Here's a pic of one of the Royal Coats of Arms in the dining hall at King's College, Cambridge. It has the red dragon and sliver greyhound which have since been superseded by the lion and unicorn - presumably because one mythical beast and one foreign wild animal are better than one mythical beast and one domestic animal.
Notice also the early inclusion of the emergency exit symbol.
What does all this have to do with the Anglican Church? Well, apart from the fact that the Tudors founded the independent Church of England in the sixteenth century, I don't really know. But perhaps there are connections I haven't yet thought of...
Ahem, which beasts are you saying are mythical?
ReplyDeleteThe KJV refers to unicorns in a few places and from memory, the odd dragon rears it's head in Revelation. I've seen plenty of greyhounds, but never a live lion, so... ;)
David Sisson
Fair enough.
ReplyDeleteApparently the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland too, so it must be real. Plus, they have them in Harry Potter.