What are the emblems of wales

National emblems (FAQ)

The Red Dragon

Why is there a Red Dragon on the Welsh flag?

The Red Dragon is the heraldic symbol of Wales, and is incorporated into the Welsh national flag.

According to tradition, the red dragon appeared on a crest born by Arthur, whose father, Uthr Bendragon, had seen a dragon in the sky predicting that he would be king.

Where did the dragon symbol originate?

The dragon as a symbol was probably introduced into Britain by the Roman legions. Medieval Welsh poets often compared their leaders to dragons in poems praising their bravery, for example, Gruffydd ab yr Ynad Coch said of Llywellyn ap Gruffudd Pen dragon, pen draig oedd arnaw (‘A dragon’s head he had’).

Between 1485 and 1603, the dragon formed part of the arms of the Tudor dynasty, but it was replaced on the royal coat of arms with a unicorn by order of James I.

How did the Welsh dragon end up on the national flag of Wales?

The Red Dragon reappeared as the royal badge for Wales in 1807, and from then on it was often seen in the regalia of Welsh patriotic societies. At the suggestion of the Gorsedd of the Bards, it was officially recognised by the Queen in 1959, and is now widely used as the national flag.

The Leek and the Daffodil

Why is the leek a Welsh symbol?

Legend has it that St David ordered his soldiers to wear leeks on their helmets during a battle against the Saxons during the sixth century, while the Battle of Crecy, in 1346, featured loyal and brave Welsh archers who fought in a field of leeks. By 1536, when Henry VIII gave a leek to his daughter on 1 March, was already associated with St David’s Day. It is possible that the green and white family colours adopted by the Tudors were taken from their liking for the leek.

When did people start wearing a daffodil on St David’s day?

In comparison with the ancient Welsh associations of the leek, the daffodil has only recently assumed a position of national importance. An increasingly popular flower during the 19th century, especially among women, its status was elevated by the Welsh-born prime minister David Lloyd George, who wore it on St David’s Day and used it in ceremonies in 1911 to mark the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon.

The leek, national emblem of Wales

Thursday 28 February 2013, 11:03

Harry Secombe posing with a leek for a sketch in The Goon Show, 1972

The origins of the leek as a symbol or an emblem of Wales and all things Welsh are now lost in time but it is highly likely that they go back to the days of the druids, the priests and holy men who controlled society in the centuries before the Romans came to Britain.

In those pagan times people worshipped trees, flowers and plants and saw in them magical properties. The leek was revered as something that could not only help cure colds and alleviate the pains of childbirth, it could also be used to keep away evil spirits and to foretell the future.

We do know that the soldiers of Edward I adopted the green and white colours of the leek for their uniform during the Hundred Years War. Almost certainly, the much feared Welsh archers were wearing the colours during the Battle of Crecy.

In 1537 members of the household guard presented leeks to Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII, on St David’s Day and there are records of payments for leeks in the accounts books of several Tudor kings. These were to be worn by the guards on 1 March.

Shakespeare, of course, refers to the wearing of leeks in his play Henry V. The young King tells the Welsh warrior Fluellen that he is wearing a leek because «I am Welsh, good countryman.»

By the 17th and 18th centuries it was common practice for the king and members of his court to wear leeks on St David’s Day. The smell from these pungent vegetables (from the same family as onions and garlic) must have been horrible but since people, of both high and low rank, did not wash very much in those days it did not cause undue comment.

More than just an emblem, the leek can be used in a range of dishes

Back in the 17th century, however, with the king and all members of his court sporting leeks every St David’s Day, it is easy to see how the practice became common among ordinary folk. They simply «aped their betters», as the man once said.

The wearing of daffodils, while certainly a lot less smelly, did not become popular until the 19th century.

In 1911 David Lloyd George, a firm supporter of the daffodil over the leek, ensured that the flower was used in the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. The leek played no part in the ceremony whatsoever.

Either way, it is good to know that the humble leek, the favourite vegetable of the Emperor Nero, still appears every 1 March. Long may it continue to do so.

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National symbols of Wales

The significance of the dragon in Welsh culture is believed to date back to Arthurian legend when Merlin had a vision of a red dragon (representing native Britons) fighting a white dragon (the Saxon invaders). The use of green and white refer to the colours of the House of Tudor, the 15th century royal family of Welsh origin.

According to legend, St David advised the Britons on the eve of a battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps so as to easily distinguish friend from foe. This helped to secure a great victory. Today Welsh people around the world wear leeks on St David’s Day. It is also a surviving tradition that soldiers in the Welsh regiments eat a raw leek on St David’s Day.

The daffodil is also associated with St. David’s Day, due to the fact that it breaks into blossom on that day. Interesting to note that one of the many Welsh names for a daffodil is «Cenhinen Bedr» which means «Peter’s leek»

The red kite is sometimes named as the national symbol of wildlife in Wales

The Sessile Oak, also called the Welsh Oak is the national tree of Wales

The Harp
The harp is regarded as the national instrument of Wales. The harp has been used through the ages as an accompaniment to folk-singing and dancing and as a solo instrument. Past Royal harpists include Catrin Finch.

The Prince of Wales Feathers

the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales

It consists of three white ostrich feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien( «I serve»)

The Welsh Rugby Union uses such a design for its own badge. The national sport is often considered rugby union, though football is very popular too.

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An official emblem

Last updated: 08 August 2008

Although the dragon has been used in Wales for many years, it wasn’t until the 20th century that it became an official symbol.

The Laws in Wales Acts, passed in 1536 and 1543 during the reign of Henry VIII from the Welsh Tudor dynasty, created a single state and legal jurisdiction, effectively annexing Wales to England.

Henry did, however, use the red dragon on green and white as an emblem on many Royal Navy vessels. It was also used by Queen Elizabeth I. Yet the Welsh influence waned when the Scottish James VI became James I (England) in 1605, and the dragon was replaced by a unicorn in the royal arms. It didn’t return to the Royal Badge of Wales until 1807.

Largely because of the Laws in Wales Acts and the Statute of Rhuddlan, Wales is not represented on the Union Jack, other than through the cross of St George (Wales and England being, according to the acts, one country). Although proposals to incorporate it have been made, they have been met with muted enthusiasm.

In 1901 the dragon became the official symbol of Wales, and in Caernarfon in 1911, at the investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales, the flag appeared in its current form, helping its rise to prominence.

In 1953 it was announced that there would be a new royal badge containing the motto «Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn» (an approximate translation is «the red dragon inspires action»).

In 1959, after successful lobbying by the Gorsedd of Bards and others, Queen Elizabeth II made the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag for Wales.

It was announced that the flag to be flown on government buildings would consist only of the red dragon on a green and white flag, rather than the 1953 badge, which was still in occasional use.

The 1959 design can today be seen right across Wales, and is a symbol of pride in history and heritage for Welsh people across the world.

What is the National Symbol of Wales?

The rich and varied history of Wales has left a long list of national symbols in its wake, with each representing the country’s values and ideals during the different periods of their arrival. As far as national symbols go, Wales has managed to acquire an eclectic collection over the centuries.

The national symbols of Wales have ranged from mighty creatures of legend, such as the red dragon, to slightly more mundane vegetables such as the leek. But what is the current national symbol of Wales, and how did it come to be recognized as such?

Why is the Leek the National Symbol of Wales?

The leek is the main ingredient of Wales’s national dish, has its likeness stamped on the Welsh pound coin, and its symbol features prominently on flags, banners, and jerseys at Rugby matches. With so much national pride in the leek, it’s understandable to want to know the history of how a humble vegetable could play such a prominent role in a country’s history.

There are several stories related to how the leek came to find its way into becoming a Welsh national symbol. The first is a tale of war and refers to the battle between Wales and the Saxons. On the eve before the Saxons and the Welsh were to clash on the battlefield, Wales’s patron Saint, David, advised the soldiers wear a leek. According to the legend, the leak was used to tell friend from foe during the frenzied chaos of battle.

Coincidentally, the battle is said to have taken place in a leek field, which may have had something to do with St David’s ruling. Cadwaladr, the 7th-century king of Gwynedd, has also been given credit for ordering his men into battle wearing leeks, so the soldiers could more easily identify each other when they were in the thick of it.

The idea of the leek as part of a soldier’s uniform was carried down through the centuries with Welsh longbow archers affixing a leek to their caps during the Hundred Years War of the 13th and 14th centuries. The archers were also easily recognized from the green and white uniforms they wore in battle.
During the reign of the Tudors, a time when a Welsh family sat on the throne of England, members of the household guard would wear a leek in their caps, an act which saw them rewarded with a small bonus in their pay.

William Shakespeare may have also played a part in cementing the role of the leek as a national symbol. When Shakespeare’s play Henry V was published, it featured a scene proclaiming the wearing of a leek as an ancient Welsh tradition. The character, Fluellen, tells the king that he is wearing a leek. The king, who was born in Monmouth, Wales, replies, “for I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.” Fluellen also has a scene where he discussed a battle when Welsh soldiers fought “in a garden where leeks did grow.”

Another famous historical theory about how the leek became the national symbol of Wales was that leeks were used as rations for Welsh soldiers. It’s a tale that isn’t all that unbelievable, considering the leek is a staple ingredient in cawl, Wales’s national soup dish.

The leek has been with humanity throughout most of history, and has been used not just for food, but also had medicinal value. Even today, the stylized image of the leek is a symbol of pride, as it’s worn by every member of the Welsh regiment when commemorating St David’s Day.

Now that we understand how deserving of its status as a national symbol of Wales the leak is, we should take some time to explore a few other interesting badges of honour Wales has adopted over the centuries.

The Daffodil

The references to how the leek became a Wales national symbol are obscure, but it doesn’t have anything on the daffodil, which may be even more obscure and steeped in legend. So, why is the daffodil a symbol of Wales?

The story which makes sense to most people is that the word for daffodil and leek are very similar in Welsh – Cenhinen for leek and Cenhinen Pedr for daffodil. It may be that confusion between the two names led to the daffodil being adopted as a national symbol of Wales as well.

Many people are also of the opinion that the English government rallies behind the daffodil as a preferred symbol because it lacks the nationalistic undercurrents associated with the leek.

The Dragon

The Red Dragon of Wales, standing on a green and white background with one foot raised, has a proud tradition as a national symbol of Wales. The current iteration of the flag was officially adopted in 1959, and the design has ties to an old royal badge which has been in use since the days of the Tudors.

Why is the dragon the symbol of Wales and how did it become the national flag? It’s a story that goes back centuries. The long history of The Red Dragon means that the flag may earn it the record of being the oldest national flag still in use today.

As with most national symbols of Wales, the details about how it came to be, have been lost to the mists of time. However, one popular legend talks of a red dragon during Arthurian times. It is said that Merlin had visions of a red dragon, fighting off a white dragon. According to Merlin, the red dragon represented the Welsh, while the white dragon represented the Saxon invaders.

However, Arthurian tales are not the only ancient references we have to the red dragon. There is a legend which recounts Romano-British soldiers carrying the red dragon banner to Rome. The oldest historical record of using the dragon as a national symbol of Wales, however, is found in the Historia Brittonum, which was penned by the historian Nennius, sometime around 820.

The green and white background used on the new flag is a nod to the colours of the House of Tudor, a 15th-century royal family hailing from Wales.

Prince of Wales Symbol

The Prince of Wales symbol consists of three ostrich plumes threaded through a gold coronet. The coronet is inscribed with the German words Ich Dien, which translates to “I Serve.” It’s an emblem that represents the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth crown, and you will often see the symbol worn on the Welsh rugby shirts.

The symbol dates back to Edward, the Black Prince, who is credited as the first to use the design. On 12 May 1343, Edward III created the position of duke Prince of Wales, and the prince was invested with a circlet, a gold ring, and a silver rod. However, the details about how the symbol came to be in its current form are few and far between. Edward’s coat of arms as Prince of Wales was a “label of three points argent,” which it is said, he later changed into a badge of three ostrich feathers.

The Flag of St David

The flag of St. David is depicted as a yellow cross on a black background, using the same dimensions as St. George’s Cross. The flag of St. David did not become part of public consciousness of the Welsh until 1994 and is used primarily to display dissatisfaction with the current flag. It has since become a famous symbol of Welsh patriotism alongside the Red Dragon, rather than in direct competition with it.

How the flag first came to be in use is somewhat of a mystery, but it is thought to have been designed to fly above Anglican churches in Wales. Whatever the flag’s origin, the colours of black and yellow have long been associated with Saint David, the Welsh Saint.

The flag of Owain Glyndŵr – Glyndŵr’s Banner

Four lions, alternating as red lions on a yellow background, and yellow lions on a red background, is the symbol of Owain Glyndwr. The flag has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years and is used by the National Eisteddfod for Wales and is also popular with pro-independence groups.

Owain Glyndŵr was a Welsh leader who yearned for independence from English rule in the late middle ages. He led a long-running yet unsuccessful war of independence, but his name lives on alongside legends such as Arthur and Cynan. The origin of the design is thought to be inspired by the counter-charged arms of the Houses of Mathrafal and Dinefwr.

The Red Kite

The Red Kite is a source of great pride for the Welsh people. Under a century ago, there were only two breeding pairs in the country.

Now, when the Welsh look up, they may see hundreds of the magnificent birds soaring over rural areas around Wales. Red kite feeding stations provide opportunities for locals and visitors to view this magnificent bird up close.
The red kite is well-loved by the people, and they showed their adoration in 2007 by voting the red kite as the most popular bird in Wales, which also led to it being adopted as the national symbol of Wales for wildlife.