French Fleur-de-lis

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Interestingly enough, the fleur-de-lis is a stylized representation of an iris, despite the fact that the name means "flower of the lily" in French. It is an ancient symbol which has been associated with France and the French monarchy since the fifth century.

Its association with France began with the anointing of King Clovis I as the King of the Franks. According to legend, he adopted the fleur-de-lis as his symbol upon his conversion to Christianity because it represented purity.

In the Middle Ages the symbol occured frequently in religious art. Often it was used as a representation of the Virgin Mary because it symbolized purity and chastity.

The text behind the fleur-de-lis is from the Song of Roland, the oldest major work of French literature.

Et in Arcadia Ego

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This design was inspired by a relief on a monument at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England known as the "Shugborough House Inscription," which was inspired by a painting by Nicholas Poussin.

The relief shows shepherds reading an inscription on a tomb which says, "Et in Arcadia Ego," which means "I am also in Arcadia, or "I am even in Arcadia." Some think that the phrase "Et in Arcadia Ego" is spoken by Death, as signified by the skull, to remind people that death is everywhere.

However, many think that the inscription is actually a secret code. In addition to the phrase "Et in Arcadia Ego," the inscription contains the letter sequence D O U S V A V V M. Furthermore, a shepherd is pointing to the n in in.

Among the theories as to the meaning of the code is one that it is a secret love letter from the owner of the estate to his late wife. A more famous theory is that the message contains a hidden clue to the whereabouts of the Holy Grail, as the original painter Poussin was a member of the Priory of Sion, the same secret society in The Da Vinci Code.