National motto of Ainin

The coat of arms of Ainin, featuring the national motto

The national motto of Ainin is Veritas lux mea according to the Constitution of Ainin. Latin for "The truth is my light", it was adopted in 1907 during the Social Revolution, a period of rapid change in Aininian society that marked the end of the immediate post-Revolution era, replacing the republican rallying call of Ni roi, ni maître! (Neither king nor master!).

The motto of Ainin symbolises the idea that the Republic was founded on the belief in transparent government where truth guides decision-making instead of the corruption and tyranny that marked the Glorious Confederation and Antelopian Dynasty.

History

Delan Kingdom

The Delan Kingdom adopted an official motto around 1400 BC, being On was'lakskiy on mi'y il (simplified as On walakya, miy il after the Ainian language reforms of 152), literally meaning "One thousand islands, one king", and meaning that the Aininian Isles ("one thousand islands") all came under the supreme and divine authority of the King of the Delan Kingdom. The motto was rarely used in practice and fell into obscurity by 1250 BC. No motto was adopted after that.

The Two Kingdoms

The Western and Eastern Delan Kingdoms followed their predecessor state in not adopting an official state motto. However, King Fataryi IV of the Eastern Kingdom had as his personal motto Attayaka spar (roughly meaning "Attayaka, centre of the universe"), symbolising the traditional belief that the city of Attayaka was at the centre of the universe and that it had a special place in nature. It was soon identified with the Eastern Delan Kingdom itself, as served as its de facto motto from 212 BC until 381 AD. After the arrival of the Francesians, French mottos appeared in both kingdoms. In 419 AD, the Eastern Delan Kingdom adopted the motto La foy ante tottus (modern spelling La foi avant tout, roughly meaning "faith above all") and the Western Kingdom adopted the motto Fidélité pour le roy (Fealty to the King).

Namorese Ainin

All mottos associated with the Aininian culture and state were outlawed in Namorese Ainin.

Other Mottos

Ni roi, ni maître!

Ni roi, ni maître! (Neither king nor master!) was a rallying call used by republican troops during the second phase of the Aininian Revolution, after the monarchist faction of the revolutionaries broke off and switched sides to join Namorese forces in combatting the revolution. The first part, "ni roi", refers to the republicans' rejection of the restoration of the Glorious Confederation as they perceived it as corrupt and maladministered, while the second part, "ni maître" refers to the revolutionaries' common ideal that the Aininian Isles should be ruled by an Aininian government and not by a foreign occupier that was master of the Aininian state's politics and internal administration.