It turns out interestingly. If you ask a search engine regarding the coat of arms of Liverpool, then almost all the results will relate to the symbol of the famous football club. But the city has its own official symbol. It is different from the FC sign. Unites their common element.
A bit of history
It is known that the coat of arms of Liverpool appeared in 1797. Many of its components were created in the traditions of classicism, that is, in the XVII century. Individual elements are credited with a more ancient time.
In the 13th century, the city was founded by King John, known as John the Landless. Thus, a bird with a gorse branch in its beak evokes associations with the Plantagenet dynasty. In those days, the city was engaged in fishing.
Coat of arms description
On the coat of arms of Liverpool placed a lot of characters and symbols:
- Shield - a bird is placed inside, holding seaweed with its beak. On the shield is a wreath of flowers. It is another bird. It differs from the first with wings raised up. The bird has a long beak, massive legs.
- Neptune - placed to the right of the shield. Dressed in a mantle of greenish tones. Depicted naked, only an algae belt covers it in front. His hair, mustache and beard are brown in color, on his head is a crown with five points. With his right hand he holds a trident, with his left - a banner with a picture of a bird from a shield.
- Triton - placed to the left of the shield. Instead of legs, he has a tail, at the waist the same belt of algae. His beard is smaller than Neptune's, although his hair color is the same. With his right hand he holds a banner, which depicts a ship on the waves, with his left - a shell, which he placed on his lips.
- The motto is located below under the feet of Neptune and Triton. It is written in Latin letters: "God granted us this ease."
The bird is often used in the symbolism of Liverpool. She is also called a diver. So which bird is on the coat of arms of Liverpool?
Bird
In the XIV century, the city was a fishing village, and already in the XVI century it received an impetus in development, becoming a point of transfer of troops from England to Ireland.
There are many versions regarding the bird on the coat of arms of Liverpool. Some experts believe that this is a time-distorted image of an eagle, which was depicted on the seal of John Landless. Allegedly, the seal was not done very accurately and the bird only remotely resembled an eagle. Other researchers call it a cormorant. It was these birds that have been found in Liverpool since time immemorial. Then you can explain why there are algae in her beak. Of these, birds build nests. There are those who believe that the type of eagle and cormorant was taken as the basis of the feathered one. To understand this is very difficult even for connoisseurs of heraldry.
Perhaps the diver is a mythical bird like a firebird or phoenix. He became a real symbol of the city. In 1911, the Royal Building was built for him. On the towers placed bronze divers. Locals even came up with a legend. It says that if a person passes by the building, completely honest and disinterested, the bronze symbols of Liverpool come to life and flap their wings for a short while. The towers look very mysterious, attracting visitors to the city. The birds on them are greenish due to the oxidation of bronze.
The diver is so popular that the famous football team made it his symbol and mascot. Liverpool considers it his own and even tried to consolidate it at the official level.
Attempt to “steal” the city emblem
In 2008, FC Liverpool wanted to obtain intellectual property rights to the image of a bird. So, the club management hoped to stop the distribution of fake souvenirs with the image of a live.
The city authorities not only did not support this idea, but also accused the FC representatives of trying to appropriate the coat of arms of Liverpool. And since it was the football players who borrowed the cult image, they have no rights to it, at least to the extent that they would like to.