The flag of Shetland was designed by Roy Grønneberg and Bill Adams in 1969. It was unofficially created to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the transfer of the islands from Norway to the Kingdom of Scotland and the 500 years before as part of Norway.
It was recognised by the Lord Lyon, the heraldic authority of Scotland, on 1 February 2005, just in time for the Island Games in July 2005 in Shetland. The flag was officially adopted with a description by the Shetland Islands Council (SIC) on 13 December 2006. It was at the same time stated that the proportions were to be 3:5 with the fields to the hoist being square as in the flags of Norway, Iceland and the Faroes. Before 2006 the fields to the hoist had commonly been rectangular. The width of the bars is 1/6 the height of the flag. This creates proportions of 5:2:5, 5:2:13.
The flag uses the colours of the flag of Scotland, but in the form of the Nordic cross in order to symbolise Shetland's historical and cultural ties with the Nordic region. The colours and device are the inverse of that of flag of Finland.
It is widely used privately by Shetlanders both on land and sea. The flag is now seen as a symbol of the special Shetland identity.
In 2007 a Shetland Flag Day was introduced on Midsummer Day, 21 June. The SIC hopes the day will be used to "celebrate all things Shetland".
The flag is practically identical to the former unofficial national flag of Iceland (the Hvítbláinn) in use by Icelandic nationalist activists from 1897 until 1915, when it was in part abandoned due to its similarity to the Greek jack and the Swedish flag, which critics reasoned would be hard to tell apart at sea, a major issue in a time of war. The white and blue is still used by the Icelandic Youth Association.
Famous quotes containing the words flag of and/or flag:
“Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.”
—Stephen Crane (1871–1900)
““Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Æschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess. And the d’Urberville knights and dames slept on in their tombs unknowing. The two speechless gazers bent themselves down to the earth, as if in prayer, and remained thus a long time, absolutely motionless: the flag continued to wave silently. As soon as they had strength they arose, joined hands again, and went on.
The End”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)