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.

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.