''Pro aris et focis'' ("for hearth and home") and ''Pro Deo et patria'' ("for God and country") are two
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
phrases used as the
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...
of many families, military regiments and educational institutions. ''Pro aris et focis'' literally translates "for altars and hearths", but is used by ancient authors to express attachment to all that was most dear and is more idiomatically translated "for hearth and home", since the Latin term ''aris'' generally refers to the altars of the spirits of the house (the
Lares
Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these.
Lares ...
) and is often used as a
synecdoche
Synecdoche ( ) is a type of metonymy: it is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something is used to refer to the whole ('' pars pro toto''), or vice versa ('' totum pro parte''). The term comes from Greek .
Examples in common En ...
for the family home.
Family motto
''Pro Aris et Focis'' is the motto of many families such as the Blomfields of Norfolk, the
Mulvihill Mulvihill is a surname. Its Irish form is Ó Maolmhichíl or Ó Maoilmhichil. The motto of the clan is "''Pro Aris et Focis''{{-", which translates as "For Hearth and Home".
People
* Daráine Mulvihill/Ní Mhaolmhichil, Irish Person of the Yea ...
s of Ireland, the Waits of Scotland, a private members club in Australia, the
United Service Club Queensland and of military regiments all over the world, such as the
Middlesex Yeomanry of
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, the
Royal Queensland Regiment of
Australia and the
Victoria Rifles
(For hearth and home)
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = "Huntsmen's Chorus" and '' Lutzow's Wild Hunt''
, mascot =
, equipment = ...
of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
. And also in France, during French Revolution, Henri du Vergier, Marquis de La Rochejacquelein, General-in Chief of the Catholic and Royal Vendean Army, took this motto.
Secret society
''Pro Aris et Focis'' is the name of a secret society in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in 1789 which prepared the
Brabant Revolution against the Austrian Emperor
Joseph II. The leading figure was
Jan-Baptist Verlooy.
Motto of institutions

"For God and country" is the motto of the
American Legion.
''Deo et Patriae'' is the motto of
Regis High School (New York City)
Regis High School is an American private Jesuit secondary school for Roman Catholic boys located on the Upper East Side of the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.
In 2017, Regis was ranked as the top Catholic high school in the U. ...
. ''Pro Deo et Patria'' is the motto of both
Archbishop Carroll High School and
American University in
Washington, D.C.
"''Pro Aris et Focis'' is the motto for "
Academia San Jorge," a Puerto Rico PK-12 school. The motto is embedded in the school's shield and logo. The school is located in Santurce, Puerto Rico.
''Pro Aris et Focis'' is the motto for
Maritzburg College, a high school in South Africa, and the motto is embedded in the school's shield.
''Pro Aris et PRO Focis'' was the motto of the
71st New York State Volunteers
The 71st New York Infantry Regiment is an organization of the New York State Guard. Formerly, the 71st Infantry was a regiment of the New York State Militia and then the Army National Guard from 1850 to 1993. The regiment was not renumbered dur ...
, "The American Guard", which was formed not long before the Civil War and saw service in that War, and down to almost the present time. Its HQ was in the old Armory at 34th and Park Avenue in New York City. The building no longer stands, but plaque parts of its original structure have been incorporated into the walls of the skyscraper that presently occupies the site.
It one of the mottoes of
Bristol University
The University of Bristol is a Red brick university, red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Society of Merchant Venturers, Merchant Venturers' sc ...
.
"For God, for Country, and for Yale" is one of the mottoes of
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, inscribed in stone on many of the university's residential colleges and frequently invoked at the annual Harvard-Yale football game. It also features in Yale college songs like
Bright College Years and is often seen on flyers and graffiti on the Yale campus.
''"Deus et Patria"'' is the motto of the
NAS Oceana
Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Nowadays, the station is located on 23.9 km2. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mil ...
based
U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 32, nicknamed "The Fighting Swordsmen".
God, Family, and Country
There exists a traditional English
Hendiatris that combines elements from both of the Latin mottoes: "God, Family, and Country". The phrase is meant to express devotion to what many consider the three pillars of traditional society:
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural ...
,
family values
Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals.
In the social sciences and U.S. political discourse, the convent ...
, and
patriotism
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...
.
Death of Osama Bin Laden
In May 2011, the phrase "For God and country" was used as a confirmation signal by
U.S. Navy SEALs during the
death of Osama bin Laden
On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was shot several times and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, by United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval S ...
in
Abottabad,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. On his radio, the U.S. Navy SEAL Ground Commander reported over a radio, “For God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo.” After a pause, he added, “Geronimo EKIA” (enemy killed in action).
[Schmidle, Nicholas,]
Getting Bin Laden
, ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'', August 8, 2011.
References
External links
{{commons category-inline
Latin mottos
Brabant Revolution
Patriotism