FACTS ABOUT ESTONIA

ESTONANCOAT OF ARMS10The long and controversial history ofthe coat of arms, and the fact that itscharge was employed by other nations(Denmark and England) and historicallands (Normandy), were among thereasons it seemed unsuitable for theyoung Estonian Republic in the 1920s.Although the ‘three lions’ were alreadyused by the armed forces and on thecurrency, contests were organised inorder to find an alternative design.The terms prescribed to the artistssuggested showing the black eagle –põhjakotkas (lit. ‘eagle of the north’),a mythological figure in the nationalepic Kalevipoeg – or a beacon or thecharacters EV from the name for theRepublic, Eesti Vabariik. However, dueto the lack of a broad consensus, noneof the alternative designs was adoptedand the three lions remained.Young Eagles – boys’ corps of the EstonianDefence League, with the Northern Eaglecrest of the League in the background.An endeavour to combine the symbols ofthe two historical provinces of Estonia –Estland and Livland.Aware of the power of images, theSoviets tried to severe any continuityin the use of Estonian symbols anderase an entire interwar period fromthe memory of the people. Foremostamong the ‘bourgeois’ symbols proscribedwas the coat of arms with threelions, which was replaced by that of theEstonian Soviet Socialist Republic.The repudiation of history, however,brought about some embarrassmentto the Communists, as the eliminationof all precarious symbols from theiroriginal setting often left a strikinglyempty place which in turn symbolisedsomething else...The restoration of the Tallinn coat of armson the Estonian Drama Theatre. Tallinn’soldest symbol had been plastered over dueto its similarity to the coat of arms of theRepublic of Estonia.