Przyjaciel (Polish for "Friend") also known as "de Pryjatel" and "Amicus" is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several szlachta (noble) families under the Kingdom of Poland and the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth.
The coat of arms has its source in the following historical event during the reign of the Polish King, Bolesà Âaw IV the Curly (KÃÂdzierzawy) (1125-1173), Duke Henryk, Prince of Sandomierz, the king's brother, was waging war against the still pagan Prussians, in 1164, and was killed in a battle. The knight Mirosà Âaw, who hailed from the east, as his name suggests, and who was in the service of the king and king's brother, Henryk, broke through the enemy lines with his men, in order to retrieve Henryk's body and valuable armor, but was killed himself in the process. For Mirosà Âaw's steadfast loyalty, in the memory of his bravery, King Bolesà Âaw of Poland bestowed this coat of arms and lands to Mirosà Âaw's descendants.
A shield of blue color, with a heart in a vessel, pierced from top to bottom by an arrow, helmet with five ostrich feathers, and the blue and yellow fringe, signifying the ancient colors of knight Mirosà Âaw's ancestral origins.
Notable bearers of this coat of arms have included: