Few people know that the sign of a diving falcon is displayed in the Ukrainian trident, and its history goes back to the Rurikovich. How is it explained that the trident is not at all a tool of the pagan Poseidon, but a diving falcon - the national symbol of Ukraine?
Princes of Rurikovich
The Rurik dynasty is a princely dynasty, which, as is commonly believed, originates from Rurik. The question of the origin of Prince Rurik leaves a lot of controversy. So, there is an opinion that he comes from the Rus people. Often his name is identified with the Danish prince Rorik. There are researchers who fundamentally deny the existence of the Varangian commander in chief.
Another version is a kinship with the tribe of encouragement (the union of individual Western Slavs). Fans of the latest version speak of the Slavic origin of the surname of the prince, since in Slavic this word was pronounced as “rorog”, that is, a falcon. A diving falcon is attached to it, as a sign of Rurik. One way or another, Rurik is considered the founder of the clan, subsequently ruling in Kievan Rus.
The distinctive signs of the Rurikovich
Each prince in the Rurik dynasty owned a personal distinctive sign - “coat of arms”, which was not inherited, and was not considered family or family. The princes used these signs as a seal or stamp, with their help they signed documents, artisans placed the princely stamp on their products. Their images can be judged on the basis of ancient coins and seals that have survived to this day.
The signs were not inherited, but had one common basis in the form of a trident or trident. To this basis, the princes added various elements - curls, crosses and more. The coats of arms of the representatives of the Bosporus royal dynasty also contained a two-pronged base and were similar to the arms of the Rurikovich, but their connection, except for the external similarity, has not been proved.
Gradually, the images on the "arms" of the Rurikovich are simplified, and by the 13th century they are becoming obsolete.
Interpretation of the signs of the Rurikovich
Various variations of the trident on the "emblems" of the princely dynasty were on the Church of the Tithes, armor and rings of the squad, on objects that belonged to the princes. The symbolic meaning of the trident image is the subject of many research works. One of the most common versions says that it is a diving falcon of Rurik.
Some researchers believed that the trident is a symbol of the lamp that was used in Russia - tricyria. A banner (military banner) and a scepter from Byzantium or from Scythian barrows were also variants of the image values on the distinctive signs of the Rurikovich.
Many saw a bird in a trident, namely a crow. Why a crow? All because a similar image was on the English coins of a Danish prince, where it denoted the Crow of God Odin. Raven is the main image on the ancient Danish coats of arms. Such an interpretation was far from recognized by all, it was believed that the Christian prince could not choose a pagan bird as his "coat of arms".
Researcher A.A. Kunik was of the opinion that this bird was not a raven at all, but a dove, which was often portrayed in Byzantium and meant the Holy Spirit. The dove theory was refuted by the fact that in Byzantium the dove was often portrayed flying up.
A detailed study by numismatists of ancient coins, in particular, the coins of Yaroslav and Vladimir, was the main reason to argue that the trident is a diving falcon. They concluded that the shape of the beak (curved) and the head (low forehead) are not similar to the features of a dove, but more like a falcon. An important argument was also the mention of the falcon in the "Word of Igor's Regiment", where Prince Igor was called a falcon.
Researchers believe that the two-prong is a diving falcon. Only in this case, the falcon is shown from a different angle, from below. If you look at the attacking falcon from the ground, then its tail may not be visible.
Diving falcon as a national symbol
The image of the falcon is found from ancient times. In various legends appears the image of the "clear falcon" who fights the black raven. One of the versions of why the falcon appears in the “coats of arms” of the Old Russian princes is remnants of totemism. Perhaps the falcon used to be a totem bird for the ancestors of Rurik.
After the Rurikovich stopped using their “emblems,” they were not remembered for a long time, right up to the 20th century. In 1917, the Ukrainian historian Mikhail Grushevsky proposed the trident as a national symbol. Since March 22, 1918, the diving falcon is the national symbol of Ukraine.
During the time of the Soviet Union, its state significance was lost and used only by some national associations. In the war years, the falcon figured on the emblem of the Carpathian Ukraine.
With the collapse of the Union, in 1992 in Ukraine the diving falcon was again adopted as an official symbol. This emblem bears the title of Small State Emblem of Ukraine.
Conclusion
It is not known to the end how deep the roots of the image of the attacking falcon are. For many centuries, this sign has become the main symbol of the whole princely dynasty, and now continues its life in the role of the national symbol of Ukraine.