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Tattoo designs - S >> Saltire

Saltire Tattoo Designs - The Saltire, the flag of Scotland, also known as the Saint Andrew's Cross, is the oldest continuously used sovereign flag in the world. It consists of a white cross in the form of an 'X' on a blue background.

The next day, combatants on both sides beheld a miracle in the heavens—a white saltire against the blue of the sky—the sign of St. Andrew. The Picts and the Scots became so animated that the Angles took flight, and their leader, Athelstan, was slain.

The Saltire design has been the national emblem of Scots ever since.

Saint Andrew came by his identifying sign in the worst possible way—crucified on a cross. The location was Greece, and the time was the first century A.D. Andrew refused to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus (so the story goes) because he felt unworthy, so he was crucified upside down on a crux decussata, or an 'X' cross. Legend has it that in 370 A.D., Andrew's remains were stolen 'for safekeeping' and secreted away to the ends of the earth. That turned out to be the east coast of Scotland, in a Pictish settlement that would later become the town of St. Andrews.

By parliamentary decree in the 14th century, the emblem was worn by Scottish soldiers so they could be identified in battle. The earliest surviving Saltire flag dates from 1503.

The white and blue Saltire is one of the three crosses that together make up the 'Union Jack', the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (The other two crosses are St George's Cross, representing England and Wales, and St Patrick's Cross, representing Ireland.)

Numerous flags are inspired by the Saltire, most of them with Scottish or Russian connections, since Saint Andrew is also the national patron saint of Russia. The naval ensign of the Imperial Russian navy (1696-1917 and 1991to present) is a blue Saltire on a white field.

The Royal Scots Navy (prior to the Union) used a red ensign incorporating the St. Andrew's Cross. This ensign is now sometimes flown as part of an unofficial civil ensign in Scottish waters. The blue Saltire on white design is featured on the Coat of Arms of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, although it employs a lighter shade of blue. The flags of the Spanish island of Tenerife and the Colombian islands of San Andrés and Providencia, also use a white Saltire on a blue field.

A recent newspaper headline announced: "Scotland has an inspiring new symbol to promote the country abroad." Turns out to be the Saltire. It seems the government spent 300,000 pounds sterling for an ad agency to determine that, yes, the St. Andrew's cross is synonymous with bonnie Scotland.

See also: Scottish Clan Tattoo Index, Thistle, Scottish Lion Rampant, Celtic, Family Crest Tattoos, Heraldic Tattoos, Cross Tattoos

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Tattoo designs - S >> Saltire

Tattoo Symbol Index - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z