Greek symbols: what does the coat of arms of Greece mean?

Greece - a country with a rich history, there is no longer the first millennium. Undoubtedly, such a long time provided her with a huge cultural heritage. It can be traced even in state symbols, despite the fact that the flag and the coat of arms of Greece were adopted not so long ago. And if a white and blue striped banner with a cross in the corner is familiar to many, then not everyone knows about other symbols. Meanwhile, the coat of arms is very similar to the flag of the country.

The modern look of the coat of arms

At the moment, Greece uses the image of a direct silver cross on the azure shield, which is surrounded by a laurel wreath. There are three different color variants of the latter. White-blue wreath shows the official coat of arms of Greece, the gold is used by the armed forces. In a multi-colored version, with green leaves, the symbol is used by citizens everywhere, in an informal setting. The symbolic value does not change depending on the color.

What does the coat of arms of Greece mean?

The central element, a shield with a straight cross, recalls the military glory and the Christian religion, which is associated with a difficult history of the struggle of the Greek Orthodox Church for the freedom of the country. Under blue is understood the clear sky and the seas washing Greece: the Mediterranean, Aegean, Ionian and Cretan. With white, the purity of the intentions of the Greek patriots is associated. There is another version, otherwise explaining the coat of arms of Greece. According to her, blue denotes mercy and hope, and white - justice, beauty and faith. Finally, the third option connects blue with truth and fidelity, and white - with the world. The laurel wreath framing the shield reminds of ancient history. Once in Greece so rewarded the winners of the Olympic Games. In the existing version, the coat of arms of Greece was approved on June 7, 1975.

Former appearance

State symbols are constantly changing. The flag and coat of arms of Greece were adopted about forty years ago. Before that, completely different symbols were used. Thus, the ancient coat of arms of Greece combined images of the owl and Pallas Athena, which were applied to coins.

In the fifteenth century, the Greeks found themselves under the Turkish yoke. Patriots began to use the white cross as a symbol of the struggle against Muslim Turkey. The uprising of 1829 is also associated with such images. In the course there were cloths of blue or red flowers with crosses, the Virgin, saints and a bird of the phoenix, engulfed by fire. During the reign of the first president of Greece, the seal of the country was the image of a mythical bird, which symbolizes renewal and rebirth.

After the return of the monarchy in the state, the Bavarian flag began to be used. The coat of arms of Greece was then executed in the same colors. The crowned white and blue shield on either side was supported by golden lions, and the image of a purple robe crowned. In 1963, the throne passed to the Danish prince, and the blue lions appeared on the arms. The shield was supported by giants with clubs.

In 1924, the republic was again formed, the coat of arms of which was a white cross on an azure shield. The mantle and crowns were removed from the image, and two ancient Greek warriors appeared at the edges. Ten years later, the country voted for the return of the monarchy, and the new coat of arms was chosen to be a symbol similar to the modern symbol - the crowned shield.

Hymn of Greece

The coat of arms and the flag of the country are similar in many respects. What can tell a hymn? His idea corresponds to the meaning of two other state symbols and talks about freedom. The words for the anthem were written in 1823 by a Greek named Dionysos Solomos, who lived on a small island. Then national independence was the main goal of most people, and the song became a kind of ideological weapon. There are 158 lines in the hymn, but in modern Greece only the first two quatrains are performed.