The Coat of Arms
The Hungarian coat of arms is older than Hungary itself. It is made up of two halves: the left side is a field of 8 alternating, horizontal, red and white stripes, and the second shows three hills, with an apostalic double-cross with a crown for a base.
The left side, with the stripes, was Árpád's own crest. As such, there is no evidence to its true age; it could, in fact, be an ancient Hunnish symbol.
The right side was a gift to the fledgling Hungarian nation by the Eastern Orthodox Church of Byzantium. The double-cross, or apostalic cross, was a common design in medieval times, and the three hills underneath it preserve the very common and holy number Three, and may reflect also the symettry of the three crossed present at Christ's crucifixion.
The Coat of Arms was reinvented in Kossuth's time. It was given a new, shield-like shape, and new symbolism besides. The white stripes on the left today represent the four great rivers of Great Hungary: the Duna, Tisza, Dráva, and the Száva. The three hills show the three great mountains: the Mátra, Fátra, and Tátra.