21-05-2017, 12:21 PM
This is probably irrelevant but I want to add that a coalescence of frogs and similar-looking flowers can also be found in French heraldry:
Supposedly, the Merovingian kings' emblem was the frog, until, as legend has it, an angel appeared to king Clovis telling him to change it from the frog to the lily, leading to the adoption of the fleur-de-lys . The design of the fleur-de-lys is said to echo that of the original frog:
![[Image: rois_merovingiens_grunbg.jpg]](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lq8ls_TuPNc/Ts1puTaBdyI/AAAAAAAACP0/b79lTTTiQV8/s320/rois_merovingiens_grunbg.jpg)
Arms of the Merovingian kings according to the 1483 Grunenberg armorial.
![[Image: clovis.jpg]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZX4O7rJq9A/Ts0VFfTznxI/AAAAAAAACPM/g0hqRdnljxc/s1600/clovis.jpg)
![[Image: artimage_184626_2905458_201008304911365.png]](http://static.blog4ever.com/2008/02/184626/artimage_184626_2905458_201008304911365.png)
(Sorry I can't find the reference for these, they are from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. heraldry blog)
It is important to note that all of this is myth: the Merovingian kings didn't in fact have any coat of arms at all, but with the rise of heraldry, coats of arms (and fables explaining their origin) were assigned retroactively to many historical and biblical figures.
Supposedly, the Merovingian kings' emblem was the frog, until, as legend has it, an angel appeared to king Clovis telling him to change it from the frog to the lily, leading to the adoption of the fleur-de-lys . The design of the fleur-de-lys is said to echo that of the original frog:
Arms of the Merovingian kings according to the 1483 Grunenberg armorial. (Sorry I can't find the reference for these, they are from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. heraldry blog)
It is important to note that all of this is myth: the Merovingian kings didn't in fact have any coat of arms at all, but with the rise of heraldry, coats of arms (and fables explaining their origin) were assigned retroactively to many historical and biblical figures.