Insignias and other representations

Flag of Queen's University


Coat of armsedit

The coat of arms appeared as early as 1850 but was not registered with the College of Arms until 1953. The coat of arms was registered with the Scottish equivalent of the College of Arms, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, in 1981 and with the Canadian Heraldic Authority during Queen's sesquicentennial celebrations in 1991. The coat of arms is based on that of the University of Edinburgh, the institution after which Queen's was modelled.

The coat of arms consists of a gold shield with red edges, divided into four triangular compartments by a blue, diagonal St. Andrew's Cross. A golden book, symbolizing learning, sits open at the centre of the cross. In each of the four compartments is an emblem of the university's Canadian and British origins: a pine tree for Canada, a thistle for Scotland, a rose for England, and a shamrock for Ireland. The border is decorated with eight gold crowns, symbolic of Queen Victoria and the university's Royal Charter.

Motto and songedit

Queen's motto, from Isaiah 33:6, is Sapientia et Doctrina Stabilitas. The Latin motto is literally translated as "Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times," and has been in use since the 1850s. A number of songs are commonly played and sung at events such as commencement, convocation, and athletic contests, including the "Queen's College Colours" (1897), also known as "Our University Yell" and "Oil Thigh", with words by A.E. Lavell, sung to the tune of "John Brown's Body". "Oil Thigh", created in 1891, consists of the old song "Queen's College Colours". The name "Oil Thigh" comes from the chorus of the song, which begins with the Gaelic words "oil thigh". The modern version of the song was crafted in 1985, when a line was changed to include Queen's woman athletes in the cheer.

Symbolsedit

Queen's official colours are gold, blue, and red. Queen's colours are also used on the school flag. It displays three vertical stripes, one for each colour. In the upper-left corner on the blue stripe is a yellow crown, symbolizing the royal charter. The university also has a ceremonial flag, which is reserved for official university uses. The ceremonial flag is a square design of the Queen's coat of arms.

The university also has a tartan, made up of six colours, each representing an academic discipline: blue (Medicine), red (Arts & Science), gold (Applied Science), white (Nursing Science), maroon (Commerce & MBA), light blue (Kinesiology and Physical Education), and purple (Theology). The tartan was created in 1966 by Judge John Matheson and is registered under the Scottish Tartans Authority.

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