deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom’s land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjacent islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. In 2022, the country’s population was about 5.4 million. Its capital city is Edinburgh, whilst Glasgow is the largest city and the most populous of the cities of Scotland. 

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the 9th century. In 1603, James VI succeeded to the thrones of England and Ireland, forming a personal Union of the three kingdoms. On 1 May 1707, Scotland and England combined to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain, with the Parliament of Scotland subsumed into the Parliament of Great Britain.

Many coats of arms. The top one is the Royal Coat of Arms, the official one used by the King. It has the standing lion with a crown at its top. The shield contains the three lions of England; The standing red lion of Scotland; the harp of Ireland (not the Republic of Ireland, that is a separate country). It does not include Wales which has a different coat. The bottom one is the coat of arms used in Scotland. The red crowned lion is still on top but the unicorn on the left hold the national flag of Scotland and the crowned lion on the right holds the flag of England. (The motto on the bottom is from the Order of the Thistle it means: ‘No one will attack me with impunity’.)

So, we return to the question, why does the National flag has a white X on it? Aha, that is called in flag language a Saltire. But where did Scotland come up with an X?

So, who is this Andrew fella? He was one of the Apostles of Jesus. His name transliterates as ‘Brave man’, or ‘Man of Valor.’ He was a follower of John the Baptist then when he met Jesus he recognized Jesus as the Messiah then followed him. Andrew introduced his brother, Simon Peter to Jesus also. After Jesus’ ascension, Andrew goes on to preach and has a hand in the establishment of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or “saltire”), now commonly known as a “Saint Andrew’s Cross” — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been. The iconography of the martyrdom of Andrew — showing him bound to an X-shaped cross — does not appear to have been standardized until the later Middle Ages. So, a Saltire is an X shaped cross.

It is believed that Andrew was the one who was most instrumental in converting Scotland to Christianity.

The Saltire features a white diagonal cross on a blue background. The simplicity of the design belies its deep significance. The white cross symbolizes purity and the Christian faith, while the blue background represents the sky and Scotland’s commitment to its heritage and freedom.