More trivia
Oct. 14th, 2005 04:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cryowizardThe inscription Nemo me impune lacessit can be found on a rim of a one UK pound coin. What is the origin of the inscription?
The Scottish royal coat of arms
Nemo me impune lacessit is the Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle, the Scottish chivalrous order. It translates into English as: No-one provokes me with impunity. It also appears on the Scottish royal arms, and is the motto of the Royal Scots and Black Watch regiments of the British Army. It will also be the motto of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland. It also appears as an inscription on the rim of the 1984 "Scottish" pressing of the British One Pound coin. This motto is referenced in the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado".
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Probable origin of the motto
According to legend, the "guardian thistle" has played its part in the defence of the ancient realm of Scotland against a night attack by the Danes, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scottish defenders. In the motto "No-one provokes me with impunity" (Latin: "Nemo me impune lacessit"), "me" was therefore originally the thistle itself, but by extension now refers to the Scottish crown and the Scottish regiments which have adopted it.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemo_me_impune_lacessit
The Scottish royal coat of armsNemo me impune lacessit is the Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle, the Scottish chivalrous order. It translates into English as: No-one provokes me with impunity. It also appears on the Scottish royal arms, and is the motto of the Royal Scots and Black Watch regiments of the British Army. It will also be the motto of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland. It also appears as an inscription on the rim of the 1984 "Scottish" pressing of the British One Pound coin. This motto is referenced in the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado".
[edit]
Probable origin of the motto
According to legend, the "guardian thistle" has played its part in the defence of the ancient realm of Scotland against a night attack by the Danes, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scottish defenders. In the motto "No-one provokes me with impunity" (Latin: "Nemo me impune lacessit"), "me" was therefore originally the thistle itself, but by extension now refers to the Scottish crown and the Scottish regiments which have adopted it.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemo_me_impune_lacessit