Symbols of the Terran Federation

The **national symbols of the Terran Federal Republic** are a set of symbols associated with the Terran Federation and humanity.

The most notorious Terran symbols are:

* National flag: "Illumination"
* National anthem: Epitaph of Seikilos
* National motto: Order, Progress, Unity
* Government symbols: Westminster and Louvre Pyramid
* National holiday: 24th of November, Unification Day
* National animals: Eagles, owls, dragons and rarely lions
* National plants: Oak and olive tree
* Founding figures: primarily the Custodian and other figures

## Flag

The Terran Flag is a plain red flag with a central symbol. This symbol is made up of a blue circle and white star within the circle.

It evolved from the flag of the First Commonwealth. This flag utilised the old flag of the United Nations in a central circle surrounded by red, symbolizing the blood spilled in the Unification Wars.

With the creation of the Federation, it was decided the flag needed to change, so as to better represent humanity beyond just Earth. The basic design remained unchanged, but the blue was made darker to better fit with the red and the symbol of the UN was replaced with a white star. The flag was adopted in 2098, a year after the foundation of the Federation. Before then, the Federation itself did not have a flag.

,The red background of the flag slowly lost its revolutionary meaning, and now symbolizes the Terran people as a whole and the socialist values of the Federation. Red has become a colour generally associated with humanity, even for other alien species. The blue circle represents Earth, but also democracy and unity. The star within the circle represents the Sun, as well as science and reason illuminating Earth and enlightening humanity.

The flag, under the name *Illumination*, is credited primarily to the Custodian himself.

## Anthem

The Terran national anthem is the Epitaph of Seikilos. It is the oldest complete musical composition found on Earth.

There is no official version of the Epitaph which is the official one. The song itself is considered the anthem, whilst the instruments used for each representation varies. However, generally speaking, the Anthem is played with an orchestra and without lyrics. This has established itself as the most common occurrence for official events.

## Motto

The Terran National Motto is *Order, Progress, Unity.* It was adopted at the time of the late European Federation after the Custodian's coup. It remains the official motto of the Federation to this day. There are other unofficial mottos, such as:

* *E pluribus unum* (lat. "From many one")
* *Unus pro omnibus* (lat. "One for all")
* *Pro scientia et patria* (lat. "For science and country", often associated with the Cosmopolitan family)

## Government symbols

The two principal symbols of the Terran government and administration are Westminster in London and the Versailles palace near Paris. Westminster houses the Terran Senate, whilst Paris is the seat of Terran judicial authority. Paris is also the seat of the Ministry of Diplomacy making Versailles an often used synecdoche to refer to the Federation as a geopolitical entity (similar to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire). Westminster is used as a synecdoche of the central federal government.

## National holiday

The national holiday is Unification Day. It is celebrated on the 24th of November each year, and commemorates the proclamation of the First Commonwealth.

Individual commonwealths often have their own holidays. The most common are Establishment days, celebrating the establishment of the commonwealth, as well as Discovery or First step days, celebrating the first time a human walked on the world's surface.

## Animals

The national animals of the Terran Federation are eagles, owls and dragons. Lions are officially still considered a national animal, but are extremely rarely used.

Eagles are a general symbol of the Terran state and its might. These are most often either bald or black eagles. Two-headed, imperial-styled eagles are still a common occurrence.
Owls are a symbol of the Technocratic branch of government. They represent the technological and scientific dedication of the Federation and the wisdom of the Terran people.
Dragons are a symbol of Terran military might. Almost exclusively in use by the military, these are often found on flags and symbols of individual military units.
Lions were in extensive use in the early days of the Federation and of the First Commonwealth. However, they were progressively phased out in favour of eagles and dragons. They were initially in use as a successor to the European lion, national animal of the European Federation.

Individual Commonwealths often have their own animals, which are often native to the planets. For example: New Sidon has the native radiant medusa and Polaris has the giant peacock centipede. Mars and Venus both have dogs as their animal, symbolising their loyalty to Earth.

## Plants

The national plants of the Terran Federation are oak and olive trees.

Oaks are a general symbol of Terran strength and stability. Oaks are often planted when a child is born on planets which can support oaks. Even on those which can't, there are often great domes with artificial climates which allow it. A person's ashes are traditionally deposited under the person's oak. This was started by the Custodian, although his ashes were deposited under a cherry blossom tree.
Olive trees symbolise the longevity and wisdom of the Terran people and nation. They were massively used after the Unification as the symbol of unity and peace.

## Founding figures

> *For main article, see The Custodian*
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The Custodian is the primary founding figure of the Federation, to the extent where one of his aliases is Pater Noster, latin for our father. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the Unification and founding of the Federation. His contributions to Terran culture are also important. His greatest literary achievement, the Historia Humana saga, are some of the most complete historical books of overall human history. These have become the basis for much of historical education within the Federation. Whilst his name is unknown, and as such no buildings or events are named after him, his physical appearance is well-known. Many statues of him have been erected across the Federation.

There are other major founding figures of the Federation. Most notable of which is Albert Frijkstadt: only trillionaire, philanthropist, friend of the Custodian and third Chancellor of the Federation. On a personal level, he is known for creating the Frijkstadt Corporation. The other major founding figures were the members of the executive council, close advisors of the Custodian and most powerful people in the First Commonwealth after him. These are, by order of importance:

Royce van Rijsewijk, head of the military; Tanya Abrams, head of the administration, premier of the First Commonwealth; Phillipe Meursault, head of intelligence; Arthur Castlereagh, head of diplomacy; Joasia Kalinowska, head of censorship and propaganda; James R. Callaghan, head of relations with corporations; and Rajesh Laghari, head of emergency ecological solutions.

These individuals, along the Custodian formed the executive council's 8 permanent members, to which were added 5 temporary members elected by the Assembly. Due to their connections to the Custodian, this meant they would always be able to vote any of the Custodian's proposals with an absolute majority. Out of these seven individuals, two of them would go on to become Chancellors of the Federation, and all seven were part of a government of the Terran Federation as a minister. Most of their families would remain prominent, for some to this day. The most notable of these are the Callaghan family, Rijsewijk family and the Abrams family.