The four emblems on Glasgow’s coat of arms – a bird, a tree, a bell and a fish – each stand for a miracle of Saint Mungo, the city’s patron saint and founder. They are remembered in a well-known rhyme, and once you know them you will spot them all over Glasgow, from lamp-posts and litter bins to the front of the City Chambers.

The four miracles behind the emblems

Each of the four symbols recalls a different wonder from the legends of Saint Mungo. The bird is a robin that was killed by others but restored to life by the young saint. The tree recalls a fire that Mungo miraculously rekindled from a frozen branch when the flames had died. The bell is one he is said to have brought back from Rome. And the fish, with a ring in its mouth, points to the most famous miracle of all.

The fish and the ring

The story tells of a queen of Strathclyde who had given away a royal ring. When her husband discovered it was gone, he threatened her with death unless she produced it. In her desperation she turned to Mungo, who sent a monk to fish in the River Clyde – and the first salmon caught had the missing ring in its mouth. That is why the fish and the ring appear on the city’s arms to this day.

The rhyme and the motto

Generations of Glasgow children have learned the four emblems through a traditional rhyme that begins ‘Here is the bird that never flew’. The arms also carry the city’s motto, ‘Let Glasgow Flourish’, drawn from words attributed to Mungo himself. The saint is buried at the site of Glasgow Cathedral, the great medieval church that grew up around his tomb.

Who was Saint Mungo?

Saint Mungo, also called Kentigern, was a sixth-century missionary honoured as the founder and patron saint of Glasgow. His four miracles are remembered on the city’s coat of arms.

What is Glasgow’s motto?

The city’s motto is ‘Let Glasgow Flourish’. It is a shortened form of words attributed to Saint Mungo, and appears on the coat of arms.

Why is there a fish with a ring on Glasgow’s crest?

The salmon with a ring in its mouth recalls the legend in which Mungo recovered a queen’s lost ring from a fish caught in the Clyde, saving her from her husband’s anger.