On Azure a lilly with side leaves bent outwards Or. Allegedly to celebrate the siege of Paris, also the coat of arms of the city of Odense, one of the families early domains. Danish High nobility, Uradel.

THE PAGH FAMILY

SINCE THE DAWN OF DENMARK

"Kong Knud som er i Gud, kom mig  i hu"

Had as his motto Bishop Pagh in Odense, Grand Master of the former military order of Saint Knud currently merged as with all previous surviving medieval military orders of Europe into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta as their current chapter in Denmark residence having belonged to this family, during one of the hardest times in Denmark while he was paving the way for Valdemar Atterdag (Valdemar IV), providing him access to all church documents and intermediating between the young prince and the church so he could gather documents for the restitution of the Danish Kingdom, thorn asunder by wretched merchants of the Hanseatic league due to the folleys of former Kings who had fallen victims of treason from German "nobles" who should have had their so called "nobility" stripped from them for their seismic betrayal.

The motto, meaning King Knud - and not Saint Knud, alluding to Knud the Great - "King Knud who is in heaven, let me remember", a possible clever pun to the fact that he was aiding the future King to rediscover all possible documentation of Danish land ownership right under the Holy Roman Empire's greedy nose. 

This was also the period where the family "donated" many of their lands to church in order not to allow Denmark to cease to exist so the Vatican could serve as a buffer against Hanseatic League interests. 

Throughout Danish history the Pagh (word meaning fence or palisade in old Danish, befitting to the character of the members of this family) have been paramount in defending Danish sovereignity, as one of the three Generals under Marshal Rantzau during the Counts feud, responsible for the later negotiations with the peasants that brought an end to this horrible war.

Prussian nobility seemingly have memory of this family resisting their invasion attempts to the point of making it one of the conditions to ending the second Slesvig war that a Pagh who served in the war should be present to the signature of the document, a rather odd request as Danes have forgotten this family due to Jantelov so the then young Voluntary Sergeant (Danish ranks unlike aristocratic rules are given bottom up since the Napolenic wars, a tradition common to even current Danish Royalty as the former Queen having the rank of corporal, so in the Danish military you have to start from the bottom) being present under such a solemn event. 

Despite its aristocratic origins the Pagh kept the Jarl tradition of the pagan ting (local assembly or parliament where locals voted on all matters) siding with the people on the matters of the state, reason why it was easier for the peasants to accept when push came to shove their presence to negotiate crisis as the counts feud - they knew that the Pagh would listen. 

And thus a possible reason for the attempts to eradicate this family from Danish history by some foreign Kings of kingdoms that no longer exist, as the PAgh to this day are remembered fondly by some socialists(and may I even say, communists) for having aided popular working class movements for better working conditions in Denmark, something I myself have experienced as approached by some former project leaders during my youth. 

Its also alleged due to the transgressive nature of the usual member of this family to descend from Palnatoke (or Toke Pahlna, or Toke Pagh, a possible pun with the beginnings of surnames in Denmark by the nobility and his connection with Jomsborg, a Viking legendary fortress, known for its palisades since he was one of its founders and main administrators) hence the connection with Funen and Vejle where Jelling, the first official seat of a Danish King is described in the annals of European history.