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.