Bat (heraldry)
Encyclopedia
The bat
as a heraldic symbol
is primarily represented in the coats of arms of certain important towns of the former Crown of Aragon
. It appears mostly at the top, above the crown
over the shield.
and the Balearic Islands
has its origins in a winged dragon
(vibra or vibria) that was crowning the helmet or cimera reial of the Kings of Aragon. Although traditionally the dragon helmet is ascribed to king James I of Aragon
(1208 – 1276),
reliable documents state that the winged dragon cimera reial didn't appear over the helmet until Peter IV of Aragon
's reign (1319 – 1387).
There is also a legend that says that thanks to the humble intervention of a bat, king James I of Aragon was able to win a crucial battle against the Saracen
s that allowed him to win Valencia for his kingdom. However, original documents state that the animal was a swallow
and not a bat.
, like Valencia, Palma de Mallorca
and Fraga
have the bat over the shield. Also smaller towns, like Atzeneta d'Albaida
, Catarroja
and Novallas
, use this symbol.
Formerly the Barcelona
city coat of arms had a bat crowning it as well, but the bat was removed at the beginning of the 20th century for unknown reasons. The city of Teruel
used to have a bat surmounting the coat of arms' crown as well. The bat represented the commemoration of the role of this city in the conquest of Valencia and it was removed in the 19th century.
The use of the bat as a heraldic symbol is prevalent in the territories of the former Crown of Aragon and it is little used elsewhere. However, it can be found in a few places, like in the coats of arms of the city of Albacete
, in Spain, as well as the town of Montchauvet (Yvelines)
, in France
and Fiefbergen
in Schleswig-Holstein
. Outside of the European continent, the coat of arms of Santa Fe de Antioquia has multiple bats. It was granted to the town in 1545 by Charles I of Castile and Aragon
and his mother Joanna of Castile
.
club badges, like the Valencia CF
, the CD Alcoyano
(Alcoiá) the Albacete Balompié
and the Llevant Unió Esportiva
, have a bat on them. The ancient badge of the FC Barcelona
, used only during the 1899-1910 period, had a small bat crowning it as well.
The Burgee
of the Royal Valencia Yacht Club (Reial Club Nàutic de València) displays a bat on a golden field in its center.
Lo Rat Penat, a political organization based in Valencia in 1878, was named after the heraldic bat. Established by Constantí Llombart, Teodor Llorente and Fèlix Pizcueta, its aim was originally to foster a movement similar to the Catalan Renaixença
in the region of Valencia.
The Royal Air Force
No IX Squadron adopted the bat badge in 1917 along with the Latin language motto "Per Noctem Volamus" (we fly through the night). The badge was approved by King Edward VIII in November 1936.
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
as a heraldic symbol
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
is primarily represented in the coats of arms of certain important towns of the former Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
. It appears mostly at the top, above the crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
over the shield.
Origins
The heraldic use of the bat in Valencia, CataloniaCatalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
has its origins in a winged 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...
(vibra or vibria) that was crowning the helmet or cimera reial of the Kings of Aragon. Although traditionally the dragon helmet is ascribed to king James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
(1208 – 1276),
reliable documents state that the winged dragon cimera reial didn't appear over the helmet until Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
's reign (1319 – 1387).
There is also a legend that says that thanks to the humble intervention of a bat, king James I of Aragon was able to win a crucial battle against the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s that allowed him to win Valencia for his kingdom. However, original documents state that the animal was a swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
and not a bat.
The bat in official heraldry
The coats of arms of certain cities in eastern SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, like Valencia, Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
and Fraga
Fraga
Fraga is the major town of the comarca of Bajo Cinca in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is located by the river Cinca.King Alfonso I of Aragon died at its walls in 1134 while trying to conquer it...
have the bat over the shield. Also smaller towns, like Atzeneta d'Albaida
Atzeneta d'Albaida
Atzeneta d'Albaida is a municipality in the comarca of Vall d'Albaida, in the province of Valencia, in the Valencian Community, Spain.-Monuments:* Church of San Juan Bautista * Hermitage of Cristo del Calvario.* Nevera de Dalt....
, Catarroja
Catarroja
Catarroja is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Sud in the Valencian Community, Spain....
and Novallas
Novallas
Novallas is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It belongs to the "comarca" of Tarazona y el Moncayo. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 807 inhabitants.- Geography :...
, use this symbol.
Formerly the Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
city coat of arms had a bat crowning it as well, but the bat was removed at the beginning of the 20th century for unknown reasons. The city of Teruel
Teruel
Teruel is a town in Aragon, eastern Spain, and the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 34,240 in 2006 making it one of the least populated provincial capitals in the country...
used to have a bat surmounting the coat of arms' crown as well. The bat represented the commemoration of the role of this city in the conquest of Valencia and it was removed in the 19th century.
The use of the bat as a heraldic symbol is prevalent in the territories of the former Crown of Aragon and it is little used elsewhere. However, it can be found in a few places, like in the coats of arms of the city of Albacete
Albacete
Albacete is a city and municipality in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The municipality had a population of c. 169,700 in 2009....
, in Spain, as well as the town of Montchauvet (Yvelines)
Montchauvet, Yvelines
Montchauvet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.A British bomber was shot down in the area of Montchauvet on June 8th, 1944. The six men of his crew rest in the local graveyard....
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Fiefbergen
Fiefbergen
Fiefbergen is a municipality in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. Outside of the European continent, the coat of arms of Santa Fe de Antioquia has multiple bats. It was granted to the town in 1545 by Charles I of Castile and Aragon
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and his mother Joanna of Castile
Joanna of Castile
Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain...
.
Other uses
Based on the heraldic symbol of their city, certain Spanish footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club badges, like the Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, the CD Alcoyano
CD Alcoyano
Club Deportivo Alcoyano is a Spanish football team based in Alcoy, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1929, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games in Estadio El Collao, with a 5,000-seat capacity...
(Alcoiá) the Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
and the Llevant Unió Esportiva
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
, have a bat on them. The ancient badge of the FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, used only during the 1899-1910 period, had a small bat crowning it as well.
The Burgee
Burgee
A burgee is a distinguishing flag, regardless of its shape, of a recreational boating organization.-Etiquette:Yacht clubs and their members may fly their club's burgee while underway and at anchor, day or night, but not while racing. Sailing vessels may fly the burgee from the main masthead or from...
of the Royal Valencia Yacht Club (Reial Club Nàutic de València) displays a bat on a golden field in its center.
Lo Rat Penat, a political organization based in Valencia in 1878, was named after the heraldic bat. Established by Constantí Llombart, Teodor Llorente and Fèlix Pizcueta, its aim was originally to foster a movement similar to the Catalan Renaixença
Renaixença
The Renaixença was an early 19th century late romantic revivalist movement in Catalan language and culture, akin to the Galician Rexurdimento or the Occitan Félibrige movements. The first stimuli of the movement date of the 1830s and 1840s, but the Renaixença stretches up into the 1880s, until it...
in the region of Valencia.
The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
No IX Squadron adopted the bat badge in 1917 along with the Latin language motto "Per Noctem Volamus" (we fly through the night). The badge was approved by King Edward VIII in November 1936.
See also
- DragonDragonA 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...
- Dragons in Catalan mythology
- Catalan symbolsCatalan symbolsThe oldest Catalan symbol is the Coat of arms of Catalonia, one of the oldest coats of arms in Europe.. It dates back to the 9th century, according to a legend that says that the four red bars are the result of Charles the Bald, known also as Charles II, king of West Francia, smearing four...
- James I of AragonJames I of AragonJames I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
- Crown of AragonCrown of AragonThe Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
External links
- Blason de Valence
- Cimera del Casal de Barcelona
- Cimera de la Festa de l'Estendard
- Barcelona coat of arms
- FC Barcelona, old badges
- Lo Rat Penat
- El ratpenat - Homenatge indirecte al València CF