France's national emblem

November 9, 2004

It's funny how you sometimes accept things without thinking twice. I had never really questioned why the cockerel should be the emblem for France, and found it perfectly natural to see them run around on football and rugby pitches later to be conquered (or not) by the French national team. I also always liked Coluche's explanation that it's because "it's the only bird that manages to sing with its feet deep in shit".

This article about rescuing the French cockerel explains why: the Latin word gallus means Gaul and… rooster.