Fleur-de-lis, << `flur` duh LEE, >> is a French name that literally means flower of the lily, but actually refers to the iris. The kings of France used an irislike design in heraldry. Some historians think this design originally represented an iris. Other historians believe the iris was once called a lily, and so the design was called flower of the lily. Others claim that the name originally meant flower of Louis.
According to legend, the Frankish king Clovis I used the fleur-de-lis in the early 500’s after an angel gave him an iris for accepting Christianity. Clovis is an early form of the name Louis. King Louis VI, who ruled France from 1108 to 1137, first used fleurs-de-lis for his coat of arms.
See also Heraldry.
