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In , a charge is any emblem or device occupying the
(shield). This may be a geometric design (sometimes called an ) or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device. In French , the ordinaries are called pièces while other charges are called meubles (i.e. "[the] mobile [ones]").
The term charge can al for example, if an escutcheon depicts three , then it is said to be char similarly, a crest or even a charge itself may be "charged", such as a pair of eagle wings charged with trefoils (e.g. ). It is important to distinguish between the ordinaries and , as these typically follow similar patterns, such as a shield divided "per chevron", as distinct from being charged with a .
While thousands of objects found in nature, mythology or technology have appeared in armory, there are several charges (such as the cross, the eagle and the lion) which have contributed to the distinctive flavour of heraldic design. Only these and a few other notable charges (crowns, stars, keys, etc.) are discussed in this article, but a more exhaustive list will be found at .
In addition to being shown in the regular way charges may be umbrated, and are rather irregularly sometimes stated to be in silhouette or are, more ambiguously, confusingly and unhelpfully, blazoned as stylized or simplified.[]
Some heraldic writers distinguish, albeit arbitrarily, between honourable ordinaries and sub-ordinaries. While some authors hold that only nine charges are "honourable" ordinaries, exactly which ones fit into this category is a subject of constant disagreement. The remainder are often termed sub-ordinaries, and narrower or smaller versions of the ordinaries are called diminutives. While the term ordinaries is generally recognised, so much dispute may be found among sources regarding which are "honourable" and which are relegated to the category of "sub-ordinaries" that indeed one of the leading authors in the field,
(), wrote at length on what he calls the "utter absurdity of the necessity for any [such] classification at all," stating that the ordinaries and sub-ordinaries are, in his mind, "no more than first charges." Apparently ceding the point for the moment, Fox-Davies lists the generally agreed-upon "honourable ordinaries" as the bend, fess, pale, pile, chevron, cross, saltire and chief. Woodcock sheds some light on the matter, stating that earlier writers such as Leigh, Holme and Guillim proposed that "honourable ordinaries" should occupy one-third of the field, while later writers such as Edmondson favoured one-fifth, "on the grounds that a bend, pale, or chevron occupying one-third of the field makes the coat look clumsy and disagreeable." Woodcock goes so far as to enumerate the ordinaries thus: "The first Honourable Ordinary is the cross," the second is the chief, the third is the pale, the fourth is the bend, the fifth is the fess, the sixth is the inescutcheon, the seventh is the chevron, the eighth is the saltire, and the ninth is the bar, while stating that "some writers" prefer the bordure as the ninth ordinary. Volborth, having decidedly less to say on the matter, agrees that the classifications are arbitrary and the subject of disagreement, and lists the "definite" ordinaries as the chief, pale, bend, fess, chevron, cross and saltire. Boutell lists the chief, pale, bend, bend sinister, fess, bar, cross, saltire and chevron as the "honourable ordinaries". Thus, the chief, bend, pale, fess, chevron, cross and saltire appear to be the undisputed ordinaries, while authors disagree over the status of the pile, bar, inescutcheon, bordure and others.
Several different figures are recognised as honourable ordinaries, each normally occupying about one-fifth to one-third of the field. As discussed above, much disagreement exists among authors regarding which ordinary charges are "honourable", so only those generally agreed to be "honourable ordinaries" will be discussed here, while the remainder of ordinary charges will be discussed in the following section.
is the upper portion of the field.
runs from the upper left to the lower right, as \, as seen by the viewer. The bend sinister runs from the upper right to the lower left, as /.
The , a vertical stripe in the centre of the field.
is a broad horizontal stripe across the centre of the field.
is a construction shaped like an inverted letter V.
is a geometric construction of two perpendicular lines or bands. It has hundreds of variants, most of which are common charges ra some of these will be discussed below.
is a diagonal cross, often called Saint Andrew's cross.
Most of the ordinaries have corresponding diminutives, narrower versions, most often mentioned when two or more appear in parallel: bendlets, pallets, bars (multiples of the fess), chevronels.
In addition to those mentioned in the above section, other ordinaries exist. Some of these are variously called "honourable ordinaries" by different authors, while others of these are often called sub-ordinaries.
or pairle is shaped like the letter Y.
is a wedge issuing from the top of the field and tapering to a point near the bottom. Its length and width vary widely. Piles may occur in any orientation, e.g. pile reversed, pile bendwise and so on.
is a rectangle occupying the top left quarter of the field, as seen by the viewer.
is a square occupying the left third of the chief (sometimes reckoned to be a diminutive of the quarter).
is a border touching the edge of the field.
may be considered an inner bordure: a reasonably wide band away from the edge of the shield, it is always shown following the shape of the shield, without touching the edges.
is a narrower version of the orle, rarely seen except in the double tressure flory and counter-flory, an element of the
and of many other Scots coats.
The fret originally consisted of three bendlets interlaced with thr other depictions form the outer bendlets into a mascle through which the two remaining bendlets are woven. This has also been called a Harington knot, as in the arms of Harington.
, flanches or flasks are regions on the sides of the field, bounded by a pair of circular arcs whose centers are beyond the sides of the shield.
is a horizontal strap, with a number of pendants (usually called points) the default is three, but any number may be specified. The label is nearly always a mark of
in British and French heraldry, but is occasionally found as a regular charge in early armory and even in the 20th century. It is sometimes called a file, as in the canting arms of Belfile, a label with a bell hanging from each point. There are some examples in which the strap is omitted, the points issuing from the top of the shield.
The gyron is a
occupying the lower half of the first quarter: its edges follow per bend and per fess from the dexter side to the centre of the field. A gyron sinister, much rarer, is a similar figure in the sinister chief. Gyrons are sometimes blazoned to be shown in other positions - as in 'the sun in his splendour ... along with in dexter base a sixth gyron voided'
Pile reversed
So-called mobile charges are not tied to the size and shape of the shield, and so may be placed in any part of the field, although whenever a charge appears alone, it is placed with sufficient position and size to occupy the entire field. Common mobile charges include human figures, human parts, animals, animal parts, mythical creatures (or "monsters"), plants and floral designs, inanimate objects, and other devices. The heraldic animals need not exactly resemble the actual creatures.
A number of geometric charges are sometimes listed among the subordinaries (see above), but as their form is not related to the shape of the shield – indeed they may appear independent of the shield (i.e. in
and ) – they are more usefully considered here. These include the escutcheon or inescutcheon, lozenge, fusil, mascle, rustre, billet, roundel, fountain, and annulet.
is a small shield. If borne singly in the centre of the main shield, it is sometimes called an inescutcheon, and is usually employed to combine multiple coats. It is customarily the same shape as the shield it is on, though shields of specific shapes are rarely specified in the blazon.
generally resembling the
of playing cards. A more acute lozenge is called a fusil. A lozenge voided (i.e. with a lozenge-shaped hole) is a mascle; a lozenge pierced (i.e. with a round hole) is a rustre.
The billet is a rectangle, usually at least twice a it may represent a block of wood or a sheet of paper. Billets appear in the shield of the , which was modified to become that of the .
is a solid circle, frequently of gold (blazoned a ). A
is depicted as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure. An
is a roundel voided (i.e. a ring).
Several other simple charges occur with comparable frequency. These include the mullet or star, crescent and cross.
is a star of (usually five) straight rays, and may have originated as a representation of the rowel or revel of a
(although "spur revels" do appear under that name). Mullets frequently appear pierced. An unpierced mullet is sometimes called a "star" in Scottish heraldry, and stars also appear in English and continental heraldry under that name (often with six points). The "spur revel" is also found in Scottish heraldry.
A star with (usually six) wavy rays is called an estoile (the
word for 'star'; modern French étoile).
The , a symbol of the , normally appears w if its horns are to dexter it represents a waxing moon (increscent), and with horns to sinister it represents a waning moon (decrescent).
Inescutcheon
Three mascles
Six billets
Three bezants
Three annulets
Star and crescent
Five mullets pierced
One of the most frequently found charges in heraldry, if not the most, is the , which has developed into, some say, 400 varieties. When the cross does not reach the edges of the field, it becomes a mobile charge. The plain Greek cross (with equal limbs) and Latin cross (with the lower limb extended) are sometimes seen, but more often the tip of each limb is developed into some ornamental shape. The most commonly found crosses in heraldry include the cross botonny, the cross flory, the cross moline, the cross potent, the cross patée or formée, the cross patonce and the cross crosslet.
cross botonny
cross crosslet
cross flory
Maltese cross
cross moline
cross patée
cross patonce
cross potent
In English heraldry the , , , ,
may be added to a shield to distinguish
branches of a family from the senior line. It does not follow, however, that a shield containing such a charge necessarily belongs to a cadet branch. All of these charges occur frequently in basic (undifferenced) coats of arms.
Humans, deities, angels and demons occur more often as crests and supporters than on the shield. When humans do appear on the shield, they almost always appear affronté (facing forward), rather than toward the left like beasts. The largest group of human charges consists of , often as the patron of a town. Knights, bishops, monks and nuns, kings and queens also occur frequently. There are rare occurrences of a "child" (without further description, this is usually understood to be a very young boy, and young girls are extremely rare in heraldry), both the head and entire body. A famous example is the child swallowed by a dragon (the ) in the arms of
dukes of .
- mythological figures typically appear in an allegorical or
very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as
and , are extremely rare. An
appears in the arms of . The
is occasionally seen, being defeated by the archangel . Though the taboo is not invariably respected, British heraldry in particular, and to a greater or lesser extent the heraldry of other countries, frowns on depictions of
or , though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of , including the
in the arms of , .
Moors—or more frequently their heads, often crowned—appear with some frequency in medieval European heraldry. The term ascribed to them in
is maure, though they are also sometimes called moore, blackmoor, negro or occasionally savage.
appear in European heraldry from at least as early as the 13th century, and some have been attested as early as the 11th century in , where they have persisted in the local heraldry and
well into modern times in
and . Armigers bearing moors or moors' heads may have adopted them for any of several reasons, to include symbolizing military victories in the , as a pun on the bearer's name in the
of Morese, Negri, Saraceni, etc., or in the case of , possibly to demonstrate the reach of his empire. Even the
feature a moor's head, crowned and collared red. Nevertheless, the use of moors (and particularly their heads) as a heraldic symbol has been deprecated in modern North America, where racial stereotypes have been influenced by a history of
and racial segregation, and applicants to the College of Arms of the
are urged to use them delicately to avoid creating offensive images.
Angel slaying Demon
Knight on horse
Clergy Member
Parts of human bodies occur more often than the whole, particularly
(occasionally of exotic nationality), hearts (always stylized), hands, torso and armored limbs. A famous heraldic hand is the , alluding to an incident in the legendary
invasion. Hands also appear in the coat of arms of .
occur in Iberian armory, canting for the Portuguese family da Costa. According to Woodward & Burnett, the Counts Colleoni of Milan bear arms blazoned: "Per pale argent and gules, three hearts rev" but in less delicate times these were read as
showing three pairs of testicles (coglioni = "testicles" in Italian). The community of
has a coat of arms with a similar charge.
Animals, especially lions and eagles, feature prominently as heraldic charges (cf. ). Some differences may be observed between an animal's natural form and the conventional
(positions) into which heraldic a additionally, various parts of an animal (claws, horns, tongue, etc.) may be differently coloured, each with its own terminology. Most animals are broadly classified, according to their natural form, into beasts, birds, sea creatures and others, and the attitudes that apply to them may be grouped accordingly. Beasts, particularly lions, most often appear in the rampant while birds, particularly the eagle, most often appear displayed. While the lion, regarded as the king of beasts, is by far the most frequently occurring beast in heraldry, the eagle, equally regarded as the king of birds, is overwhelmingly the most frequently occurring bird, and the rivalry between these two is often noted to parallel with the political rivalry between the powers they came to represent in medieval Europe. Neubecker notes that "in the heroic poem by
based on the story of , the bearer of the arms of a lion is set against the bearer of the arms of an eagle. If one takes the latter to be the historical and geographical forerunner of the , then the bearer of the lion represents the unruly feudal lords, to whom the emperor had to make more and more concessions, particularly to the powerful duke of Bavaria and Saxony,
The beast most often portrayed in heraldry is the . When posed passant guardant (walking and facing the viewer), he is called a léopard in . Other beasts frequently seen include the , , , ,
or hart. The tiger (unless blazoned as a Bengal ) is a fanciful beast with a wolflike body, a mane and a pointed snout.
of various types, and occasionally of specific breeds, occur more often as crests or supporters than as charges. According to Neubecker, heraldry in the Middle Ages generally distinguished only between pointers, hounds and whippets, when any distinction was made. The
resembles a horse with a single horn, but its hooves are usually cloven like those of a deer. The
combines the head (but with ears), chest, wings and forelegs of the eagle with the hindquarters and legs of a lion. The male griffin lacks wings and his body is scattered with spikes.
The bird most frequently found in armory is, by far, the . Eagles in heraldry are predominantly presented with one or two heads, though triple-headed eagles are not unknown, and one eagle appearing in the
curiously has its wing bones fashioned into additional heads. Eagles and their wings also feature prominently as crests. Eagles most frequently appear full-bodied, with one head, in numerous
including displayed, statant, passant and rising. The demi-eagle, which is shown only from the waist up, occurs less frequently.
almost always appear displayed. As a result of being the dominant charge on the imperial , ,
coats of arms, the double eagle gained enduring notoriety throughout the Western world. Among the present day nations with an eagle charge on their coat of arms are: , , , , , , , and . Additionally, the Double-Headed Eagle of Lagash is used as an emblem by the
of . There are many meanings attached to this symbol, and it was introduced in France in the early 1760s as the emblem of the
The , a stylized swallow without feet (sometimes incorrectly, at least in the Anglophone heraldries these days, said to have no beak), is a mark of
in English heraldry, but also appears as a simple charge in undifferenced arms. The pelican is notable as frequently occurring in a peculiar attitude described as
(i.e. wings raised, piercing her own breast to feed her chicks in the nest, which is how it is actually often blazoned, 'in its piety' being a fairly modern conceit). This symbol carries a particular religious meaning, and became so popular in heraldry that pelicans rarely exist in heraldry in any other position. Distinction is however observed, between a pelican "vulning herself" (alone, piercing her breast) and "in her piety" (surrounded by and feeding her chicks). The
is also often seen, and the
in heraldry is described as being in its pride. Other birds occur less frequently.
The category of sea creatures may be seen to include various fish, a highly stylized "dolphin", and various fanciful creatures, sea monsters, which are shown as half-fish and half-beast, as well as mermaids and the like. The "sea lion" and "sea horse", for example, do not appear as natural
and , but rather as half-lion half-fish and half-horse half-fish, respectively.
of various species often appear in , e.g.: , also called luce, for Pike or L
(a conventional kind of fish rather than the natural mammal) for the . The escallop ( shell) became popular as a token of pilgrimage to the shrine of . The sea-lion and sea-horse, like the , combine the foreparts of a mammal with the tail of a fish, and a dorsal fin in place of the mane. (When the natural
is meant, it is blazoned as a hippocampus.) The sea-dog and sea-wolf are quadrupeds but with scales, webbed feet, and often a flat tail resembling that of the .
Reptiles and invertebrates occurring in heraldry include serpents, lizards, salamanders and others, but the most frequently occurring of these are various forms of dragons. The "", thus termed, is a large monstrous reptile with, often, a forked or barbed tongue, membraned wings like a bat's, and four legs. The
are dragons with only two legs. The
is typically shown as a simple lizard surrounded by flames. Also notably occurring (undoubtedly owing much of its fame to , though it also appears in much earlier heraldry) is the .
Lion rampant
Two lions passant
Eagle displayed
Swan gorged with a coronet
Three salmon naiant
Six martlets
Griffin segreant
"Sea lion" with sword
Salamander crowned
are also very frequent charges, as are the paw or leg (gamb) of the lion, the wing (often paired) of the eagle, and the antlers (attire) of the stag. Sometimes only the top half for example, the demi-lion is among the most common forms occurring in heraldic crests.
Heads may appear cabossed (also caboshed or caboched): with the head cleanly separated from the neck so that couped: with the neck cleanly separated from the body so that the whole head
or : with the neck showing a ragged edge as if forcibly torn from the body. While cabossed heads are shown facing forward (affronté), heads that are couped or erased face dexter unless otherwise specified for differencing. Heads of horned beasts are often shown cabossed to display the horns, but instances can be found in any of these circumstances. A lion's head cabossed is called simply a face, and a fox's head cabossed, a mask.
Hart's head cabossed
Three leopard's faces
Fox's mask
Boar's head erased
Bull's head couped
The attitude, or position, of the creature's body is usually explicitly stated in English blazon. When such description is omitted, a lion can be assumed to be rampant, a leopard or herbivore passant.
By default, the charge faces dexter (left as seen by the viewer); this would be forward on a shield worn on the left arm. In German armory, animate charges in the dexter half of a composite display are usually turned to face the center.
An animal toward sinister or contourny is turned toward the right of the shield (as seen by the observer, i.e. the shield-bearer's left), the sinister.
An animal affronté or full faced faces the viewer.
An animal guardant faces dexter with its head turned to face the viewer.
An animal regardant faces dexter with its head turned toward sinister, as if looking over its shoulder.
Certain features of an animal are often of a contrasting tincture. The charge is then said to be armed (claws and horns and tusks), langued (tongue),
(penis), attired (antlers or very occasionally horns), unguled (hooves), crined (horse's mane or human hair) of a specified tincture.
Many attitudes have developed from the herald's imagination and ever-increasing need for differentiation, but only the principal attitudes found in heraldry need be discussed here. These, in the case of beasts, include the erect positions, the seated positions, and the prone positions. In the case of birds, these include the "displayed" positions, the flying positions, and the resting positions. Additionally, birds are frequently described by the position of their wings. A few other attitudes warrant discussion, including those particular to fish, serpents, griffins and dragons.
The principal attitude of beasts is rampant (i.e. standing on one hind leg with forepaws raised as if to strike). Beasts also frequently appear walking, passant or, in the case of stags and the occasional unicorn, trippant, and may appear statant (standing), salient or springing (leaping), sejant (seated), couchant or lodged (lying prone with head raised), or occasionally dormant (sleeping). The principal attitude of birds, namely the eagle, is displayed (i.e. facing the viewer with the head turned toward dexter and wings raised and upturned to show the full underside of both wings). Birds also appear rising or rousant (i.e. wings raised and head upturned as if about to take flight), volant (flying), statant (standing, with wings raised), close (at rest with wings folded), and waterfowl may appear naiant (swimming), while cranes may appear vigilant (standing on one leg). Fish often appear naiant (swimming horizontally) or hauriant (upwards) or urinant (downwards), but may also appear addorsed (two fish hauriant, back to back). Serpents may appear glissant (gliding in a wavy form) or nowed (as a ). Griffins and quadrupedal dragons constantly appear segreant (i.e. rampant with wings addorsed and elevated) and, together with lions, may appear combatant (i.e. two of them turned to face each other in the rampant position).
Plants are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges. The , for instance, makes an early appearance, as does . Trees als the most frequent tree by far is the
(drawn with large leaves and acorns), followed by the .
and bunches of
occur very frequently, other fruits less so. When the fruit is mentioned, as to indicate a different tincture, the tree is said to be fructed of the tincture. If a tree is "eradicated" it is shown as if it has been ripped up from the ground, the roots being exposed. "Erased" is rarely used for a similar treatment. In Portuguese heraldry, but rarely in other countries, trees are sometimes found .
The most famous heraldic flower (particularly in French heraldry) is the , which is often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this.[] The "natural" , somewhat stylised, also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lis) in the arms of . The
is perhaps even more widely seen in English heraldry than the fleur-de-lis. Its heraldic form is derived from the "wild" type with only five petals, and it is often barbed (the hull of the bud, its points showing between the petals) and seeded in contrasting tinctures. The
frequently appears as a symbol of .
are abstract forms resembling flowers or leaves. The trefoil is always shown slipped (i.e. with a stem), unless blazoned otherwise. The cinquefoil is sometimes blazoned fraise (strawberry flower), most notably when
for Fraser. The
flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context, and the
flower constantly appears in South Africa, since it is the national flower symbol.
Wheat constantly occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves and in fields (in the arms of the province of
and elsewhere), though less often as ears, which are shown unwhiskered (though some varieties of wheat are naturally whiskered). Ears of
are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down and are often whiskered. , , , and
also occur. The "garb" in the arms of
(and in the Coat of Arms of Sweden) are not a wheatsheaf although pictured in that way during the 16th to 19th century. This "vasa" are some kind of bundle but of unknown sort.
Tree fructed and eradicated
Fleur-de-lis
Heraldic rose
Three trefoils
Three maple leaves
Very few inanimate objects in heraldry carry a special significance distinct from that of the object itself, but among such objects are the escarbuncle, the fasces, and the key. The escarbuncle developed from the radiating iron bands used to strengthen a round shield, eventually becoming a heraldic charge. The
(not to be confused with the French term for a bar or fess) is emblematic of the Roman magisterial office and has often been granted to .
(taking a form similar to a "") are emblematic of
and, by extension, the , and thus frequently appear in ecclesiastical heraldry. Because St. Peter is the patron saint of fishermen, keys also notably appear in the arms of the .
is a disc with twelve or more wavy rays, or alternating wavy and straight rays, often represented "in his splendour" (i.e. with a face). The
"in her plenitude" (full) sometimes appears, distinguished from a roundel argent but
occur much more frequently.
are stars with six wavy rays, while stars (when they occur under that name) have straight rays usually numbering five in British and North American heraldry and six in continental European heraldry.
often occur, though more frequently for people or animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges. The raindrop as such is unknown, though a drop of fluid () is known. These occasionally appear as a charge, but more frequently constitute a
(known as goutté). The
occurs in modern heraldry, sometimes blazoned as a "snow crystal" or "ice crystal".
The oldest geological charge is the mount, typically a green hilltop rising from the lower edge of the field, providing a place for a beast, building or tree to stand. This feature is exceedingly common in Hungarian arms. Natural mountains and boulders are not unknown, though ranges of mountains are differently shown. An example is the arms of , portraying
are shown, almost without exception, as erupting, and the eruption is generally quite stylised. In the 18th century, landscapes began to appear in armory, often depicting the sites of battles. For example, Admiral
received a chief of augmentation containing a landscape alluding to the .
By far the most frequent building in heraldry is the , a tapering cylinder of masonry topped with , usually having a door and a few windows. The canting arms of the
are Gules, a tower triple-turreted Or (i.e. three small towers standing atop a larger one). A
is generally shown as two towers joined by a wall, the doorway often shown secured by a . The portcullis was used as a canting badge by the
("two-doors"), and has since come to represent the British Parliament. The modern
would be indistingu the heraldic chess rook, based on the medieval form of the piece, instead of battlements, has two outward-splayed "horns". Civic and ecclesiastical armory sometimes shows a
or a whole town, and cities, towns and Scots burghs often bear a
(a crown in the form of a wall with battlements or turrets) in place of a crown over the shield.
of variou the most frequent being the ancient galley often called, from the Gaelic, a . Also frequent are
The maunch is a 12th-century lady's sleeve style. Its use in heraldry arose from the custom of the knights who attended tournaments wearing their ladies sleeves, as "gages d'amour" (tokens of love). This fashion of sleeve would later evolve into -style stoles. In French blazon this charge is sometimes informally referred to as manche mal taillée (a sleeve badly cut).
also occur, sometimes "winged", but more frequently occurring is the spur-rowel or spur-revel, which is said to more often termed a " of five points pierced" by English heralds.
of various kinds are constantly seen. The ecclesiastical
and bishop's
are nearly ubiquitous in . The
is sometimes a symbol of authority, as in the royal arms of the , but may also allude to , as the patron of a town (e.g. ) or dedicatee of a church. Sometimes it is shown with a key, owing to the fact that Saints Peter and Paul are paired together. Other weapons occur more often in modern than in earlier heraldry. The
also appears as a weapon, the war mace, in addition to its appearance as a symbol of authority, plain mace. The , also variously called an orb, a royal orb, or a mound (from French monde, Latin mundus, the world) is a ball or globe surmounted by a cross, which is part of the regalia of an emperor or king, and is the emblem of sovereign authority and majesty.
constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of
and , though the
are sometimes distinguished. Books if open may be inscribed with words. Words and phrases are otherwise rare, except in Spanish and Portuguese armory. Letters of the various alphabets are also relatively rare. Arms of merchants in Poland and eastern Germany are often based on , abstract symbols resembling , though they are almost never blazoned as runes, but as combinations of other heraldic charges. Musical instruments commonly seen are the
(as in the ),
and . The , almost without exception, is of the field drum type. Since musical notation is a comparatively recent invention, it is not found in early heraldry, though it does appear in 20th century heraldry.
Book with letters
Chess rook
Three clarions
Escarbuncle
Keys addorsed
Moon in her plenitude
Portcullis
Snow crystal
Sun in his splendour
Tower on a mount
Woodcock, himself apparently one such author, lists Leigh, Holme, Guillim and Edmondson among these, while other prominent authors such as Fox-Davies shun the distinction as an arbitrary and unuseful practice.
Marks of cadency differ from country to country, but are largely the same in Britain and France, and similar in other European countries outside of the German-speaking (and Nordic) countries, where brisures on the shield were less common and different crests were often adopted to indicate the difference. Volborth (1981), p. 76. It should also be noted that the English system of cadency, by which the use of the label to indicate the first son is best known, was not developed until the . Woodward (1892), p. 444.
The town of
was granted arms in 1957 displaying a triple-headed eagle said to represent the dukes of Swabia, seen , and the arms of , depicted in the Codex Manesse, can be seen .
Services&from=recent
Fox-Davies (1909), p. 107.
Woodcock (1988), p. 58.
Woodcock (1988), pp. 58-61.
Volborth (1981), pp. 18-19.
Boutell (1890), p. 20.
Clark (1892), p. 16.
See the arms of William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, pictured in fig. 120 in Fox-Davies (1909), for an example of this.
Fox-Davies (1909), pp. 295-6.
Fox-Davies (1909), p. 127.
Fox-Davies (1909), pp. 128-9.
The arms of Marija Bistrica, depicting the black Madonna, can be found .
Parker, James. . A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry.
. Victoria and Albert Museum.
In his July 15, 2005 blog article , Mathew N. Schmalz refers to a discussion on the American Heraldry Society's web site where at least one participant described the moor's head as a "potentially explosive image."
. Rules for Submissions of the College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. .
Woodward & Burnett (1969), p. 203.
Altieri, Ferdinando (1726). . See also
Neubecker (1976), p. 110.
Neubecker (1976), p. 83.
(PDF), The Chain of Union (Special issue No.3): 5–15
Fox-Davies (1909), p. 242.
Cussans (2003, first published 1882), p. 93.
Jacqueline Fearn. Discovering Heraldry. Shire Publications Ltd. pp. 35–6.
'Gyronny of eight ermine and gules - in each of the last four gyrons a bee volant en arriere argent' was recorded in the 1670s, well before Napoleon Bonaparte's time.
Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin. The Observer's Book of Heraldry. Frederick Warne and Co. p. 67.
Rietstap, J. B. (1884). . G. B. van Goor zonen: XXXI. Vilené: se dit un animal qui a la marque du sexe d'un autre émail que le corps
Velde, Francois R. .
Find an example of a tree "erased" .
Fox-Davies (1909), p. 291.
Rietstap, Armorial Général, page XXV. John Woodward and Henry Burnett, A Treatise on Heraldry, British and Foreign, page 376.
Fox-Davies (1909), p. 286.
Clark (1892), p. 164.
Boutell, Charles (1890). . London: Frederick Warne.  
Brooke-Little, J P, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, An heraldic alphabet (new and revisded edition), Robson Books, London, 1985 (first edition 1975); very few illustrations
Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, fully searchable with illustrations,
Clark, Hugh (1892).
(Revised by J. R. Planché). London: George Bell & Sons. First published 1775.  .  
Canadian Heraldic Authority, Public Register, with many useful official versions of modern coats of arms, searchable online
(2003). . .  .  
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1909). . New York: Dodge Pub. Co.  .  
Friar, Stephen (ed) A New Dictionary of Heraldry Alphabooks, Sherborne, 1987; with very few illustration of attitudes* Greaves, Kevin, A Canadian Heraldic Primer, Heraldry Society of Canada, Ottawa, 2000, lots but not enough illustrations
Heraldry Society (England), members' arms, with illustrations of bearings, only accessible by armiger's name (though a Google site search would provide full searchability),
Heraldry Society of Scotland, members' arms, fully searchable with illustrations of bearings,
Innes of Learney, Sir Thomas, Lord Lyon King of Arms Scots Heraldry (second edition)Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, 1956
Moncreiffe of Easter Moncreiffe, Iain, Kintyre Pursuivant of Arms, and Pottinger, Don, Herald Painter Extraordinary to the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms Simple Heraldry, Thomas Nelson and Sons, London andf Edinburgh, 1953; splendidly illustrated
Neubecker, Ottfried (1976). Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill.  .
Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, Members' Roll of Arms, with illustrations of bearings, only accessible by armiger's name (though a Google site search would provide full searchability),
South African Bureau of Heraldry, data on registered heraldic representations (part of National Archives of South Africa); searchable online (but no illustration),
Volborth, Carl-Alexander von (1981). Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles. Poole, England: Blandford Press.  .  
Woodcock, Thomas and John Martin Robinson (1988). The Oxford Guide to Heraldry. Oxford: University Press.  .  
Woodward, John and George Burnett (1969). . Originally published 1892, Edinburgh: W. & A. B. Johnson.  .  
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