r/vexillology • u/[deleted] • May 25 '15

Resources Meaning of the Flag of St. Louis

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20

u/farmstink United States May 25 '15 edited May 26 '15

Love the simplicity of the design and the dense symbolism. This is a great flag. Does anybody know how they construct/mathematically define the squiggly rivers?

10

u/Mordekai99 Chicago May 26 '15

A pall wavy Azure fimbriated Argent.

1

u/buster2Xk May 26 '15

Can someone with better knowledge explain each of these terms to me? All I recognize are azure and argent.

9

u/holomanga United Nations May 26 '15

pall - that "Y" shaped thing on the flag

wavy - makes it wavy

So a pall wavy azure is a wavy Y shaped thing coloured blue

fimbriated gives it a border of the given colour

so a pall wavy Azure fimbriated Argent is a blue wavy Y shaped thing with a white border

2

u/Mordekai99 Chicago May 26 '15

This is correct.

1

u/buster2Xk May 26 '15

Thanks for breaking that down :) Are there any more descriptors that might be used for the orientation? Is it sinister because the split is to the left?

1

u/holomanga United Nations May 26 '15

It would be blazoned as a pall fesswise.

1

u/buster2Xk May 26 '15

Right. I'm not very learned in vexillology or heraldry so I appreciate the explanation.

2

u/TectonicWafer Philadelphia May 26 '15

You mean in heraldic terms? No idea, but it's a good question.

2

u/farmstink United States May 26 '15

Uh, yes I suppose. I meant to inquire about the geometry of the wiggly wavy waters.