Originally Posted by
az_gila
I always thought the Liver bird was holding an olive branch for peace, not a piece of seaweed - for the oceans, I presume.
Which one is it?
Hi az, I've just pulled this off Wiki:
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"[Of the Liver bird]. The bird's species has long been the subject of confusion and controversy.
The bird shown on the medieval seal is generic, but the wording of the seal contains references to King John, who granted the town’s charter in 1207. John, in honour of his patron saint, frequently used the device of an eagle - long associated with St. John. Further indication that the seal was an homage to King John is found in the
sprig of broom initially shown in the bird’s beak, broom being a symbol of the royal family of Plantagenet.
By the 17th century, the origins of the bird had begun to be forgotten, with references to the bird as a cormorant, still a common bird in the coastal waters near Liverpool. The 17th century mace refers to a "leaver", while a manual on heraldry from later in the century confuses matters further by assuming this term is related to the old Low Dutch word lefler, meaning spoonbill[2] - a bird rarely found in northern England.
The College of Arms refers to the bird as a cormorant, adding that the sprig in the mouth is of
laver,
a type of seaweed, thus implying that the bird's appellation comes from the sprig.
The bird thus appears to have originally been intended to be an eagle, but is now officially a cormorant. Many modern interpretations of the symbol are of a cormorant, although several - notably that on the emblem of Liverpool Football Club - distinctly show the short head and curved beak more readily associated with a bird of prey."
Liver bird - full Wiki link.
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