The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-10

Origin of Some of the Arms of Euro
| penn SOverciens.

peau SOVerctgnS.
From the Pan Mall Gazette.
Every royal house in Europe had it's own
cognizance once, perhaps, but of the orig
Inal forms only the fieur-de-lys survives.
The white horse of Kent is older perhaps.
1t preserves the memory of the Eskings
descendants of Hengist, but is no longer
royal. Our English lion is modern com
paratively-eo much 50 that the French
even now, when in bitter mood, call him
a leopard. The reason is curious and pro-
found. like all matters connected with
heraldy. That science vas undeveloped,
not 10 say unborn, when the early Plan
tagenets set three walking lions on their
shields in the natural attitude, side
face" Afterwards they turned the heads
of the creatures full face" But that
made all tho difference when heraldy be-
gan to be perfected. A lion walking FUN
face" becomes ipso facto leopard by the
magic of that wondrous art, and the scorn-
full chivalry of France tainted our blame
less soveregns with endeavoring TO sub
stItute the king of beasts for the "unclean
panther" which was their fitting emblem.
Tho dragon cognizance of the House OF
Cerdic became the standard of the realm,
If Il can be said that the realm possessed
bits ulAtt tAlt triumph VI NSEStA. 1dtEl-
otto Welshmen demonstrate that the dun
Saxon stole 1t from their kings. aud they
have the support of Lord Tennyson, at
least. We all recollect the description of
Arthur on his throne al Camelot encom-
passed by dragons. They "clung" to his
crown, they "writhed down" his robes,
they "crept" from the back Of his chair;
while all the rest Of them dlsported
themselves through knots and loops and
F,Tl INN Il,
could not possibly have loved dragons
more than the Saxon one might say that
the latter used no motif IN decorative work
of any kind, on stone or metal or illumi-
mated page, but this. And he did not learn
it from any foreigner assuredly, seeing
that his nearest knsfolk, the Mortimer
showed just the same old fancy. 1t may
be traced to the popularity of the myth
of Sigurd who slew the Dragon Fafnir,
a subject of which the Northern artist
never tired.
1t is commonly said that the dragon Of
Wessex flew for the last time at Hastings
Harold had his own standard-he had no
son of Cerdc William of Malmesbury
describes tia man fighting, sumptuousIy
embroidered with gold and gems The
Conquerer presented II to the Pope. But
the dragon was certainly conspicuous. for
1t is figured on the Bayeux tapestry. Hast
ings was not the last field in which Eng
lishmen marched 10 battle under IT, Rich
ard of Devices mentions that the ter
rible standard of the dragon was unfurled
and borne in front" when Occur de Lion
attacked Messina. Such illusions to the
nag Of the army In general are very rare
in feudal times, and IL may well be that
the national dragon was hoisted whenever
the King appealed to his English subjects
Henry III, or more probably his sagacious
son, raised It al Lewes. "A dragon in
manner of standard or ensign OF red sar-
Genet, embroidered with gold the tongue
OF the dragon appearing as though contIn.
uallY in motion, and eyes OF sapphire -
Perhaps the tradition was growing dim
by that time, for the chronicler saws thar
sthis symbol was interpreted TO mean ma
quarter"
The aeur-de-lys is such a hopeless puz-
zle that grave authorities regard IL al the
corrupted figure OF a frog, others recor-
nize a Phallic emblem, others a bee win
wings spread; this last view commended
itself strongly to Napoleon There ar.
serious arguments and illustrations In
favor of each origin; the one fact tolerabl
certain is that Frankish Kings bore !.
cognizance which has developed into The
fleur-de-lys. as soon as history gets a
clear view of them Almost certainly
however, that cognizance was not a flower
of any sort in the beginning.
The history OF the doubie-headed eagle
in Europe is known well enough The
German Emperor Conrad saw II at Con
stantinople when crusading in 1147 Learn
ing that the device represented sovereienrv
over east and west, he thought II adapted
TO his own case, aud annexed IT, The
Counts of Flanders were equally struck
in the next Crusade, and followed the
same course. II was finally appropriated
by the House of Austria in 1916; afterward
Prussia and Russia yielded to the fascina-
ton of its beauty. But when we QUIT
these modern inanities and seek the dou-
ble-headed eagle In its native home, we
are led into the very beginning of things.
Tracing the symbol upward. II is found
as a common ornament among the Mann
luks of Egypt, evidently introduced by the
Mesopotamian artists whom they favored.
In the museum at South Kensington are
several exquisite works of that period
showing the double-headed eagle. II has
been suggested that Saladin bore 1t. His
cognizance was certainly an eagle, but
one may think that Christian chroniclers
would have mentioned 1t had the bird been
douBie-headed. But the device appears at
an earlier date on the coinage Of the
Prince of Singar, In Mesopotamia; also "a
was sculptured on the walls of the city OF
Anna in that region. Passing an indefinite
number OF centuries, we find II upon the
golden ornaments OF Mycenae. But the
original is identified. so far, among that
most mysterious of people, the Hjttites.
with them IL was very holy and power
full symbol evidently. though the signih-
canoe Is not yet ascertained. On the enor-
nous monoliths of granite before the pal
ace at Eyuk, double-headed eagles are
carved holding an animal. So in that won
drous cave-temple Of Borghas-Keui, where
the gods are sculptured In procession, two
OF them ride upright on the mystic bird.
1t Is carved above the gates OF cities and
on their massive walls. We shall know
more doubtless. IN good time.