The flag of Sweden is blue with a yellow Scandinavian (or Nordic) cross, which stretches from left to right and from top to bottom across the rectangular flag. The intersection of the cross sits slightly to the left of center on this rectangular national flag. The blue represents truth, loyalty, and justice, and the yellow symbolizes generosity. The Swedish cross is said to have come from Eric the Holy, who was king of Sweden, who saw the gold cross in the sky. The cross is a symbol of Christianity, used to express the religious history of the nation and its early leaders.