Last modified: 2016-11-03 by rob raeside
Keywords: wales | dragon |
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image by Tomislav Todorovic, 23 September 2016
The flag of Wales
is sometimes amended with a red stripe at the top, the same shade as the dragon,
charged with white inscription CYMRU. The size of dragon, relative to the
white-green field, is larger than on the official
flag and it is set slightly
off-centre, closer to the top. The typeface is very similar to Helvetica. This
flag is sold by a number of online shops, such as here:
http://www.warstore.co.uk/cymru-wales---3-x-2-flag-4322-p.asp
https://www.maison-des-drapeaux.com/drapeau-pays-de-galles-cymru-30-x-45-cm.html
https://www.theflagshop.co.uk/cymru-waleswelsh-flag.html
https://www.royal-flags.co.uk/wales-cymru-flag-2187.html#1
and just like
the official flag, may have the ratio of either 2:3 or 3:5. The only real-life
photo which displays it can currently be seen here:
http://www.grayling.com/gb/insight/a_tale_of_two_very_different_elections
Tomislav Todorovic, 23 September 2016
image by Tomislav Todorovic, 24 September 2016
A Welsh LGBT flag is derived from the unofficial flag of Wales by repainting
the dragon, as well as the top stripe charged with white inscription CYMRU, into
pink. It is old by a number of online shops, such as here:
https://www.royal-flags.co.uk/wales-cymru-pink-flag-2188.html#1
http://www.worldofflags.co.uk/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=Pink-Cymru-Flag
http://www.pridecolours.net/www.pridecolours.net/info.php?p=2&pid=1771777&ack=9
and seems to be in ratio 3:5 only. Its photo from the Pride Cymru 2014,
taken in Cardiff on 2014-08-17, can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95186588@N04/14761787939/
but it must have
been used earlier, for a photo was published in the announcement of the said
event at the PrideLife magazine website:
http://pridelife.com/pride-cymru-2014/ in July same year.
Tomislav
Todorovic, 24 September 2016
image by David Lawrence, 22 September 2016
I came across these
flags outside "The Chepstow Castle" (a pub in Chepstow) and despite taking
several pictures I did not capture them well. This is the standard modern design
of Welsh dragon as on Y Ddraig Goch - but this is a golden dragon on a black
flag. The bartender told me that the owner of the pub had bought them recently
(and on-line?) - but I have not located any on the internet yet.
David B
Lawrence, 22 September 2016
If we took the traditional banner known as Y Ddraig Aur
or "The Golden Dragon" which was raised over Caernarvon during the Battle of
Tuthill in 1401 by Owain Glyndŵr, and gave it a black background, it would look
like this. Anything close to what you saw? Of course, this doesn't identify the
flag, but might be where the inspiration comes from.
Pete Loeser, 22
September 2016
If you took Y Ddraig Ddu or
"The Black Dragon" used by the "Cymru 1400" Republican Movement on their flag
and re-colored it gold, we'd get this. Anything close to what you saw? Of
course, this doesn't identify the flag, but might be where the inspiration comes
from.
Pete Loeser, 22 September2016
No, not what I saw. I think that Gethin or Sian designed this but I am not sure
what their sources were. I presume that they had good historical sources (they
founded Cofiwn) but I do not know them. This sort of flows into the whole
argument as to how Owain Glyndwr contrived his quartered lions flag.
David
B. Lawrence, 26 September 2016
Well, there was a dragon at the actual Chepstow Castle this August. I don't know
whether there's a connection, though. Is this blue flag in the photograph
actually black in real cloth, and are the shades of gold due to the light, or
does it actually have multiple shades? I guess the owner would be the best
source of information. He'd probably be proud to fly these flags, and would
likely be quite willing to tell more about them.
Peter Hans van den
Muijzenberg, 22 September 2016
That is exactly what I was speculating about; that somebody has been playing
with Y Faner Wen and
by placing Y Ddraig Aur onto Y
Faner Du they have mimicked the
colour scheme of Y Faner Dewi Sant.
I have been arguing that The White Flag was an heraldic pun on "Gwynedd" as "The
Holy/Sacred Land." (The words Gwen/Gwyn having connotations of white, pure,
sacred, holy, etc.)
Incidentally I was over to a party in Llanbedr and went
for a walk around the old courtyard of St David's University College where there
are similar bosses in the church roofs in different designs. These are early 19
century and their version of the heraldry does not have the escalloped cross but
a straight-sided one as promoted by The Knights of St. David who created Y
Faner Dewi Sant. (I presume that you know the story about the other St David
cross flag which was a black cross on a golden flag ... I forget the details)
I have not had a reply from The Chepstow Castle and I have still not found out
where these came from, perhaps somebody will claim this dragon for
Gloucestershire? (500 yards across the Wye bridge.) Perhaps Y
Faner Du charged with Y
Ddraig Aur is supposed to signal
a Welsh of "No Surrender"?)
I see that you have adapted (Gethin and Sian's?)
artwork with the dragon gardant. I do not think that anybody can be really sure
what these dragons looked like - I have suggested that the original Welsh dragon
was puce (Y Ddraig Piws) because that then makes sense of The Leek as an
emblem : normally it is depicted white stem, green leaves, purple thousand
headed flower (decapitated). Puce/Piws means "Flea Coloured" i.e. "Blood
Coloured :quot; which fits in better with the history of the imperial draco
standards being dipped in blood which had a purple windsock i.e. the actual
"flag" part of the original standards of Wales' precursor Britannia
Prima (it was the only province
of the western empire to not fall to the barbarians and I like to assume that
"King" actually "Dwg/Dux" Arthur Pendragon was leading a cavalry troop up
and down the A303 in Somerset where Wales is between Queen Camel, West Camel and
Camel Hill - which is a lot of Camels ...) The dracos were
made of gilded copper or brass.
I have to break off from this merry humour :
you will excuse me for mentioning that I think that the proportions of this flag
outside The Chepstow Castle were the same as in Y
Faner Goch.
David B. Lawrence, 26 September 2016