In places of honor, it stands as the emblem of the nation; that is, of
the people, apart from the land they live on. Besides flag and symbol,
it has a motto. That of Wales is: "Awake: It is light."

Now because the glorious stories of Wales, Scotland and Ireland have
been nearly lost in that of mighty England, men have at times, almost
forgotten about the leek, the thistle, and the shamrock, which stand
for the other three divisions of the British Isles.

Yet each of these peoples has a history as noble as that of which the
rose and the lion are the emblems. Each has also its patron saint and
civilizer. So we have Saint George, Saint David, Saint Andrew, and
Saint Patrick, all of them white-souled heroes. On the union flag, or
standard of the United Kingdom, we see their three crosses.

The lion of England, the harp of Ireland, the thistle of Scotland, and
the Red Dragon of Wales represent the four peoples in the British
Isles, each with its own speech, traditions, and emblems; yet all in
unity and in loyalty, none excelling the Welsh, whose symbol is the
Red Dragon. In classic phrase, we talk of Albion, Scotia, Cymry, and
Hibernia.

But why red? Almost all the other dragons in the world are white, or
yellow, green or purple, blue, or pink. Why a fiery red color like
that of Mars?

Borne on the banners of the Welsh archers, who in old days won the
battles of Crecy and Agincourt, and now seen on the crests on the town
halls and city flags, in heraldry, and in art, the red dragon is as
rampant, as when King Arthur sat with His Knights at the Round Table.