Introduction
The flag of the Isle of Man is a red field bearing the triskelion: three armoured legs joined at the thigh, bent at the knee, with golden spurs, arranged so that they appear to be running.
In Manx the device is ny tree cassyn, the three legs.
Meaning & Symbolism
The triskelion is far older than the island, used by the Mycenaeans and the Lycians, and it reached Man through the arms of the Crovan dynasty in the thirteenth century.
The motto that travels with the arms, Quocunque jeceris stabit, whichever way you throw it, it will stand, is the whole idea: a figure that lands on its feet in any orientation.
History of the Isle of Man Flag
Until 1265 the island was part of the Kingdom of the Isles under the Crovan dynasty, and the three legs appear in the arms of that period. The device survived every change of ruler afterwards.
The flag became the official flag of the Isle of Man on 1 December 1932. The legs run clockwise on both sides of the cloth, which requires the flag to be printed differently on each face rather than simply mirrored.
Curiosities
- The motto is Quocunque jeceris stabit: whichever way you throw it, it will stand.
- The three legs run clockwise on both sides of the flag, so the two faces are not mirror images.
- The triskelion is thousands of years older than the island connection, used by the Mycenaeans and the Lycians.
- In Manx the device is called ny tree cassyn, the three legs.
- It has been the official flag only since 1932, though the arms date from the 13th century.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Isle of Man in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.