Clan Campbell Crest
Clan Campbell Crest
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$4.99 CAD
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Every heritage crest is delivered instantly as a high-resolution digital bundle. You will receive three premium file formats tailored for any project:
- Color PNG: Perfect for digital display, standard printing, and framing.
- Black & White PNG: Ideal for elegant family stationery, embossing, or minimalist designs.
- Professional SVG: A fully scalable vector file perfect for large-scale printing, laser engraving, and custom merchandise.
Unveiling the History and Origin of the Clan Campbell Crest Badge
The crest badge of Clan Campbell is a powerful symbol of one of Scotland's most historically dominant highland clans. Worn by clan members to show allegiance to their Chief, the Duke of Argyll (Mac Cailein Mór), the badge combines heraldry, ancient Celtic mythology, and deep-rooted highland traditions. The core elements of the traditional Campbell crest badge include the boar's head, the motto "Ne Obliviscaris," the battle cry "Cruachan!", and the plant badge of Bog Myrtle.
The Boar's Head and Celtic Mythology
At the centre of the Campbell crest is a boar's head fessways erased Or, armed Argent, langued Gules (a gold boar's head, facing horizontally with a jagged edge as if torn from the body, with silver tusks and a red tongue).
The origin of this striking imagery connects back to the clan's earliest mythological roots. Before they were known as Campbells, the early clan was styled Clan O'Duine, and later Clann Diarmaid, claiming descent from the legendary Fingalian hero Diarmid O'Duine (or Diarmuid the Boar). According to Celtic legend, Diarmid eloped with Grainn, the lover of the aging war-band leader Finn Mac Cool. Although Finn eventually pardoned them, his forgiveness was a ruse; he engineered Diarmid's death during a great boar hunt. It had been prophesied that Diarmid would die by a boar—an animal that was actually once his own foster-brother—and he was killed after the beast's stiff, poisonous bristles pierced his bare foot. By proudly bearing the boar's head, the Campbell crest pays homage to this great hero from early Celtic mythology.
The Motto: "Forget Not"
Encircling the boar's head on the crest badge is the Clan Motto: Ne Obliviscaris, which translates from Latin as "Forget Not".
This motto served as a constant reminder of the clan's heritage, alliances, and obligations. The cultural weight of this demand to "forget not" is perfectly illustrated by the heraldry of the MacTavishes of Dunardry, a family of the same stock as the Campbells who always followed the Campbell banner in war. When Lachlan MacTavish of Dunardry petitioned for arms in 1793, his crest featured a boar's head copying the Campbell Chief's, and his chosen motto was "NON OBLITUS" ("Not Forgetful")—a direct and loyal response to the Campbell Chief's command, NE OBLIVISCARIS.
(Note: The Duke of Argyll also holds a personal motto, "Vix ea nostra voco," meaning "I scarcely call these things our own," which relates to the principle of careful stewardship for future generations.)
