Coat of arms of the Azores
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The Coat of arms of the Azores is nine gold stars superimposed on a red bordure, representing the nine islands of the archipelago. The bordure surrounds a silver shield on which a blue eagle is displayed with wings elevated and with red feet, beak, and tongue. The crest is a closed helm in gold lined with red, surmounted by a wreath and mantling of silver and blue, topped by another blue eagle on which are superimposed the same nine gold stars.
The shield is supported by two chained black bulls, above a scroll containing the motto Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (English: Rather die free than in peace be subjugated). The supporters each hold a flagpole. Their collars, chains, and hooves are gold, their horns silver. The flags bear Christian symbols. The flag dexter, that is, on the viewer's left, is a red cross on a white field. The flag sinister, that is, on the viewer's right, is a white dove superimposed on gold rays in the shape of a cross on a red field, both flags bordered in gold.
The heraldic eagle in this case represents a goshawk, a common motif in Azorean heraldry and vexillology. The goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, is not found in the Azores but early sailors mistook the local buzzards, Buteo buteo rothschildi, for goshawks. Açor (pl. açores) specifically means "goshawk" in Portuguese.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Azores Coat of Arms, a rendering different from the illustration above
- The Portuguese Coat of Arms
- The Jastrzebiec Coat of Arms, a Polish family named after the goshawk, Jastrzab, with example in their coat of arms
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