Bat (heraldry)

The heraldic use of the bat has its origins in the "royal dragon" crest (cimera reial) of the coat of arms of the Kings of Aragon.

[2] There is also a legend of a bat that landed on the flag of King James I of Aragon in 1238, before he won a crucial battle against the Saracens in which he conquered Valencia for his kingdom.

However, it can be found in a few places, including in the coats of arms of the city of Albacete in Spain, the town of Montchauvet, Yvelines in France, Fiefbergen in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and the former Borough of Brecknock and historic county of Brecknockshire in Wales, UK.

[12] Based on the heraldic symbol of their city, certain Spanish association football club badges, like Albacete Balompié, CD Alcoyano, Levante UD and Valencia CF, have a bat on them.

[8] DC Comics has raised suits against Valencia FC with the European Union Intellectual Property Office in 2013 and 2019, claiming commonality with the Batman logo, but these have not been successful.

Established by Constantí Llombart, Teodor Llorente and Fèlix Pizcueta, its aim was originally to foster a movement similar to the Catalan Renaixença in the region of Valencia.

9 Squadron RAF adopted the bat badge in 1917 along with the Latin motto Per Noctem Volamus "We fly through the night".