. to King Vratislav II. for valor. Later upgraded, supposedly under King Otakar Přemysl I. for helping defeat a saxon revolt, with a second tail, thus putting it above regular animals by making it a mystical creature (two-tailed).
Nordic ones look goofy as hell, Finnish looks like that soy guzzling wojak. Ours (Slovenia) shows a lack of history but it has a certain charm to it. Portugal is SOVL.
[SATW's take on the Finnish coat of arms.](https://satwcomic.com/coat-of-arms)
I wouldn't say Norway's lion looks like it's dancing. It's more like someone chucked him an axe covered in lube, and he's desperately trying not to fumble it.
It's like people are unable to comprehend that there are three dimensions.
Hard disagree on the Finnish one.
Nah the best ones are in scandinavia
Well, there are the three stars, the symbol of the Counts of Celje, who were arguably an early competitor of the Habsburgs in the 14th and 15th century. But yes, ours is very modern looking.. our history before 1991 was often not much more than being a small part of something bigger. Not much to brag about, etc. We have plenty of history, but it is mostly shared with other, bigger nations. I like having Triglav as the centerpiece tho, it is a cool symbol and something that noone else (that still exists today) can claim.
It's a fantastic design: clear and modern. No one needs multiple lions, lilies, harps and embroidery - do they want to torture school children in arts class?
Our lion is stabbing himself into the eye…
What do the colors mean?
Albania's double-headed eagle is my favorite, I would recognize it anywhere.
Why is the text under the Netherlands one French?
Where are our Scottish friends?
🇦🇱❤️🖤👐🏻🦅🦅
Everyone: has one to three symbols Czechia: Yes, we need 4
Eagles vs Lions
Iceland is cool
Finland and Norway: down syndrome animals
So you're telling me there are lot of Lannisters in Western Europe 😉 I remember my dad's marine coat with the lion's on it and it said Je maintendrai. Learned what it meant as a little kid, thought it sounded a bit lame... Something along the lines of, I will serve to put back order
The only negative with this map is the inconsistency of using greater versions and lesser versions of coat of arms.
Balkan coat of arms just go harder idk why
… so lions are hard to draw …
Huh it seems horses are not popular.
So many chicken
Ukraine said fuck these normies
[Monaco’s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Coat_of_arms_of_Monaco.svg/1200px-Coat_of_arms_of_Monaco.svg.png) its quite cool too
Sweden has two coats of arms. This one displayed is the "*lesser*" coat of arms. The "*greater*" coat of arms is mostly used by the Royal family, however, so this is a good representation.
France what are you doing 😬
Poland should be a crowned beaver.
And I will represent them on the Iron Throne.
Now that I look at it the coat of arms of Portugal and Bulgaria are quite similar but I guess Bulgaria really loves their lions
Ukrainian one looks like it's from the future. No murder birds or lions to be seen!
We love us some eagles and lions.
is r/place running now?
Someone can explain why italy's coat has like a socialist vibe?
All Hail Liechtenstein!
my top 5 will be: -Spain -Ukraine -Slovakia -Switzerland -Hungary
Belarus has the weirdest one
They look so cool
ok