The Great Seal of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Seala Mòr na h-Alba; also the Scottish Seal; formally the Seal appointed by the Treaty of Union to be kept and made use of in place of the Great Seal of Scotland) is a seal used by the first minister of Scotland to seal letters patent signed by the monarch giving royal assent to bills passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Great Seal of Scotland is the principal national symbol of Scotland that allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to make official. The earliest seal impression, in the Treasury of Durham Cathedral, is believed to be the Great Seal of Duncan II and dates to 1094. During the reign of Mary I, the thistle was incorporated into the design of the Great Seal, segmenting the thistle's status as a national Scottish symbol.
