Showing posts with label lion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lion. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

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.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

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?"

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

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.