If we look into the authoritative dictionary of Sergei Ozhegov about the word "banner", then in fact we will not learn anything, except for what is already known. In fact, the word is ancient, and the Ozhegov dictionary reflects only its status in the modern language. The banner is a flag.
STAG, -a, m. (high). Same as banner. Scarlet banners are blowing.
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Sergei Ozhegov.
Ancient pitchfork
Speech memory does not fail us, suggesting that the banner is somehow connected with contraction. True, the current "flag" value raises doubts. And in vain. The old Russian verb, which sounded like "combine", has practically not changed to this day - "contract". Therefore, according to Russian word-formation, a banner is someone who pulls together, or something that pulls together, or something that has something to do with the tightening process.
Indeed, in a number of dialects of the Russian language, especially in rural areas, this is still called a pitchfork or a rake in some places. According to the studies of linguists-etymologists, in ancient Russia a pole with a hook at the end, intendedfor pulling hay into stacks or, conversely, turning it up.
Staff of Banner
And what does the banner have to do with it? Yes, just a pole (in the sense of banners) is such a good thing that if you lift it up, it will be visible to everyone. And if you also tie a piece of bright fabric to it, then in general it can be seen from afar. The greatest use of such a banner, in scientific terms, was found in the identification of military formations in the battles of the Middle Ages.
The banners of that time bore little resemblance to modern banners. At first it was just a piece of bright fabric. Since, as a rule, warriors from the same locality gathered under one banner, a system for recognizing banners appeared. Each host had its own colors, images and patterns on the fabric. Basically, banners-flags were triangular in shape, but there were others. In addition, various "bindings" could be attached to the banner: pigtails, slopes, wedges or barbs. Apparently, they had some additional meaning. The straps also differed in size. The main principle here was the size of the army. The status of a powerful prince was supposed to be a multi-meter banner, which sometimes you can’t unfold right away.
In the annals there are phraseological units that have already gone out of use. For example, the expression "without putting up a banner" in the Old Russian language can be called the attack of fascist Germany on the Soviet Union in 1941. If the war began with an official notice, the chronicler would have written: "Germany raised the banner for the Union …". "Enemy's flag of the undercut" is the same as "defeat", and "standunder the banner" - "to be in the army, on the battlefield".
Military detachment
Quite quickly, the squad itself began to be called a banner, which is quite logical. You could even say it became a full-time unit. Nobody will tell you the exact number of soldiers in the banner. This number differed greatly depending on the area. At a later time, with the spread of Christianity, the word "banner" in the meanings of "flag" and "army" was replaced by a banner with images of saints and attributes of Orthodoxy. And the banner went out of active use.
High calm banner
And Poland, like a running regiment, throws the bloody banner into the dust…
A. S. Pushkin. "Borodino anniversary".
The word "banner" is now only used in high style speeches and texts. Apparently, because it came from "tales, ancient times." That is, it is still a "banner", but it sounds where it is necessary to express the special meaning of this word. In poetic lines, for example, by Pushkin.
Tax
And back in the 15th century, a "banner" was a cow carcass with a severed head, legs and with a skin pulled together (which is logical). Actually, such a banner even became a measure for customs officers who taxed food products with a duty. The volume of food, approximately equal to a cow, was equal to one banner.
Island
If you look at the geographical map of Russia, especially its northern part, you can see the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago in the Laptev Sea, discovered in 1913 by an expeditionBoris Viltsitsky. To the north of Starokadomsky Island, the island of Little Taimyr, we will find a long (3.5 km) very narrow sandy island (these are usually called spit), which is called Banner.
Judging by the description, it is not difficult to guess why this island in the May Islands group received such a name from the expedition of Georgy Ushakov, who was engaged in mapping Severnaya Zemlya in the 30s.
Village
There is another Banner on the map. This is a village in Belarus, not far from Mogilev. True, to be honest, in Belarusian it sounds like "Scyag", but this does not change the essence of the matter. It is impossible to explain the etymology of the name due to lack of information, but for sure it is connected with something from the above.
