St. Andrews Cross or the Saltire:
In 832 AD ,
a Pictish army under King Angus MacFergus, High King of Alba,
along with a force of Scots under Eochaidh, King of Dalriada
(and grandfather of Kenneth MacAlpin), was battling a Northumbrian
force in Lothian for control of that region. The night before
battle, Saint Andrew reportedly appeared to Angus in a vision,
and on the field of battle the next day, a saltire, or x-shaped
cross, similar to the one that Saint Andrew was crucified
on, appeared in the sky, encouraging the Picts and Scots in
their fight and causing the Northumbrians to flee the field,
after their leader, Athelstan, was killed. The site of the
battle was and still is known as Athelstanford, or “the
ford of Athelstan”. The colours of the flag are supposed
to represent the white of clouds and the azure colour of the
sky. From that time onward, the Saltire became the national
emblem of the Scots.
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