Scottish Thistle
Scottish Thistle
The prickly purple thistle was adopted as the Emblem of Scotland during the rein of Alexander III (1249 -1286). Legend has it that an Army of King Haakon of Norway, intent on conquering the Scots landed at the Coast of Largs at night to surprise the sleeping Scottish Clansmen.
In order to move more stealthily under the cover of darkness the Norsemen removed their footwear. As they drew near to the Scots it wasn't the only thing hiding under the cover of darkness. For one of Haakon's men unfortunately stood on one of these spiny little defenders and shrieked out in pain, alerting the Clansmen of the advancing Norsemen. Needless to say the Scots who won the day.
The first use of the Thistle as a royal symbol of Scotland was on silver coins issued by James III in 1470.
Couldn't load pickup availability
All of our medallions are 1" in diameter.
We also press 24K Gold (provided by the customer). Contact Us for recommended sources of gold and physical specifications of gold blanks.
We do patina and polish all medallions that we ship out. Please see product photos and our Instagram or Facebook for examples of the look. We understand that additional services are provided at the Fairs and Festivals, but we cannot facilitate those services.
Want to know more about the meaning of each symbol? Please check out the Symbol Gallery! Or do you want more information about ordering at a fair or festival? Please see our Design Brochure.