The emblem of the Visconti is the symbol of Milan The Biscione ('large grass snake'), also known as the Vipera (‘viper’ or in Milanese as the Bissa), is a heraldic charge showing a blue serpent in the act of swallowing a human – usually a child, and sometimes described as a Moor. It has been the emblem of the Italian Visconti family for around a thousand years. According to the legend, in the 1100s, Ottone Visconti, during the Second Crusade, led an army of Milanese citizens in the siege of Jerusalem, and challenged the cruel Saracen Voluce to a duel. Voluce’s coat of arms was a snake devouring a man. Ottone killed the Saracen, took his weapons and his symbol and brought it to Milan and decided to adopt the warrior’s coat of arm as his own. The symbol of the House of Visconti was born and, when the Visconti family gained control of Milan, the biscione became the symbol of the city. The man eaten by the snake was replaced by a red Saracen and later became a child, with the aim of showing the goodness of the Visconti’s snake. House of Visconti Later, the biscione appears in the coats of arms of the House of Sforza, Milan, the historical Duchy of Milan and Insubria. It is also used as a symbol or logo by the Italian football (or soccer, for my American readers) club Inter Milan, and in a version where a flower replaces the child, by Fininvest, as well as the Italian automobile manufacturer, Alfa Romeo and the logo of the private Italian TV network, Canale 5 – Mediaset (Channel 5). The biscione as a symbol of Milan in the Castello Sforzesco Historical Origins Images of the biscione are found throughout history in different civilizations. One of the most notable is in the representation of the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl. Notwithstanding the similarities of these two images, since Visconti adopted the Biscione in the 1200s, and the Europeans did not meet the Aztecs until much later, it is very doubtful that the Aztec serpent had any influence on the origin of the Italian Biscione. Quetzalcoatl The Biscione in Modern Times Inter Milan Biscione Silvio Berlusconi's Biscione Alfa Romeo Emblem Canale 5 – Mediaset, Milano Logo The Biscione – found at the Grazzano Visconti (Province of Piacenza) near Milan
9 Comments
Enzo Tesla
12/28/2017 02:24:52 pm
I like this article. A lot of information I did not know, yet easy to read and to the point. Thanks.
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Enzo Tesla
12/28/2017 02:29:49 pm
Will you write about the other charge of the Alfa Romeo emblem? the red cross?
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John white
10/27/2020 06:01:41 pm
What about the red cross ?
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Enzo Tesla
1/14/2018 06:39:56 pm
I noticed you have not posted anything new lately. I guess the holidays have distracted you. Don't stop your fine work!
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Shelley Bentz
4/5/2019 04:37:08 am
Coming across this information as part of a study into the origins of world domination through the papal bloodlines. Best images and the info is most helpful. Might want to update the part about when the Europeans had seen the Aztecs.
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B
11/21/2020 09:50:55 pm
Can you direct me to more resources on this subject. I want to know more.
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10/31/2019 07:43:08 pm
Thus expiration to family sur- name form routes off changes to notes ! " La Medusa " that snake greek goddess symbolic to it's mastcot that snake=serpent ?
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anonimus
6/16/2020 01:16:15 am
Can you please clarify your comment if possible. Thank you.
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John WernlyHello World! I'm new to blogging, and I would like to start out by sharing with you some of my automotive fandom. ArchivesCategories |