"well-known college fraternal organizations which use the skull and bones in some capacity in their public symbols include, but are not limited to: Delta Sigma Pi, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Phi Kappa Sigma, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Chi Psi and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternities and Sigma Sigma Sigma, Chi Omega, and Kappa Delta Sororities. Other fraternal groups also use the skull and crossbones in their symbolism or in their secret fraternal rituals. These groups include the Knights of Columbus, the Royal Black Institution, Apprentice Boys of Derry as well as the Knights Templar degree of Freemasonry. In fraternal usage, the"
"to it. Their black Flag, under which they had committed abundance of Pyracies and Murders, was affix'd to one Corner of the Gallows. It had in it the Portraiture of Death, with an Hour-Glass in one Hand, and a Dart in the other, striking into a Heart, and three Drops of Blood delineated as falling from it. This Flag they called ""Old Roger"", and us'd to say, ""They would live and die under it"". The first recorded uses of the skull-and-crossbones symbol on naval flags date to the 17th century. It possibly originated among the Barbary pirates of the period,"
"Pirates, use a modified skull and crossbones flag as their symbol. (The skull wears a purple tricornered hat.) Skull and crossbones (fraternities and sports) The skull and crossbones was a common fraternal motif as a symbol of mortality and warning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The symbol was adopted, for various reasons, by many sporting teams, clubs and societies in both America and Europe. The skull and crossbones motif was used by many American college fraternities, sororities and secret societies founded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The most well-known example of this usage is the Skull"
"Skull and crossbones (symbol) A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originates in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ""memento mori"" on tombstones. In modern contexts, it is generally used as a hazard symbol that warns of danger, usually in regard to poisonous substances, such as deadly chemicals. Unicode uses for the symbol. The symbol is an ancient one, becoming widespread with the medieval ""Danse Macabre"" symbolism. From at least the 12th century, it has"
"Skull and crossbones (military) Variations on the skull and crossbones have been used by several military forces. The largest is on the ""Jolly Roger"" flags used by submarines. The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. Since the decline of piracy, various military units have used the Jolly Roger, usually in skull-and-crossbones design, as a unit identification insignia or a victory flag to ascribe to themselves the proverbial ferocity and toughness of pirates. Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson VC, the Controller of the Royal Navy, summed up the opinion"
"Skull and crossbones (fraternities and sports) The skull and crossbones was a common fraternal motif as a symbol of mortality and warning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The symbol was adopted, for various reasons, by many sporting teams, clubs and societies in both America and Europe. The skull and crossbones motif was used by many American college fraternities, sororities and secret societies founded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The most well-known example of this usage is the Skull and Bones society, a secret society at Yale University which derives its very name from the symbol. Other"
"guerrilla group against the royal Spanish army composed mainly by bandits and civilians, called ""Los húsares de la muerte"" (""The Death Hussars"") wore a Skull with two crossed femurs on the neck of their jackets. In the Estonian War of Independence the skull and crossbones were symbols of Kuperjanov's Partisan Battalion. The badge is still used in the Estonian Army by the Kuperjanov Battalion, for example 2007 in Iraq. Though not employing a black uniform, the skull and crossbones has been used by a succession of lancer regiments in the British Army. The Queen's Royal Lancers continue to use the"
"from the later Middle Ages, e.g. in the early 14th century the ""insignia cruxata comunis "" of the city of Genoa, the red-on-white cross that would later become known as St George's Cross, and the white-on-red cross of the ""Reichssturmfahne"" used as the war flag of the Holy Roman Emperor possibly from the early 13th century. Crosses on flags become more widespread in the Age of Sail, as maritime flags, and from this tradition develop into national flags in the 18th to 19th century, the British Union flag (as naval flag) was introduced in 1606, after the Union of the"
"Hanseatic flags Hanseatic flags are the banners of Hanseatic cities, that were flown by cogs and other ships of the Hanseatic league - as illustrated on the 1350 seal of Elbing shown here. Originally, Hanseatic ships displayed red gonfalones on their masts, which had a cross at its peak to denote the protection of the sovereign. Red was also the colour used by Danish and English shipping, the English later adopting the St George's Cross. From the second half of the 13th century, the individual Hanseatic cities created various banners to distinguish themselves from other member cities. The red gonfalone"
"sacred to both Aphrodite and Apollo. Dolphins are sometimes used as symbols, for instance in heraldry. When heraldry developed in the Middle Ages, not much was known about the biology of the dolphin and it was often depicted as a sort of fish. Traditionally, the dolphins in heraldry still may take after this notion, sometimes showing the dolphin skin covered with fish scales. In the Middle Ages, the dolphin became an important heraldic element in the coats of arms of several European noble families, the most noticeable being those of the Dauphin de Viennois (later Dauphin of France) through which"
"the 16th century, as the figurehead as such could not come to be until ships had an actual stemhead structure on which to place it. The menacing appearance of toothy and bug-eyed figureheads on Viking ships also had the protective function of warding off evil spirits. The Egyptians placed figures of holy birds on the prow while the Phoenicians used horses representing speed. The Ancient Greeks used boars' heads to symbolise acute vision and ferocity while Roman boats often mounted a carving of a centurion representing valour in battle. In northern Europe, serpents, bulls, dolphins and dragons were customary and"
"during this period. When the Holy Roman Empire took part in the Crusades, a war flag was flown alongside the black-gold imperial banner. This flag, known as the ""Saint George Flag"", was a white cross on a red background: the reverse of the St George's Cross used as the flag of England, and similar to the flag of Denmark. Red and white were also colors of the Hanseatic League (13th–17th century). Hanseatic trading ships were identifiable by their red-white pennants, and most Hanseatic cities adopted red and white as their city colours (see Hanseatic flags). Red and white still feature"
"crown, resembling a city wall, and thus municipal government. The crest itself was a black ship, recalling an expedition to Fulham by the Danes in 879. The main sail was charged with a Tudor rose, recalling the importance of the area in that era, when Fulham Palace was rebuilt. The Latin motto, ""Pro Civibus Et Civitate"", was translated as ""for citizens and state"". The waves from the shield, the two swords, the mitre and most of the crest was brought to the coat of arms of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham when Fulham and Hammersmith merged to form"
"crossbones signify ""Poison"" when they appear on a glass bottle containing a white powder, or any container in general. But it is not the same emblem when it flies high above the deck as the Jolly Roger: there the pirate death's-head epitomizes the pirates' ruthlessness and despair; their usage of death imagery might be paralleled with their occupation challenging the natural order of things. ""Pirates also affirmed their unity symbolically"", Marcus Rediker asserts, remarking the skeleton or skull symbol with bleeding heart and hourglass on the black pirate ensign, and asserting ""it triad of interlocking symbols— death, violence, limited time—simultaneously"
"and crossbones in their College Victory Cry. Poole Pirates Speedway Team in the United Kingdom have the Skull and Crossbones as their team badge. The logo of the Blackshirts, the starting defensive unit for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, is a Skull and Crossbones with the skull wearing the team helmet. Additionally, the players and fans often celebrate by ""throwing the bones"", where they cross the forearms in the air, in a 'X', imitating the logo. FC St. Pauli supporters adopted the Skull and Crossbones as an unofficial symbol of the club. The athletic teams of East Carolina University, nicknamed"
"griffin claws (actually antelope horns) and griffin eggs (actually ostrich eggs) were highly prized in medieval European courts. When Genoa emerged as a major seafaring power in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, griffins commenced to be depicted as part of the republic's coat of arms, rearing at the sides of the shield bearing the Cross of St. George. By the 12th century, the appearance of the griffin was substantially fixed: ""All its bodily members are like a lion's, but its wings and mask are like an eagle's."" It is not yet clear if its forelimbs are those of an eagle"
"skull & crossbones symbol has often been used to indicate a poisonous substance. Totenkopf Totenkopf (i.e. ""skull"", literally ""dead's head"") is the German word for the skull and crossbones and death's head symbols. The ""Totenkopf"" symbol is an old international symbol for death, the defiance of death, danger, or the dead, as well as piracy. It consists usually of the human skull with or without the mandible and often includes two crossed long-bones (femurs), most often depicted with the crossbones being ""behind"" some part of the skull. It is commonly associated with 19th- and 20th-century German military use. ""Toten-Kopf"" translates"
"(Elendili) in nine ships to Middle-earth. With them they took the heirlooms of the Lords of Andúnië. In Middle-earth in the Third Age and the Fourth Age, the Kings of Arnor and the Kings of Gondor, including Aragorn, were directly descended from Isildur and Anárion, and therefore from the Lords of Andúnië. The kings of Arnor inherited the silver rod of the Lord of Andúnië; this rod was renamed the Sceptre of Annúminas, and was the chief symbol of Arnor's kingship. The Uinendili, also called the Guild of Venturers, were a prestigious and influential association of skilled mariners. The Guild"
"and crozier more often than is found in personal arms, though there is a wide variation in uses by different churches. The arms used by organizations are called impersonal or corporate arms. Heraldry developed in medieval Europe from the late 11th century, originally as a system of personal badges of the warrior classes, which served, among other purposes, as identification on the battlefield. The same insignia were used on seals to identify documents. The earliest seals bore a likeness of the owner of the seal, with the shield and heraldic insignia included. Over time, the seals were reduced to just"
"""Saint George Flag"", was a white cross on a red background: the reverse of the St George's Cross used as the flag of England. Red and white were also colours of the Hanseatic League (13th–17th centuries). Hanseatic trading ships were identifiable by their red-white pennants and most Hanseatic cities adopted red and white as their city colours (see Hanseatic flags). Red and white still feature as the colours of many former Hanseatic cities such as Hamburg or Bremen. In northern Italy, during the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in the 12th to 14th centuries, the armies of the Ghibelline"
"at the Installation ceremony of Alderman Sir Peter Gadsden, the Guild's new Master, in 1987. These Arms depict five purses symbolising trade between the five continents, with the sword and wheel of St Catherine together with the water and quayside of the dock, as a reminder of the company's foundation. The Arms are surmounted by a carbocle containing a medieval merchant's cap and the supporters are a dolphin borrowed from the Company of Watermen and Lightermen, who originally gave the company sanctuary in the City of London, and the sea dragon of the City as a mark of respect for"
"time of ""Osiris"" return, and influenced the flotilla leader's decision. Jolly Roger Jolly Roger is the traditional English name for the flags flown to identify a pirate ship about to attack, during the early 18th century (the later part of the Golden Age of Piracy). The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today, the skull and crossbones symbol on a black flag, was used during the 1710s by a number of pirate captains including Black Sam Bellamy, Edward England, and John Taylor. It went on to become the most commonly used pirate flag during the 1720s, although other"
"an ""X"" formation. The other bones fill in the spaces around the femurs with the skull sitting prominently on top of the bone pile centered above the ""X"". The Jolly Roger, and the similar Totenkopf was a popular symbol of mortality across at this time across Europe and has its origins in the mediaeval Danse Macabre. Tombstones from the 18th century in Southern Scotland fairly frequently feature skull and crossbones. The Church of St Nicholas in Deptford features two Deaths Heads on its gateposts dating to the early 18th century. Skull and crossbones (Spanish cemetery) Actual skulls and bones were"
"Hulk (medieval ship type) A hulk (or ""holk"") was a type of medieval sea craft, a technological predecessor of the carrack and caravel. The hulk appears to have remained a relatively minor type of sailing ship apparently peculiar to the low countries of Europe where it was probably used primarily as a river or canal boat, with limited potential for coastal cruising. The only evidence of hulks that we have are from legal documents and iconography. The name hulk may come from the Greek word ""holkas"", meaning a towed boat, which would be consistent with the use of the hulk"
"as ""the Eagle"". Religious flags with inscriptions were in use in the medieval period, as shown in miniatures by 13th-century illustrator Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti. 14th-century illustrations of the ""History of the Tatars"" by Hayton of Corycus (1243) shows both Mongols and Seljuqs using a variety of war ensigns. The crescent appears in flags attributed to Tunis from as early as the 14th century ""Book of Knowledge of All Kingdoms"", long before Tunis fell under Ottoman rule in 1574. The Spanish Navy Museum in Madrid shows two Ottoman naval flags dated 1613; both are swallow-tailed, one green with a white"
"furs, multiple crests, inseparability of the crest, and repetition of charges in the shield and the crest. Mullets have six points (rather than five as in Gallo-British heraldry), and beasts may be colored with patterns, (barry, bendy, paly, chequy, ""etc.""). As in other European heraldic traditions, the most prominent among the birds and beasts are the eagle and lion. These two charges in particular had a special significance in Germany, where the eagle became symbolic of the Holy Roman Empire, and the lion came to represent certain feudal lords. As the political divide between these groups grew in the late"
"rather than the natural mammal) for the Dauphin de Viennois. The ""escallop"" (scallop shell) became popular as a token of pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. The ""sea-lion"" and ""sea-horse"", like the mermaid, combine the foreparts of a mammal with the tail of a fish, and a dorsal fin in place of the mane. (When the natural seahorse is meant, it is blazoned as a ""hippocampus"".) The ""sea-dog"" and ""sea-wolf"" are quadrupeds but with scales, webbed feet, and often a flat tail resembling that of the beaver. Reptiles and invertebrates occurring in heraldry include serpents, lizards, salamanders and"
"Pittsburgh, and the rendering itself is additionally protected by copyright. This means that the name and graphic image cannot be used without a license from the owner—unlike the Skull and crossbones, which is in the public domain. Skull and crossbones (symbol) A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originates in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ""memento mori"" on tombstones. In modern contexts, it is generally used as a hazard symbol that warns of danger,"
"Both the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Northern Ireland national football team have used versions of the Celtic cross in their logos and advertising. The Church in Wales since 1954 have used a flag with a Celtic cross in the centre. Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland and Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses erected across the islands, especially in regions evangelized by Irish missionaries, from the 9th through the"
"of the rib and plank method rather than the old Roman system of mortise and tenon. Other improvements to ships included the use of lateen sails and the stern-post rudder, both of which increased the speed at which ships could be sailed. In military affairs, the use of infantry with specialised roles increased. Along with the still-dominant heavy cavalry, armies often included mounted and infantry crossbowmen, as well as sappers and engineers. Crossbows, which had been known in Late Antiquity, increased in use partly because of the increase in siege warfare in the 10th and 11th centuries. The increasing use"
"shows the flag of England flying from the ship (when the shield was first introduced in 1874 the flag was a White Ensign). The motto is ""Loyal and unshakable"". The full coat of arms features, above the shield, a woman holding a cross and a flower. This represents Helena of Constantinople, also known as Saint Helena, after whom the island is named. The cross is shown as Helena is credited with finding the relics of the True Cross (cross upon which Jesus was crucified). The shield of the arms features on the flag of Saint Helena and the Governor's flag."
"under this emblem during that century. The Kroaz du was the flag representing Brittany on nautical charts of the 16th century. After the union of Brittany with France in 1532, the admiralty of Brittany kept using the black cross flag for Breton ships (with a modified design). It also remained the basis for the flags of Nantes, and temporarily for those of Saint-Malo and Brest. The black cross was largely forgotten after the French Revolution, but some Catholic groups and scouts used it again at the end of the 19th century. This flag has been largely replaced by the Gwenn"
"Christians held captive by Muslims, a consequence of crusading and of pirating along the Mediterranean coast of Europe. The Order has the initials ""O.SS.T."" Its distinctive cross of red and blue can be traced to its beginnings. Between the eighth and the fifteenth centuries medieval Europe was in a state of intermittent warfare between the Christian kingdoms of southern Europe and the Muslim polities of North Africa, Southern France, Sicily and portions of Spain. According to James W. Brodman, the threat of capture, whether by pirates or coastal raiders, or during one of the region's intermittent wars, was a continuous"