Castle banner/flag interpretation.

[Carcassone]

I've noticed on a number of pics that there are varying banners atop keeps. I've also noticed that there are varying symbols qty's on the banners and flags.

examples:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/knightsofhonor/screens.html?page=35...this one has 3 symbols.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/knightsofhonor/screens.html?page=31...and this one has a single symbol.

Do the quantity of symbols on those decoration symbolize anthing? the number of counties/castle under a given King? Or am I reading too much into the decor?

[Moorkh]

Not sure what exactly you mean.

The different shapes of the flags and banners are likely aesthetic variations - on the London picture, they all symbolize England. Not sure what the other is (Sweden? Some Baltic state?), but you'll notice the flags framing the castle gates are exactly the same size as the English ones.

[Carcassone]

i'm not talking about the sizes. Specifically there are symbols on the flags and banners. Some of the flags have one symbol and others have multiple symbols. I was just curious if they represented anything other than a king's realm i.e. red belongs to King William.

[Moorkh]

Ah, I see what you mean. Indeed, the red symbolizes the English crown in this case, whether the crest is on it or not. Heraldry consists of a background color and a 'crest' (not sure if that's the right word) and a crest colour - the latter originally could only be white (silver) or yellow (gold), if I recall correctly. Either the colors or the symbol were usually enough to be identifyable - at least within that souvereign's domain.
I could go into heraldry here a bit, but I'm afraid neither do I know the English terms for that stuff nor will it be very exciting to read ;)

[Elewyn]

Hi,can anybody help me with the flag's symbol on the left top of this pic (and if you know also the golden X-cross in a red flag)?

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/knightsofhonor/screens.html?page=37

not necessary to know it but id like to...
i guess there is someone who knows heraldry more than me :angel:

[Frank Fay]

Easy answer:

Placeholder :D

[Jarlabanke]

I don't think the other falg isthe Swedish one.
Back in those days should be three golden crowns on blue background, and not the one we have today which is from the 17th century or so.

[vanedor]

But it's perfectly possible that the people who made the flags did not know or care about this. It might be on purpose. Very few people outside sweden and scandinavia know about the history of the swedish flag.

So it might still be sweden.

[Elewyn]

I agree with vanedor in case of history of sweedish flag,but I'm still not sure...cause if it's sweedish,the second might be danish in Skane, but it doesnt seem to bee...

[Elewyn]

09-11-2003 23:09
I agree with vanedor in case of history of sweedish flag,but I'm still not sure...cause if it's sweedish,the second might be danish in Skane, but it doesnt seem to bee...
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Or is it great sweedish expansion? :D Nothing else, cause the landscape isn't scandinavian...there's also third nation and I'm sure noone of scands had colours green and white, doesnt?

[Jarlabanke]

Greenland does :p

[Elewyn]

Originally posted by Jarlabanke
Greenland does :p

Good idea :p and Denmark is its colony :D And Estonia, Scotland and Russia are scandinavian too? :cheers:

[Jorghan]

I wonder if Greenland was a danish colony then already. I don't think what today is Estonia was scandinavian (Swedish) during the dark ages. And Russia, no. Norwegian and Danish vikings took territories on Britain though, but I'm unsure when.

[Jarlabanke]

Umm back during the Viking age the Russians were actually ruled by a Swedish king (nestors chronicle). Greenland was an Icelandish or Norwegian colony. Tohugh it really wasn't under anyones rule. There are mentionings of Swedish and Danish involvment in Estonia, and scandinavian things are found around the baltic, though it's of coure hard to say. The Norwegians were not as much in to England as thye was in to Ireland, where they actually had their own little kingdom around what's today Dublin.
I belive Sven Tveskägg (forkbeard) conquered England about 1018 or something, as a respones to a genocide carried out by the English king. After Svens death England, Denmark and for a while also Norway was ruled by his son Cnut the great. There also was a Danish kingdom in England for some years earlier but that was restricted to Northumberland.

[Elewyn]

Originally posted by Jarlabanke
Umm back during the Viking age the Russians were actually ruled by a Swedish king (nestors chronicle). Greenland was an Icelandish or Norwegian colony. Tohugh it really wasn't under anyones rule. There are mentionings of Swedish and Danish involvment in Estonia, and scandinavian things are found around the baltic, though it's of coure hard to say. The Norwegians were not as much in to England as thye was in to Ireland, where they actually had their own little kingdom around what's today Dublin.
I belive Sven Tveskägg (forkbeard) conquered England about 1018 or something, as a respones to a genocide carried out by the English king. After Svens death England, Denmark and for a while also Norway was ruled by his son Cnut the great. There also was a Danish kingdom in England for some years earlier but that was restricted to Northumberland.

Really good that you know a lot about scandinavian and Viking history(and most of these things are well known all aroun Europe) but the question was if Greenland can be undrestood as a parto of Scandinavia, that's why I mentioned also Scotland(Ireland would be better),Estonia and Russia(also I could mention Normandy, etc.). There's no doubt about scandinavian influence, but can we say that all these contries are parts of Scandinavia and their people are Scandinavians, what you said about Greenland? I'm not sure Scandinavia is as big as you're trying to tell us.

[Jorghan]

Actually, Scandinavia is just Sweden, Norway and Denmark, named after the montain ridge that goes between Norway and Sweden. I'm not sure people back then considered themselves to be part of Scandinavia or anything like that.

[Elewyn]

Originally posted by Jorghan
Actually, Scandinavia is just Sweden, Norway and Denmark, named after the montain ridge that goes between Norway and Sweden. I'm not sure people back then considered themselves to be part of Scandinavia or anything like that.

That's what I'm trying to say...

[Jarlabanke]

Scandinavia is a geographical term concerning Sweden and Norway. As it's between these two countries the Scands lie. However Denmark and sometimes Finland are often included in Scandinavia because of ethnical or historical reasons. The people of greenland probably would have considered themselves Scandinavian as that is where they came from (the eskimoes lived further to the north if I've understood it right). The icelanders are a bit different as they were from both Scandinavia and Ireland. The Icelanders formed some sort of Republic in which they lived for about 200 or so years after which they were conquered by the Norweigians. Those are the two places where you can say that most of the population was Scandinavian. I don't belive I've said anything else. Those who were in Russia were assimilated after 2 or 3 generations, but the people there took the name Rus which was the name of the people from which their leader came from (who they belive was scandinavian), but they weren't a part of any Scandinavian kindom. The normans as I've unerstood weren't all that many to begin with. Most of the Danes in England got killed during the genocide which triggered the Danish invasion.
But England was under danish rule no more Scandinavia than India was England during the Empire.

[Elewyn]

Hi Jarlabanke :)
Maybe I must tell you sorry. This is all some kind of misunderstanding. The only reason of this scandinavian discussion is a stupid joke. I wrote tat I think that none of scandinavian nations had colours green and white and you answered me that Greenland does. :bday:
Then I started provoking you by asking stupid questions like if Greenland is in Scandinavia, if Russia is in Scandinavia etc. I was sure about your knowlege of facts about scan. I know most of the things like norwegean influence on Iceland, and also Ireland and western scotish island(Hebrides),about danish rule on half of England and Greenland, swedish influence on Finland and Russia (Russia became from scandinavian word, I think 'ruosci' or sth like that). Thereš no doubt about it.
Itš nice to meet someone with so strong patriotical feelings! and I'm sorry for that joke (probably I was the only one who knew it was a joke).I wanted to write that Denmark is not Scandinavian country but I wanted you to write it. :cheers:

[Jorghan]

Hey, Denmark actually is a Scandinavian country! :p