The coat of arms of Victoria is the official heraldic symbol of the Australian state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. Victoria was the second state of Australia to gain arms, granted on 6 June 1910 by

royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

. The state had been named in 1851 after his

grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maxi ...

, who reigned at the time. The current version of the arms was granted 28 March 1978 in the royal warrant issued by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Description

The shield of arms shows a blue (azure) field with five argent stars (one of eight points, two of seven points, one of six points and one of five points) arranged to represent the Crux Australis.The National Museum of Australia (2020). ''Southern Cross''. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/symbols-australia/southern_cross#:~:text=In%201854%20miners%20rebelling%20against,known%20as%20the%20Eureka%20flag. The helm facing to the left is situated above the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

and is bearing the

torse In heraldry, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helmet and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the mantling in place. The torse is som ...

and originates from the frequent illustrations of early arms incorporating a helmet. This helmet is referred to as a closed or tilting helm, which was used by knights in the Late Medieval and

Renaissance era The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

s. The mantling or lambrequin that surrounds the helmet has two sides, one of colour and the other of a metal. The

tinctures A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolution (chemistry), dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Ge ...

are correspondent to the colours of the shield of arms, being azure (blue) and argent (silver). The crest is a

kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

holding

St Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown is the coronation crown of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13t ...

, on a wreath or torse of azure (blue) and silver, which are the official colours of the state. The wreath is situated on top of the helmet, with both the kangaroo and the helmet facing the left side of the shield. The

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

are derived from their function of supporting the shield on either side. While the supporters of other Australian states' coat of arms are generally animals, they are human figures. The figure on the left,

dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

, wears a laurel wreath crown along with a silver gown and an azure stole whilst holding a branch of olive. The action of her carrying an olive branch in her exterior hand, represents "Peace". The figure corresponding,

sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...

wears a chaplet of corn along with a silver gown and gules stole whist grasping onto a

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the " horn of ...

. The action of her supporting a cornucopia with her exterior hand represents "Prosperity". The motto "Peace and Prosperity" is represented by the supporters on both sides of the shield. This motto is also the first to be in English amongst the coats of arms of Australia. With dexter, figure on the left representing "Peace" and sinister, figure on the right representing "Prosperity". The compartment consists of the pink form of the common heath (''Epacris impressa'' Labill), "pink heath" which is situated on a grassy mound. This provides base for both the supporters and the shield.

Blazon

The first arms authorised by

on 6 June 1910 included a formal description, or

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

of the arms. This was as follows: * Arms: "''Azure, five Stars Argent representing the Constellation of the Southern Cross.''" * Crest: "''On a Wreath of the Colours, Argent and Azure, a demi-Kangaroo proper holding in the paws an Imperial Crown Or.''" * Supporters: "''Dexter, a Female Figure (representing Peace) proper vested Argent cloaked Azure wreathed round the temples with a Chaplet and holding in the exterior hand a branch of Olive also proper; and Sinister, a like figure (representing Prosperity) vested Argent cloaked Gules wreathed round the temples with a Chaplet of Corn and supporting with the exterior hand a Cornucopia proper.''" * Motto: "''Peace and Prosperity''"

Symbolism

The Crux Australis, more commonly known as the

Southern Cross CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system to ...

is considered to be Australia's oldest symbol. Although the Southern Cross has had many different meanings, the symbol has been used since 1823 to represent Australia. The symbol is found on the

Australian national flag The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Crux, Southe ...

. One of the designers of the flag,

Ivor William Evans Ivor William Evans (24 July 1887 – 25 April 1960) was an Australian businessman. As a 14-year-old schoolboy, he was one of five winners of the 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition, held to design a national flag for Australia. Biography Ev ...

at age 14, intended for the Southern Cross to represent the four cardinal values by Dante: prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude. This constellation of five stars can only be seen within the southern hemisphere, uniting Australians under the same sky. Supposedly deriving from the customs of

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, the olive branch held upon by Dexter is a symbol of peace. This symbol is coupled by the word "Peace", hence together symbolising peace. The

represents the abundance and nourishment that was provided to the ancient Greek god,

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

, the king of gods during his infant years. This symbol consists of a goat's horn overflowing with an abundant supply of nourishment. Half of the motto, "Prosperity" is represented through Sinister supporting the horn of plenty. The symbolic languages of flora such as pink heath was originally a reflection of the

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

's interests in astronomy and natural history.Lyons, M. & Russell, P. (2005). ''Australia’s History: themes & debates''. Sydney, Australia: UNSW Press During the meeting of representatives of Victorian government departments, societies, and individuals in 1951, it was declared that the pink heath be adopted as the official

floral emblem In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used t ...

for the state of Victoria. The desire for the flower to represent the state is a part of colonial habit of deference. Governor Dallas Brooks had made the proclamation 12 November 1958. This was as follows: The Victorian coat of arms is composed of colours that correspond to those used in the Victorian State tartan. Historically,

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

s were used as an everyday

garb Garb may refer to: * Clothing * Garb, a wheat sheaf (agriculture) A sheaf (; : sheaves) is a bunch of cereal-crop stems bound together after reaping, traditionally by sickle, later by scythe or, after its introduction in 1872, by a mechanic ...

which eventually developed into a symbol of clan kinship. The Victorian State tartan is an emblem that officially represents the state. The tartan was designed after the arms by Betty Johnson in November 1998. The colours of the tartan include blue, white, green, and pink. Each of these colours was designed to represent an element of the arms. Blue represents the colour of the shield. White represents stars on the Southern Cross. Green represents the

olive branch The olive branch, a ramus of '' Olea europaea'', is a symbol of peace. It is generally associated with the customs of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and is connected with supplication to divine beings and persons in power. Likewise, it is f ...

and pink represents the

pink heath ''Epacris impressa'', also known as common heath, is a species of plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to south-eastern Australia (the states of Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales). French botanist Jacques Labil ...

. These colours together represent Victoria.

Development and change

The creation and development request for the Victorian coat of arms to be made begun in late 1909, following the creation of the coat of arms of Australia in 1908. The Victorian Government requested elements of the state badge that was used in Victoria since 1877 to be incorporated into the arms. These elements consisted of a Southern Cross and an Imperial Crown. Without much difficulty all elements of the state badge were implemented, and the design had been approved by the 23rd premier of Victoria, John Murray, by February 1910. By 6 June 1910,

had signed a royal warrant granting the state of Victoria an armorial identification. This version had remained the formal symbol of Victoria until 1973. The coat of arms of Victoria (Australia) had undergone some reinterpretation and modification before obtaining its finalised version. The former coat of arms granted by royal warrant of King George V did not include a compartment. It was only until 11 November 1958 when the pink form of the common heath became the proclaimed floral emblem of Victoria, the desire of this flower to be included in the armorial bearing rose. Meeting the desires of adding the formally proclaimed floral emblem of Victoria,

had issued a royal warrant on 28 March 1973. This royal warrant had added the pink heath along with a grassy mound compartment to provide a base for the supporters and the flower. Although the new armorial bearing had slight modifications, the majority had remained the same. However, with the new armorial bearing being implemented, this had given the opportunity for some elements of the bearing to be reinterpreted. The depictions of the crown held by the demi-

have varied throughout the years, in accordance with the different monarchs' that were in reign at the time. Prior to the reign of Elizabeth II in 1953, the Tudor Crown or the Imperial Crown was officially used widely as a symbol in heraldry within the

Commonwealth realms A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. However, Elizabeth preferred the St Edward's Crown and this preference was implemented in 1974. The same warrant that added the pink heath and the compartment, had also reinterpreted the previously known Tudor Crown to

Legal status

The Victorian coat of arms is the formal symbol of

, being "the most prestigious branding devices available to the Victorian Government and agencies". The coat of arms is never to be used without permission, restrictions are in place for their use and reproduction. Commercial use and advertising purposes including the use of the Victorian Government Insignia is not permitted.The Victorian Government. (2020). ''Coat of Arms and State Badge guidelines.'' Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.vic.gov.au/coat-arms-state-badge-guidelines Victoria is the only state or territory to have specific legislation for its coat of arms which allows action of prosecuting an offender if the coat of arms is used without permission.The Parliament of Australia. (1994). ''The Use of the Coat of Arms.'' Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=reports/1994/1994_pp460.pdf The unauthorised use of the arms is subjected to penalty under the Unauthorised Documents Act 1958. For the use of the arms, formal requests must be submitted, addressing the executive director, Strategic Communication, Engagement and Protocol Branch and Department of Premier and Cabinet through writing. This will only be submitted and emailed to the Department of Premier and Cabinet for processing.

References

External links

Department of the Premier and Cabinet's webpage on the Coat of ArmsParliament of Victoria webpage on symbols
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of Victoria (Australia)

Victoria (Australia) Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a States and territories of Australia, state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), ...

Coats of arms with animals Symbols of Victoria