(From a document on the coat of arms of the city of Irkutsk. 1690)
The coat of arms was an image of a silver shield, against the background of which is a babr running across a green field with a sable in its teeth. Babr in Russian language dictionaries of the 16th century. stood for the royal tiger. Babr personified wisdom, power, and sable was a symbol of the wealth of Siberia. Baber (felis pantera) is a special animal. This is a strong and predatory animal, usually living in hot countries. It has a light yellowish skin with black-brown transverse stripes, and a long tail. Babr in the 16th - 17th centuries. ran into Siberia from China and was found in the Sayan Mountains region. This beast was depicted on the coat of arms of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk province.
In 1878, when the Senate introduced the coats of arms of the provinces, confusion occurred in the name babr - beaver. The animal on the coat of arms ended up looking rather fantastic, not resembling either a beaver or, especially, a tiger. In 1997 "Law Irkutsk region about the coat of arms and flag” corrected the mistake in the name of the depicted beast, but the beast itself remained a fantasy of the compilers of the last century.

Babr

According to " Explanatory dictionary alive Great Russian language"V.I. Dalya" Babr is a Siberian beast, equal in ferocity and strength to a lion; tiger, striped, royal, royal tiger (lat. Felis Tigris); it appears occasionally in Southern Siberia...” The dictionary of the Russian language of the 11th-17th centuries gives the following description of the babr: “The beast babr is larger in majesty than the lion, and the wool is thick, and the wool is low, and along it there are black stripes across it, and the lip is like a cat’s and has a cat’s spray, and it is shanked, the legs are short, and is long in length, and has a great and terrible voice, almost like a lion.” A similar description of the babr is found in the “Description of the Irkutsk Governorship of 1792”: “The babr is found in the Irkutsk region less often than all the animals in Siberia and is superior in its strength and courage. It has blackish transverse stripes along its white-yellowish fur, irregularly located; does not exceed the height of a large wolf. All the animals are horrified and do not cross his trail; No matter how cruel and angry he is, the local brethren occasionally kill. Although the leopard is similar to the Babru, it is not so powerful and has yellowish fur and black spots on it.”

The motifs that served as the basis for the modern coat of arms of Irkutsk can be traced from Siberian seals of the 17th century. Recently annexed to Russia, Siberia, more than other riches, was famous for its abundance of fur-bearing animals. Therefore, the coat of arms of the Siberian kingdom represented two sables holding a crown in their paws.

In 1642, when Irkutsk did not yet exist, a drawing described as “a leopard will take a sable” (that is, “a leopard has caught a sable”) appeared on the seal of the Yakut customs. This image then passed into the seal and coat of arms of Irkutsk, which in the 1680s became the center of the voivodeship and acquired more importance than Yakutsk. On February 18, 1690, Irkutsk was granted a seal and coat of arms. The coat of arms represented “in a silver field a babr running through green grass in left side shield and having a sable in its jaws.”

Babr, that is, a tiger, was sometimes found in Transbaikalia, which in the 18th century was part of the Irkutsk governorate, and sometimes to the west of Lake Baikal. Thus, the coat of arms of Irkutsk depicted the most unusual animal for European Russia and sable, which provided the most valuable fur. This drawing is on the city seals of Irkutsk in 1711 and 1743. Babyr (Turkic) - panther, that is, black leopard. Perhaps that is why the later image of the babr on the coat of arms is black.

April 21, 1785 Russian cities a charter was given to Empress Catherine II. The 28th article of this charter ordered each “city to have a coat of arms, approved by the hand of the governor’s majesty, and to use this coat of arms in all city affairs.” On October 26, 1790, Catherine II approved the coats of arms of the cities of the Irkutsk governorship and the coat of arms of Irkutsk. "Complete Code of Laws" Russian Empire” gives the following description of the city’s coat of arms: “Irkutsk. There is a running babr in the silver field of the shield, and a sable in its mouth. This coat of arms is old."

“Old coats of arms” were called “coats of arms that had already existed before,” which the herald’s office collected together. “Old” ones are easily recognized by the absence of the coat of arms of the viceroyal city. In most other coats of arms of the cities of the Irkutsk governorship, the figure of the babr-tiger was necessarily included integral part and occupied the upper half of the heraldic shield. The value of the first Irkutsk coat of arms, as an “old” one, increased significantly; it was actually re-established.

In 1859, Baron B.V. Köhne, who headed the Department of Heraldry, began a large-scale reform of Russian heraldry and vexillology. As often happens, the reform, designed to eliminate old mistakes, caused new ones. Among the most famous mistakes that we owe to her was the creation of the so-called “flag of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire” and the renaming of the Irkutsk babr into beaver.

By a decree of July 5, 1878, according to the projects of the Arms Department, the Senate introduced 46 coats of arms of provinces and regions, which were published in 1880 in the form of a separate collection “Coats of Arms of Governorates and Regions of the Russian Empire”, in which the coat of arms of the Irkutsk province was described as follows: “In the silver shield is a black running beaver with scarlet eyes, holding a scarlet sable in its mouth.”

It should be noted that, to the credit of the artists, not a single image of the Irkutsk coat of arms with a beaver gnawing a sable was drawn. However, since the decree remained a decree, a large beaver tail and webbed hind legs, creating some new, mythical animal.

The Quesne reform introduced rules for decorating coats of arms into Russian heraldry. In addition to the beaver, the Irkutsk coat of arms received an addition in the form of golden oak leaves connected by St. Andrew's ribbon and was crowned with a crown.

It was in this form that the coat of arms was used as a symbol of the province and city, and later of the region. Pre-October postcards of Irkutsk with this coat of arms are known, its image is on the pedestal of the monument to the emperor Alexander III, on the pages of the newspaper “Irkutsk Provincial Gazette” (1916), on the banner of the Irkutsk Fire Insurance Society (1909).

Modern coat of arms

After October socialist revolution the crown, St. Andrew's ribbon and oak leaves. However, the coat of arms itself was repeatedly reproduced on postcards, on radiograms produced by the Irkutsk Radio Plant, in books about the present and past of the region, during holidays and sporting events, and in 1960-1980 - on the slope of a hill overlooking the Angara, between train station and a bridge.

In 1997, the State Heraldry under the President of Russia approved the coats of arms of the Irkutsk region and the city of Irkutsk. The region's coat of arms is practically no different from the previous provincial coat of arms, only its frame has been removed - a crown and oak leaves with St. Andrew's ribbon. As for the coat of arms of Irkutsk, the Heraldry did not completely agree with the proposal of the City Duma. The appearance of the babr, at the request of the City Duma, was changed and resembles the beast from the provincial coat of arms. Thus, the truth triumphed, and the beaver left the coat of arms of Irkutsk. However, the image itself has not been corrected, and the tiger-babr still flaunts with a beaver tail, and the symbols of the region and the city look in opposite directions.

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The coat of arms of any settlement is real story about the origin, formation and development of each individual community. As a rule, such symbols reflected the wealth of the people living in a certain area and talked about their courage and valiant exploits.

The coat of arms of Irkutsk has its own unique story, whimsically combining unusual twists of fate and mistakes of tsarist officials.

Historical aspect

The 17th century was marked by an important event for Russia - during this period a vast region of Siberia was annexed to the mighty power. Already at that time, Siberian seals depicted the main property of this land in the form of fur-bearing animals. The coat of arms of the Siberian kingdom was a picture in which two magnificent sables hold a crown in their paws. It was this motif that was later borrowed to create the symbols of Irkutsk. However, in 1642 the city as such did not yet exist, but the first prototype of the coat of arms appeared on the customs seal: an image of a leopard that had caught and was holding a sable in its teeth.

It was this picture that subsequently ended up on the coat of arms of Irkutsk and on its official seal. At the end of the 80s of the 17th century the city acquired great importance, became the center of the voivodeship. But the settlement received its official coat of arms on February 18, 1690, and it was the following image: “a beaver in a silver field, running through green grass, is directed to the left side of the shield frame, and has a sable in its jaws.”

Marvelous beast

It is clear that by creating the symbolism of a certain region, the author seeks to emphasize its wealth. What kind of animal is on the coat of arms of Irkutsk? For a long time there were different assumptions about this: from a fictional mythical character to a completely ordinary leopard.

In fact, this situation will be clarified by the characteristics of the coat of arms for descendants: “Babr is a very rare animal that is found in Siberia and is distinguished by its superiority over other animals. He is brave, strong, and has no natural enemies. Its white-yellowish fur has blackish stripes. His height is no more than an ordinary wolf. The animals do not cross his trail. Although the leopard is similar to the babr, it is much weaker as a predator.”

Doesn't remind you of anything? But scientists concluded that the description tells specifically about tigers that lived in Transbaikalia and were found in the Irkutsk region. That’s when it became clear who was depicted on the coat of arms of Irkutsk. Not a mythical creature at all, but a dangerous predator, whose fur was considered priceless and very rare in the European part of Russia.

Artist's mistakes

Let us note that classical heraldry required compliance with certain canons when creating a coat of arms of a settlement. Europeans depicted the so-called identification marks for knights who participated in tournaments. The painting was located on a shield; it was supposed to intimidate the opponent, while the animal had to advance and run to the right. Otherwise, the symbol would lose its terrifying role. The beast seemed to be running away, giving up. It was these moments that were not taken into account by the artist who created the coat of arms of Irkutsk in the 18th century. The description of this picture gives an idea of ​​​​the unsuccessful idea: the creature holding the sable could hardly be called a formidable bastard; it rather looked like a skinny cat that was “running away” (looking to the left).

New regional symbol

The history of the coat of arms of Irkutsk did not end with an unsuccessful version. Already in the second half of the 19th century, the artist B.V. Quesne, taking into account the significant shortcomings of the image, presented a new interpretation of the image. The master who created new image, at that time headed the Department of Heraldry. He approached this matter very seriously, having studied the background of the appearance of the first seal with the image of a mighty beast. The new coat of arms differed as follows:

• The image of the predator completely changed: the beast became powerful and strong, although it also did not resemble a leopard or a tiger. The black creature looked more like a mystical cat with a fluffy raised tail and webbed hind feet.
• The sable became larger and acquired a bright red color.
• Babr, according to the rules of heraldry, was turned to the right.
• It was decided to leave the background unchanged - green grass.

True, here, too, the coat of arms of Irkutsk was haunted by an annoying mistake - in the description of the symbolism, Kene made a mistake: instead of the word “babr”, “beaver” was used, which radically changed its meaning. This is how the mythical image of an incomprehensible animal was born. But the author explained the meaning of such an image as follows: rich Siberian land gives everyone his precious reserves. This meant sable fur, which was highly valued.

A little later, the following elements were added to the image: the painting was framed by oak leaves intertwined with St. Andrew's ribbon, and at the head of the coat of arms was a royal crown.

Modern look

The coat of arms, as interpreted by Kene, was used for a very long time and was loved by the residents of both the city and the entire province. You can still see it on postcards pre-revolutionary Russia. True, in Soviet time the image of the crown and St. Andrew's ribbon was abolished, but the picture itself did not undergo changes. And in 1960-1980. the coat of arms proudly flaunted over the Angara River (between the railway station and the bridge).

Last changes

More recently, in 1997, the State Heraldry finally approved the coat of arms of Irkutsk. At the same time, the symbol of the region practically does not differ from the provincial prototype; only the ribbons, crown and leaves have been abolished. But the symbol of Irkutsk became a real stumbling block between heraldry specialists and the authorities of the City Duma. Experts in the study of ancient symbols insisted on keeping the image unchanged (that is, the babr is looking to the right), but the Duma insisted on the animal “running away” to the left. And this is how a new paradox was born - the symbols of the region and the city now look in different directions.

Afterword

Despite the fact that the coat of arms has undergone changes for many centuries, changing the image of the beast and the direction of movement, people living in this city and region honor and respect their symbol. Thanks to the cunning interweaving of events and even banal mistakes, a real masterpiece was born. Only Irkutsk residents can boast of a mythical animal that you will never see in any other image in the world!

Before Moscow expanded in the summer of 2012, the city had 10 administrative districts and 125 municipalities. Behind the dry numbers of administrative-territorial divisions lie dozens of original stories. For example, each district of Moscow has its own unique coat of arms. Symbols should tell an outside observer about the history and main features of Moscow districts, but often confusing symbolism can only lead to bewilderment. For example, the coat of arms of the Krylatskoye district depicts a key, and, as the official explanation of the symbolism of the coat of arms says, it “symbolizes the turnkey method of urban development widely used in Krylatskoye.”

The Village has selected the strangest Moscow coats of arms - can you guess which districts they belong to? Click on the image to find out the answer. As a hint, below the images are excerpts from explanations of the symbolism of the coats of arms, taken from the official website of the Moscow government.

“The blue wavy band symbolizes special meaning Moskva River for the territory of the region. A beaver holding a pine tree and leaning on three bricks symbolizes the favorite resting place of Muscovites, where these animals, skilled dam builders, once lived.”

“The purple field symbolizes the historical placement on the territory municipality the royal summer residence, as well as palace, craft and gardening settlements, the sovereign's Mytny and Zhitny courtyards. The bird of paradise standing on its feet symbolizes that concern for heavenly affairs has always been based on material activities benefactors of the merchants Bakhrushins and Tretyakovs.”

“The atom sign symbolizes the complex of large research institutes located in the region. The pike in the blue head of the shield symbolizes the ancient village located on the banks of the Moscow River. In 1701, it had a pond rich in fish and a mill.”

“The head of an ancient Russian knight in a helmet with a chainmail aventail symbolizes the name of the area. A village has existed on the territory of the modern municipality since the 16th century. It got its name from its first owner - the boyar Grand Duke Ivan III Ivan Vladimirovich Khovrin, nicknamed the Head.”

“The dancing girl under the branches of the tree symbolizes the name of the municipality. Here from the first half of the 19th century century and until the beginning of the 20th century, festivities on Semik - the seventh Thursday after Easter - were very popular. Semik was celebrated in pre-revolutionary Russia as a great national holiday, which included several rituals marking farewell to spring and welcoming summer, glorifying the green land.”

“Three silver ovals in a blue field symbolize the main geographical attraction of the municipality - three unique glacial lakes: White, Svyatoe, Black, on the banks of which archaeologists discovered ancient sites and burial mounds. The snail-shaped division in the form of a wave symbolizes the importance of lakes for historical development terrain. In 1689–1691, the young Tsar Peter I stayed here. A shipyard and pier were built on the eastern shore of White Lake, and Peter’s carpus and shnak sailed.”

“The first owner of the lands on the territory of which the municipality is located was the great-grandfather famous prince D. M. Pozharsky - V. F. Pozharsky, nicknamed the Bear.”

“The silver book, as a work of printing, symbolizes the name of the municipality. The black centaur symbolizes the Moskvich plant located on the territory of the municipality, which went into operation in 1930.”

"The coat of arms reflects historical events which occurred in the 14th century. The wife of the Golden Horde Khan Janibek Taidul fell ill. At the request of the khan, Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow and Orthodox priests offered prayers to Archangel Michael for the healing of the khansha. They prayed in a church that stood on the territory of the current area. During prayer, a candle spontaneously ignited. After some time, Alexy arrived at Golden Horde. There he continued to pray to Archangel Michael. And a miracle happened: the Khansha recovered.”

"The Ionic style capital symbolizes spiritual wealth area, its culture, architecture and history. Completed and blank pages handwritten book symbolize the living movement of history. The crossed brush and pen symbolize many writers, poets, artists and other artists who have chosen the municipality as their place of residence and creativity for many years.”

“A golden lion with a laurel branch is the shield holder of the family coat of arms of the Sheremetev counts. The golden fox symbolizes the name of the region, derived from the nickname of the head of the count's villages A.T. Osteev - Zhuleb (cunning). The “Commonwealth” of a lion and a fox supporting the golden power symbolizes the one located on the territory of the municipality State University management, as well as ancient tradition power based on strength (lion) and cunning (fox).”

“Bratina is an ancient ancient Russian vessel from which they drank water, kvass, mash, and mead at feasts. The name of the vessel came from its use; it was quite capacious: wine and beer were poured into the vessel, which they drank, passing around in a circle, that is, like brothers, one family. “Silver fish symbolize the location of the municipality at the confluence of rivers that once flowed into the Moscow River, and indicate the occupation of the former inhabitants of this territory in fishing.”

In the proposed note of "International Canadian Radio" with notes, the site we're talking about about the beaver - a symbol of Canada, which, although it lost to the maple leaf in the competition for the right to be the official Canadian symbol, is the main unofficial symbol of Canadians.

Let us only recall that the maple leaf, contained as the main figure on the flag and present on the Canadian coat of arms (it is held in its paw by a lion figure), won its competition against the beaver, because successfully fits into a number of similar “plant” symbols of the traditional Canadian founding communities of the country.

Namely: red rose - the English, thistle - the Scots, shamrock - the Irish, lily - the French. And the maple leaf has come to symbolize all Canadians, although the maple is distributed only in parts of Canada.

Which is correct: “beaver” or “beaver”

In Russian, two words are often confused - “beaver” and “beaver”. The center of our material is the beaver(a famous fur-bearing animal), and beaver - originally the fur of this animal. Although now the animal itself is often called by this name. And now to the Canadian source.

Listen to the recording of this Russian broadcast of Canadian Radio International from the archived site on our audio file:

• audio file No. 1

“At the closing of the Vancouver Olympics, part of the unforgettable performance was the moment when various figures twirled in a cheerful dance. There were brave police officers from the famous “Canadian Mounted Police” in red uniforms and Stetson hats (ie, cowboy hats from the company of the same name. Note: Poralostranah.ru). World-famous Canadian hockey players circled around them, Indian canoes sailed, and beavers swam importantly through the wedge-shaped leaf fall. These are all symbols by which Canada is immediately recognized.

More about one Canadian symbol - the beaver.

I would like to remember 1976, XXI Olympic Games. Montreal was then decorated with beaver emblems. His name was Amik. This word was borrowed And from the Algonquian language, which is the most popular language among American Indians in Canada. Amik is translated as “beaver” - i.e., if translated into Russian, it turns out “Beaver named Beaver.”

Why the beaver became the unofficial symbol of Canada

Why was this small furry animal awarded such an honor by becoming one of the symbols? Yes, he is famous for his patience and hard work. But not only. It is known which important role The beaver played a role in the development of Canada, when fur farming was one of the most important industries in North America.

But this animal did not immediately become an unofficial symbol of Canada. And although he lost the fight on the flag to the maple leaf, but, nevertheless, except for reservoirs, you won’t see him anywhere. If you walk along the streets of Canadian cities, you can often see an image of a beaver: images on the walls, a sculpture, or a souvenir toy beaver (usually in a red uniform).

The beaver is also very popular on Canadian coats of arms. As is known, the French first came to Canada in the 16th century, the English and Scots in the 17th century, but initially not English, not French possessions, who constantly fought with each other, did not have their own emblems. That's just Nova Scotia from the moment of its foundation acquired its own coat of arms, granted Scottish king James IV. By the way, this coat of arms is the oldest in North America. And on it you could see a red lion; there was no beaver then.

As European colonists explored Canada, many lands turned out to be the private possessions of large English companies. For example, the island of Newfoundland came under the control of the London and Bristol Company. And the coat of arms of this company was very intricate: there were lions, unicorns, and everything was crowned with the figure of an elk. And this coat of arms became the official coat of arms of the colony of Newfoundland in 1637, but again there is no beaver on the coat of arms.

Beaver on the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company

In an illustration from the archive: The coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company today.

In an illustration from the archive: The coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company today. There are still four beavers in the center of the coat of arms.

And finally, 1678. The huge Hudson's Bay Company captured vast territories in western and northwestern Canada.

At that time the Company was led by merchant and fur trader George Simpson (George Simpson), who was also called the “little emperor.”

Simpson traveled around his property in a canoe. And there was a flag on this canoe. And the company’s coat of arms stood out clearly against the white background of the flag. It was a shield with a cross and four beavers at once.

The first appearance of a beaver on a coat of arms in Canada. And four at once.

On the same coat of arms there were deer and a dog with a hunting cap. That's right - beavers and deer. The first, as they say, are the skins, the second are the meat. How could it be otherwise? After all " The Hudson's Bay Company was the largest company that harvested furs: skins, skins, millions of skins.

(Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) still exists today, now operating as a chain of 600 supermarkets different formats. And the old coat of arms with four beavers is still preserved, which now adorns the company’s website www.hbc.com. Only now, instead of the Latin inscription “pro pelle cutem” (which translates as “skin for skin”), the motto ribbon says: “exists since 1670” (since the charter of the British King Charles II on the founding of the company). Note website).

Actually with the extraction of skins and the welfare of Canada began at the very beginning. These include squirrels, foxes, arctic foxes, and raccoons. And, of course, beavers. By the way, we would be mistaken if we said that beavers are only skins. It was used not only to make fur coats and hats, but also to eat beavers. Especially the monks. Why? The fact is that many then considered the beaver to be a fish because it swims. This means you can eat during Lent.

But let's return to the beaver on the coats of arms. Following the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company, the beaver went for a walk through the coats of arms and emblems of other companies that were engaged in the preparation of furs. It appeared on the coats of arms of some Canadian cities, on the personal coats of arms of English governors and on French medals in New France. And we will say, looking ahead, that a beaver appeared on the first Canadian postage stamp.

But by the time of the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, when the importance of fur harvesting had declined, the image of the beaver was not included in the number of new Canadian symbols. Let us remember that the maple leaf has become such a symbol of Canadians.

But even then, Canadians continued to use beaver pelts as money, bank checks and receipts. The Banque de Montréal has a small museum where, until recently, beaver pelts were displayed, which were used as money. The image of a beaver is embossed on the modern Canadian five-cent coin.

Nowadays, beavers very often appear in political drawings and cartoons in local newspapers, where Canada is represented as an allegorical figure of a beaver, i.e. enterprising, hardworking and non-aggressive figures. This is exactly how Canadians see themselves.

Beavers are loved in Quebec too

The illustration shows the modern coat of arms of Montreal with a beaver and the Latin motto "Concordia Salus" ("Salvation through harmony, concord").

The shield features botanical symbols of the city's four historic communities: a red rose pays tribute to the English, a thistle symbolizes the Scottish contribution, a green shamrock recalls the Irish, and a lily symbolizes the French.

For the last 20 years, the city has also had a logo for the urban agglomeration, which replaces the coat of arms in everyday affairs, reserving the use of the latter for especially special occasions.

But beavers are especially popular in Quebec. Actually, in New France the beaver first became a symbol of the French-Canadians, and only then of the Canadians.

And this is reflected in the coat of arms of the city of Montreal. But this, curiously, did not happen without changes and clarifications.

This was in 1833. This coat of arms has survived to this day., but in a modified form.

The coat of arms of Montreal features four symbols:

1) the red rose pays tribute to the English;

2) the thistle symbolizes the contribution of the Scots;

3) the green shamrock is reminiscent of the Irish;

4) and the lily (as is known) is a symbol of the French;

But what's interesting is Initially, Jacques Vigee depicted a beaver on the coat of arms instead of a lily.

But then comments began to pour in that the French, whose symbol was the lily, founded the settlement first, and the French-Canadians (“Québécois” - Quebecers) made their contribution later.

And an amendment was made to the coat of arms - the beaver was replaced with a lily. But at the same time, and the beaver was left.

True, now he has climbed onto the coat of arms, he crowns it.

And on many buildings and flags in Montreal we can see this cheerful beaver.

Canadian beaver compared to European beaver

And now a few words about the beaver itself.

The Canadian beaver can be found everywhere. All the way to Sakhalin, where people resettled him.

There are currently two types of beaver: American and European.. They vary in size, color and tail shape. And even... marital fidelity.

The European beaver is a faithful family man and has only one spouse. But in the case of the Canadian, or, in other words, American beaver, the males prefer a harem of two or three females. Beaver cubs live with their parents for two years, after which they go free swimming.

Thanks to conservation measures, there are now 10-15 million Canadian beavers in the world. The Canadian beaver was brought to Europe in 1937, then to Scandinavia. And from there, back in the years " cold war", despite the Iron Curtain, he moved to Leningrad region and to Karelia. But there is no reverse movement - only “native beavers” live in America and Canada to this day.

In Canada, there is also a delicacy called “beaver tail”. This is a flatbread made from puff pastry that is dropped into boiling oil and then dipped in various seasonings. The shape really resembles a beaver tail. A especially delicious when smeared with maple syrup, so the two symbols meet", broadcast by the Russian broadcast of Canadian Radio International on 03/02/2010.