The Story of The Bat
Valencia and the Balearic Islands were conquered by King James I of Aragon during the first half of the 13th century. After the conquest the king gave them the status of independent kingdoms of whom he was also the king (but they were independent of Aragonese laws and institutions). The arms of Valencia show those of James I.
The unique crowned letters L besides the shield were granted by King James. The reason for the letters was that the city had been loyal twice to the King, hence twice a letter L and a crown for the king.
There are several possible explanations for the bat; one is that bats are simply quite common in the area. The second theory is that on October 9, 1238, when James I was about to enter the city, re-conquering it from the Moors, one bat landed on the top of his flag, and he interpreted it as a good sign. As he conquered the city, the bat was added to the arms.
Read more about this topic: Valencia CF
Famous quotes containing the word story:
“In how few words, for instance, the Greeks would have told the story of Abelard and Heloise, making but a sentence of our classical dictionary.... We moderns, on the other hand, collect only the raw materials of biography and history, “memoirs to serve for a history,” which is but materials to serve for a mythology.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)