MacDonald Seal

This seal, from 1292 A.D., depicts our ancestor Somerled “King of Argyll and the Isles” with his descendants. The peripheral inscription transcribed in part Latin and Gaelic reads “Sons of Donald and Angus of Islay.” The nine waves beneath the boat hold mythical significance, referencing a Celtic legend that if you have nine waves between you and your enemy you will never manage to catch them. The seal shows Somerled surmounting the nine waves, thereby breaking the grip of their Norse counterparts and establishing the lineage of MacDonald.