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TheGallic rooster (French:coq gaulois,pronounced[kɔkɡolwa]ⓘ) is anational symbol ofFrance as a nation, as opposed toMarianne representing France as a state and its values: the Republic.[citation needed]
Arooster, in a different pose, is also used as the symbol of theWallonia and theFrench Community of Belgium.
During the times of Ancient Rome,Suetonius, inThe Twelve Caesars, noticed that, inLatin, rooster (gallus) and Galli (Gallus) werehomonyms.[1]
Its association with France dates back from theMiddle Ages and is due to the play on words inLatin betweenGallus, meaning an inhabitant ofGaul, andgallus, meaningrooster, or cockerel. Its use, by the enemies of France, dates to this period, originally apun to make fun of the French,[1] the association between the rooster and the Gauls/French was developed by the kings of France for the strong Christian symbol that the rooster represents: prior to being arrested, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed on the following morning. At the rooster's crowing, Peter remembered Jesus's words. Its crowing at the dawning of each new morning made it a symbol of the daily victory of light over darkness and the triumph of good over evil. It is also an emblem of the Christian's attitude of watchfulness and readiness for the sudden return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment of humankind. That is why, during theRenaissance, the rooster became a symbol of France as a Catholic state and became a popular Christian image onweather vanes, also known as weathercocks.[citation needed]
The popularity of the Gallic rooster as a national personification faded away until its resurgence during theFrench Revolution (1789). The republicanhistoriography completely modified the traditional perception of the origins of France. Until then, the royal historiography dated the origins of France back to the baptism ofClovis I in 496, the "first Christian king of France". The republicans rejected this royalist and Christian origin of the country and trace the origins of France back to the ancient Gaul. Although purely apocryphal, the rooster became the personification of the early inhabitants of France, the Gauls.
The Gallic rooster, colloquially namedChantecler, had been a national emblem ever since, especially during theThird Republic. The rooster was featured on the reverse of French 20-franc gold pieces from 1899 to 1914. AfterWorld War I it was depicted on countlesswar memorials.
Today, it is often used as a nationalmascot, particularly in sporting events such asfootball (soccer) andrugby. The1998 FIFA World Cup, hosted by France, adopted an anthropomorphic rooster namedFootix as itsmascot. Two decades later, the2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, also hosted by France, featured a young anthropomorphic female chicken known as ettie (officially in lower case) as its mascot, with ettie being depicted as the daughter of Footix.[2][3] TheFrance national rugby league team are known as theChanteclairs, referring to the cockerel's song.
The popularity of the symbol extends into business through several notable brands:
Another heraldic animal officially used by the French nation was theFrench Imperial Eagle, symbol of theFirst andSecond French Empire underNapoleon I andNapoleon III, as well as the bee.[5] There was also theSalamander which was used underFrancis I of France.
Inspired by the French example, a rooster was adopted as the symbol ofWalloon movement in 1913.[citation needed] It represents a "bold rooster" (coq hardi), raising its claws, instead of the "crowing rooster" that is traditionally depicted in France. This symbol, also known as the Walloon rooster, was officially adopted as the symbol ofWallonia (in 1998) and theFrench Community of Belgium (in 1991).
In France, theFrenchonomatopoeia for the roostercrowing sound, "cocorico" (cock-a-doodle-doo), is sometimes used as an expression of national pride, sometimes ironically.[citation needed]
