Coat of arms usually have lions, eagles, trees, mountains, shields or other abstract things, but never hydro plants? What is so important about that hydroelectric plant and they put it on their coat of arms?
Well, the Sui-ho dam was, during the 50s, the 4th largest dam in the world, and provided power for most of western North Korea, as well as parts of China. Communist countries tend to glorify the “fruits of socialist labor” whenever they get the chance, so I’d say they went for a dam, rather than the Hotel of Doom. Although I’m sure the dam on the seal isn’t the Sui-ho, since that was built by the Japanese.
Indeed.
Coat of arms of communist Romania (and check the one in use from January to March 1948 later on the page!)
Coat of arms of Soviet Azerbaijan
Coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Yugoslavia
Coat of arms of Laos
Plenty of industrial symbols there, and the coat of arms of Laos even has a hydroelectric dam as well. I will admit that North Korea is particularly unusual, though.
Is “coat of arms” really the right term for these emblems?
Yes.
It’s known as Civic Heraldry.
In European heraldry, “coat of arms” refers to the shield and the design which it bears, as opposed to the supporters, the crest, the mantle, the motto, etc, all of which surroung the coat of arms. The whole thing, i.e. the coat of arms plus the supporters, the crest, etc, is call the “achievement”.
The North Korean symbol and the various other symbols that hypnagogic jerk links to dont’t really lend themselves to this analysis. I’d be inclined to call them badges or emblems or even arms, but not coats of arms.
Also, in a number of languages, the local-language equivalent of “coat of arms” is used to describe what in American English usage is referred to as the “Seal” of the polity.
Notice the consistent pattern in the way the Old World communist COA’s/Great Seals are framed – two sheaves of agricultural products, bound together by a banner-ribbon, enclosing an image of symbols of the revolution sometimes combined with national symbols and everything surmounted with a star. Archetype
Ack. Make that “in a number of countries, the local-language equivalent…”
Commies do heraldry about as well as they feed their people and respect their civil liberties.
Just wanted to say that Iran has the most awesome coat of arms in the entire world. It just makes me want to utterly submit to whatever is behind that embalm, lest I get phasered.
Wow, no kidding. Is that for Iran or House Harkonnen?
The Irish love beer so much they have the Guiness logo as their coat of arms File:Coat of arms of Ireland.svg - Wikipedia
Iceland has got to be my personal favorite.
