A Moor's head, since the 11th century, is a

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

depicting the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals ...

of a black moor.

Origin

The precise origin of the Moor's head is a subject of controversy. But the most likely explanation is that it is derived from the heraldic war flag of the Reconquista depicting the

Cross of Alcoraz The Cross of Alcoraz is the name given to a heraldic coat of arms and flag made up of the Cross of Saint George, or cross of gules on Argent, with a Maure, or Moor's head, in each quarter. The earliest documented evidence of these arms is in a rar ...

, symbolizing

Peter I of Aragon and Pamplona Peter I ( es, Pedro, an, Pero, eu, Petri; 1068 - 1104) was King of Aragon and also Pamplona from 1094 until his death in 1104. Peter was the eldest son of Sancho Ramírez, from whom he inherited the crowns of Aragon and Pamplona, and Isabella ...

's victory over the "Moorish" kings of the

Taifa of Zaragoza The taifa of Zaragoza () was an independent Arab Muslim state in the east of Al-Andalus (present day Spain), which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, with its capital in Saraqusta (Zaragoza) city. Zaragoza's taifa emerged in ...

in the

Battle of Alcoraz The Battle of Alcoraz took place between 1094 and 1096 outside Huesca, pitting the besieging forces of Peter I of Aragon and Navarre against the allied forces of Al-Musta'in II of the Taifa of Zaragoza and García Ordóñez de Nájera and Go ...

in 1096. The blindfold may originally have been a headband. Another theory claims that it is the Nubian

Saint Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the ...

(3rd century AD). The earliest heraldic use of the Moor's head is first recorded in 1281, during the reign of

Peter III of Aragon Peter III of Aragon ( November 1285) was King of Aragon, King of Valencia (as ), and Count of Barcelona (as ) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he conquered the Kingdom of Sicily and became King of Sicily in 1282, pre ...

and represents the

, which the King adopted as his personal coat of arms. The

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

had for a long time governed Sardinia and Corsica, having been granted the islands by the Pope, although they never really exercised formal control. The Moor's head became a symbol of the islands.

Flags, seals, and emblems

This symbol is used in heraldry, vexillography, and political imagery.

Flag of Corsica

The main charge in the coat of arms in

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

is a ', Corsican for "The Moor". An early version is attested in the 14th-century

Gelre Armorial The Gelre Armorial ( nl, Wapenboek Gelre) is a medieval armorial. History The armorial was compiled before 1396 by one Claes Heinenzoon (or Heynen, fl. 1345−1414) who was a herald in the service of the Duke of Guelders and also the creat ...

, where an unblindfolded Moor's head represents Corsica as a state of the

. Interestingly, the Moor's head is attached to his shoulders and upper body, and he is alive and smiling. In 1736, it was used by both sides during the struggle for independence. In 1760, General

Pasquale Paoli Filippo Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli (; french: link=no, Pascal Paoli; 6 April 1725 – 5 February 1807) was a Corsican patriot, statesman, and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Genoese and later ...

ordered the necklace to be removed from the head and the blindfold raised. His reason, reported by his biographers, was ''""'' ( en, "The Corsicans want to see clearly. Freedom must walk by the torch of philosophy. Won't they say that we fear the light?") The blindfold was thereafter changed to a headband. The current flag of Corsica is the co, label=none, Bandera testa Mora, lit=Flag with head of Moor), is male rather than female, and has a regular knot at the back of the head.

Flag of Sardinia

The flag of Sardinia is informally known as ''the Four Moors'' (, , ) and comprises four Moor heads.

African Unification Front

The "Maure" is the

African Unification Front The African Unification Front (AUF) is an organisation aiming to promote the political, social and economic union of Africa. History AUF was formed in August 1996. The AUF advocates for transformation of Africa into a federation, with the Pan A ...

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

and

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

. The head is blindfolded representing the impartiality of justice, and the knot is tied into a stylized Adinkra symbol for omnipotence ( Gye Nyame).

Modern controversy

Modern

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

efforts, coupled with increased

African immigration to Europe African immigrants in Europe are individuals residing in Europe who were born in Africa, this includes both individuals born in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. History The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was born in Leptis Magna in North Af ...

and a growth of the

Afro-European Black Europeans of African ancestry, or Afro-Europeans, refers to people in Europe who trace full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. European Union In the European Union (EU) as of 2019, there is a record of approximately 9,6 milli ...

population, have led to controversies around ancient "Moor's head" symbols. For example, the Austrian company Mohrenbrauerei was asked to remove the "Moor's head" from its bottles.

Gallery

File:Gelre Folio 62r.jpg, Gelre Armorial, Folio 62r, 14th century File:Linkebeek vlag.svg, Flag of

Linkebeek Linkebeek (; ) is a Belgian municipality in Flanders, part of the province of Flemish Brabant, and in the administrative district of Halle-Vilvoorde. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. As of 1 January 2006, Linkebeek ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

File:Tucher Vrsel SIACOBS.jpg,

Tucher von Simmelsdorf Tucher von Simmelsdorf () is a noble patrician family from Nürnberg. Like the Fugger and Welser families from Augsburg, their company run trading branches across Europe between the 15th and 17th centuries, although on a somewhat smaller scale. ...

in Antwerp File:Coat of arms of Joseph Ratzinger.svg, Coat of arms of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, with Moor of Freising File:Escudo de Alcanadre-La Rioja.svg, Coat of arms of Alcanadre.

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...

, Spain, depicting heads of slain Muslims after the

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...

File:CoA Georg Gänswein.svg, Coat of Georg Gänswein during the Papacy of Benedict XVI File:Official-Avenches-coat of arms.png, Coat of

Avenches Avenches () is a Swiss municipality in the canton of Vaud, located in the district of Broye-Vully. History The roots of Avenches go back to the Celts. A tribe of Helvetians had built a settlement on the hills of Bois de Châtel, south of the ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

File:DEU Stuttgart-Möhringen COA.svg, Female Moor's head on the coat of arms of the district of Möhringen in Stuttgart, Germany File:CLAN MACLELLAN.jpg, The Scottish crest badge of

Clan MacLellan The Clan MacLellan is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Pu ...

featuring the head of Black Morrow File:Escudo d'Aragón.svg, The current coat of arms of Aragon features four heads of Moors. File:Flag of Sardinia, Italy.svg, The flag of Sardinia File:Flag of Sardinia, Italy (1950–1999).svg, The Sardinian Flag until 1999 File:Flag of Corsica.svg, The

Flag and coat of arms of Corsica The flag of Corsica was adopted by ''General of the Nation'' Pasquale Paoli in 1755 and was based on a traditional flag used previously. It portrays a Moor's head in black wearing a white bandana above his eyes on a white background. Previously, ...

File:Schwarzhäupter 09.jpg, The coat of arms of the Brotherhood of Blackheads File:Complete Guide to Heraldry Fig254.png, "A Blackamoor's Head" (''Complete Guide to Heraldry'', 1909) File:Kingdom of the Algarve CoA.svg, Coat of the

Kingdom of the Algarve The Kingdom of the Algarve ( Portuguese: ''Reino do Algarve'', from the Arabic ''Gharb al-Andalus'' ), after 1471 Kingdom of the Algarves ( Portuguese: ''Reino dos Algarves''), was a nominal kingdom within the Kingdom of Portugal, located in the s ...

, within

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

References

External links

* {{commons category-inline, Moor heads in heraldry Heraldic charges Symbols Black symbols Black people in art