Is the Welsh Flag "Evil"?

There apparently is a group in Wales that thinks that Y Ddraig Goch, "the red dragon" on the flag of Wales should be removed, and suggest that the flag of the patron saint of Wales, St. David, a gold cross on a black field, should replace it.

According to Rev. George Hargreaves, leader of the Welsh Christian Party, the dragon symbolizes the Devil and should have no place on the flag of a Christian nation.  "This is the very symbol of the devil as described in The Book of Revelation 12:3," he said, and "Wales has been under demonic oppression and under many curses because of this unwise choice."  "This symbol was only introduced in 1959 and is not the historic symbol of Wales."

It is true that this flag only became "official" in 1959, but I think at the very least that the Tudor kings and queens of England might disagree that the dragon was "only introduced" then, since they used the red dragon as a supporter of the Royal Arms as a mark of their Welsh origins, as here in this old oak relief of the arms of Henry VIII.

As a consequence, I have to question how much about the real history of this symbol Rev. Hargreaves knows.  Welsh historian John Davies pointed out that "It's been part of our tradition for more than 1,500 years."  "What's the point of changing it now?"

Bishop David Yeoman said few Christians in Wales would associate the dragon with the devil.  He said, "The dragon is a very ancient symbol in Wales. I don't think Christians see it as demonic. They see it as a symbol of the past."

Still, the Welsh Christian Party is launching an online petition and wants a referendum to allow the Welsh people to decide which flag they would prefer.

More on the story can be found on the websites of The Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/22/european-elections-welsh-flag-demonic-christian-party_n_5370977.html and RTE News at http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0522/618952-wales-flag/

Heraldry in the News!

There’s an interesting article over at ClickOnWales by Trevor Fishlock entitled How heraldry prospers in today’s Wales. The subtitle says that he “reports on the extraordinary survival of an invented tradition,” and is accompanied by a number of quotes from and a picture of Tom Lloyd, Wales Herald Extraordinary.

It’s really a very nice article, explaining a bit of Welsh history, both ancient and modern, and heraldry, and how they intersect. It’s well worth a read, and I recommend it to you. You can find it on-line at http://www.clickonwales.org/2011/12/how-heraldry-prospers-in-today%e2%80%99s-wales/

(If you do go there to read the article, you may notice that the photograph of Wales Herald Extraordinary there is reversed.  At first I thought he was wearing a tabard with the Scottish quarterings of the Royal arms, but then realized that all of the lions were facing sinister.  Not to mention the fact that the medals worn by the men behind him appeared to be on the right breast instead of the left.)

One of my favorite lines from the article is: “A coat of arms is unique. Tom Lloyd agrees that it is a bit of showing-off, but believes strongly that it is there to be enjoyed as a part of family history.” I don’t think I could have said it better myself.