Scotland

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The kings of Scotland began using the red lion rampant as their symbol in the twelfth century. The Latin motto that goes with the coat of arms is "Nemo me impune lacessit," which literally means, "Nobody challenged me with impunity," but it has been rendered in Scots as "Wha daur meddle wi me?" or "Who dares meddle with me?"

This England

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The use of three lions as the symbol of the English monarchy dates back to King Richard I, "The Lionheart," and echoes the coat of arms of Normandy, from which William the Conquerer launched his famous invasion.

The national flag of England is St. George's Cross, a red cross on a white background. St. George is the patron saint of England, and his cross has been associated with England since at least the twelfth century.

The quote on the banner is from Act II, Scene 1 of Richard II by William Shakespeare. Here is the entire speech, which alludes to the fact that England has not been successfully invaded since William the Conquerer crossed the Channel:

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,—
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

Brittany

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The coat of arms of Brittany has one of the simplest blazons (descriptions) in heraldry--"Ermine." The ermine pattern, known as a "fur" in the language of heraldry, represents ermine pelts sewn together.

Brittany is one of the six Celtic Nations and the only one outside of the British Isles. Even though French is the only official language of France, Breton is still spoken in the region. It is a Celtic language closely related to the nearly dead Cornish language and to Welsh.

The poem which is part of this design is in Breton. It is from a collection of folk songs compiled in the nineteenth century. It is about the birth of Merlin the Magician, who appears in some form in the mythology of all of the Celtic Nations. More information can be found about the poem here.

The oak leaves in the design were chosen because of their importance in Celtic mythology as well.

Welsh Dragon

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In Welsh, it is simple known as "Y Ddraig Goch," the red dragon. In Wales, the dragon is associated with stories of both Merlin and King Arthur, and represents the perseverance of the Welsh people. It appears on the national flag of Wales.

The writing behind the dragon is from the medieval Welsh poem Cad Goddeu, or "The Battle of the Trees, " from the Book of Taliesin. In the poem, the hero animates the trees of the forest to fight for him against the god of the underworld, but there had been a great deal of scholarly debate over the poem's deeper meaning. The full version can be read in Welsh here, and in English here.

Incidentally, "The Battle of the Trees," translated into Sanskrit, was sung by the chorus in "Duel of the Fates," from Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Tudor Rose

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For thirty years, the War of the Roses raged across England between the House of Lancaster, represented by the red rose, and the House of York, represented by the white rose. When Henry Tudor, a member of the House of Lancaster, defeated Richard III to become King Henry VII, he married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two houses and founding the Tudor dynasty of English monarchs. The Tudor Rose represents the uniting of the two houses.

The poem used in this design is called "Of a rose, a lovely rose, Of a rose is al myn song," written circa 1350 by an anonymous author. The language is Middle English. This is the full text:

LESTENYT, lordynges, both elde and yinge,
How this rose began to sprynge;
Swych a rose to myn lykynge
In al this word ne knowe I non.

The Aungil came fro hevene tour,
To grete Marye with gret honour,
And seyde sche xuld bere the flour
That xulde breke the fyndes bond.

The flour sprong in heye Bedlem,
That is bothe bryht and schen:
The rose is Mary hevene qwyn,
Out of here bosum the blosme sprong.

The ferste braunche is ful of myht,
That sprang on Cyrstemesse nyht,
The sterre schon over Bedlem bryht
That is bothe brod and long.

The secunde braunche sprong to helle,
The fendys power doun to felle:
Therein myht non sowle dwelle;
Blyssid be the time the rose sprong!

The thredde braunche is good and swote,
It sprang to hevene crop and rote,
Therein to dwellyn and ben our bote;
Every day it schewit in prystes hond.

Prey we to here with gret honour,
Che that bar the blyssid flowr,
Che be our helpe and our socour
And schyd us fro the fyndes bond.

Note the archaic words such as shen for beautiful and the use of x for sh.