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My family (Kretowicz) belongs to the Godziemba clan for about half a
millenium. Godziemba flags and banners were employed on various battlegrounds
of the Commonwealth of Both Nations against the Russians, the Swedes and
the Turks. The Coat of Arms dates, supposedly, to the XIth Century.
There is a popular legend about the origins of the Godziemba Coat of Arms: "In
1094 A.D., Sieciech was a Voivode of Krakow. In this year the Moravians
invaded Poland in force. When the Poles learned that the enemy had camped
for the night within the vicinity, a vanguard was assembled to engage in
a surprise offensive. The Polish vanguard subsequently ambushed the enemy,
and brought them to battle. The knight Godziemba, a member of the Polish
vanguard, lost his weapon in the skirmish, and retreated into a nearby
forest.
One of the Moravians, seeing that he was unarmed, pursued him. Godziemba
sprang from his horse and uprooted a young pine tree from the soil. He
fended off his attacker with the makeshift weapon and eventually managed
to knock his pursuer from his horse. He then disarmed him, made him a prisoner
and delivered him to Voivode Sieciech.
In commemoration of the brave and noble deed he received a coat of
arms depicting the spruce, with his heroic image displayed on the crest."
(wiki)
The heraldic description of the blazon is as follow:
"Gules field with three pronged pine (sometimes fir, sometimes spruce)
eradicated proper. Out of the crest coronet, Hero Godziemba in argent armor
holding the three pronged spruce in dexter hand, all proper."
Chrystian Kretowicz, 29 Apr 2008