Flag of Wales

The national flag of Wales is The Red Dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch). It consists of a red dragon, passant, on a green and white field. The exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many different interpretations exist.

Related Topics:
National flag - Wales - Welsh - Y Ddraig Goch - Red - Dragon - Passant - Green - White - Field

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The flag was granted official status in 1959, and is based on an old royal badge used by English and British monarchs since the Tudor dynasty: on a mount vert a dragon gules. The red dragon itself has been associated with Wales for centuries; on this basis, the flag is sometimes claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use. The origin of the adoption of the dragon symbol is now lost in history and myth. A plausible theory is that the Romans brought the emblem to what is now Wales during their occupation of Britain, but it could be even older. The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603 (green and white are also the colours of the leek, another national emblem of Wales).

Related Topics:
1959 - Badge - Tudor dynasty - National flag - History - Myth - Romans - Occupation - Britain - House of Tudor - English throne - 1485 - 1603 - Leek - National emblem

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The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 820, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. It is particularly associated in Welsh poetry with Cadwaladr king of Gwynedd from c.655 to 682.

Related Topics:
Historia Brittonum - 820 - Arthur - Celt - Cadwaladr - Gwynedd - 655 - 682

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Many legends are associated with the Welsh dragon. The most famous is the prophecy of Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long fight between a red dragon and a white dragon. According to the prophecy, the white dragon would at first dominate but eventually the red dragon would win. This is an allegory of the historical struggle between the Welsh and the English.

Related Topics:
Prophecy - Myrddin - Allegory - Welsh - English

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Wales and Bhutan are the only countries to have a dragon on their flag.

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