What does the coat of arms for Novgorod Oblast display?
The coat of arms for Novgorod Oblast displays two brown bears standing side by side. This regional symbol appears on both the flag and the official seal of the area.
Short answers, pulled from the story.
The coat of arms for Novgorod Oblast displays two brown bears standing side by side. This regional symbol appears on both the flag and the official seal of the area.
William Shakespeare wrote about a rugged Russian bear in Act 3 Scene 4 of Macbeth during the late 16th century. British publications like Punch began using the bear metaphor extensively throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
Polar bears appear in the coats of arms for Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Black bears feature prominently in the heraldry of Khabarovsk Krai and the Republic of Karelia.
The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games featured Misha the Bear cub as an official mascot. This cuddly smiling figure aimed to counter the big brutal image held abroad.
After the Soviet Union dissolved, some members of the Russian Parliament supported adding a bear to the new coat of arms. The double-headed eagle from the Tsarist era won the vote instead.