Scottish Thistle

The Thistle is the National Emblem of Scotland. It was used by the early Kings of Scotland as thier personal heraldic crest and is bourne by the Arms of the realm and by a number of ancient Scottish clans and familes as part of their Coat of Arms.

In 1687, James II instituted the Order of the Thistle as a distinctly Scottish Orderof Knighthood. This order is now one of the oldest of surviving orders in Great Britain.

The Legend has it that during a night attack, a Norweigian invader trod on a thistle and cried oute in paing, Thus alerting the Scots who secured a victory and adopted the thistle as thier emblem.