ISLE OF MAN COAT OF ARMS

As is Critters Sunday and my Viking week, I thought I would try and combine the two themes. Unfortunately I have no Isle of Man raven pics, but I do have this coy crow that people always mistake for a Raven. So the pic covers the Critters part. Next the Viking/Norse theme.

This leads me to the obvious conclusion of showing you the Isle of Man coat of arms. Rhumsaa(Ramsey) as I said in yesterdays post takes it's name from the Norse for "wild Garlic river."This is the popular theory and the one that you will find in most literature and offered by the Isle Of Man itself. The lesser theory is it actually means " Raven's Isle." It is a smaller school of thought, but when you consider the coat of arms contains a Raven, the Ramsey swimming team is called the Ravens, and Ramsey Grammar School's in house magazine has a Raven theme you could be drawn towards the " Raven's Isle" theory. Ravens or wild garlic river, either way, it's a Norse derivative that no one can deny.

Below is the Manx Coat Of Arms. Note the raven on the right which represents the Norse Settlers and their influence on the island.

The Raven

The Supporters assigned to the Arms were chosen because of their historic significance. The Raven is a bird of legend and superstition and there are a number of places on the Island which include Raven in their names. The Island has a strong Viking element in its history and Odin, the Norse God, was, according to mythology, accompanied by two Ravens. During the Millennium Year of 1979, a replica of a Viking longship was sailed from Norway to the Isle of Man by a mixed Norwegian and Manx crew. The longship, which is now preserved on the Island, is called "Odin's Raven".

Two ravens sit on Odin's shoulders, and bring to his ears all that they hear and see. Their names are Hugin and Munin. At dawn he sends them out to fly over the whole world, and they come back at breakfast time. Thus he gets information about many things, and hence he is called Rafnagud (raven-god). As is here said:

Hugin and Munin

Fly every day

Over the great earth.

I fear for Hugin

That he may not return,

Yet more am I anxious for Munin

The Isle of Man is steeped in myth and legend, hand me down fables and facts. It is a curious mix and a trial to sift the real from the imagined. The Raven though it seems, does play it's part in the making of the Island, thanks to our Viking Ancestors of which there is no doubt.

For more camera critters see MISTY DAWN Camera ctrittrers.