The Crest of The Sri Lanka Army Command and Staff College consists of the Wise Old Owl appears in the legends of King Arthur

King Arthur

King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...

, where Merlin

Merlin

Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...

 is described as having an owl perched on his shoulder. Owls generally became widely accepted as symbols of learning and in the Middle Ages knowledge was vastly vested in the clergy and alchemists. During this time the owl became the companion of the wise.

In Roman mythology

Roman mythology

Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...

, Minerva is the goddess of war and wisdom. Her favorite bird was the owl. Most Staff Colleges have adopted Minerva’s Owl as their crest. In keeping with tradition we too have selected the owl, in the Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n context, Sri Lankan Fish Owl for our crest. The motto "To War With Wisdom and Knowledge". The owl is perched on two crossed swords at rest which implies that the sword will only be used as the last resort.