[MR] Norman heraldry and flags

[David W.James]

On Jun 25, 2004, at 4:22 PM, SNSpies at aol.com wrote:
> Hello to you all.

> May I please ask your assistance?  (I am not a herald!)

> "The Norman rulers of southern Italy used flags and lance pennants 
> (among
> them the 'draco') and adopted the golden imperial flag for their
> investitures, which they received from the popes beginning in 1059."  
> (Kleinhenz,
> Christopher."Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia". New York: Routledge, 
> 2003.)

> I assume that the 'draco' was a dragon or wyvern of some sort.  But 
> what did
> "the golden imperial flag", received from the popes, look like?

> Many thanks.

> Nancy

Nancy,

I thought that this would be a quick and easy thing to answer, but it 
appears not.  Read on.

That is the correct meaning of 'draco' in general, but the wording of 
the section you quote makes it look as if the author was saying that 
the draco was a form of standard.  And quick short web search might 
seem to support that reading. On 
http://www.scoutingresources.org.uk/countries_flags.html you will find:

"Conventional wisdom is that the "draco" standards of the Romans were 
adopted by the Britons, probably as a metal (possibly real gold) head 
with a windsock type of body made of silk. In the mouth was a whistling 
type device that would make sounds as it was waved with vigor. 
Supposedly used by King Arthur, certainly used by the Wessex lords in 
the 700s, the emblem has been used by Britons right up to the present 
time. Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn! (The Red Dragon Gives Impetus!) Dave 
Martucci"

But the http://www.data-wales.co.uk/flag.htm uses it in both ways 
(charge and banner type):

"The Welsh flag has two equal horizontal stripes, white above green, 
and a large red dragon passant. The dragon standard was perhaps first 
seen in Britain in the shape of the "draco" a standard carried by the 
cohorts of the Roman legion. The Romans appear to have been inspired by 
the dragon standard carried by their Dacian and Parthian enemies and 
had adopted this device by the third century. Carl Lofmark (see below) 
argues that the dragon of the cohort was more familiar to the British 
than was the eagle standard of the legions. As Roman legions withdrew 
at the end of the fourth century and the British were left alone to 
face Saxon attacks, the dragon would have been a natural symbol for 
those who wished to preserve their Romanised way of life against the 
barbarian invader."

Part of this confusion is probably due to the fact that Roman standards 
were rigid constructs, a practice that some of the cultures that they 
encountered also adopted.  Friar speculates that the dragon standard of 
Wessex that Harold used at Hastings was of the 'vane' type; a rigid 
form.  But a half-hour of web searches and digging around in the books 
I have here at home failed to turn up either an example of a 
banner/flag/standard called a draco other than those quoted.  I also 
checked the OED, and it does not list 'draco' as an English word, which 
they would if it were a type of banner.

At this point I would tend to put the quote you posted down to the 
author being as confused as you and I about the meaning of 'draco'.  I 
have not found any example of a 'draco' as a type of flag or standard, 
but instead as a specific standard borne by some Roman legions and 
others later.  If you find a clear answer in the book, please let us 
know.

David/Kwellend-Njal