National and historical symbols of Hungary

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Diósberény

(Tolna County)

The coat of arms of Diósberény is a shield erect bordered or with a pointed base. It bears: azure, in base a triple mound vert, with three ears of wheat palewise or bound at the stalks therein. Issuing from the higher middle mound a stylised walnut tree with spreading branches argent. Between the foliage and the mound a half-drawn bow or turned upward with an arrow palewise gules upon the middle mound.

On the two sides the shield is flanked by a palm branch vert respectively, bound at the stalks under the base point. Above the top on a swallow-tailed scroll or the motto DIÓSBERÉNY in majuscules sable, flanked by an ornamental point respectively.

For the design of the signs of the village the starting point was Diósberény's old seal print dating from the Middle Ages. It bears a coulter and ploughshare with three ears of wheat between them and flanked by a palm branch on each side.

In addition to the charge, the settlement's name also had to be considered in the design, for it is a telling name; on the one hand it refers to a place where walnut trees grow, while on the other it evokes the settlement's early history when the "berény" auxiliary forces, which belonged to the Patzinaks, settled here. They were the first dwellers when a new society formed in the time of King Stephen I (the Saint), as was the case with the village located in Tolna County, where the name of the settlement is the Patzinak word "érdem". Following the suppression of the pagan Koppány, King Stephen gave the auxiliaries considerable support so that they could create their own homes. In the coat of arms the berénys are symbolised by the red arrow. Consequently, through the arrow and the walnut leaf the name of the settlement is figuratively displayed in the shield.

The application of the old seal motifs means that our historical traditions survive in the coat of arms. The three ears of wheat are a very old agricultural symbol. The reason for this is that the three is one of the most important sacramental numbers, therefore in coats of arms it is a religious motif. This number symbolises that the encounter of Heaven and Earth created Man, making the divine manifestation complete. Consequently, the number three is the symbol of completeness, divine order, perfectness, the order of the Universe and the tripartition of the world. Human life is also related to this number, since two people create a third one, who will grow over the other two.

It is to be observed that in the case of heraldic triple mounds the middle one is always higher than the other two, like in the state coat of arms of Hungary. The most important concepts and ideas related to the number three are the following: past-present-future, the Holy Trinity, the three biblical prophets, the three divine virtues, Christ as king, priest and prophet or the Magi in Betlehem. The three is also a favourite number in myths, tales and magic. Examples are the three lives, the three orphaned brothers, the three trials, the three wishes and the old Hungarian saying three is the right number. Consequently, all the above are referred to in the arms designs in the form of the three arrows, the triple mound, the three walnut leaves and the three ears of wheat.

In the arms designs the tinctures were applied according to the rules of heraldry. As is the case in every culture, in heraldry tinctures are also related to the cosmic world. Thus the symbolic meaning of the tinctures that appear on shields is the following:

Metals:

Or (gold; the Sun): intellect, sense, authority, virtue, faith, morality;

Argent (silver; the Moon): wisdom, purity, innocence, chastity;

Colours:

Gules (red; Mars): patriotism, self-sacrifice, the will to act, generosity;

Azure (blue, Jupiter): perseverance, consistency of principle, trust, resistance,

Vert (green, Venus): freedom, love, hope, happiness, health, beauty.