On many heraldic symbols of cities, you can see images of the Mother of God, Jesus, local saints, patrons of a particular settlement. So the coat of arms of Glasgow is decorated with the figure of St. Mungo, or, as it is also called, St. Kentigern. In addition to the figure of this Christian preacher, missionary and the first bishop of Glasgow, there are four more elements on the heraldic symbol associated with him, or rather, with the miracles that he performed.
Description of the main official symbol of Glasgow
Its composition is built in the best traditions of medieval heraldry with all its inherent attributes, including:
- a silver shield with important symbolic elements;
- unusual shield holders - fish standing upright and leaning on their tails;
- the openwork base is rather not a support, but a decorative ornament;
- knight's helmet with outline and part of the chest armor above the shield;
- the figure of St. Mungo, towering over the coat of arms of Glasgow.
To the uninitiated viewer, both the supporter fish and the lace base, into which the ribbon with the city's motto is woven, seems strange. But the most impressive character is the saint, dressed in bishop's attire with a miter on his head and a staff in his left hand.
Miracles of Saint Mungo
The city was founded in 540-560. - Scottish historians think so. This was facilitated by Kentigern, who was later ranked among the host of saints. Who was the father of the boy is unknown, and his mother is called the princess Tenau, the daughter of the king of the Picts. To hide the shame of the birth of an illegitimate child, the woman was forced to flee. She settled in the territories that the Britons occupied at the time. She was lucky because Servanus, Bishop of Orkney, took care of the child, upbringing and education. Descriptions of the life of Kentigern, as well as the miracles performed by him, have been preserved.
The elements located on the shield - a tree, a bird sitting on it, a salmon at the base and a bell - testify to these acts. The tree is associated with the legend that Kentigern was able to pray to light the branches of frozen hazel to keep the fire going. The bird symbolically tells about another act of the saint, when he revived the dead robin. At the same time, he took on someone else's fault, since the bird did not die through his fault.
Salmon with a gold ring is another legend about Saint Mungo who saved the queen from shame. For she gave the king's precious gift to the knight, and he lost it or drowned it. The salmon caught by the saint was with a royal ring, and therefore everything was resolved safely. The bell was brought by the saints from Italy, its ringing reminded people that someone had died, and therefore it is necessary to pray for his soul.
