Information about Coat of Arms: Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man

The Coat of Arms of the Isle of Man - blazoned Gules three legs in armour flexed at the knee and conjoined at the thigh, all proper, garnished and spurred or, dates from the late 13th century. The present version dates from 12 July 1996.

As the Isle of Man is a Crown dependency and the present Lord of Man is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the arms are more accurately described as the Arms of Her Majesty in right of the Isle of Man. The origin of the triskeles (three dexter legs conjoined at the hips and flexed in triangle) is obscure, but it appears to stem from the Scottish takeover of the island in 1265. The heraldic supporters are birds associated with the island, whilst the motto first appears on record in the 17th century.

The Latin motto is: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit - "whithersoever you throw it, it will stand", or "whichever way you throw, it will stand". This refers to the theoretical aerodynamical properties of the triskele, which will supposedly always have a foot to land on whichever way it lands. The motto dates to 1668 when it is first recorded on coinage of the Isle of Man.