Per ardua ad astra
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
Per ardua ad astra is a
Origin
The first
Not long after this, two junior officers were walking from the Officers'
Yule is believed to have borrowed the phrase from Sir Henry Rider Haggard's fantasy novel The People of the Mist (1894). The first chapter includes the sentence: "To his right were two stately gates of iron fantastically wrought, supported by stone pillars on whose summit stood griffins of black marble embracing coats of arms and banners inscribed with the device 'Per Ardua ad Astra'". It is possible that Rider Haggard had taken it from the Irish family of Mulvany, who had used it as their family motto for centuries, translating it as "Through Struggles to the Stars".
There is no single definitive translation, as both "ardua" and "astra" can carry a range of associations. The Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces most often translate it as "Through Adversity to the Stars".[5]
Variants
The motto of the
See also
- Per aspera ad astra, a motto with a similar translation
- Ad astra (phrase), other similar phrases
References
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". RAF. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "Royal Australian Air Force Badge". Australian Department of Defence. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ "Scheldewindeke Churchyard". www.peterswar.net.
- ^ here, RAF Details. "RAF - The Royal Air Force Motto". www.raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ "The Royal Air Force Motto". RAF. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2013.