2021-08 Fluer-De-Lis

One of the most notable symbols within Scouting is the Fleur-de-lis.  This symbol has been used by many European nations, most notably within France where the translation is respectively “flower lily”. 

This symbol is capable of holding many meanings at the same time. Religious, political, artistic, symbolic, and emblematic. Throughout history the fleur-de-lis has been used by French royalty.  Within the Catholic church the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph are often depicted with a lily. This symbol is also often used on the compass rose found on maps and globes, a tradition started by Pedro Reinel. Some of you may even follow a pro football team that places this flower lily on everything that bears their name.

In the early creation of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden-Powell implemented the fleur-de-lis into the Scout’s badge.  Here is what he has to say about the subject. Found in the book, Lessons from the Varsity of Life, by Lord Baden-Powell.

Lord Baden-Powell -

Years ago, soon after the Boy Scouts were first started, certain critics accused the movement of being a military one.

Whenever anything new is started there are bound to be people who get up on their hind legs to find fault with it, often before they know what it is all about.

In this case they said that the Scout movement was designed to teach the boys to be soldiers, and they quoted in proof that the crest of the movement was, as they described it: “A spear-head, the emblem of battle and bloodshed.”

I was asked by cable what I had to say about it. I telegraphed back: “The crest is the fleur-de-lys, a lily, the emblem of peace and purity.”

But it wasn’t for that reason that Scouts took it. In the Middle Ages, Charles, King of Naples, owing to his French descent had the fleur-de-lys as his crest.

It was in his reign that Flavio Gioja, the navigator, made the mariner’s compass into a practical and reliable instrument. The compass card had the initial letters of North, South, East and West upon it.  In Italian the North was “Tramontana.”

So, he put a capital T to mark the North point. But in compliment to the King he made a combination of the letter T with the King’s fleur-de-lys crest. From that time the North point has been universally shown on the maps, charts, and compass cards by that sign.

The actual meaning to be read from the fleur-de-lys badge is that it points in the right direction (and upwards) turning neither to the right nor the left, since these lead backward again. The stars on the two side arms stand for the two eyes of the Wolf Cub having been opened before he became a Scout, when he gained his First-Class Badge of two Stars. The three points of the fleur-de-lys remind the Scout of the three points of the Scout’s Promise - Duty to God and King, Helpfulness to other people, and Obedience to the Scout Law.