Coat of arms of Lithuania
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms
of Lithuania
, consisting of an armor-clad knight on horseback holding an olden sword
and shield
, is also known as Vytis ("the Chaser"). The Lithuanian coat of arms is one of the oldest national coats of arms in Europe. It is one of very few containing symbolism adopted from ducal portrait seal
s rather than from coats of arms of dynasties, which is the case for most European countries.
Article 15 of the Constitution of Lithuania
, approved by national referendum
in 1992, stipulates, "The Coat of Arms of the State shall be a white Vytis on a red field". Heraldic shield features the field
Gules
(red) with an armored knight on a horse salient Argent
(white). The knight is holding in his dexter hand a sword
Argent above his head. A shield Azure
hangs on the sinister
shoulder of the knight with a double cross
Or
(yellow) on it. The horse saddle, straps, and belts are Azure. The hilt of the sword and the fastening of the sheath, the stirrups, the curb bits of the bridle, the horseshoes, as well as the decoration of the harness, are Or (gold).
The blazon
is the following:
Gules, a knight armed cap-à-pie mounted on a horse salient argent, brandishing a sword proper and maintaining a shield azure charged with a cross of Lorraine Or.
Chronicle as a symbol of Narimantas, but the charging knight is known to have been first used as the state emblem in 1366 on the seal of the Grand Duke
of Lithuania, Algirdas
. The earliest coins featuring the knight come also from the last quarter of the 14th century; the other side of these coins depicts Columns of Gediminas
. The emblem was handed down through the generations, from Algirdas to his son, Grand Duke Jogaila
, then to Jogaila's cousin Grand Duke Vytautas and others. In the 14th century, the knight was featured on a heraldic shield, first on Jogaila's seal in 1386 or 1387, and also on the seal of Vytautas in 1401. As early as the 15th century, the heraldic knight became the Coat of Arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
and of its central part– the Duchy of Vilnius. The earliest name of the Lithuanian coat of arms is unknown; possibly, it had no specific name at all. Later it was known as Pogonia
, as approved in the Statutes of Lithuania
.
Transliteration: Teź' my, g[o]sp[o]d[a]r', daem' pod' ger'bom' togo pan'stva nasogo, velikogo kniazstva litov'skogo, "Pogoneju" pečat' do koź'dogo povetu
Translation: We, the King, bring the seal with "Pogonia", the Coat of Arms of our state of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, for every powiat
|accessdate=2008-03-21}}
It is known that at the Battle of Grunwald
in 1410, a major victory of the united Polish-Lithuanian army against the Teutonic Order, thirty Lithuanian regiments out of the total forty were flying the Knight's banner.
At first, the charging knight was depicted riding to left or right, and holding a lance
instead of the sword. Two seals of Lengvenis
of 1385 and of 1388 exhibit this change. The lance was more often exhibited on the seals of Skirgaila
and Kaributas. By the first half of the 15th century, the rider is always shown riding to the left (as seen by the viewer) with a sword in his raised hand and a shield in the left hand (if he rode to the right, the shield would be concealed by the rider). During the 15th century, the colors of the seal became uniform: a white (silver) charging knight on a red field of the heraldic shield. The shield was blue with a gold double cross
. The double cross was introduced by Jogaila, who adopted it after his baptism as Ladislaus
and marriage with Hungarian princess and Queen of Poland Hedvig Angevin
in 1386. It is derived from the Hungarian cross
, the assumed coat of arms of Saint Ladislaus, King of Hungary
, which is in turn a derivative of the Patriarchal cross
. The cross is constructed in such a way that all six ends are equal in length.
The Renaissance introduced minor stylistic changes and variations: long feathers waving from the tip of the knight's helm, a long saddle-cloth, the horse tail turned upwards and shaped as nosegay
. With these changes the coat of arms remained the State symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until 1795, when Lithuania was annexed to the Russian Empire
. Traditional Lithuania's coat of arms was abolished. However, in 1845 tsar
Nicholas I
confirmed a Coat of Arms for the Vilna Governorate
that closely resembled the historical one. A notable later change was the replacement of the double cross with the red Byzantine cross on the knight's shield.
and sought its independence.
When Lithuania restored its independence in 1918–1920, several artists produced different versions of the Coat of Arms. Almost all versions included a scabbard
, which is not found in earliest specimens. A romanticized
version by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius
became the most popular. The horse appeared to be flying in the air (courant). The gear was very decorative. For example, the saddle blanket
was very long and divided into three parts. There was no uniform or official version of the Coat of Arms. To address popular complaints, in 1929 a special commission was set up to analyze the best 16th century specimens of Vytis to design an official state emblem. Mstislav Dobuzhinsky
was the chief artist. The commission worked for 5 years, but their version of the coat of arms was not officially confirmed while Juozas Zikaras
' version was introduced for the official use on coins.
The Vytis was the state emblem of the Republic of Lithuania until 1940, when the Republic was annexed by the Soviet Union
and all national insignia were outlawed. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, the Vytis, together with the Columns of Gediminas
and the national flag
, became symbols of the independence movement in Lithuania. In 1988, the Vytis was legalized. On March 11, 1990 Lithuania declared its independence and restored all of its pre-war national symbols, including the historical coat of arms. On March 20, 1990 the Supreme Council of Lithuania approved the description of the State's Coat of Arms and determined the principal regulations for its use. The design was based on Juozas Zikaras
' design that was used on all litas
coins in the interwar period. This was to demonstrate that Lithuania was continuing the traditions of the State that existed between 1918–1940. On September 4, 1991, a new design by Arvydas Každailis
was approved based on recommendations of a special heraldic committee. It abandoned romantic interwar traditions and went back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It re-established the original colors. However, early coins of centas still bear the old Zikaras' design.
In 2004, the Seimas
confirmed the new national symbol and the historical flag of Lithuania. It depicts the Coat of Arms on a rectangular red fabric. It did not replace the tri-color national flag
of Lithuania
. It is used only by official institutions for special occasions and anniversaries. It is currently proposed that a larger version of the Coat of Arms should be adopted. It would have a line from Tautiška giesmė
, the national anthem of Lithuania, "Vienybė težydi" (Let Unity Flourish).
movement Romuva
, believes that in the Lithuanian mythology
Vytis represents Perkūnas
, a god of thunder
. It is believed that the Vytis may represent Perkūnas as supreme god or Kovas who was also a war god and has been depicted as a horseman since ancient times. Gintaras Beresnevičius
also points out that a white horse had a sacral meaning to Balts
. These interpretations coincide with one of the interpretations of the German coat of arms, that suggests an adler
being the bird of Odin
, a god of war, which is commonly depicted as a horserider.
It is unknown for certain what Lithuania's coat or arms was initially called; Edmundas Rimša
asserts that a Middle Polish
word Pogonia was applied to it for the first time only in the 16th century.
The earliest known name of the Coat of Arms in Lithuanian is a 17th century translation of Pogonia by Konstantinas Sirvydas
as Waikimas ("Vaikymas" in the modern Lithuanian orthography), which was used until the 19th century together with Pagaunia.
The origins of the Lithuanian proper noun Vytis are not clear either. At the dawn of the Lithuanian National Revival
, Simonas Daukantas
employed the term wytis referring to the "rider" for the first time in his historical piece Budą Senowęs Lietuwiû kalneniu ir Żemaitiû published in 1846. The etymology of this particular name is not universally accepted; it is either a direct translation of the Polish Pogoń, a common noun constructed from the Lithuanian verb vyti ("to chase"), or least likely a derivative from the East Slavic title of the knight - vytiaz. The first presumption raised by linguist Pranas Skardžius in 1937 is challenged by some since Pogoń does not actually mean "chasing (knight)". In support of the second proposal, the Lithuanian language has words with a stem -vyt in such personal names
as Vytenis
, furthermore, vytis has a structure common to words constructed from verbs.
In 1884, Mikalojus Akelaitis coined the name Vytis to the coat of arms in Lithuanian in the newspaper Auszra. This name came to popular use and was eventually legitimized and became official in the independent Republic of Lithuania.
(Pahonia
, last used 1991–1995) is very similar to the Vytis, with slight differences: the patriarchal cross
with arms of uneven length is displayed on the shield and the saddle blanket is of the Renaissance style; Azure is absent from it altogether. Several Gediminid
Lithuanian, Polish
and Russian
noble families adopted the earlier versions of the coat of arms with some modifications, namely Czartoryski
, Trubetzkoy and Galitzine
. Recently adopted coats of arms of Vilnius
and Panevėžys counties
use different color schemes and add additional details to the basic image of the knight. Several towns in Lithuania use motifs similar to the Vytis. For example, the coat of arms of Liudvinavas
is parted per pale
. One half depicts the Vytis and the other, Lady Justice
.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, consisting of an armor-clad knight on horseback holding an olden sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
and shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
, is also known as Vytis ("the Chaser"). The Lithuanian coat of arms is one of the oldest national coats of arms in Europe. It is one of very few containing symbolism adopted from ducal portrait seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
s rather than from coats of arms of dynasties, which is the case for most European countries.
Article 15 of the Constitution of Lithuania
Constitution of Lithuania
The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania defines the legal foundation for all laws passed in the Republic of Lithuania. It was approved in a referendum on October 25, 1992.-History:...
, approved by national referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in 1992, stipulates, "The Coat of Arms of the State shall be a white Vytis on a red field". Heraldic shield features the field
Field (heraldry)
In heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
Gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
(red) with an armored knight on a horse salient Argent
Argent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
(white). The knight is holding in his dexter hand a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
Argent above his head. A shield Azure
Azure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
hangs on the sinister
Dexter and sinister
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...
shoulder of the knight with a double cross
Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
Or
Or (heraldry)
In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
(yellow) on it. The horse saddle, straps, and belts are Azure. The hilt of the sword and the fastening of the sheath, the stirrups, the curb bits of the bridle, the horseshoes, as well as the decoration of the harness, are Or (gold).
The 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...
is the following:
Gules, a knight armed cap-à-pie mounted on a horse salient argent, brandishing a sword proper and maintaining a shield azure charged with a cross of Lorraine Or.
History
Use as a state symbol
The knight on horseback without a specific name was mentioned in the TobolskTobolsk
Tobolsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers. It is a historic capital of Siberia. Population: -History:...
Chronicle as a symbol of Narimantas, but the charging knight is known to have been first used as the state emblem in 1366 on the seal of the Grand Duke
Grand Prince
The title grand prince or great prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns...
of Lithuania, Algirdas
Algirdas
Algirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
. The earliest coins featuring the knight come also from the last quarter of the 14th century; the other side of these coins depicts Columns of Gediminas
Columns of Gediminas
The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminids are one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and one of its historical coats of arms. They were used in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, initially as a rulers' personal insignia, a state symbol, and later as a part of heraldic signs of leading...
. The emblem was handed down through the generations, from Algirdas to his son, Grand Duke Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
, then to Jogaila's cousin Grand Duke Vytautas and others. In the 14th century, the knight was featured on a heraldic shield, first on Jogaila's seal in 1386 or 1387, and also on the seal of Vytautas in 1401. As early as the 15th century, the heraldic knight became the Coat of Arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
and of its central part– the Duchy of Vilnius. The earliest name of the Lithuanian coat of arms is unknown; possibly, it had no specific name at all. Later it was known as Pogonia
Pahonia
The Pahonia , transliteration: Pahonya, , Lithuanian: Vytis, Pagaunė, is a historical symbol of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, of which the eastern part later became known as Belarus...
, as approved in the Statutes of Lithuania
Statutes of Lithuania
The Statutes of Lithuania originally known as the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were a 16th century codification of all the legislation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its successor, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth...
.
Transliteration: Teź' my, g[o]sp[o]d[a]r', daem' pod' ger'bom' togo pan'stva nasogo, velikogo kniazstva litov'skogo, "Pogoneju" pečat' do koź'dogo povetu
Translation: We, the King, bring the seal with "Pogonia", the Coat of Arms of our state of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, for every powiat
|accessdate=2008-03-21}}
It is known that at the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
in 1410, a major victory of the united Polish-Lithuanian army against the Teutonic Order, thirty Lithuanian regiments out of the total forty were flying the Knight's banner.
At first, the charging knight was depicted riding to left or right, and holding a lance
Lance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
instead of the sword. Two seals of Lengvenis
Lengvenis
Lengvenis was one of the sons of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and the ruler of Great Novgorod Republic . He was known for his skills as a military leader....
of 1385 and of 1388 exhibit this change. The lance was more often exhibited on the seals of Skirgaila
Skirgaila
Skirgaila , also known as Ivan; ca. 1353 or 1354 – 11 January 1397 in Kiev; baptized 1383/1384 as Casimir) was a regent of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for his brother Jogaila from 1386 to 1392. He was son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife Uliana of Tver.-Biography:After...
and Kaributas. By the first half of the 15th century, the rider is always shown riding to the left (as seen by the viewer) with a sword in his raised hand and a shield in the left hand (if he rode to the right, the shield would be concealed by the rider). During the 15th century, the colors of the seal became uniform: a white (silver) charging knight on a red field of the heraldic shield. The shield was blue with a gold double cross
Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
. The double cross was introduced by Jogaila, who adopted it after his baptism as Ladislaus
Ladislaus
Ladislav is a name of Slavic origin. It is composed of the name of the ancient Slavic goddess of love Lada and the Slavic word slava . The name means He who worships Lada or He who glorifies Lada and has pagan roots...
and marriage with Hungarian princess and Queen of Poland Hedvig Angevin
Jadwiga of Poland
Jadwiga was monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was 'king' rather than 'queen', reflecting that she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, the daughter of King Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of...
in 1386. It is derived from the Hungarian cross
Coat of arms of Hungary
The current coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on July 3, 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.The shield is...
, the assumed coat of arms of Saint Ladislaus, King of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, which is in turn a derivative of the Patriarchal cross
Patriarchal cross
The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity. Similar to the familiar Latin cross, the Patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main one, so that both crossbars are near the top. Sometimes the patriarchal cross has a short,...
. The cross is constructed in such a way that all six ends are equal in length.
The Renaissance introduced minor stylistic changes and variations: long feathers waving from the tip of the knight's helm, a long saddle-cloth, the horse tail turned upwards and shaped as nosegay
Nosegay
A nosegay, tussie-mussie, or posy/posey/posie is a small flower bouquet, typically given as a gift. They have existed in some form since at least medieval times, when they were carried or worn around the head or bodice....
. With these changes the coat of arms remained the State symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until 1795, when Lithuania was annexed to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Traditional Lithuania's coat of arms was abolished. However, in 1845 tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
confirmed a Coat of Arms for the Vilna Governorate
Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate or Government of Vilna was a governorate of the Russian Empire created after the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795...
that closely resembled the historical one. A notable later change was the replacement of the double cross with the red Byzantine cross on the knight's shield.
Revival of national significance
At first, the charging knight was interpreted as the ruler of the country. As time passed, he became a knight who is chasing intruders out of his native country. Such an interpretation was especially popular in the 19th century, and the first half of the 20th century, when Lithuania was part of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and sought its independence.
Scabbard
A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. Scabbards have been made of many materials over the millennia, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.-Types of scabbards:...
, which is not found in earliest specimens. A romanticized
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
version by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius
Antanas Žmuidzinavicius
Antanas Žmuidzinavičius was a Lithuanian painter and art collector. Sometimes he used Antanas Žemaitis as his pen name....
became the most popular. The horse appeared to be flying in the air (courant). The gear was very decorative. For example, the saddle blanket
Saddle blanket
The terms saddle blanket, saddle pad and saddle cloth refer to blankets, pads or fabrics inserted under a saddle. These are usually used to absorb sweat, cushion the saddle, and protect the horse's back. Saddle blankets have been used for many centuries with all types of saddles...
was very long and divided into three parts. There was no uniform or official version of the Coat of Arms. To address popular complaints, in 1929 a special commission was set up to analyze the best 16th century specimens of Vytis to design an official state emblem. Mstislav Dobuzhinsky
Mstislav Dobuzhinsky
Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky or Dobujinsky was a Russian-Lithuanian artist noted for his cityscapes conveying the explosive growth and decay of the early twentieth-century city....
was the chief artist. The commission worked for 5 years, but their version of the coat of arms was not officially confirmed while Juozas Zikaras
Juozas Zikaras
Juozas Zikaras was a Lithuanian sculptor and artist, who created the design for pre-war Lithuanian litas coins. He is considered to be one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors.-Biography:...
' version was introduced for the official use on coins.
The Vytis was the state emblem of the Republic of Lithuania until 1940, when the Republic was annexed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and all national insignia were outlawed. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, the Vytis, together with the Columns of Gediminas
Columns of Gediminas
The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminids are one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and one of its historical coats of arms. They were used in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, initially as a rulers' personal insignia, a state symbol, and later as a part of heraldic signs of leading...
and the national flag
Flag of Lithuania
The flag of Lithuania consists of a horizontal tricolor of yellow, green and red. It was adopted on March 20, 1989, almost two years before the reestablishment of Lithuania's independence following the end of the Soviet Union. Before its readoption, the flag had been used from 1918 until 1940 when...
, became symbols of the independence movement in Lithuania. In 1988, the Vytis was legalized. On March 11, 1990 Lithuania declared its independence and restored all of its pre-war national symbols, including the historical coat of arms. On March 20, 1990 the Supreme Council of Lithuania approved the description of the State's Coat of Arms and determined the principal regulations for its use. The design was based on Juozas Zikaras
Juozas Zikaras
Juozas Zikaras was a Lithuanian sculptor and artist, who created the design for pre-war Lithuanian litas coins. He is considered to be one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors.-Biography:...
' design that was used on all litas
Lithuanian litas
The Lithuanian litas is the currency of Lithuania. It is divided into 100 centų...
coins in the interwar period. This was to demonstrate that Lithuania was continuing the traditions of the State that existed between 1918–1940. On September 4, 1991, a new design by Arvydas Každailis
Arvydas Každailis
upright|thumb|[[Coat of arms of Lithuania]] modernized by Každailis in 1991Arvydas Stanislavas Každailis is a Lithuanian artists, best known as the creator of many coat of arms for cities and towns of Lithuania...
was approved based on recommendations of a special heraldic committee. It abandoned romantic interwar traditions and went back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It re-established the original colors. However, early coins of centas still bear the old Zikaras' design.
In 2004, the Seimas
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
confirmed the new national symbol and the historical flag of Lithuania. It depicts the Coat of Arms on a rectangular red fabric. It did not replace the tri-color national flag
National flag
A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag...
of Lithuania
Flag of Lithuania
The flag of Lithuania consists of a horizontal tricolor of yellow, green and red. It was adopted on March 20, 1989, almost two years before the reestablishment of Lithuania's independence following the end of the Soviet Union. Before its readoption, the flag had been used from 1918 until 1940 when...
. It is used only by official institutions for special occasions and anniversaries. It is currently proposed that a larger version of the Coat of Arms should be adopted. It would have a line from Tautiška giesmė
Tautiška giesme
Tautiška giesmė is the national anthem of Lithuania, also known by its opening words "Lietuva, Tėvyne mūsų" and as "Lietuvos himnas"...
, the national anthem of Lithuania, "Vienybė težydi" (Let Unity Flourish).
Interpretations
Jonas Trinkūnas, the leader of a neo-paganNeopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
movement Romuva
Romuva (church)
Romuva is a Baltic ethnic religious organization, reviving the religious practices of the Lithuanian people before their Christianization. Romuva is a folk religion community that claims to continue living Baltic pagan traditions which survived in folklore and customs.Romuva primarily exists in...
, believes that in the Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology
Lithuanian mythology is an example of Baltic mythology, developed by Lithuanians throughout the centuries.-History of scholarship:Surviving information about Baltic paganism in general is very sketchy and incomplete. As with most ancient Indo-European cultures Lithuanian mythology is an example of...
Vytis represents Perkūnas
Perkunas
Perkūnas was the common Baltic god of thunder, one of the most important deities in the Baltic pantheon. In both Lithuanian and Latvian mythology, he is documented as the god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak trees and the sky.-Etymology:...
, a god of thunder
God of Thunder
God of Thunder is a 2D platform/top-down freeware puzzle game created by Ron Davis and published by Software Creations in 1993. It was previously a shareware product but was released as freeware in 2002 or earlier. The game chronicles the quest of Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder as he tries...
. It is believed that the Vytis may represent Perkūnas as supreme god or Kovas who was also a war god and has been depicted as a horseman since ancient times. Gintaras Beresnevičius
Gintaras Beresnevicius
Gintaras Beresnevičius was a Lithuanian historian of religions specializing in Baltic mythology. He together with Norbertas Vėlius is considered to be the best specialist in Lithuanian mythology....
also points out that a white horse had a sacral meaning to Balts
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
. These interpretations coincide with one of the interpretations of the German coat of arms, that suggests an adler
Adler
The term Adler, the German word for the bird of prey "eagle", is both the last name of many people and an emblematic bird featured on many blazons since the feudal age, including the present German Bundeswappen and at times on the flags of Austria and Germany...
being the bird of Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
, a god of war, which is commonly depicted as a horserider.
Origins of the word Vytis
Edmundas Rimša
Edmundas Antanas Rimša Lithuanian historian, specialist of heraldics, sfragistics and genealogy.-Biography:...
asserts that a Middle Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
word Pogonia was applied to it for the first time only in the 16th century.
The earliest known name of the Coat of Arms in Lithuanian is a 17th century translation of Pogonia by Konstantinas Sirvydas
Konstantinas Sirvydas
Konstantinas Sirvydas died 1631) was a Lithuanian religious preacher, lexicographer and one of the pioneers of Lithuanian literature from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, at the time a confederal part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
as Waikimas ("Vaikymas" in the modern Lithuanian orthography), which was used until the 19th century together with Pagaunia.
The origins of the Lithuanian proper noun Vytis are not clear either. At the dawn of the Lithuanian National Revival
Lithuanian National Revival
Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively Lithuanian National Awakening , was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuanian inhabited areas belonged to the Russian Empire...
, Simonas Daukantas
Simonas Daukantas
Simonas Daukantas or Szymon Dowkont was a Lithuanian writer, ethnographer and historian. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian national revival, he is credited as an author of the first book on the history of Lithuania written in the Lithuanian language...
employed the term wytis referring to the "rider" for the first time in his historical piece Budą Senowęs Lietuwiû kalneniu ir Żemaitiû published in 1846. The etymology of this particular name is not universally accepted; it is either a direct translation of the Polish Pogoń, a common noun constructed from the Lithuanian verb vyti ("to chase"), or least likely a derivative from the East Slavic title of the knight - vytiaz. The first presumption raised by linguist Pranas Skardžius in 1937 is challenged by some since Pogoń does not actually mean "chasing (knight)". In support of the second proposal, the Lithuanian language has words with a stem -vyt in such personal names
Lithuanian name
A personal name, like in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: the given name followed by family name . The usage of personal names in Lithuania is generally governed by three major factors: civil law, canon law, and tradition. Lithuanian names always follow the rules of the...
as Vytenis
Vytenis
Vytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c. 1295 to c. 1316. He became the first of the Gediminid dynasty to rule for a considerable amount of time. In the early 14th century his reputation outshone that of Gediminas, who is regarded by modern historians as one of the greatest Lithuanian rulers...
, furthermore, vytis has a structure common to words constructed from verbs.
In 1884, Mikalojus Akelaitis coined the name Vytis to the coat of arms in Lithuanian in the newspaper Auszra. This name came to popular use and was eventually legitimized and became official in the independent Republic of Lithuania.
Similar coats of arms
The former coat of arms of BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
(Pahonia
Pahonia
The Pahonia , transliteration: Pahonya, , Lithuanian: Vytis, Pagaunė, is a historical symbol of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, of which the eastern part later became known as Belarus...
, last used 1991–1995) is very similar to the Vytis, with slight differences: the patriarchal cross
Patriarchal cross
The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity. Similar to the familiar Latin cross, the Patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main one, so that both crossbars are near the top. Sometimes the patriarchal cross has a short,...
with arms of uneven length is displayed on the shield and the saddle blanket is of the Renaissance style; Azure is absent from it altogether. Several Gediminid
Gediminids
The Gediminids were a dynasty of monarchs of Grand Duchy of Lithuania that reigned from the 14th to the 16th century. One branch of this dynasty, known as the Jagiellons, reigned also in Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Bohemia...
Lithuanian, Polish
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
and Russian
Russian nobility
The Russian nobility arose in the 14th century and essentially governed Russia until the October Revolution of 1917.The Russian word for nobility, Dvoryanstvo , derives from the Russian word dvor , meaning the Court of a prince or duke and later, of the tsar. A nobleman is called dvoryanin...
noble families adopted the earlier versions of the coat of arms with some modifications, namely Czartoryski
Czartoryski
Czartoryski is the surname of a Polish-Ukrainian-Lithuanian magnate family also known as the Familia. They used the Czartoryski Coat of arms and were the leading noble family of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.-History:The Czartoryski is a family of a Grand Ducal...
, Trubetzkoy and Galitzine
Galitzine
For Orthodox clergyman and theologian, see Alexander Golitzin.The Galitzines are one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia. Since the extinction of the Korecki family in the 17th century, the Golitsyns have claimed dynastic seniority in the House of Gediminas...
. Recently adopted coats of arms of Vilnius
Vilnius County
Vilnius County is the largest of the 10 counties of Lithuania, located in the east of the country around the city Vilnius. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Vilnius County remains as the territorial and statistical unit.-History:Until the Partitions of...
and Panevėžys counties
Panevežys County
Panevėžys County is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the north-east of the country, and its capital is Panevėžys. On 1 July 2010, the county administration was abolished, and since that date, Panevėžys County remains as the territorial and statistical unit.- History :Historical documents...
use different color schemes and add additional details to the basic image of the knight. Several towns in Lithuania use motifs similar to the Vytis. For example, the coat of arms of Liudvinavas
Liudvinavas
Liudvinavas is a small town in Marijampolė County, in southwestern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the town has a population of 1055 people....
is parted per pale
Division of the field
In heraldry, the field of a shield can be divided into more than one area of different tinctures, usually following the lines of one of the ordinaries and carrying its name...
. One half depicts the Vytis and the other, Lady Justice
Lady Justice
Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...
.