National flags accumulate folklore. A design gets explained once, the explanation gets repeated, and after a few decades the repetition is more familiar than the history. Here are ten flag claims that are widely believed and largely wrong.
Myth 1: The Union Jack is the official flag of England
The Union Jack, also called the Union Flag, is the national flag of the United Kingdom, not of England. It represents the union of England, Scotland, and Ireland, now only Northern Ireland. The design combines the crosses of those countries' patron saints: the red cross of Saint George for England, the white saltire of Saint Andrew for Scotland, and the red saltire of Saint Patrick for Ireland.
England's own flag is Saint George's Cross, a plain red cross on white. It dates to the Middle Ages and has been associated with England since the time of the Crusades.
Myth 2: The stars on the U.S. flag represent the original thirteen colonies
The original U.S. flag, the Betsy Ross flag, did have thirteen stars for the thirteen colonies. The current flag does not. Its fifty stars represent the fifty states of the Union, and a new star was added each time a state was admitted.
The 1777 flag arranged its thirteen stars in a circle for the unity of the original colonies. The stripes are the part that never changed: seven red and six white, still standing for those thirteen colonies.
Myth 3: The maple leaf on the Canadian flag represents the country's native tree
The maple leaf is a prominent symbol of Canada, but it does not stand for a particular species of tree. It refers to the country's natural heritage and the forests that cover much of its landscape. The leaf had been associated with Canada since the 18th century, and it was chosen for the flag because it was already recognized as a Canadian emblem.
The current flag, known as the Maple Leaf or l'Unifolié, was adopted in 1965. It has a stylized eleven-pointed red maple leaf in the center between two red vertical bands, a design built for simplicity and instant recognition.
Myth 4: The French Tricolor was inspired by the American Revolution
The American Revolution influenced plenty about the French Revolution, but the Tricolor has its own origins. The three colors, blue, white, and red, were chosen during the French Revolution to represent liberty, equality, and fraternity. Blue and red were the traditional colors of Paris; white was associated with the French monarchy. Together they stood for the unity of the people and the monarchy.
The Tricolor was first adopted in 1790, in the early stages of the Revolution, and has since become a symbol of the French Republic.
Myth 5: The colors of the German flag represent the Weimar Republic
The black, red, and gold of the German flag are often attributed solely to the Weimar Republic of 1919 to 1933. The colors are far older. They go back to the 19th century and the Wars of Liberation against Napoleonic rule, where they were used by the Lützow Free Corps, a volunteer unit made up largely of university students. The Frankfurt Parliament adopted the combination in 1848 as the colors of a united Germany.
The modern flag, adopted in 1949, keeps them, tying the present republic to that earlier struggle for unity and freedom.
Myth 6: The Star of David on the Israeli flag has always been a Jewish symbol
The Star of David, or Magen David, is now widely recognized as a symbol of Judaism and the Jewish people. Its association with Judaism is relatively recent, dating to the late Middle Ages. Before that it appeared as a decorative motif across various cultures and religions, including Christianity and Islam.
The Israeli flag, adopted in 1948, sets the star in blue between two horizontal blue stripes. The stripes recall the tallit, the traditional Jewish prayer shawl.
Myth 7: The crescent and star on the Turkish flag represent Islam
The crescent and star are widely recognized Islamic symbols, but their origins on the Turkish flag are pre-Islamic. They date to ancient times and were used by various civilizations in the region, including the Byzantines. The Ottoman Empire took them up, and they have been associated with Turkish identity since.
The current flag, a white crescent and star on red, was officially adopted in 1936.
Myth 8: The South African flag represents the end of apartheid
The flag of South Africa, adopted in 1994, is often taken to symbolize the end of apartheid and nothing else. It does mark the new era of democracy, but its design reaches further back. The colors black, green, yellow, white, red, and blue draw on the flags of the African National Congress, the Dutch tricolor, and the British Union Jack.
The Y-shaped design stands for the convergence of different parts of South African society moving forward together.
Myth 9: The cross on Scandinavian flags represents Christianity
The cross does carry Christian connotations, but it also functions as a marker of shared history. The Nordic cross appears on the flags of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, and it signals a common cultural heritage as much as a religious one.
The oldest known Scandinavian flag with a cross is Denmark's Dannebrog, dating to the 13th century. The other Nordic countries adopted the design later, reflecting their shared history and their Christian heritage together.
Myth 10: The red circle on the Japanese flag represents the rising sun
The red circle on the Japanese flag, the Nisshōki or Hinomaru, is associated with the rising sun, but that is only part of it. The sun has been central to Japanese culture and mythology for centuries, representing the goddess Amaterasu, considered the ancestor of the imperial family.
The Hinomaru was used as a national symbol for centuries before it was officially adopted as Japan's national flag in 1999.
