For many residents of the former Soviet Union, Crimea is still a promised land, a place where thousands of tourists came to receive medical treatment, relax, have fun and gain strength. These blessed lands have become a place of contention between Ukraine and Russia, since they recently came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the emblem of the Crimea has not changed.
Symbols on the coat of arms of Crimea
The main symbol of the Crimean statehood is very beautiful and solemn, it is a shield on which a griffin is depicted, and the scarlet shield is made in the image and likeness of the Varangian. The griffin is depicted in silver color, facing to the left, in its right paw there is a silver shell. It is open and a sky-blue pearl is visible in it.
Paphos sign is added by the picture of the rising sun. Two snow-white columns seem to support the shield, above them there is an inscription on the ribbon, a kind of motto - "Prosperity in unity". The ribbon is made in the colors traditional for the Russian flag (blue, white, red).
The meaning of the symbols depicted on the coat of arms
The griffin is a mythical creature that has long been used on various emblems and signs in the Northern Black Sea region. So, historians claim that the ancient colonial cities of Chersonesos and Panticapaeum, built by the Greeks, had emblems with his image.
The shape of the shield is a reference to the famous ancient waterway "from the Varangians to the Greeks", and the scarlet color (rich red tone) is always associated with the heroism and courage of the inhabitants who defended their right to independence and independence. Classic columns are a tribute to the memory of the ancient Greek civilization, thanks to which territories were settled, mastered, and developed. The sun, depicted on the coats of arms of many world states, is a symbol of prosperity, restoration, rebirth.
Excursion into the history of Crimea
But the griffin on the Varangian shield was not always the main state symbol. Depending on the ownership of lands to a particular state, other symbols were also present here. The appearance of the first official coat of arms was associated with the entry of the Crimea (the former Crimean Khanate) into the Russian Empire. In March 1784, the Tauride region received a coat of arms similar to the Russian symbol. So, it was depicted:
- the two-headed eagle, the symbol of the Russian Empire, made in black;
- a golden eight-pointed cross on a shield located on the eagle's chest.
The Soviet government introduced its own symbols of state power, but the Autonomous Crimean Republic had to use the emblem of the RSFSR as one of the main symbols, with the only difference that it had inscriptions, in addition to Russian, and in the Crimean Tatar language, first in the Arabic script, and then in romanized.
Since 1991, with the acquisition of autonomy within Ukraine, the Republic of Crimea has finally returned the coat of arms with the image of a griffin.
