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The Isle of Man The Isle of Man Isle of Man Latest News Isle of Man History Manx Government Manx Legislature Offshore Low Tax Banking on Isle of Man Manx Property Manx Sport Isle of Man TT Isle of Man Tourism Isle of Man Hotels Isle of Man Ferries Manx Cats Isle of Man Maps Isle of Man Towns Isle of Man Flags Isle of Man Coins Useful Contacts Isle of Man Plus... Isle of Man IN DEPTH Isle of Man Site Map Isle of Man Articles Other Low Tax Islands Bahamas Cayman Islands |
The Isle of Man Flag and Coat of ArmsThe Isle of Man flag has a red background with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Triskelion), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used
The Triskelion For centuries, the Island's symbol has been the ancient Triskelion: three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh. The Triskelion does not appear to have an official definition — Government publications, currency, flags, the tourist authority and others all use different variants. Most, but not all, preserve rotational symmetry. Some run clockwise, others anticlockwise. Some have the uppermost thigh at 12:00, others at 11:30 or 10:00, etc. Some have the knee bent at 90°, some at 60°, some at closer to 120°. Also the degree of ornamentation of the leg wear and spur vary considerably. |
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The Three Legs relate directly to the island's motto — Quocunque Jeceris Stabit, which translates to Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand. Interpretations of the motto often stress stability and robustness in the Manx character. Many schools on the island have adapted the motto to promote perseverance and hard work. The three legs symbol seems to have been adopted in the Thirteenth Century as the armorial bearings of the native kings of the Isle of Man, whose dominion also included the Hebrides - the Western Isles of Scotland. After 1266, when the native dynasty ended and control of the Island passed briefly to the Crown of Scotland and then permanently to the English Crown, the emblem was retained, and among the earliest surviving representations are those of the Manx Sword of State, thought to have been made in the year 1300 AD. The Three Legs also appeared on the Manx coinage of the seventeenth-nineteenth centuries, and are still in everyday use in the Manx Flag. Why the Three Legs were adopted as the royal arms of the Manx kingdom is unknown. It was originally a symbol of the Sun, the seat of Power and Life. In ancient times the emblem was particularly connected with the island of Sicily (probably because of its triangular outline) but the Sicilian "Legs" were always naked and generally displayed Medusa's head at the central point. A rather similar device was popular amongst the Celts and Norsemen in NW Europe, and in view of this it has been suggested that the Manx Three Legs were a heraldic modification of a native badge or emblem. Support for this theory may be seen in the appearance of the 'triskele', or simplified "Three Legs" emblem, on coins of the tenth century Norse King, Anlaf Cuaran, whose dominion included Dublin and the Isle of Man; and it is probable that the later Manx Kings were a branch of the same dynasty. All the early examples of the Manx "Legs" show them as if running sunwise (i.e. clockwise) and to that extent the heraldic symbol of the Island still retained an essential feature of the ancient pagan sun-symbol. Although often drawn anti-clockwise, that is singularly inappropriate. Coat of Arms 
The Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man (more correctly referred to as the Arms of Her Majesty in right of the Isle of Man) were granted by Her Majesty by Royal Warrant dated 12th July 1996. The Arms are an augmented version of the traditional arms which comprise the Three Legs conjoined on a red shield surmounted by a Crown and with the motto Quocunque Jeceris Stabit underneath. In heraldic terms the Arms are described: "for the Arms: Gules a Triskele Argent garnished and spurred Or And for the Crest ensigning the Shield of Arms An Imperial Crown proper and for the Supporters Dexter a Peregrine Falcon and sinister a Raven both proper together with this Motto Quocunque Jeceris Stabit."In 1405, King Henry IV gave the Isle of Man with all its rights to Sir John Stanley on condition that he paid homage and gave two Peregrine falcons to him and to every future King of England on his Coronation Day. Sir John's descendants ruled as Kings or Lords of Mann for 360 years until George III assumed the Lordship, while the presentation of two falcons continued up to the Coronation of George IV in 1822. The Raven is a bird of legend and superstition and there are a number of places on the Island which include Raven in their names. The Island has a strong Viking element in its history and Odin, the Norse God, was, according to mythology, accompanied by two Ravens. During the Millennium Year of 1979, a replica of a Viking longship was sailed from Norway to the Isle of Man by a mixed Norwegian and Manx crew. The longship, which is now preserved on the Island, is called "Odin's Raven". The Peregrine Falcon The Supporters assigned to the Arms were chosen because of their historic significance. In 1405, King Henry IV gave the Isle of Man with all its rights to Sir John Stanley on condition that he paid homage and gave two falcons to him and to every future King of England on his Coronation Day. Sir John's descendants ruled as Kings or Lords of Mann for 360 years until George III assumed the Lordship, while the presentation of two falcons continued up to the Coronation of George IV in 1822. The Raven The Supporters assigned to the Arms were chosen because of their historic significance. The Raven is a bird of legend and superstition and there are a number of places on the Island which include Raven in their names. The Island has a strong Viking element in its history and Odin, the Norse God, was, according to mythology, accompanied by two Ravens. During the Millennium Year of 1979, a replica of a Viking longship was sailed from Norway to the Isle of Man by a mixed Norwegian and Manx crew. The longship, which is now preserved on the Island, is called "Odin's Raven". MacDonald Flag (Isle of Man Parliament Flag) 
The official flag of the Manx Parliament Tynwald. Normally flown on Manx National Day (Tynwald Day). The idea for the flag came from the ancient arms of the Lords of Mann, which depicted a ship with sails furled (This emblem had also been used on notes and coins.). In 1971, the flag was adopted by the Tynwald Arrangements Committee to represent the parliament and its Viking past Civil Ensign (Isle of Man Ship Flag) 
May be flown by ships registered in the Isle of Man when the owners are Isle of Man residents. Lieutenant Governor's Flag 
Flown by a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, High Commissioner or other officer administering a government. The Isle of Man has a Lieutenant Governor, who is selected by the Lord of Man (Queen Elizabeth II) to represent her on the island. Manx Constabulary (Isle of Man Police Flag) 
The flag flown by the police force of the Isle of Man, known as the Manx Constabulary |
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