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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 327333, member: 2844&quot;]Both the symbol and the name were in use long before saint Louis. The old spelling is fleur de lys. The etymology is still not determined for 100%.</p><p>Likely candidates are:</p><p><br /></p><p>Fleur de Leie, from the old home of the Franks along the river Leie, in Belgian Flanders. The banks of the Leie are known for the abundance of irises. It is a picturesque region, a painter&#039;s paradise.</p><p><br /></p><p>And, surprisingly, Flemish (southern Dutch).</p><p>The Dutch/Flemish word for iris is lis (pronounced like you would in English), nowadays used interchangeably with iris. My mother&#039;s generation always used the name lis, and I usually do as well.</p><p>The fleur de lis symbol was used a lot in French Flanders, in northern France, where Flemish was once widely spoken. Some people in the Calais-Dunkirk region still speak it, in spite of years of repression, and over the last 10 yrs or so they have been recruting teachers here in the Netherlands.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dutch/Flemish terms for irises:</p><p>Gele lis:</p><p><img src="https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft0.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcR5CFFn4Cn0_Fev4zztPjLNdK57ZmaDeCtAaFJfX0WxR6mgG8S6Ng&amp;sp=fff9426c809e190f261c0e78b06771a1&amp;anticache=264748" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Blauwe lis:</p><p><img src="https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft0.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcQCU488rBxmUMD-DMOCgQ1zP717bwQlUTouwRxvvv2kkylbLkJBZA&amp;sp=e12e773aa7780bc8d570aef6958eed82&amp;anticache=702496" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>St Louis in the medal of the order of St Louis is standing. The figure in Rashit&#039;s medal seems to be seated, with part of his robe in his lap. St Louis is facing sideways, the figure in Rashit&#039;s medal is facing front.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think Kristiaan/Jerome&#039;s explanation the most plausible one.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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