Symbols and their meaning shield. Eastern - round shield

The shield is the main defensive weapon of an ancient and medieval warrior, reliably covering him from enemy arrows, spears, swords and sabers, a symbol of protection, victory, glory and military honor. The mother of the Spartan hoplite, seeing off her son to the war, admonished him with laconic words: “With a shield or on a shield”, equivalent to the later proud motto: “Victory or death!” The Spartan returned home either with a shield, i.e. with victory and glory, or the lifeless body with the honor of a fallen soldier was brought on the shield by his comrades. There was no third choice, for the fearless sons of Laconica did not back down under any circumstances. In this regard, we should recall the glorious feat of King Leonidas and 300 Spartans who valiantly fought in the Thermopylae Gorge (480 BC) against the many thousands of Persian army of Xerxes. Doomed to death, the Spartan heroes released their allies, and they themselves remained to defend the mountain pass leading to Central Greece, and every single person died, covering themselves with immortal glory. In fairness, it must be added that at the other end of the gorge, 700 Thespians fell to the death of the brave, who also refused to retreat.

The posted shield is a sign of victory and possession. Having burst into an enemy city, the knight hung a combat shield on the gates of the house he liked, thereby letting his comrades-in-arms know that the house had now found its new owner. So did Prince Oleg, the legendary founder of the Old Russian state, in 907, who ordered to hang his shield on the gates of Constantinople conquered by him. True, since then Constantinople has not become the patrimony of the victorious prince, but the frightened Greeks hastened to pay the Russian army a large indemnity and sign an unfavorable treaty that granted all Russians the right to free residence and duty-free trade on the territory of the empire, as well as the unheard of privilege - to bathe for free in magnificent Byzantine baths.
The knight's shield, put up on the lists, testified to the readiness of its owner to accept the challenge of any opponent. When challenging, the opponent struck the shield with a spear. If this blow was inflicted with the blunt end of the spear, then the knight offered the owner of the shield to measure his strength with a blunt tournament weapon; if with the tip of a spear, the battle was to be fought to the death.

Negative symbolism can also be associated with the shield. So, a shield thrown in battle symbolized defeat, and overturned or broken into pieces was a humiliating sign of indelible dishonor and shame. Nowadays, when all these symbolic nuances have long been forgotten, only its main, most obvious meaning, sounding in the words: “protection”, “protector”, “client”, “shield”, etc., has been preserved behind the ancient weapon.

In mythology, the shield faithfully served both immortal celestials and mortal heroes. The military attribute of each of them, like the knight's coat of arms, had its own characteristic features: on the shield of Neith, the divine patroness of the Egyptian city of Sais, crossed arrows were depicted; the shield of Huitzilopochtli, the supreme god of the Aztecs, was distinguished by five fur balls; his compatriot, the “Salt Woman” Huishtocihuatl, owned a dazzling white leather shield, and the sun itself served as a golden shield to the Slavic Dazhdbog. And yet the most remarkable mythical shield, the aegis, was owned by the ruler of the Olympic gods. The shield of Zeus was covered with the skin of the goat Amalthea, who once nursed the future Thunderer with her milk. The horned nurse even after death touchingly took care of the pupil - her wool made the aegis impenetrable. Instead of an um-bon, Zeus placed in the center of the shield the head of the terrible snake-haired Gorgon Medusa, which caused confusion and awe even for the immortals. Having pacified all the gods and titans, the ruler of Olympus presented the aegis to his warlike daughter Athena. The symbol of the unusual shield of Zeus is still alive today: the modern expression “to be under the auspices” hints at high patronage and reliable protection.

According to Greek myths, people invented the shield in the Crete-Mycenaean period, more precisely, during the war between the twin brothers Acrisius and Pretus for power in Argolis. In any case, the Homeric heroes who besieged the "strong-walled" Troy were already completely armed with shields. And what! The strong man Ajax Telamonid covered himself in battle with a huge seven-skinned shield sheathed in copper. The Trojans, barely seeing the giant shield of Ajax, rising over the plain like a tower, fled in panic from the battlefield. Another magnificent shield belonged to the most glorious hero of the Achaeans, swift-footed Achilles. This shield of five strongest metal sheets was forged for the fearless son of Peleus by the god Hephaestus himself. None of the mortals could not break through it. But the value of the Achilles shield was not only this: the divine blacksmith covered its surface with marvelous paintings, turning the weapon into the greatest work of art. Hephaestus depicted earth, sea and sky on the shield. The sun, the moon, the constellations of Orion, Pleiades and Ursa Major shone in the sky. On the ground, two cities were written out in every detail: in one, a people's assembly and a wedding procession take place, and in the second, besieged by enemies, a bloody battle is in full swing.

The great master, who respected ordinary workers, presented numerous scenes of peasant labor on the shield: plowmen following the plow, harvesting grain and harvesting grapes, as well as cheerful dances of the villagers after a hard day's work. Around the entire shield, Hephaestus depicted the majestic Ocean, flowing around, according to the Greeks, the whole earth.

In the myths and legends of many peoples, the most diverse and amazing shields appear. Perseus, avoiding the deadly gaze of the Gorgon Medusa, followed her reflection in the mirror shield. Athena built a shield from the skin of the titan Pallant she had slain. The ancient Russian fairy-tale knight Yeruslan Lazarevich entered into single combat with the Green Tsar, the owner of a fire shield. The Chinese ancestor Zhuan-hsu was relieved of the need to get himself military equipment - he was born, although not in a shirt, but with a shield and a spear on his head.

Curious use found shields in Roman mythology. During the siege of Rome by the Sabines, Tarpeia, the unworthy daughter of the Roman centurion Spurius, who defended the Capitol, appeared in the enemy camp and offered her services to King Titus Tatius. Seduced by the glitter of gold, she promised the king to open the gates of the fortress if she received as a reward "what his soldiers wear on their hands" (golden bracelets). The delighted king swore by all the gods to fulfill her condition, and Tarpeya secretly led the Sabines into the fortress at night, and then demanded the promised payment. Titus Tatius, who despised the corrupt Roman woman, nevertheless kept his word. At his sign, the Sabine warriors immediately gave Tarpeya what they wore on their hands - with pleasure they threw their shields at the traitor.

In the religion of pagan peoples, a special cult shield was revered as a sacred sign of divine protection. The Romans, for example, kept 12 such shields in the royal sanctuary at once. One of them, according to ancient legend, fell from the sky, becoming a clear guarantee of the invincibility of Rome, and the remaining 11 were its exact copy. These copies were made by the most skillful blacksmith Mamurriy on the order of the wise king Numa Pompilius, who was afraid that enemies might steal the priceless relic. After the death of the king and the blacksmith, who knew the secret of the divine shield, no one could find the original among the duplicates, so all 12 shields were recognized as equally sacred. A special board of 12 Salii priests was responsible for their safety. In March and October, during the days of national festivities, the salii solemnly carried sacred shields out of the temple, performed special ritual dances with them and sang hymns in honor of the guardian gods of the Eternal City. Before the campaign, the Roman generals necessarily visited the sanctuary and, touching the precious shields with their hands, appealed to Mars, the god of war, to send down victory over the enemies.

Other nations also had their sacred shields. The Urartians dedicated the main temple, the so-called "House of the Shield", to the supreme sky god Khaldi. The inhabitants of Minoan Crete, judging by the numerous images in the Knossos Palace, revered a special double shield - with interception, in the shape of a figure eight. The Baltic Slavs kept a shield with gold plaques on the wall of the sanctuary in Wolgast, which once belonged to the warlike god Yarovit. In the days of peace, Yarovit's shield was forbidden to be touched, and in case of war, the priests carried it ahead of the troops. Christians who worshiped the snow-white shield of Joseph of Arimathea also had a similar relic, on which the saint inscribed a cross with his own blood - the emblem of the Resurrection.

In the allegorical painting of the Renaissance, the shield, on one basis or another, belongs to a number of personifications. The allegorical Warrior hides behind a shield from smashing enemy arrows, and Chastity bashfully hides behind a shield from Cupid's love-feathered arrows. On the shield of Courage, a lion reared - the emblem of fearlessness and courage, while the figure of the Iron Age raised a snake with a human head - a vicious symbol of deceit. The highly experienced Rhetoric armed herself with a shield and a sword: with the first she fends off any arguments of her opponent, and with the second she delivers brilliant and irresistible retaliatory blows.
In the military affairs of the period of antiquity, one or another type of shield gave the name to the whole combat unit. So, the Greek lightly armed infantrymen were called peltasts, since they wore a round leather shield (Greek “river”). In the Macedonian army, infantry detachments were also named and distinguished by the type of shields: the leucaspides, the warriors of the famous Macedonian phalanx, were armed with shields made of white tanned leather; chalkispides were covered in battle with bronze shields; argiras-pids, detachments of the heavily armed infantry guards of Alexander the Great, who followed him on the distant Eastern campaign, were distinguished by beautiful silver-plated shields.

In the history of knightly symbols, the shield, which was the field for the coat of arms, played the most important role. The shield was something like a track record, open to everyone, as it reflected all the merits and misdeeds of its owner. For the accomplished feat and significant services to the homeland and the king, some honorary signs were added to the coat of arms on the shield, and appropriate punishments followed for certain misconduct and crimes. If the knight boasted and ranted about his imaginary exploits, then on the shield of the bouncer they shortened the right side of the head of the coat of arms. If a hard-hearted knight killed a prisoner, the head of the coat of arms was also shortened on his shield, rounding it from below. If an undisciplined knight, without a command, rushed headlong into battle and thereby harmed his army, a crowd was depicted at the bottom of his shield. For lies and perjury, the head of the coat of arms on the shield of an unworthy knight was covered in red, erasing the signs that were there. A knight who did not keep his word was drawn a quadrangle in the center of the coat of arms. The knight, convicted of cowardice and flight from the battlefield, was stained with a coat of arms on the left side of the shield.

So, in the knight's shield, as if in a mirror, all the sins of its owner were reflected. Any parts of the coat of arms or the entire coat of arms were erased from the shield; the symbols of dishonor listed above were applied to it; tied overturned to a pillory; and for the most serious crimes of a knight, the executioners publicly broke his shield into pieces.
In heraldry, the shield serves as the basis for the coat of arms. Heraldic shields, originating from real, historical shields, differ in shape. Classical heraldic shields include the following:
Amazonian - a semicircular shield with two notches on top;
eastern - round shield;
Varangian - triangular, tapering downwards;
early Gothic - triangular, with rounded upper edges, elongated downwards;
Italian - oval shield;
Spanish - square, with a curved and rounded bottom edge;
French - square, with a heart-shaped brace underneath;
Polish - square, differs from French only in beveled upper corners and smooth notches on the sides of the shield;
German - a beautiful figured shield with deep notches and curls;
Russian - an almond-shaped shield, currently used in personal coats of arms and in corporate heraldry.

Other, non-canonical forms of the shield also appear in modern heraldry: rhombic (in the emblems of some African states), triangular (Nicaragua and El Salvador), rectangular (Haiti), pentagonal (Czechoslovakia), etc.

In classical heraldry, a heart shield is also used - a small shield that repeats the shape of the main shield and is superimposed on its central part. In this shield is the most important and honorable element of the coat of arms - its heart.

Another important element of the coat of arms are the shield holders - paired figures located on the sides of the coat of arms. People (Moors, monks, women, savages with clubs, etc.), all kinds of heraldic animals, birds, fish and fantastic creatures (angels, dragons, griffins, unicorns, phoenixes, etc.) act as shield holders.

In European urban heraldry, the shield emblem is often found in the field of the shield. Its symbolic interpretation may be different. In the coat of arms of Olonetsk (Karelia), a blue shield is in the right hand of God emerging from a cloud, which symbolizes God's patronage of the region, and in the coat of arms of the city of Tetyushi (Tatarstan), two round silver shields lie among crossed silver spears as a sign of military prowess of local residents.

Symbol meaning
The shield is the main defensive weapon of the ancient warrior, reliably covering him from enemy arrows, spears, swords and sabers, a symbol of protection, victory, glory and military honor. The mother of the Spartan, escorting her son to the war, admonished him: “With a shield or on a shield,” which meant: “Victory or death!” The posted shield is a sign of victory and possession. Having burst into an enemy city, the knight hung a combat shield on the gates of the house he liked, thereby letting his comrades-in-arms know that the house had now found its new owner.

Negative symbolism can also be associated with the shield. So, a shield thrown in battle symbolized defeat, and overturned or broken into pieces was a humiliating sign of indelible dishonor and shame. In the allegorical painting of the Renaissance, the shield acquired new “roles” for itself. The allegorical Warrior hides behind a shield from smashing enemy arrows, and Chastity bashfully hides behind a shield from Cupid's love-feathered arrows. A lion reared on the shield of Courage - the emblem of fearlessness and courage; the figure of the Iron Age raised a snake with a human head on a shield - a vicious symbol of deceit. The highly experienced Rhetoric is armed with both a shield and a sword: with the first she fends off any opponent's arguments, and with the second she delivers brilliant and irresistible retaliatory blows.

If in general the sign of the shield symbolizes protection in life, then the sword represents power, but at the same time it is also a paired symbol of protection.

The sword is a symbol of militancy, heroism, strength, justice. Like other types of weapons, it reflects the symbolism of power. Also associated with intelligence, insight, light, truth, wisdom. The paired sword of the "female" image is the spinning wheel, embodying creative activity, while the sword acts as a weapon of protection for the latter. The spinning wheel and sword, respectively, symbolize prosperity and security; at the same time, since the sword brings death, they are opposed within the framework of the opposition life - death. The sword was an attribute of the Roman god Mars, acting as the guardian of peaceful labor. In many traditions, the sword was endowed with the ability to protect from evil spirits, neutralize them; for example, Chinese spirits - guardians of the threshold - were traditionally depicted with swords.

Similarly, in Christianity, ungodliness and heresy are not only dealt with by fire, but by the sword.

In mythology and folklore, there is a motif of a treasure-sword or a broken sword, which personifies some kind of treasure or inheritance that the hero must gain (restore) during difficult trials. In the early Middle Ages, the blacksmith seemed to be an extraordinary being, close to the sorcerer, no doubt because of his ability to make weapons and forge swords.

In Christian culture, the sword acted as a symbol of the spirit and word of God. In medieval Europe, a secular sword and a spiritual sword figured as signs of power (both belonged to the pope as the successor of St. Peter, the vicar of God). In Catholicism, the flaming sword acts as a symbol of the militant church. In alchemy, the sword is a symbol of purifying fire. In Japanese tradition, the sword is one of the three sacred imperial treasures.

Where can you find the symbol

When to refer to a symbol
Activate the symbol before deciding which bank to keep your savings.

Symbol Activation Techniques
Tune in to the symbol
Sit in a hard-backed chair with your shoulders back. Without stopping, look at the image of the symbol for 2.5-3 minutes. Close your eyes, hang your arms freely along the body.
Take a deep breath, exhale slowly, counting to 12. Repeat 5 times.

Phrase key that unlocks the money energy of the symbol
- Success leads me to prosperity! Regular character access

Look at the symbol in the morning and evening for 10-15 seconds, repeating affirmations to yourself:
- I can always maintain financial independence!
- I like making money!

Rite to enhance the effect of the symbol
Sit on the heel of your left foot, place your right foot at your left knee. Straighten your back, lower your arms, exhale. Bending your arms, slowly raise them so that your palms are at your shoulders. The fingers should be tense, palms pointing down. Take a breath. Hold your breath. Rise to your left knee, throw your hands forward with force, helping the movement with your shoulders and accompanying the action with three exhalations without inhalation.

Imagine pushing away poverty, failure, and bad thoughts forever. Repeat 3 times.

Written, not by me, but under my editorship. In my opinion it is very interesting and informative.

Signature Mikhail Kalyuzhny
Especially for the Literary House of the Sandy Brothers

Prophecies of the KGB sign

When Russia once again celebrates the “birthday” of law enforcement or state security agencies, the symbol of the Soviet and Russian state security agencies immediately pops up in memory - “shield and sword”. However, not everyone now knows that this symbol appeared only in 1957 and was “copied” from the emblem of the anti-Soviet foreign White Guard organization. Before that, the Chekists had completely different symbols - deeply mystical and prophetic in their content. In a strange way, each new emblem predicted the future of bodies and countries for many years to come. And these prophecies have always come true. Although it may be because the program written in the language of symbols on the logo, the program itself became a powerful force for changing the world or a magic program.

Birth of a legend

The first emblem of the Soviet state security agencies can be considered the image of the badge "Honorary Worker of the Cheka-GPU", established in honor of the 5th anniversary of the Soviet state security agencies. The description of the badge was as follows: “The honorary jubilee badge depicts an oval silver hoop. On the hoop, crossed with a sword, a sickle and a hammer are superimposed, this emblem is bordered by the Roman numeral "five", covered with red enamel.
A curious sign, especially since there was nothing like this in Russian symbols before. And in foreign? Strange as it may seem at first glance, the Chekists took the coat of arms of the mystical and magical German order (society) of Thule in 1919, the midwife of fascism, as the prototype of their emblem. On the coat of arms, oak branches are woven into a V-shaped wreath. The sword, with the crosshair of the handle in the form of a downward crescent of the Moon, is directed downwards. Behind the sword is a circled magical symbol of the Sun (heavenly fire) - a rounded swastika. The symbolism of Nazi Germany was frankly magical, and magic itself was part of the state policy of the III Reich. This is common knowledge. But it is much less known that the Nazis borrowed their main symbols from the Bolsheviks. For example, the first Soviet money of 1918 was decorated with a swastika, and it was on the sleeves of many soldiers of the Red Army right up to the end of the Civil War. However, not only the Nazis were fond of magic, but also the Chekists, as well as many prominent Bolsheviks. At the Lubyanka, even under Dzerzhinsky, the 8th technical special department began to work, which was supposed to develop and provide methods for protecting state secrets and monitoring their observance, using occult methods. The department was headed by Gleb Bokiy, Professor A. Barchenko, the famous Chekist Ya. Blyumkin and other magically gifted Bolsheviks also worked there. Almost all of them then entered the secret mystical and magical organization "United Labor Brotherhood".

Magic in the service of the Cheka

The magicians from Thule, among whom was Hitler himself, revered their coat of arms as a sign of involvement in their brotherhood. The Chekists also saw in their badge not so much a badge of distinction as membership in some kind of closed society. The future People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR Yagoda wrote about this sign: "The badge of honor is the mutual guarantee of all those who wear it in boundless devotion to the cause of the Revolution." The symbolism of the sign, which in those years was actually the emblem of the organs, was downright a magical program for the complete victory of the Chekists over their enemies. Consider the symbolism of the sign from the point of view of magic. The material of the badge is silver. In magic, silver is associated with the Moon, the symbol of everything intuitive and secret. Luna never reveals her secrets, and her patronage is ideal for those who guard state secrets. The oval (or circle) symbolizes the World, the Universe.
The red Roman numeral "five", at the same time the Latin letter V - the first letter of the word "victory" (victory) in Latin spelling. Victory is the main symbolic meaning of this element - after all, the sign was not an anniversary award for the fifth anniversary of the VChK-GPU, they were awarded until 1932. The red color of the letter V symbolizes fire. According to the Bible, it is impossible for a person to see the true form of God. But God the Father (Yahweh) appears in the form of a bush of fire and a pillar, and, finally, it is directly said about Yahweh: "Yahweh, your God, is a consuming fire." The symbol of fire on the sign is nothing but (in accordance with the magical law In magic, a raised sword symbolizes the triumph of strength, aggression and threat (see, for example, the emblem of the SA assault squads), and a lowered sword either impotence and loss, or initiation and the establishment of a magical connection.
For example, lowered swords (swords) touched those who entered the magical orders in the rite of passage. This action established an inextricable magical bond between the new brother, the rest of the organization, and the Higher Powers. On the sign, the sword symbolizes initiation and touches the ribbon with the inscription VChK-GPU, which symbolizes the snake (remember, for example, A. Conan Doyle's story "The Motley Ribbon") with its wisdom, deceit and cruelty. The hammer and sickle, the main symbol of the Soviet state, defines the main sphere of influence of the "owner" of the emblem (GPU). The letter V with a hammer and sickle inside the oval speaks of the goal - the complete victory of the state and organs over their opponents in the country. And the magic did not disappoint - the Chekists brilliantly coped with this task.

In 1940, a new version of the sign appeared. An image of the red rays of the rising Sun appeared inside the oval - a symbol of Light (God) or a solar deity (analogous to the swastika). The sword connects the Sun and the inscription of the NKVD on the ribbon, which speaks of the reconciliation of the organs with religion, of which they have been the main persecutors since October. The ribbon becomes red and V-shaped (which again foreshadows the struggle for victory). The symbol of fire is already present on the sign (red rays), so the red color on the ribbon symbolizes the blood of the employees of the organs, which will be shed in the name of higher ideals (the Sun). And this prophecy came true. Soon the state really radically changed its official attitude towards religion and the Church, and the NKVD officers shed a lot of their own blood in the name of Victory. And not only. After the death of Stalin, a desperate struggle for power began in the top leadership of the USSR, in which the top leaders of the state security agencies lost. The sign of 1940 was so magically successful that the German magicians from the Ahnenerbe simply could not pass by this masterpiece of Soviet magic. In 1944, when the outcome of the war was already clear, and the fight against partisans was becoming less and less topical, Hitler established the qualification mark "For the fight against partisans", very similar to the Chekist badge. The magic program of the sign was intended for implementation already in the post-war period. The badge had an oval edged with a wreath of oak leaves - the symbol of the winner. At the base of the oval there is a skull and crossbones - a symbol of the victory of dark forces (in medieval German literature, dark forces were symbolically denoted through death and destruction. Here, for example, is a short excerpt from a poem by the 15th-century German poet Garnier von Susteren:
"Look, there's a knight standing there.
His armor is black.
His helmet is adorned with a skull.
His banner is stained with blood."
Closer to the hilt of the sword is a rounded swastika (one of the main symbols of Thule). At the bottom of the oval is a five-headed snake. Its tail wriggles around the blade of the sword, symbolizing the invulnerability and invincibility of evil (the snake symbolizes the ancient Greek mythological snake-like monster - the Hydra, given that instead of one of its severed heads, a new one immediately grew). The hydra symbolized indestructibility and the revival of the ideas of Thule and fascism in post-war Europe. And so it happened. Fascism is still alive today. However, like the main magical ideas of this sign - the modern emblem of the State Drug Control Service is very reminiscent of an anti-partisan sign - but that's another story. A new stage in the symbolism and life of the state security agencies began with the final victory of N. S. Khrushchev in the struggle for power in the USSR. In 1957, the badge "Honorary State Security Officer" was established.

Evolution continues

This sign in appearance and magical symbolism was fundamentally different from its predecessor. They made it from oxidized tombac, and not from silver, like the previous awards - Luna's patronage, with her concern for keeping secrets, has gone into oblivion. Instead of an oval, a shield appeared - a symbol of the protection of a limited space - this indicated the limitation of the sphere of influence of the state security agencies, and the choice of a non-heraldic form of the shield only exacerbated this trend. The same was indicated by the replacement of the symbol of the state - the “hammer and sickle” with a golden five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle. Shield color is black. This color symbolizes Saturn - a symbol of decay, destruction and death. The faceless inscription on the U-shaped ribbon - "Honorary State Security Officer" without the name of the organization symbolizes the loss of corporate goals and objectives by employees of the bodies. In addition, without the name of the “owner” of the emblem, the lowered sword loses its meaning of dedication, and becomes a symbol of defeat and impotence. There are all signs of a magical destructive program aimed at the degradation and destruction of the state security agencies. But until the very end of the Soviet period, the state security emblem remained practically unchanged. As a result, the state security agencies - bearers of the emblem with a shield and a star - suffered a complete fiasco in 1991 - the state, the security and integrity of which they defended, fell apart. But maybe the creators of the sign in 1957 had no idea about magic and did not know what they were doing? The emblem of 1957 had predecessors. For the first time in Russia, a shield and a lowered sword appeared on the seals of the Great Tver princes in the 14th century (the seals at that time served as the state emblem). In the 15th century Tver loses its independence. Such symbolism was not the best example to follow. In addition, the emblem with a shield and a lowered sword striking a five-pointed star has become a symbol of the fight against communism by Russian White Guard organizations in China (the Far Eastern Union of the Military, the Central Anti-Communist Committee, etc.). The end of this struggle is inglorious. It is unbelievable that the authors of the badge of 1957 did not know about the existence of this emblem and the sad fate of their bearers - the huge similarity between the emblems of anti-communist organizations and the "armed detachment" of the CPSU is directly evident. In China, this simply could not be overlooked and brought to the attention of the Soviet leadership. The symbolism of the emblem was chosen, no doubt, deliberately. In 1994, the main state symbol (double-headed eagle) was placed on the badge "Honorary Counterintelligence Officer", and the ribbon was painted black, preserving intact the general principle of building the Khrushchev era, symbolically extending the influence of the symbolism of the emblem not only to state security, but to the entire state . As you know, the Yeltsin period was a time of degradation not only of the special services, but also of the state and society itself, and the integrity of the state was under real threat. Before the very end of Yeltsin's reign, the state security (FSB) by decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 13, 1999 No. 1513 acquires a new official emblem. According to her description, the shield has a silver border (lunar symbol), the center of the shield is red (a fiery symbol), and the ribbon is blue (a symbol of intelligence and Jupiter - power), the lowered sword is removed behind the shield, which eliminates the magical defeatist meaning of this symbol.
From the point of view of magic, the symbolism of the emblem will not allow the FSB to achieve the power of its predecessors, but it is still favorable for the state and state security. And the expected results stated in the symbolism were not long in coming. A month and a half later, a native of the special services stood at the head of the Russian Federation, and the collapse of the state first stopped, and then Russia began to rise almost from non-existence before the eyes of the whole astonished world. (c)imperator777

Shield Description

Shield shapes
Shield division
Honorary heraldic figures
Simple heraldic figures

Armorial figures are called heraldic ones, which were most often used in the creation of coats of arms. These figures can be divided into Honorary and Simple. The first got this name because they often complained as a sign of special distinction and, in addition, they occupy the most important positions in the shield. According to the rules of Heraldry, the honorary heraldic figure in the description of the coat of arms is proclaimed first, immediately after the mention of the shield.

Simple heraldic figures, having some properties of honorary ones, are smaller than the latter in size and constitute, as it were, a transition from heraldic figures to non-heraldic figures.

Tinctures
Location of non-heraldic figures
Order of description

The position of the figure (or location, if there are several figures) on the shield is subject to certain rules.

The number and arrangement of figures is determined by the maximum filling of the free space left in the shield by the main figure. At the same time, the same figure can occur repeatedly, in accordance with symmetry and harmony. These conditions also determine the appropriate size of the figures.
All figures must be oriented with the front to the right edge, otherwise, facing left, and not right, they will be called inverted, but this is extremely rare.

If the sword at a deep level personifies the all-pervading mind, the power of intellect, insight, the weapon of wisdom that cuts off ignorance, and the sword guards the boundaries of understanding, then the shield is a symbol of the protection of these boundaries. For example, Achilles had a magical shield forged by Hephaestus. Hephaestus depicted the entire universe on the shield. A kind of world he understood, on which Achilles could find any place on earth and in heaven. None of the mortals could not pierce it with either a sword or a spear. That is, the shield served him to protect the entire world order, and no one's all-penetrating mind could shake and destroy this world he was aware of. But as we know, he was struck in the heel (five main organs of perception), thus the direct connection with the perception of this universe was broken, as a result of which the understanding is distorted and the world collapses from within.

The shield is a kind of field of awareness, something like a list of the known, and around is the chaos of the unknown and darkness. So, the owner of this field looks outside only through the reflection of his consciousness, thereby filtering the unknowable infinity, which carries a destructive threat. Filters are a kind of dam that allows immensity to a certain extent, according to internal foundations. This is exactly what the mythological Perseus did, avoiding the deadly gaze of the Gorgon Medusa, watching her reflection in the mirror shield.

So in Slavic myths, the sun was a fiery golden sparkling shield of Dazhdbog. Thanks to its radiance, there is light and warmth on the earth. Dazhdbog protects and protects the world from dark forces.

A drop-shaped shield is a weapon of heroes from Russian fairy tales, the same shields were often depicted in chronicles. Their red color, the color of fire and strength, as well as solar symbolism, calls for the help of the forces of light. Thanks to his courage, the warrior is not alone in the battle, his shield is a symbol of divine patronage.

In chivalric traditions, the shield symbolizes the mission of the knight himself: like a shield, he should serve as a protection for all noble deeds. That is why the coat of arms of the knight was depicted on the shield. Knight's shield In the allegorical painting of the Renaissance, the shield belongs to a number of virtues.

On the shield of Fortitude, a lion reared up - a symbol of courage and the impossibility of retreating. Purity-chastity is guarded by two royal lions with golden shields. Golden shields and lions are symbols of the strength inherent in a pure soul, and at the same time the patronage of heaven.

The shield is the main defensive weapon of the ancient warrior, reliably covering him from enemy arrows, spears, swords and sabers, a symbol of protection, victory, glory and military honor. The mother of the Spartan, escorting her son to the war, admonished him: “With a shield or on a shield,” which meant: “Victory or death!” A hanging shield is a sign of victory and possession. So did Prince Oleg, who ordered to hang his shield on the gates of Constantinople conquered by him.

Quite often, the “shield of the people” was called princes and great people who should act as defenders of the common good.

The importance of color. It is easy to guess that even the smallest, seemingly insignificant detail is important, without which the meaning of the symbol will change radically. the meaning of colors is considered both in aggregate and separately from each other. The mystical features of certain phenomena and beings, in which it is possible to discern a hidden meaning and some kind of divine revelation in the world around us, colors are given special significance. The importance of colors is especially great, since it is on them that attention is first drawn. Color additionally characterizes the meaning. Gold, in addition to the usual evidence of luxury and wealth, this color carries other information. The use of gold testified to belonging to a NOBLE family in mythology, to a royal, and royal or RICH family. Thus, the presence of golden elements on the shield often testified to the presence of a solar component, which was considered a sign of sublimity, majesty of the family.

Silver If in the previous case there was an obvious reference to sunlight, then the soft silver hue represents the luminary of the night. In addition, this color speaks of the purity of the family, its high origin and special trust on the part of superiors. Silver has always spoken of being chosen.

Scarlet Scarlet shields were loved by representatives of militant families. It was the shades of red that spoke of the courage, steadfastness and power of the carriers. This color is fiery, powerful. By the way, in Slavic culture there was even a custom of scarlet shields before the battle by sprinkling with their own blood. This not only frightened the enemies, but also provided powerful protection for the wearer himself.

The blue color in speaks of the adherence of the bearers to the eternal ideals of beauty. The azure shade on the shields was supposed to indicate clarity of judgment, impeccability and elitism.

Niello This color of shields speaks not only of mourning, but also of thoughtfulness, prudence, nobility of the wearer. As a rule, this color is applied in perpendicular lines over the entire surface.

Very often, animals are depicted on the shields, whose distinctive features were supposed to tell others about the character of the owner. Among the animals that are most often found in symbolism, it is worth noting the lion, leopard, and eagle. The meaning of animals usually comes down to the identification of strong-willed and heroic qualities. So, for example, the lion is traditionally considered a symbol of courage, courage and generosity. An alternative to a lion is often a leopard. Most often, the lion is depicted on the shield alone, but sometimes you can find the image of several animals. Such lions are considered to be lion cubs.

In mythology, the shield faithfully served both immortal celestials and mortal heroes. On the shield of Neith, the divine patroness of the Egyptian city of Sais, crossed arrows were depicted; the shield of Huitzilopochtli, the supreme god of the Aztecs, was distinguished by five fur balls; his compatriot, the “Salt Woman” Huishtocihuatl, owned a dazzling white leather shield, and the sun itself served as a golden shield to the Slavic Dazhdbog. And yet the most remarkable mythical shield, the aegis, was owned by the ruler of the Olympic gods. The shield of Zeus was covered with the skin of the goat Amalthea, who once nursed the future Thunderer with her milk. The horned nurse even after death touchingly took care of the pupil - her wool made the aegis impenetrable. Instead of an um-bon, Zeus placed in the center of the shield the head of the terrible snake-haired Gorgon Medusa, which caused confusion and awe even for the immortals. Having pacified all the gods and titans, the ruler of Olympus presented the aegis to his warlike daughter Athena. The symbolism of the extraordinary shield of Zeus is still alive today: the modern expression “to be under the auspices” hints at high patronage and reliable protection.

In the religion of pagan peoples, a special cult shield was revered as a sacred sign of divine protection. The Romans, for example, kept 12 such shields in the royal sanctuary at once. One of them, according to ancient legend, fell from the sky, becoming a clear guarantee of the invincibility of Rome, and the remaining 11 were its exact copy. These copies were made by the most skillful blacksmith Mamurriy on the order of the wise king Numa Pompilius, who was afraid that enemies might steal the priceless relic. After the death of the king and the blacksmith, who knew the secret of the divine shield, no one could find the original among the duplicates, so all 12 shields were recognized as equally sacred. A special board of 12 Salii priests was responsible for their safety. Before the campaign, the Roman generals necessarily visited the sanctuary and, touching the precious shields with their hands, appealed to Mars, the god of war, to send down victory over the enemies.

In the history of knightly symbols, the shield, which was the field for the coat of arms, played the most important role. The shield was something like a track record, open to everyone, as it reflected all the merits and misdeeds of its owner. In the knight's shield, as if in a mirror, all the sins of its owner were reflected. Any parts of the coat of arms or the entire coat of arms were erased from the shield; the symbols of dishonor listed above were applied to it; tied overturned to a pillory; and for the most serious crimes of a knight, the executioners publicly broke his shield into pieces.

In heraldry, the shield serves as the basis for the coat of arms. Heraldic shields, originating from real, historical shields, differ in shape. Classical heraldic shields include the following:

Amazonian - a semicircular shield with two notches on top;

eastern - round shield;

Varangian - triangular, tapering downwards;

early Gothic - triangular, with rounded upper edges, elongated downwards;

Italian - oval shield;

Spanish - square, with a curved and rounded bottom edge;

French - square, with a heart-shaped brace underneath;

Polish - square, differs from French only in beveled upper corners and smooth notches on the sides of the shield;

German - a beautiful figured shield with deep notches and curls;