Columns of Gediminas

The symbol appears in the following form: Horizontal line at bottom, vertical lines extend up at both ends. The square at the middle of the horizontal line is about half as tall as the vertical lines. Another vertical line rises from the top center of the square, giving an overall appearance that is close to a trident. This form is the one usually seen in modern times, often drawn on walls and fences as protest against the Soviet occupation of Lithuania.

It is notable that the ancient pre-Christian symbols of Lithuania did not follow the same strict rules of heraldry as their western counterparts. Thus this symbol was used in or and argent, usually on the field gules, and was depicted in various shapes on flags, banners and shields.

Some Belarusian historians claim that the Columns directly go back to the symbol of the Rurikids, which was the trident.[2]

The name "Columns of Gediminas" was given in the 19th century by historian Teodor Narbutt, who supposed that the symbol was Gediminas' insignia. The more exact name of the symbol is the Pillars of Gediminids, since there is no direct evidence of its connection with Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas.

The Columns of Gediminas appears in the coat of arms of Seimas and in the emblems of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Land Force, Air Force, Navy, Military Police, National Defence Volunteer Forces and Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion. The Columns of Gediminas are also featured in the coat of arms of Old Trakai, Trakai District Municipality and Šimkaičiai. The symbol is also used on many monuments throughout the country.

• Use of the Columns of Gediminas in modern Lithuania
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  Coat of arms of the Seimas of Lithuania
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  Coat of arms of Old Trakai.
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  Coat of arms of Trakai District Municipality
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  Coat of arms of Šimkaičiai
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  Presidential seal of Lithuania
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  Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
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  Columns of Gediminas in the yellow room at Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius.
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  Monument to Vincas Kudirka in Vilnius is topped by Columns of Gediminas.
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  Monument to Zygmunt Sierakowski and Kastus Kalinowski with Columns of Gediminas.
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  Monument to Vytautas the Great in Kernavė with Columns of Gediminas.
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  Monument with the Columns of Gediminas, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Independence of Lithuania in Plungė.
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  Monument with the Columns of Gediminas, dedicated to the Lithuanian Wars of Independence in Joniškis.
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  The Three Giants (Trys Milžinai) symbol in Kaunas.
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  Simonas Daukantas Bridge in Kaunas with the Columns of the Gediminas on top.
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  Grand Duke Kęstutis monument with Columns of Gediminas in Prienai.
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  Monument with Columns of Gediminas in the Cemetery of Lithuanian soldiers in Kupiškis.
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  Monument ot Lithuanian Independence with Columns of Gediminas in Senoji Varėna.
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  Gymnasium of Vytautas the Great in Klaipėda with Columns of Gediminas on it's roof.

• Use of the Columns of Gediminas in modern Lithuanian Army
• 
  By the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
• 
  By the Lithuanian Land Force.
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  By the Lithuanian Air Force.
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  By the Lithuanian Naval Force.
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  By the Lithuanian Military Police.
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  By the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.
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  By the Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, reverse side.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian Military Police.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.
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  Flag of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.
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  Columns of Gediminas are widely used on Lithuanian military vehicles.

The official logo of the EuroBasket 2011, which took place in Lithuania, is composed of the Columns overlaid on a basketball board.

The Columns of Gediminas are also the official logo of the Lithuanian postal company - Lietuvos paštas. The company uses the columns on its official stamps.[6]

A combination of the Columns of Gediminas and the Menorah are used by the Litvak community as a symbol meant to identify Lithuanian Jews with content expressing the history of the Jews in Lithuania.[7]

The coat of arms of Brahin is a pall reversed:
1. The symbol of Prince Izyaslav of Polotsk, Gules, on an argent field;
2. Columns of Gediminas, Argent on a gules field;
3. Coat of arms of Kaributas, Or, on a azure field.[8]

In modern Belarus, the columns of Gediminas, alongside the Pahonia, are occasionally used as a symbol of national pride.[9][10][11][12]

The columns of Gediminas are in the coat of arms of Brahin in southeastern Belarus.[8]

The symbol is featured on the monument to the Grand Duke Gediminas in Lida. which was unveiled in 2019.[13]

In Ukraine, the coat of arms of Zhytomyr Oblast adopted an archaic form of the Vytis (Pohonia) on the top-right shield, with the Columns of Gediminas on knight's shield.[14][15]

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine started, the Pahonia Regiment was formed as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, which used the Columns of Gediminas on their emblem.

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  Coat of arms of Zhytomyr Oblast
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  White-red-white flag with Columns of Gediminas in the form of a trident of the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine, which is also used by the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment[16][17]
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  The Columns of Gediminas on the emblem of the Pahonia Regiment
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  Emblem of the 1st separate amphibious assault company "Belarus"

The Columns of Gediminas are displayed at Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko.

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  The columns of Gediminas are displayed on the flag to the left of Vytautas the Great

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Columns of Gediminas.

• Coat of arms of Lithuania
• Gediminas' Tower
• House of Gediminas
• Polish heraldry
• Symbols of the Rurikids
• Tamga

• Valstybė. Iliustruota Lietuvos enciklopedija
• "Gediminas' Columns". Encyclopedia Lituanica II: 293. (1970–1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCCN 74–114275.