The Welsh Dragon – Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch ("the red dragon") – appears on the national flag of Wales. The flag is also called Y Ddraig Goch. The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 829 AD, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. Its association with these leaders along with other evidences from archaeology, literature, and documentary history lead many to suppose that it evolved from an earlier Romano-British national symbol. During the reigns of the Tudor monarchs, the red dragon was used as a supporter in the English crown's coat of arms (one of two supporters, along with the traditional English lion). The red dragon is often seen as a shorthand for all things Welsh, being used by many indigenous public and private institutions. These include: The Welsh Government, Visit Wales, numerous local authorities including Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, and sports bodies, including the Sport Wales National Centre, the Football Association of Wales, Cardiff City F.C., Newport Gwent Dragons, and London Welsh RFC.
Famous quotes containing the words welsh and/or dragon:
“Thy tongue
Makes Welsh as sweet as ditties highly penned,
Sung by a fair queen in a summer’s bower,
With ravishing division, to her lute.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The dragon wing of night o’erspreads the earth.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)