Legend says that coat of arms was granted by King Władysław I Łokietek to a peasant soldier (and his family) after the Battle of Płowce (1331) in which the Polish armies defeated the 40,000-strong force of the Teutonic Knights with minimal casualties. The man fought with great courage and only fell in battle when pierced by three spears in the abdominal region which caused his bowels to fall out. Shortly before death the King ennobled the fatally wounded man. Hence the three crossed spears in the coat of arms as well as the name Jelita - Bowels or Guts.