Coat of arms of Iceland
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of Iceland (skjaldarmerki Íslands) is a cross of silver on a sky-blue shield, with a fire-red cross inside the silver cross (similar to the Icelandic flag). The shieldbearers are the four protectors of Iceland
(landvættir
) standing on a pahoehoe lava block. The bull
(Griðungur) is the protector of southwestern Iceland, the eagle
or griffin
(Gammur) protects northwestern Iceland, the dragon
(Dreki) the northeastern part and the Rock-giant
(Bergrisi) is the protector of southeastern Iceland. Great respect was given to these creatures of Iceland, so much that there was a law during the time of the Vikings that no ship
should bear grimacing symbols (most often dragonheads on the bow of the ship) when approaching Iceland. This was so the protectors would not be provoked unnecessarily .
The landvættir
(“land wight
s”) also decorate the obverse (front) of the Icelandic króna
coins, but animals of the ocean (fish
, crabs and dolphins) appear on the reverse
(back).
The Icelandic presidency uses a swallowtailed Icelandic flag
with the coat of arms. The National Commissioner of Icelandic Police
uses a white flag with the coat of arms, when the use of the State flag is not warranted, and so may some other state services do as well.
The shield may be blazon
ed, Azure, on a cross argent a cross gules.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
(landvættir
Landvættir
Landvættir are spirits of the land in Norse mythology and in Germanic neopaganism. They protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a corner of a field, or as large as a section of a country.-The nature of landvættir:Some scholars...
) standing on a pahoehoe lava block. The bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
(Griðungur) is the protector of southwestern Iceland, the eagle
Eagle (heraldry)
The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Parts of the eagle's body such as its head, wings or leg are also used as a charge or crest....
or griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
(Gammur) protects northwestern Iceland, the dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
(Dreki) the northeastern part and the Rock-giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
(Bergrisi) is the protector of southeastern Iceland. Great respect was given to these creatures of Iceland, so much that there was a law during the time of the Vikings that no ship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
should bear grimacing symbols (most often dragonheads on the bow of the ship) when approaching Iceland. This was so the protectors would not be provoked unnecessarily .
The landvættir
Landvættir
Landvættir are spirits of the land in Norse mythology and in Germanic neopaganism. They protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a corner of a field, or as large as a section of a country.-The nature of landvættir:Some scholars...
(“land wight
Wight
Wight is a Middle English word, from Old English wiht, and used to describe a creature or living sentient being. It is akin to Old High German wiht, meaning a creature or thing.In its original usage the word wight described a living human being...
s”) also decorate the obverse (front) of the Icelandic króna
Icelandic króna
The króna is the currency of Iceland. The króna is technically subdivided into 100 aurar , but in practice this subdivision is no longer used....
coins, but animals of the ocean (fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, crabs and dolphins) appear on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
(back).
The Icelandic presidency uses a swallowtailed Icelandic flag
Flag of Iceland
The flag of Iceland was officially described in Law No. 34, set out on 17 June 1944, the day Iceland became a republic. The law is entitled "The Law of the National Flag of Icelanders and the State Arms" and describes the Icelandic flag as follows:...
with the coat of arms. The National Commissioner of Icelandic Police
Icelandic Police
The Icelandic National Police is the main police force of Iceland. It is responsible for law enforcement on all Icelandic territories except at sea where the Icelandic Coast Guard enforces the law. The two services assist each other as needed.- History :...
uses a white flag with the coat of arms, when the use of the State flag is not warranted, and so may some other state services do as well.
The shield may be blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
ed, Azure, on a cross argent a cross gules.
History
Iceland has had various distinct coats of arms through the ages: depicted below.- The first one is believed to have been a shield with six blue stripes and six silver stripes, possibly signifying the 12 þings of the Icelandic CommonwealthIcelandic CommonwealthThe Icelandic Commonwealth, Icelandic Free State, or Republic of Iceland was the state existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king in 1262...
. - The second one is believed to be the one that was given to Earl Gissur ÞorvaldssonGissur ÞorvaldssonGissur Thorvaldsson was a medieval Icelandic chieftain or goði of the Haukdælir family clan, and great-grandson of Jón Loftsson....
by the King of Norway, Hákon HákonarsonHaakon IV of NorwayHaakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....
, during 1258. It was patterned on the King's own coat of armsCoat of arms of NorwayThe coat of arms of Norway is a crowned, golden lion rampant holding an axe with an argent blade, on a crowned, triangular and red escutcheon. Its elements originate from personal insignias for the royal house in the High Middle Ages, thus being among the oldest in Europe...
, exchanging the colors of the shield with the color of the lion and adding the blue and silver stripes of the previous coat of arms. - Around or after 1500, the Icelandic coat of arms became a crowned stockfishStockfishStockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore, called "hjell". The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
on a red shield. It is known as the Þorskmerkið (“the codCodCod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
markings”) and the fish was depicted occasionally in a variant form. - On October 3, 1903, the coat of arms of Iceland was changed to a white falconFalconA falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
on a blue shield. It remained in use until the first version of the coat of arms with the landvættir became official on February 12, 1919, as the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Iceland. The falcon still remained in the royal coat of arms throughout the reign of King Christian X even though Iceland had become a republicRepublicA republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
in 1944. - When independence was declared on June 17, 1944, the present coat of arms was adopted.