Azure a lion rampant barry of ten argent and gules, armed or
The coat of arms of Hesse was introduced in 1949. It is based on the historical coat of arms of the Ludovingian landgraves of Hesse and Thuringia. The lion on the modern arms does not wear a crown or hold a sword, as it does on the arms of the Grand Duchy.[1]
History
The Ludovingian lion barry in the Ingeram Codex of 1459, given as the coat of arms of the landgraves of Hesse and Thuringia
Coat of arms of the landgrave of Hesse in Siebmacher’s Wappenbuch (1703)[2]
Lesser coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, using the coat of arms of the duchy itself, with the crown of a Grand Duchy and two lions as supporters (1806 to 1918)