Moor's head (heraldry)

Moor's head from Corsica's Flag

A Moor's head, since the 11th century, is a symbol depicting the head of a black moor.

Origin

The precise origin of the Moor's head is a subject of controversy. But the most likely explanation is that it is derived from the heraldic war flag of the Reconquista depicting the Cross of Alcoraz, symbolizing Peter I of Aragon and Pamplona's victory over the "Moorish" kings of the Taifa of Zaragoza in the Battle of Alcoraz in 1096. The blindfold may originally have been a headband.^[1]

Another theory claims that it is the Nubian Saint Maurice (3rd century AD).^[2]

The earliest heraldic use of the Moor's head is first recorded in 1281, during the reign of Peter III of Aragon and represents the Cross of Alcoraz, which the King adopted as his personal coat of arms.^[3] The Crown of Aragon had for a long time governed Sardinia and Corsica, having been granted the islands by the Pope, although they never really exercised formal control. The Moor's head became a symbol of the islands.^[4]

Flags, seals, and emblems

This symbol is used in heraldry, vexillography, and political imagery.

Flag of Corsica

The main charge in the coat of arms in Corsica is a U Moru, Corsican for "The Moor". An early version is attested in the 14th-century Gelre Armorial, where an unblindfolded Moor's head represents Corsica as a state of the Crown of Aragon. Interestingly, the Moor's head is attached to his shoulders and upper body, and he is alive and smiling. In 1736, it was used by both sides during the struggle for independence.

In 1760, General Pasquale Paoli ordered the necklace to be removed from the head and the blindfold raised. His reason, reported by his biographers, was "Les Corses veulent y voir clair. La liberté doit marcher au flambeau de la philosophie. Ne dirait-on pas que nous craignons la lumière ?" (English: "The Corsicans want to see clearly. Freedom must walk by the torch of philosophy. Won't they say that we fear the light?") The blindfold was thereafter changed to a headband.

The current flag of Corsica is the Template:Lang-co), is male rather than female, and has a regular knot at the back of the head.

Flag of Sardinia

The flag of Sardinia is informally known as the Four Moors (Italian: I quattro mori, Template:Lang-src, Template:Lang-sro) and comprises four Moor heads.

African Unification Front

The "Maure" is the African Unification Front's flag and emblem. The head is blindfolded representing the impartiality of justice, and the knot is tied into a stylized Adinkra symbol for omnipotence (Gye Nyame).^[5]

Modern controversy

Bottle of Mohrenbrauerei

Modern anti-racism efforts, coupled with increased African immigration to Europe and a growth of the Afro-European population, have led to controversies around ancient "Moor's head" symbols.^[6] For example, the Austrian company Mohrenbrauerei was asked to remove the "Moor's head" from its bottles.^[7]

Gallery

Gelre Armorial, Folio 62r, 14th century
Flag of Linkebeek, Belgium
Tucher von Simmelsdorf in Antwerp
Coat of arms of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, with Moor of Freising
Coat of arms of Alcanadre. La Rioja, Spain, depicting heads of slain Muslims after the Reconquista
Coat of Georg Gänswein during the Papacy of Benedict XVI
Coat of Avenches, Switzerland
Female Moor's head on the coat of arms of the district of Möhringen in Stuttgart, Germany^[8]
The Scottish crest badge of Clan MacLellan featuring the head of Black Morrow
The current coat of arms of Aragon features four heads of Moors.
The flag of Sardinia
The Sardinian Flag until 1999
The Flag and coat of arms of Corsica
The coat of arms of the Brotherhood of Blackheads
"A Blackamoor's Head" (Complete Guide to Heraldry, 1909)
Coat of the Kingdom of the Algarve, within Portugal