Star (heraldry)

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Template:Short description

File:Washington coat of arms.jpg
The Washington coat of arms at Selby Abbey in North Yorkshire (mid 15th century)

In heraldry, the term star may refer to any star-shaped charge with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced. While there has been much confusion between the two due to their similar shape, a star with straight-sided rays is usually called a mullet in English heraldry, while one with wavy rays is usually called an estoile.<ref name="Fox-Davies">Template:Cite book</ref>

While a mullet may have any number of points, it is presumed to have five unless otherwise specified in the blazon, and pierced mullets are common; estoiles, however, are presumed to have six rays and (as of 1909) had not been found pierced.<ref name="Fox-Davies" /> In Scottish heraldry, an estoile is the same as in English heraldry, but mullet refers only to a mullet pierced (also called a spur revel), while one that is not pierced is called a star.<ref name="Fox-Davies" />

Terminology

The use of the word star in blazons, and how that charge appears in coat armory, varies from one jurisdiction to another. In Scots heraldry, both star and mullet interchangeably mean a star with five straight rays;Template:Cn the official record from 1673 gives Murray of Ochtertyre azur three Starrs argent ... (Public Register, vol 1 p 188), while the Ordinary of Arms produced by a late 19th century Lyon King of Arms 'modernizes' the original as Az. three mullets arg. .... In Canadian heraldry the usual term is mullet, but there is also the occasional six-pointed star (e.g. in Vol. IV, at p. 274 and in online version of the Canadian Public Register), which is what others would blazon as a six-pointed mullet. The United States Army Institute of Heraldry, the official heraldic authority in the United States, uses the term mullet in its blazons,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but elsewhere, as in US government documents describing the flag of the United States and the Great Seal of the United States, the term star is constantly used, and these nearly always appear with five straight-sided points.

The term mullet or molet refers to a star with straight sides, typically having five or six points, but may have any number of points specified in the blazon. If the number of points is not specified, five points are presumed in Gallo-British heraldry, and six points are presumed in German-Nordic heraldry.Template:Cn

Unlike estoiles, mullets have straight (rather than wavy) rays and may have originally represented the rowel of a spur, rather than a celestial star.<ref name="Volborth">Template:Cite book</ref> The term is said to be derived from French molette, a spur-rowel,<ref name="Volborth" /> although it was in use in heraldry even before rowel spurs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The term estoile refers to wavy-sided stars, usually of six points, though they may also be blazoned with a different number of points, often eight (e.g. "Portsmouth County Council" pictured here Template:Webarchive), and many variants feature alternating straight and wavy rays (e.g. "Honford" pictured here). The term derives from Old French estoile 'star', in reference to a celestial star (cf. Modern French étoile), from Latin stella 'star'.

Classical heraldry

Stars are comparatively rare in European heraldry during the medieval period. An early reference of dubious historicity is reported by Johannes Letzner, who cites Conradus Fontanus (an otherwise unknown authority) to the effect that one Curtis von Meinbrechthausen, a knight of Saxony, in 1169 after committing a murder lost his rank and arms, described as an eight-pointed star beneath a chevron. In Scotland, the armigers of Clan Murray and Clan Douglas used arms with stars as early as the 12th or 13th century. Examples of stars in a late medieval heraldry of the Holy Roman Empire include those of Wentz von Niederlanstein (1350), Gemm (attested 1352), Geyer von Osterberg (1370), Enolff Ritter von Leyen (d. 1392).<ref>Christian Friedrich August von Meding, Nachrichten von adelichen Wapen, 1786.</ref>

Under the system of cadency in use in England and Ireland since the late 15th century, a third son bears a mullet (unpierced) as a difference.<ref>Volborth, 1981. p. 80.</ref>

Stars become much more popular as heraldic charges in the early modern era, especially in then-recent family coats of arms of burghers and patricians, as well as in coats of arms of cities (e.g. Maastricht, Bozen, Kaufbeuren).<ref>Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605), p. 219-224</ref> The coat of arms of Valais originates in the 16th century, when seven stars representing its Seven Tithings were added to the party per pale coat of arms of the Bishop of Sion. Of the higher nobility in Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605), the landgrave of Hessen and the counts of Waldeck and Erbach have stars in their coats of arms, as do several Swiss knights.<ref>Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605) pp.197-204</ref>

By country

Italy

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File:Emblem of Italy.svg
Emblem of Italy, with the central Stella d'Italia. The emblem, shaped as a Roman wreath, comprises a white five-pointed star, the Template:Lang (English: "Star of Italy"), which is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to the Graeco-Roman tradition.Template:Sfn

The Stella d'Italia ("Star of Italy"), popularly known as Stellone d'Italia ("Great Star of Italy"),<ref name="quirinale.it">Template:Cite web</ref> is a five-pointed white star, which has symbolized Italy for many centuries. It is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to Graeco-Roman mythologyTemplate:Sfn when Venus, associated with the West as an evening star, was adopted to identify the Italian peninsula. From an allegorical point of view, the Stella d'Italia metaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.Template:Sfn

In the early 16th century it began to be frequently associated with Italia turrita, the national personification of the Italian peninsula. The Stella d'Italia was adopted as part of the emblem of Italy in 1947, where it is superimposed on a steel cogwheel, all surrounded by an oak branch and an olive branch. From an allegorical point of view, the Star of Italy metaphorically represents the shining destiny of Italy.Template:Sfn Its unifying value is equal to that of the flag of Italy.Template:Sfn In 1947, the Stella d'Italia was inserted at the center of the emblem of Italy, which was designed by Paolo Paschetto and which is the iconic symbol identifying the Italian State.Template:Sfn

The Italian Star is also recalled by some honors. The Italian Star is recalled by the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy, decoration of the Kingdom of Italy which was intended to celebrate the Italian Empire, as well as by the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, the first decoration established by Republican Italy, which was replaced in 2011 by the Order of the Star of Italy, second civil honorary title in importance of the Italian State.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Star of Italy is also recalled by the stars worn on the collars of Italian military uniforms and appears on the figurehead of the Italian Navy. In the civil sphere, the Italian Star is the central symbol of the emblem of the Club Alpino Italiano.<ref name="civiltà-cattolica">Template:Cite web</ref>

The symbolism of a star associated with Italy first appeared in the writings of the ancient Greek poet Stesicoro, from whom it passed on to poets such as Virgil. The oldest national symbol of Italy,Template:Sfn it originated from the combination of Venus, as an evening star, with the WestTemplate:Sfn and therefore with the Italian peninsula, one of which was Esperia, or "land of Hesperus, the star of the Evening consecrated to Venus".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn This symbolism was already attested in archaic Greek literature, in 6th century BC by the poet Stesichorus, in the poem Iliupersis (Fall of Troy) that created the legend of Aeneas which described his return to the land of his ancestors (Italy) after the defeat of Troy, under the leadership of Venus.Template:Sfn

United States

File:US flag 13 stars.svg
The American flag as described in the Flag Resolution passed by the Second Continental Congress on 14 June 1777.

Stars are nearly ubiquitous in United States heraldry and vexillology and nearly always appear unpierced with five straight-sided points. In the flag of the United States, each star represents one state.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The flag adopted in 1777 is the attributed origin of the thirteen stars, representing the thirteen United States, appearing on the Great Seal since 1780.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A mullet "barbed to chief" appears in the arms of the 240th Signal Battalion of the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard United States Army.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Modern use

Template:Further

File:Flag of Europe.svg
Flag of Europe

In the design of modern flags and emblems, the stars (mullets, usually five-pointed) when standing alone often represent concepts like "unity" or "independence". When arranged in groups, they often enumerate provinces or other components of the nation (such as ethnic groups). In the flags of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, this enumeration is done by the points of a single star rather than by multiple number of stars.Template:Citation needed

Some flags of countries on the southern hemisphere show a depiction of the Southern Cross consisting of four or five stars. The star and crescent symbol is found in flags of states succeeding the Ottoman Empire, which used flags with this symbol during 1793-1923.

The twelve stars on the Flag of Europe (1955) symbolize unity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The green five-pointed star on the Esperanto flag (1890) symbolizes the five inhabited continents.

The 50 stars of the US flag is the largest number on any national flag. The second-largest is 27, on the flag of Brazil.

The current national flags featuring stars include:

Flag Date # of stars Points Stars represent Description/comment
Template:Flagicon United States 1777; 1960 50 5 enumerate US states originally 13 stars, 50 stars since 1960, see timeline of the flag of the United States
Template:Flagicon Chile 1817 1 5 ideal "The star represents a guide to progress and honor"
Template:Flagicon Brazil 1822; 1992 27 5 enumerate States of Brazil originally 19 stars, 27 stars since 1992, see Flag of Brazil
Template:Flagicon Tunisia 1831; 1956 1 5 star and crescent based on the Ottoman flagTemplate:Citation needed
Template:Flagicon Turkey 1844; 1936 1 5 star and crescent the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923 and its Flag Law was passed in 1936, declaring the continued use of the Ottoman flag that had been flown since 1844 (an earlier variant with an eight-pointed star dates to ca. 1793).
Template:Flagicon Cuba 1849;

1902

1 5 ideal "The white star in the triangle stands for independence". Based on the flag carried by Narciso López in 1850.
Template:Flagicon Venezuela 1859; 1930 8 5 enumerate provinces various arrangement of the stars in design changes since 1859. Twenty stars during 1859–1863.
Template:Flagicon Italy 1861 1 5 from an allegorical point of view, it represents the shining destiny of Italy.Template:Sfn the Stella d'Italia ("Star of Italy"), popularly known as Stellone d'Italia ("Great Star of Italy"),<ref name="quirinale.it"/> is a five-pointed white star, which has symbolized Italy for many centuries. It is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to Graeco-Roman mythologyTemplate:Sfn when Venus, associated with the West as an evening star, was adopted to identify the Italian peninsula.
Template:Flagicon Honduras 1866 5 5 enumerate provinces based on the flag of the Federal Republic of Central America. The five stars also represent the historical provinces of that state, not subdivisions of Honduras itself.
Template:Flagicon New Zealand 1869; 1902 4 5 Southern Cross used as a governmental ensign since 1869, made the official national flag in 1902. Designed by Albert Hastings Markham under a request from Governor George Bowen.
Template:Flagicon Puerto Rico 1895; 1952 1 5 ideal The white star in the triangle represents the island of Puerto Rico. Based on the design of the Cuban flag, see Flag of Puerto Rico
Template:Flagicon Philippines 1898 3 5 enumerate island groups the three stars represent the three major geographical island groups that compose the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Template:Flagicon Australia 1901 6 7; 5 Southern Cross; Commonwealth Star seven-pointed stars for the Commonwealth Star and the main stars of the constellation, plus a smaller five-pointed star representing Epsilon Crucis. Based on the winning design in the 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition.
Template:Flagicon Azerbaijan 1918 1 8 star and crescent "the eight-pointed star points to the eight letters of the name Azerbaijan (in Arabic script)"<ref name="ahmedov">Сабухи Ахмедов, Государственный флаг Азербайджанской Республики ("The national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan") Template:In lang, citing Мярданов М., Гулийев Я., Азярбайъан Республикасынын дювлят рямзляри. Б., 2001, pp. 74-75.</ref>
Template:Flagicon Panama 1925 2 5 ideal "the blue star stands for the purity and honesty of the life of the country; the red star represents the authority and law in the country"
Template:Flagicon Jordan 1928 1 7 ideal "The seven points symbolize the seven verses of the first surah of the Qur’an. The seven points also represent faith in one God, humanity, humility, national spirit, virtue, social justice, and aspiration. The star also stands for the unity of the Arab nation."
Template:Flagicon Vietnam 1945 1 5 ideal the Communist Star; "The five-pointed yellow star represents the unity of workers, peasants, intellectuals, traders and soldiers in building socialism"
Template:Flagicon Pakistan 1947 1 5 ideal the star represents "light". The crescent and star symbolize progress and light respectively.
Template:Flagicon North Korea 1948 1 5 ideal the Communist Star
Template:Flagicon People's Republic of China 1949 5 5 ideal "Five-starred Red Flag" (五星红旗, Wǔxīng Hóngqí), one large star representing the Communist Party surrounded by four smaller ones depicting the four then social classes
Template:Flagicon Samoa 1949 5 5 Southern Cross
Template:Flagicon Somalia 1954 1 5 ideal "Star of Unity"
Template:Flagicon European Union 1955; 1985 12 5 ideal "unity among Europeans". Believed to also be a reference to the Catholic iconographic tradition of showing the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Woman of the Apocalypse, wearing a "crown of twelve stars".<ref name="Gialdino">Carlo Curti Gialdino, I Simboli dell'Unione europea, Bandiera – Inno – Motto – Moneta – Giornata. Roma: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.A., 2005. Template:ISBN, pp. 80–85. Gialdino is here cited after a translation of the Italian text published by the Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l'Europe (cvce.eu):

Irrespective of the statements by Paul M. G. Levy and the recent reconstruction by Susan Hood, crediting Arsène Heitz with the original design still seems to me the soundest option. In particular, Arsène Heitz himself, in 1987, laid claim to his own role in designing the flag and to its religious inspiration when he said that 'the flag of Europe is the flag of Our Lady' [Magnificat magazine, 1987].

Secondly, it is worth noting the testimony of Father Pierre Caillon, who refers to a meeting with Arsène Heitz. Caillon tells of having met the former Council of Europe employee by chance in August 1987 at Lisieux in front of the Carmelite monastery. It was Heitz who stopped him and declared "I was the one who designed the European flag. I suddenly had the idea of putting the 12 stars of the Miraculous Medal of the Rue du Bac on a blue field. My proposal was adopted unanimously on 8 December 1955, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I am telling you this, Father, because you are wearing the little blue cross of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima".</ref>

Template:Flagicon Ghana 1957 1 5 ideal "the lodestar of African freedom"
Template:Flagicon Central African Republic 1958 1 5 ideal The star "guides the steps of the Central African people towards freedom and emancipation."
Template:Flagicon Syria 1930; 1961; 2011; 2024 3 5 enumerate states The flag was that of the First Syrian Republic and the Syrian Opposition before the fall of the Assad regime government change in 2024. The first star represented Aleppo, Damascus, and Deir Ezzor, with the other stars representing Latakia and Jebel Druze.
Template:Flagicon Mauritania 1959 1 5 star and crescent
Template:Flagicon Senegal 1960 1 5 The five points of the star are said to recall the human ideogram which was displayed in the middle of the flag of the former Mali Federation.Template:Cn
Template:Flagicon Togo 1960 1 5 ideal "hope"Template:Cn
Template:Flagicon Algeria 1962 1 5 star and crescent
Template:Flagicon Malaysia 1963 1 14 enumerate states a 14-pointed star alongside a crescent, representing the 13 member states plus the federal government
Template:Flagicon Singapore 1965 5 5 ideal five stars alongside a crescent, representing "democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality". According to Lee Kuan Yew, the Chinese population wanted five stars (influenced by the flag of the People's Republic of China) and the Muslim population wanted a crescent moon.
Template:Flagicon Burundi 1967 3 6 ideal "Unity, Work, Progress"
Template:Flagicon Nauru 1967 1 12 enumerate tribes
Template:Flagicon Papua New Guinea 1971 5 5 Southern Cross
Template:Flagicon Guinea-Bissau 1973 1 5 ideal "the Black Star of Africa"
Template:Flagicon Grenada 1974 7 5 enumerate parishes
Template:Flagicon Angola 1975 1 5 ideal in origin imitating the Communist Star
Template:Flagicon Cameroon 1975 1 5 ideal "star of unity"
Template:Flagicon Suriname 1975 1 5 ideal "The star represents the unity of all ethnic groups"
Template:Flagicon São Tomé and Príncipe 1975 2 5 enumerate islands
Template:Flagicon Tuvalu 1976 9 5 enumerate islands The stars are arranged in imitation of the geographic location of the islands of Tuvalu
Template:Flagicon Djibouti 1977 1 5 ideal "The red star signifies the unity of the diverse state."
Template:Flagicon Solomon Islands 1977 5 5 enumerate islands
Template:Flagicon Dominica 1978 10 5 enumerate parishes
Template:Flagicon Marshall Islands 1979 1 24 enumerate districts the points of the stars enumerate the electoral districts
Template:Flagicon Federated States of Micronesia 1979 4 5 enumerate states Based on the Flag of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific, each star represents a constitutional State (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae)
Template:Flagicon Saint Kitts and Nevis 1983 2 5 ideal / enumerate islands "hope and liberty, or Saint Kitts and Nevis"
Template:Flagicon Burkina Faso 1984 1 5 ideal "the guiding light of the revolution"
Template:Flagicon Croatia 1990 2 6 morning star The stars are part of the coat of arms of Croatia. One star is part of the coat of arms of the Illyrian movement, and the other is part of the coat of arms of Slavonia.
Template:Flagicon Slovenia 1991 3 6 ideal "democracy", inspired by the historical coat of arms of the Counts of Celje<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagicon Uzbekistan 1991 12 5 ideal a crescent and twelve stars, representing the "ancient calendar cycle"
Template:Flagicon Tajikistan 1992 7 5 seven stars on heaven's mountains
Template:Flagicon Cape Verde 1992 10 5 enumerate islands
Template:Flagicon Bosnia and Herzegovina 1998 8 ("∞") 5 ideal a diagonal line of seven five-pointed stars, plus two half-stars cut off by the flag boundary. The stars represent "Europe" and are intended to be "infinite" in number.
Template:Flagicon Comoros 2001 4 5 enumerate islands four stars alongside a crescent
Template:Flagicon Turkmenistan 2001 5 5 enumerate provinces five stars alongside a crescent
Template:Flagicon Timor-Leste 2002 1 5 ideal "the light that guides"
Template:Flagicon South Sudan 2005 1 5 ideal "the Star of Bethlehem, represents the unity of the states of South Sudan"
Template:Flagicon Democratic Republic of the Congo 2007 1 5 ideal derived from the flag of Congo Free State (1885)
Template:Flagicon Myanmar 2010 1 5 ideal "unity"

Not bearing heraldic stars as such, the 1915 Flag of Morocco and the 1996 flag of Ethiopia have a pentagram each, and the 1948 flag of Israel a hexagram or "star of David". The 1962 Flag of Nepal has what would technically be described as a 12-pointed mullet, but is intended to depict the Sun.Template:Citation needed

See also

References

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Bibliography

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