Flag of Orkney
Encyclopedia
The new official Orkney Community Flag was the winner of a public flag consultation in February and March 2007. In the flag consultation the people of Orkney were asked for their preferred design from a short list of 5, all of which had been approved by the Court of the Lord Lyon
. The chosen design was that of Duncan Tullock of Birsay
, which polled 53% of the 200 votes cast by the public.
The colours red and yellow are from the Scottish
and Norwegian
royal coats of arms, which both use yellow and red, with a lion
rampant
. The flag symbolises the islands' Scottish
and Norwegian
heritage. The blue is taken from the flag of Scotland
and also represents the sea and the maritime heritage of the islands.
The new flag resembles the flags of Norway
(white for yellow) and Åland
(colours reversed). The issue of the supposed similarity with the flag of the Norwegian fascist
Vidkun Quisling
's party Nasjonal Samling was raised in The Orcadian
in May 2007. That flag however did not include the blue cross
, which make the two easily distinguishable. It should also be noted that a red–yellow
flag was, and still is, used by people in the Swedish province of Skåne years before Nasjonal Samling used a red–yellow cross flag. A red–yellow cross flag
is also used by Swedish-speaking Finns.
, a yellow field with a red Nordic cross. St Magnus (Magnus Erlendsson) was Earl of Orkney
from 1108 to 1117. However, there is nothing to connect him to the red cross on yellow, this being an attribution of our day. This flag has no official status, having been declined recognition by the Lord Lyon, the heraldic authority of Scotland, due to similarity with the Arms of Ulster
(themselves adopted from the Arms of John de Courcy
). Historically, the red cross on yellow is likely the flag of the Kalmar Union
, a medieval Scandinavia
n state of which Orkney was a part.
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
. The chosen design was that of Duncan Tullock of Birsay
Birsay
Birsay is a parish in the north west corner of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. Almost all the land in the parish is devoted to agriculture: chiefly grassland used to rear beef cattle...
, which polled 53% of the 200 votes cast by the public.
The colours red and yellow are from the Scottish
Royal coat of arms of Scotland
The royal coat of arms of Scotland was the official coat of arms of the monarchs of Scotland, and was used as the official coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland until the Acts of Union of 1707...
and Norwegian
Coat of arms of Norway
The coat of arms of Norway is a crowned, golden lion rampant holding an axe with an argent blade, on a crowned, triangular and red escutcheon. Its elements originate from personal insignias for the royal house in the High Middle Ages, thus being among the oldest in Europe...
royal coats of arms, which both use yellow and red, with a lion
Lion (heraldry)
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...
rampant
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...
. The flag symbolises the islands' Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
heritage. The blue is taken from the flag of Scotland
Flag of Scotland
The Flag of Scotland, , also known as Saint Andrew's Cross or the Saltire, is the national flag of Scotland. As the national flag it is the Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland, which is the correct flag for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly in order to demonstrate both...
and also represents the sea and the maritime heritage of the islands.
The new flag resembles the flags of Norway
Flag of Norway
The flag of Norway is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark.- History :...
(white for yellow) and Åland
Flag of Åland
The flag of Åland refers to the geographical and political position of the Finnish islands of Åland. It is the Swedish flag defaced by a red cross symbolising Finland...
(colours reversed). The issue of the supposed similarity with the flag of the Norwegian fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
's party Nasjonal Samling was raised in The Orcadian
The Orcadian
The Orcadian is the oldest newspaper in Orkney, Scotland, first published in 1854. At first a monthly paper, it soon became a weekly. It is produced in Kirkwall and comes out each Thursday....
in May 2007. That flag however did not include the blue cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
, which make the two easily distinguishable. It should also be noted that a red–yellow
Flag of Skåneland
The flag of Scania, or the Scanian Cross Flag is a provincial flag, representing Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden.There are two other more official regional flags, one being the banner of arms of Skåne Regional Council , adopted 9 February 1999: On a field of blue a yellow crowned...
flag was, and still is, used by people in the Swedish province of Skåne years before Nasjonal Samling used a red–yellow cross flag. A red–yellow cross flag
Flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns
The flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns is an unofficial red flag with a yellow cross used in the Swedish-speaking parts of Finland to represent the Finland-Swedes. It may be flown in addition to the Finnish blue and white flag...
is also used by Swedish-speaking Finns.
Former flag of Orkney
The previous though unofficial flag of Orkney was that created in the mid-1990s and attributed to St MagnusMagnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney
Saint Magnus, Earl Magnus Erlendsson of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was the first Earl of Orkney to bear that name, and ruled from 1108 to about 1115...
, a yellow field with a red Nordic cross. St Magnus (Magnus Erlendsson) was Earl of Orkney
Earl of Orkney
The Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's...
from 1108 to 1117. However, there is nothing to connect him to the red cross on yellow, this being an attribution of our day. This flag has no official status, having been declined recognition by the Lord Lyon, the heraldic authority of Scotland, due to similarity with the Arms of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
(themselves adopted from the Arms of John de Courcy
John de Courcy
John de Courcy was a Anglo-Norman knight who arrived in Ireland in 1176. From then until his expulsion in 1204, he conquered a considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for both the Benedictines and the Cistercians and built strongholds at Dundrum Castle in County...
). Historically, the red cross on yellow is likely the flag of the Kalmar Union
Flag of the Kalmar Union
The flag of the Kalmar Union, also known as the Nordic flag, was derived from the Dannebrog, bearing a Nordic Cross. It consists of a red cross, set slightly towards the left, on a yellow background. Any representations of this flag are recreations of what the flag is thought to have looked like...
, a medieval Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n state of which Orkney was a part.
See also
- Nordic Cross FlagNordic Cross FlagThe Nordic Cross Flag, Nordic Cross, or Scandinavian Cross is a pattern of flags usually associated with the flags of the Scandinavian countries of which it originated. All of the Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted such flags...
- Royal Standard of ScotlandRoyal Standard of ScotlandThe Royal Standard of Scotland, , also known as the Banner of the King of Scots, or more commonly the Lion Rampant of Scotland, is the Scottish Royal Banner of Arms...
- Royal Standard of NorwayRoyal Standard of NorwayThe Royal Standard of Norway is used by the King of Norway. It was introduced by Cabinet Decision of 15 November 1905, following the plebiscite confirming the election of Prince Carl of Denmark to the vacant throne after the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway...
- Flag of NorwayFlag of NorwayThe flag of Norway is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark.- History :...
- Flag of ÅlandFlag of ÅlandThe flag of Åland refers to the geographical and political position of the Finnish islands of Åland. It is the Swedish flag defaced by a red cross symbolising Finland...
- List of Scottish flags
- List of British flags