A Few Favourite Mottos
Yesterday I referred, indirectly, to the research I do for my books, which is quite extensive and delves into many diverse areas.
One of those areas for The Wall Of Night series is heraldry—and of course one aspect of heraldry is mottos.
That got me thinking about “favourite” mottos, or at least taglines. Probably my favourite motto is that of the the Scottish Clan Campbell of Cawdor, which is “Be Mindful.”
I also like the Prince of Wales’ motto, “Ich Dien: I Serve”, reputed to go back to Edward, the Black Prince, and which comes with an interesting legend.
And I have always liked the motto or tagline most frequently credited to Sherlock Holmes: “The game’s afoot.” Yet Holmes himself is quoting—from Shakespeare’s Henry V (not the famous St Crispin’s day speech, but another):
“…I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game’s afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’
How about you: do you have any favourite mottos, heraldic, literary, or otherwise?