List of heraldic charges
Encyclopedia
This article does not cover those charges which derive their shape in part from that of the field; see Ordinary (heraldry)
.
A few simple charges are traditionally, and arbitrarily, classified among the subordinaries
. (All other mobile charges are called common charges.)
A lozenge
is a rhombus
, similar to the diamond of playing-cards (though its sides are never concave). A narrower lozenge may be called a fusil. A mascle is a lozenge voided, i.e. with a lozenge-shaped hole; a rustre is a lozenge pierced, i.e. with a round hole.
A billet is a rectangle, sometimes representing a sheet of paper or a piece of firewood. Its long side is normally vertical.
A circular ring is called an annulet
; a solid circle is called a roundel
.
or Christ
, though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of Madonna and Child, including the Black Madonna
in the arms of Marija Bistrica
, Croatia
.
, Colombia).
However, there are a number of frequently-occurring types of men, usually just as heads, and other infrequently-occurring examples.
Generally speaking, there is only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde, with disheveled hair, but there are occasional instances of her hair being braid
ed), and appearing more often as a bust than head.
The "maiden
" or "virgin" overlaps with the woman to a large degree. A "maiden in her modesty" is one who is covering her breasts with one arm and her groin with the other hand.
There are rare occurrences of the child, both the head and entire, and while almost without exception and by default a child is defined as a boy, the arms of Frans Bernhard Staal specify a "male child" (but in the arms of Maravilha
, Brazil the children are specified to be male and female).
There are a number of appearances of the "infant
"
[Y]outh's heads: in the arms of Davidson
There are occasional instances of people sitting in chairs, and the arms of the Diocese of Clogher
provides an example of sitting and leaning toward the sinister his right hand upraised in benediction.
A Yaqui performing the Deer Dance appears in the arms of Sonora
, Mexico.
The arms of Lenguazaque, Cundinamarca, Colombia contain a miner in the midst of work, and there are other similar (though sometimes anomalous or arguably not in strict accordance with the rules) examples of men whose attitude is determined by their occupation.
Parts of human bodies, in addition to the head, that occur include the arm, leg and skull
. If possible to determine the difference, the "default" is supposed to be a man's, though a woman's arm occurs in the arms of Henri Beyer de Boppard.
Except the griffin
, beasts in heraldry are male unless otherwise specified.
Oft-used birds include the eagle
(sometimes having two heads
, and there is at least one example of a three-headed eagle); the bateleur
is distinguished in at least one blazon.
.svg.png)
Several mythical creatures are also used as charges; however, it should be noted that this distinction has no real significance, as many mythical creatures were believed to be real when they were inducted into heraldry, and as a whole they are not treated differently than any other beasts.
Many other monsters are compound creatures.
The most frequent parts used as charges are the head, the gamb (or limb) and the paw.
The position, or attitude, of the creature's body is also described; the vague description of the three herons in the arms of Ibinu, Brazil, as being "em posição diferentes" (in different positions) being something of an exception.
By default, the charge faces the left, as seen by the viewer.
Entirely different terms are used for stags and other deer-like creatures.
Trippant is used instead of passant, at bay instead of statant, at gaze instead of statant guardant, springing instead of salient and lodged instead of couchant.
Fish also use a different terminology.
The terminology for birds is based on the position of the wings.
s are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges.
(The colonial-era arms of Tlemcen, Algeria are unusual in that they contain generic "plants".) The turnip
, for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat
.
When the fruit of a tree, branch, or the like is mentioned, as it generally will only be if it is of a different tincture, it is said to be fructed of the tincture.
The arms of the French family of Fenoyer provide a perhaps unique example in which the number of "pieces" of the "fructed" is stated.
, which is often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this. A more "natural" (but still stylised) lily also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lys) on the arms of Eton College
; the Joseph's lily in some Irish grants, the Calla lily
and the lily of the valley
are also distinguished from these.
Other commonly used flower-like charges (called "foils") include:
Less frequently used flowers include the flower of the almond tree, the anemone
, the carnation
, the columbine
, the daisy, the lilac
, the dogwood
flower, marjoram
, the marigold and pot marigold, the peony
, the poppy
(the Macedonian coat of arms uses opium poppy
for instance), the sunflower
, the tulip
and the hydrangea
(as in the arms of Rueil-Malmaison
).
Members of the pine family such as:
A sun with rays is called a sun in splendour; there is at least one example of the rays being blazoned as differently tinctured.
and geographic
charges include the mountain (sometimes blazoned as a "rocky mountain," though the distinction is not significant), which must be distinguished from the oft-occurring mount in base vert. This mount is in turn similar to the terrace (though this is usually depicted as flatter) or champagne; the last is sometimes charged or modified in some way, including being crossed by a road. Very unusually, something about the road is blazoned. Landscape
s, in addition to their unusual use as field
s, are very occasionally used as charges, typically in a Latin-American context.
Underneath the ground are rare occurrences of mine
s, including the
shapes, other than the ordinaries
and subordinaries, are very rare in heraldry.
s include:
is a carriage wheel unless otherwise specified, of which there are very few instances.
s take a variety of forms:
Parts of ships include the rudder
Bridge
s, variously and usually more fully described, often occur.
s include:-
characterised by the appearance of charges
including the atom
or showing the motion of parts of the atom; more loosely, it may describe heraldry in which atoms or the component parts thereof are represented through a combination of other charges. This is a late development in heraldry.
", Latin
or "text" letters ("black letter", which it has been blazoned as at least once".
includes:
There are quite a variety of weapons as charges, including:
, Hautes Alpes, France). Even though it can be argued that it is not strictly accurate, charges consisting of an outline of a particular tincture (where a blazon as voided would not be appropriate) have been blazoned as umbreated of such-and-such a tincture. This is to be distinguished from "a silhouette
of [a charge then named]" (see examples above).
When a charge is said to be sans something, that part is missing; this is most commonly used in the case of animals missing some body part.
A charge is said to be throughout when it is shown as touching the edges of the shield when this is not its default position.
Some charges can be diminished; that is, shown smaller than their default size.
The many examples of charges blazoned as stylized are practically confined to the heraldry of the United States Army, but this can be open to criticism because it does not necessarily make their appearance clear. Similarly, there are examples in the heraldry of the United States Air Force
of a caricatured and conventionalized charges.
In later times there are rare instances of charges "in perspective
": normally perspective is ignored in the treatment of charges.
A charge of rectangular form is said to be arraswise when a corner is in front and two sides are visible.
Ordinary (heraldry)
In heraldry, an ordinary is a simple geometrical figure, bounded by straight lines and running from side to side or top to bottom of the shield. There are also some geometric charges known as subordinaries, which have been given lesser status by some heraldic writers, though most have been in use...
.
"Subordinary" charges
Ordinary (heraldry)
In heraldry, an ordinary is a simple geometrical figure, bounded by straight lines and running from side to side or top to bottom of the shield. There are also some geometric charges known as subordinaries, which have been given lesser status by some heraldic writers, though most have been in use...
. (All other mobile charges are called common charges.)
A lozenge
Lozenge (heraldry)
The lozenge in heraldry is a diamond-shaped charge , usually somewhat narrower than it is tall. It is to be distinguished in modern heraldry from the fusil, which is like the lozenge but narrower, though the distinction has not always been as fine and is not always observed even today...
is a rhombus
Rhombus
In Euclidean geometry, a rhombus or rhomb is a convex quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. The rhombus is often called a diamond, after the diamonds suit in playing cards, or a lozenge, though the latter sometimes refers specifically to a rhombus with a 45° angle.Every...
, similar to the diamond of playing-cards (though its sides are never concave). A narrower lozenge may be called a fusil. A mascle is a lozenge voided, i.e. with a lozenge-shaped hole; a rustre is a lozenge pierced, i.e. with a round hole.
A billet is a rectangle, sometimes representing a sheet of paper or a piece of firewood. Its long side is normally vertical.
- a billet with ends splayed in three points appears in the arms of Khienburg.
- It is important to distinguish the billet from the delf, a squareSquare (geometry)In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
charge that when occurring singly, in one of the stainard colours and when not itself charged, in supposed to be an abatementAbatement (heraldry)An abatement, in heraldry, is a modification of the shield or coat of arms used to denote marks or devices that are less-than honorable Augmentation. It is thought that they can be imposed by authority for misconduct...
. Sometimes the delf is euphemised as a "square billet." - The delf is distinguished in terminology if not in form from the square, which rarely occurs, the arms of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada including "a square... joined at each corner with a smaller square Vert". But the more usual use of the term square in heraldry is for the carpenter's square. The gad must be distinguished from all of these.
A circular ring is called an annulet
Annulet (ring)
In heraldry, an annulet is a common charge.It may allude to the custom of prelates to receive their investiture per baculum et annulum .In English heraldry it is also used as the difference mark of a fifth son....
; a solid circle is called a roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
.
Supernatural or Divine beings
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 GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
or Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of Madonna and Child, including the Black Madonna
Black Madonna
A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary in which the Virgin Mary is black. The term was especially applied to those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier...
in the arms of Marija Bistrica
Marija Bistrica
Marija Bistrica is municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in central Croatia, located on the slopes of the Medvednica mountain in Hrvatsko Zagorje, not far away from Zagreb...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Christianity
- ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, in a 1753 vision ("Jesús de la Piedra"), appears in the arms of Sopo, Cundinama, Colombia. - St. Mary:
- Ascension of St. MaryAssumption of MaryAccording to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
: on the arms of BreilBreil/BrigelsBreil/Brigels is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.The name of the municipality comes from the word brigilo, meaning little town. The name comes from the village name in the two local languages...
, GraubündenGraubündenGraubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
, Switzerland. - An image of "Our Lady of Aparecida": the arms of SertãozinhoSertãozinhoSertãozinho is a Brazilian city in the State of São Paulo. 325 km distant from São Paulo and 702 km from Brasilia.The municipality comprises the city of Sertaozinho and two districts: Cruz das Posses e Vila Garcia. It is among the most populous cities in the state of São Paulo....
, Brazil. - Nuestra Señora del Puerto Claro de Valparaíso: the arms of Valparaíso, Chile.
- "the Virgin, St. John the Apostle and St. Mary Magdalene lamenting the body of Christ taken down from the Cross": the arms of PinggauPinggauPinggau is a municipality in the district of Hartberg in Styria, Austria....
, Steiermark, Austria. - Our Lady of Begoña: the arms of NaguanaguaNaguanaguaNaguanagua is a city in Carabobo State that forms part of the greater Valencia Metropolitan Area in Venezuela. It is in the valley of the Cabriales River at the base of Cerro El Café and the El Trigal Mountain. Valencia and Naguanagua form a continuous urban area...
, CaraboboCaraboboCarabobo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,650 km² and had an estimated population of...
, Venezuela.
- Ascension of St. Mary
- The DevilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
being defeated by an archangelArchangelAn archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
(probably St. Michael). - The DevilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
(or a demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
), freestanding (depicted differently than the devil in the foregoing). This form is far from popular. - SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
's face: on the arms of the 5th Communications Group of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. - The "devil of Chateau-de-Diable": in the arms of the 305th Regiment of the United States Army.
- AngelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as cherubim and seraphim, are extremely rare. - An archangelArchangelAn archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
: in the arms of ArkhangelskArkhangelskArkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
.- Archangel Michael: in the arms of ViknoViknoVikno is a Ukrainian village located in the Horodenkivskyi Raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast .- History :...
, Ukraine.
- Archangel Michael: in the arms of Vikno
- An impImpAn imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.-Folklore:...
: in the arms of the 720th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army. - Outside Britain, particular saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s are the named individuals most often appearing. It may be necessary to know the attributes of saints to be able to accurately blazon the coat. - John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, often shown as a head on a platePlate (dishware)A plate is a broad, concave, but mainly flat vessel on which food can be served. A plate can also be used for ceremonial or decorative purposes.-Materials:...
, though he does appear baptisingBaptismIn Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
Christ in the arms of Villa San Giovanni in TusciaVilla San Giovanni in TusciaVilla San Giovanni in Tuscia is a comune in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Latium, located about 60 km northwest of Rome and about 15 km southwest of Viterbo....
and in other positions. - Many saints and their attributes are used.
Other religions
- Avanyu: the arms of the 515th Regiment of the United States Army.
- the head of ArgusArgus PanoptesIn Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes or Argos, guardian of the heifer-nymph Io and son of Arestor, was a primordial giant whose epithet "Panoptes", "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred, eyes. The epithet Panoptes was applied to the Titan of the Sun, Helios, and...
: the arms of de Santeul. - The goddess Ceres: in the arms of the South-African town of that name.
- The goddess RuncinaRuncinaIn Roman mythology, Runcina was a goddess of agriculture, associated with reaping and weeding .In biology, Runcina is the name of a genus of sea slugs....
: in the arms of RonconeRonconeRoncone is a comune in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 35 km west of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,438 and an area of 29.4 km²....
, Italy. - The god MercuryMercury (mythology)Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
: in the arms of IdrijaIdrijaIdrija is a small town and municipality in the Goriška region of Slovenia. It is known for its mercury mine and lace....
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. - The head of MinervaMinervaMinerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...
: in three South African arms: the University of Stellenbosch, the former Transvaal University CollegeUniversity of PretoriaThe University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
, and the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. - VenusVenus (mythology)Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
: in the arms of Ziano di FiemmeZiano di FiemmeZiano di Fiemme is a comune in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 40 km northeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,613 and an area of 35.8 km²....
, Italy. - TarasTaras (mythology)Taras was, according to Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and of the nymph Satyrion.Taras is the eponymous founder of the Greek colony of Taras , in Magna Graecia...
: in the arms of TarantoTarantoTaranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
. - HerculesHerculesHercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
: in a number of Continental coats of arms. - The head of GeryonGeryonIn Greek mythology, Geryon , son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe and grandson of Medusa, was a fearsome giant who dwelt on the island Erytheia of the mythic Hesperides in the far west of the Mediterranean. A more literal-minded later generation of Greeks associated the region with Tartessos in southern...
: in the arms of Trivulzi. - The god Mithras appears on the arms of HajdinaHajdinaHajdina is a small municipality on the right bank of the river Drava near Ptuj in northeastern Slovenia. Its administrative centre is the village of Zgornja Hajdina. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. The municipality is now included in the Podravje statistical region...
, Slovenia. - A bust of OdinOdinOdin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
appears in the arms of the Swedish icebreakerOden (icebreaker)The Oden is a large Swedish icebreaker, built in 1988 for the Swedish Maritime Administration. It is named after the asa god Odin. First built to clear a passage through the ice of the Baltic sea for cargo ships, it was later modified to serve as a research vessel...
of that name.
Humans
Humans may be used as charges, usually as heads rather than as whole individuals. (Particularly in Europe, the "default" human is almost always depicted as one of European ancestry, though contrary examples can very occasionally be seen. "Humans" so blazoned are rare, though there are some examples, such as a group of people (a human figure made of honeycomb-like cells appears in the arms of MachetáMachetá
Machetá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
, Colombia).
- A two-headed figure with one head a man's and one head a woman's: the arms of di Petris-Fragianni.
- A "[representation] in the Australian Aboriginal manner of an Arnhem LandArnhem LandThe Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
rock painting of a woman with stylised internal anatomy": is the central charge in the arms of the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia. - A dead woman: the arms of Moura, Portugal.
- There are also some examples of a man, not more fully described.
However, there are a number of frequently-occurring types of men, usually just as heads, and other infrequently-occurring examples.
- The MaureMaureA Maure, since the 11th century, is the symbol of an African head. The term has Phoenician and Greek origins; see Moors.- U Moru :The main symbol in the coat of arms in Corsica is U Moru, Corsican for "The Moor", originally a female Moor blindfolded and wearing a necklace made of beads...
or "blackamoor" is accurately shown as being AfricanNegroThe word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
, although James Parker states that an "African" appears in the arms of Roupell of Chartham Park.. See also German Wikipedia's :de:Mohr (Heraldik) - EnglishmanEnglishmanEnglishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
- A "négre" (= NegroNegroThe word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
): in the arms of Braunjohan. - SaracenSaracenSaracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
- Saxon
- TurkTurkic peoplesThe Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
- WelshmanWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
- The head of a Greek warrior: in the arms of the 642d Military Intelligence Battalion
- A "conquistadorConquistadorConquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
's head": in the arms of the 202d Field Artillery Regiment, of the United States Army. - An Aboriginal head: in the arms of the city of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia.
- The "bust of a Jew": in the arms of Jud de Bruckberg.
- Young men's heads appear in the arms of Nurmijärvi, Finland.
Generally speaking, there is only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde, with disheveled hair, but there are occasional instances of her hair being braid
Braid
A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair...
ed), and appearing more often as a bust than head.
- A brunette [with an eagleEagleEagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
's beak in place of a nose]: Elzanowski et Elzanowski-Sepiathere - A Moorish woman: Apfaltrer d'Apfaltrera.
- "The upper body of a Xhosa woman": in the municipal arms of Lingelethu West (South Africa).
The "maiden
Maiden
Maiden or Maidens may refer to:* A female virgin; see virginity* Maiden name, the family name carried by a woman before marriage; see married and maiden names* Maiden, the first of the three aspects of the Triple Goddess...
" or "virgin" overlaps with the woman to a large degree. A "maiden in her modesty" is one who is covering her breasts with one arm and her groin with the other hand.
- The symbol for a woman: in the arms of the Rt. Hon. Kim CampbellKim CampbellAvril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
, former Prime Minister of Canada.
There are rare occurrences of the child, both the head and entire, and while almost without exception and by default a child is defined as a boy, the arms of Frans Bernhard Staal specify a "male child" (but in the arms of Maravilha
Maravilha
Maravilha is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 15,132 and its area is 279 km²....
, Brazil the children are specified to be male and female).
- A young girl appears in the arms of Boul.
There are a number of appearances of the "infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
"
- Three newborns' heads: the arms of Auvity.
- An African mother and baby: the arms of the Order of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Episcopal Church.
[Y]outh's heads: in the arms of Davidson
Races and nationalities of humans
- The American IndianNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
occasionally appears in heraldry though far more often as a supporter than a charge.- "Sapphire an Indian dressed in his shirt and moccasins, belted proper. In his right hand a bow topaz; in his left, an arrow, its point towards the base. On the dexter side of the Indian's head a star, pearl, for one of the United States of America": the arms of MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. - Irregularly, in caricatured form in the arms of the 8th Flying Training Squadron8th Flying Training SquadronThe 8th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 71st Flying Training Wing based at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the T-6A Texan II aircraft conducting flight training.-History:...
of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. - A similar figure is described as an "American": in the arms of Leonhardi
- An "Algonquin warrior's head couped proper wearing two feathers gules": in the arms of the 306th Military PoliceMilitary policeMilitary police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
Battalion of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
- "Sapphire an Indian dressed in his shirt and moccasins, belted proper. In his right hand a bow topaz; in his left, an arrow, its point towards the base. On the dexter side of the Indian's head a star, pearl, for one of the United States of America": the arms of Massachusetts
- A Chacao Indian: the arms of Chacao, Venezuela
- A TainoTaíno peopleThe Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
Indian: the arms of Aguas Buenas, Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. - A TarahumaraTarahumaraThe Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability...
woman's head: the arms of the city of ChihuahuaChihuahua, ChihuahuaThe city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
. - The new arms of South Africa are blazoned "Or, representations of two SanBushmenThe indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
human figures of red ochreOchreOchre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
, statant respectantAttitude (heraldry)In heraldry, an attitude is the position in which an animal, fictional beast, mythical creature, human or human-like being is emblazoned as a charge, supporter or crest. Many attitudes apply only to predatory beasts and are exemplified by the beast most frequently found in heraldry — the lion. ...
, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands ArgentArgentIn heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
, and a narrow border of red ochre".- Similar might be said to be the figures in the pseudo-arms of Bishop Edward Gabriel Risi of the Suffragan Diocese of the Province of Bloemfontein - Republic of South Africa
- GiantsGiant (mythology)The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
: in the arms of AgrigentoAgrigentoAgrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden...
, Italy.
Human occupations
- Cyclist on a cycle car: arms of Western Province Cycle-Car Association.
- A naked man: in the arms of Dalyell.
- There are a number of examples of naked women.
- Men and women of various types and professionProfessionA profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
s are rare other than as knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s (described as TemplarKnights TemplarThe Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
s in the arms of MerlevenezMerlevenezMerlevenez is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* *...
, MorbihanMorbihanMorbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
, France), monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s, nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s and the like.- The arms of the Province of PratoProvince of PratoThe Province of Prato is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Prato. It was formed from part of the province of Florence in 1992.The province has an area of 365 km², and a total population of 227,886...
show a miniature of a knight from the Convenevole da Prato.
- The arms of the Province of Prato
- A BirkebeinerBirkebeinerThe Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla...
: the arms of the 5th Brigade (BRIG 5), the FDI 5 War Unit of the Norwegian ArmyNorwegian ArmyNorway achieved full independence in 1905, and in the first century of its short life has contributed to two major conflicts, the Cold War and the War on Terror. The Norwegian Army currently operates in the north of Norway and in Afghanistan as well as in Eastern Europe. The Army is the oldest of...
. - Mariners (though so called apparently only as they are men rowing an "open boat"): the arms of Kilrenny, Anstruther and District Community Council, Fife, Scotland.
- A falconerFalconryFalconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...
: the arms of CloeteCloeteCloete or San José de Cloete is a coal-mining town in the municipality of Sabinas, in the Mexican state of Coahuila.It was founded in the late 19th century by William Broderick Cloete, a British mine-owner. It adopted his name following his death in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915.In the...
. - A hunter: the arms of San Martino di LupariSan Martino di LupariSan Martino di Lupari is a comune in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about 45 km northwest of Venice and about 25 km north of Padua...
. - A minuteman: the arms of the 437th Airlift Wing of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. - A stylized figure in the form of a parachutist: in the arms of the 509th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.
- A blacksmithBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
: in the arms of the município of Ferreira do AlentejoFerreira do AlentejoFerreira do Alentejo is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 648.4 km² and a total population of 8,505 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 6 parishes, and is located in Beja District....
, Portugal. - A coal miner: the arms of JaworznoJaworznoJaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. The east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river ....
, Poland. - A zincZincZinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
miner: the arms of AltenbergAltenberg, GermanyAltenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden....
, SaxonySaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany. - A farmerFarmerA farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
: the arms of Baardegem, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium (now incorporated into AalstAalst, BelgiumAalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
). - A labourer: in the arms of Saint ArnaudEl EulmaEl Eulma is a city in Algeria, located some 210 miles east of the capital Algiers. It is the second-largest city in Sétif Province with a population of 105,130 . In the French colonial period the city was known as Saint Arnaud after Marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud.-External links:...
, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. - A cowboyCowboyA cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
mounted on a horse appears on the arms of Thomas Gordon TowersGordon TowersThomas Gordon Towers, AOE was a Canadian politician and the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.A farmer by profession, Gordon Towers was an unsuccessful Progressive Conservative candidate in Red Deer, Alberta in the 1963 and 1965 federal elections.He won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons...
. - A scuba diver: in the arms of Kenneth Angus MunnKenneth Angus MunnColonel Angus Munn, CD QHP was a Canadian soldier.-Early life:Munn was born in Montreal, Quebec, to Daniel James McArthur and Margaret B. A. Moodie. The family lived in the eastern townships of Quebec until Angus turned seven and then moved to Alberta where he attended Strathcona School...
. He seems to be using a rebreatherRebreatherA rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
. - A woman scattering corn into 13 furrows on the arms of Juana Díaz, Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. - A naked athlete: the arms of Manessy.
- A discus thrower: the arms of Alexander Road High School.
- A man wearing judoJudois a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
apparel: the arms of the South African Judo Union. - Two "judo wrestlers": the arms of M.L. Sultan Technical College.
- two nude wrestlers with arms entwined and legs locked in a greco-romanGreco-Roman wrestlingGreco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
hold: the arms of Count Fabrizio Ferri di San Michele. - A bowler: the arms of the Claremont Bowling Club, Cape Town.
- A representation of a female downhill skier in the arms of Rossland, British Columbia, Canadahttp://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=662&ProjectElementID=2332
- A Roman praetorPraetorPraetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
: the canting arms of PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa. - Soldiers include:
- A Hawaiian warrior: the arms of the 487th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army
- A BeloocheeBaloch peopleThe Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
soldier: the arms of Wiltshire - A hussarHussarHussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
- a horseriderKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
: Coat of Arms of LithuaniaCoat of arms of LithuaniaThe coat of arms of Lithuania, consisting of an armor-clad knight on horseback holding an olden sword and shield, is also known as Vytis . The Lithuanian coat of arms is one of the oldest national coats of arms in Europe...
- Frequently, allegorical figures, such as "Hope" in the former arms of the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, Cape TownSeal of Cape TownThe Seal of Cape Town depicts the official coat of arms of the municipality of Cape Town. These arms are no longer in official use, and no new arms have yet been adopted...
, and South Africa.
Named individuals
In British heraldry it is highly unusual to depict a particular named individual on the shield - though Robert the Bruce makes an appearance, as do many saints in Scots heraldry - Andrew, Boniface, Bryse/ Bryce, Columba, Cuthbert, Duthacus, Egidius or Giles, Kentigern or Mungo, Queen Margaret, Moluag, Nicholas, Ninian, Patrick, Peter, Ronan, Ternan - with just the heads of three of them, St Oswald, St Denys and St John Baptist .- The head of CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
: in profile in the arms of the MünstertalVal MüstairVal Müstair is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Müstair.-Demographics:...
District in the Grisons, Switzerland. - Atahuallpa: on the arms of Francisco PizarroFrancisco PizarroFrancisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
. - Padre Pedro Chien: on the arms of Padre Pedro Chien, Bolivar, Venezula
- Dmitriy Ivanovich: arms of UglichUglichUglich is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which stands on the Volga River. Population: A local tradition dates the town's origins to 937. It was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole...
, Russia - Balto Puente: the arms of YumboYumboYumbo is a small, industrial city and municipality located in western Colombia. It is located in the Valle del Cauca department, just north of Cali...
, Valle de Cauca, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. - Martin KrpanMartin KrpanMartin Krpan is a fictional character created on the basis of the Inner Carniolan oral tradition by the 19th-century Slovene writer Fran Levstik in the short story Martin Krpan from Vrh...
(a character created by SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n writer Fran LevstikFran LevstikFran Levstik was a Slovene writer, political activist, playwright and critic. he was one of the most prominent exponents of the Young Slovene political movement.-Life and work:...
): on the arms of Pivka. - Dr. Juan Germán Roscio: the arms of Roscio, Bolivar, Venezuela
Attitudes of humans
Humans are standing and affronty unless otherwise stated (sometimes this is specified though it is not necessary); there is at least one example of a statant affronty with the description going into more precise detail. There are occasional examples of people kneeling. Walking people are sometimes described as ambulant.There are occasional instances of people sitting in chairs, and the arms of the Diocese of Clogher
Roman Catholic Diocese of Clogher
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clogher was formed in 1111 at the Synod of Rathbreasail as the see for the Kingdom of Uí Chremthainn. The Diocese consists of County Monaghan, much of County Fermanagh with parts of Counties Tyrone, and Donegal...
provides an example of sitting and leaning toward the sinister his right hand upraised in benediction.
A Yaqui performing the Deer Dance appears in the arms of Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico.
The arms of Lenguazaque, Cundinamarca, Colombia contain a miner in the midst of work, and there are other similar (though sometimes anomalous or arguably not in strict accordance with the rules) examples of men whose attitude is determined by their occupation.
Parts of human bodies
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
. If possible to determine the difference, the "default" is supposed to be a man's, though a woman's arm occurs in the arms of Henri Beyer de Boppard.
- the eye is rarely accompanied by eyebrowEyebrowThe eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. Their main function is to prevent sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket, but they are also important to human communication and...
s, and on at least one occasion the eyelidEyelidAn eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid to "open" the eye. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily...
and surrounding skin is included with it. Generally blazoned as "proper", there is one example in which the scleraScleraThe sclera , also known as the white or white of the eye, is the opaque , fibrous, protective, outer layer of the eye containing collagen and elastic fiber. In the development of the embryo, the sclera is derived from the neural crest...
, irisIris (anatomy)The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
and pupilPupilThe pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...
are blazoned separately. - The hand, as in the blood-soaked severed hand on the flag of UlsterFlag of UlsterThe Flag of Ulster is a historic banner used to represent Ulster, one of the four provinces of Ireland. It is still used today to represent the province at some sporting events and formed the basis of the Ulster Banner, the flag of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1953 and 1972...
.- a clawed hand appears in the arms of the former Rural Municipality of Bor in Sweden, though this is believed to represent a troll's, rather than a human hand
- a dexter hand appaumé and a maple leaf conjoined: the arms of Brian MulroneyBrian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
. - a probably unique example of a woman's dexter hand: the arms of Mary McAleeseMary McAleeseMary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
.
- Feet: the arms of MillaresMillaresMillares is a municipality in the comarca of Canal de Navarrés in the Valencian Community, Spain....
. and footprintFootprintFootprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes...
s in the arms of NayaritNayaritNayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
, Mexico - The cochleaCochleaThe cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, making 2.5 turns around its axis, the modiolus....
: in the arms of Daniel LingDaniel LingDaniel Ling, OC was a foremost authority on the teaching of speech to deaf children. His speech teaching methods are widely used throughout the world....
. - Shin bonesTibiaThe tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
: appeared in the arms of Sir Isaac Newton. - RibRibIn vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
bones: canting, in the arms of Mendes da Costa - A vertebra: as a difference in the arms of Krista Lynn, granddaughter of Walter William Roy Bradford.
- Teeth: canting, in the arms of ZahnZahnZahn is a surname. Notable persons with the surname include:*Friedrich Wilhelm Zahn , German pathologist*Johann Zahn , German canon who wrote on the camera obscura and who invented an early camera...
. - Tongue.
- The heart, even when blazoned "a human heart", always appears like the heart in a deck of cards rather than a natural human heart.
- A "dug" or woman's breastBreastThe breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
"distilling drops of milk", famously appears in the arms of the Dodge family, and appeared for a time on the badge of cars made by the DodgeDodgeDodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
Automotive company. - There are some Continental appearances of the beardBeardA beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
. - Moustaches: the arms of BarbanBarbanBarban is a small town and municipality in the southern part of eastern Istria, Croatia, 28 km northeast of Pula, above the Raša river valley; elevation 229 m....
, IstriaIstriaIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
County, CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. - KidneyKidneyThe kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s with their ducts: the Urological Association of South Africa's arms. - Testicles: the Neapolitan family of Coglione bore "per fess argent and gules, three pairs of testicleTesticleThe testicle is the male gonad in animals. Like the ovaries to which they are homologous, testes are components of both the reproductive system and the endocrine system...
s counterchanged".
Animals
Heraldic depictions of "real" animals need not, and usually do not, exactly resemble the actual creatures. Mythical creatures used in heraldry are sometimes called "monsters".Except the griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, beasts in heraldry are male unless otherwise specified.
Carnivores
- The beast most seen in armory, and indeed one of the most frequent charges of all, is the lionLion (heraldry)The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...
. - The heraldic tyger is an imaginary monster; where natural beast appears (typically in arms associated with India), it is blazoned as a Bengal tigerTigerThe tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
.- A "tiger of Ussouri" occurs in the arms of the Jewish Autonomous OblastJewish Autonomous OblastThe Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan....
.
- A "tiger of Ussouri" occurs in the arms of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
- A leopardLeopard (heraldry)The leopard or lion passant guardant is a frequently used charge in heraldry. It mostly appears in groups of three, which are positioned over each another.-Heraldic and zoological leopards:...
is often a lion "passant guardant" [see attitudes below] rather than a natural leopard; if an attitude is described, it will be the natural leopard though technically it should not be shown as spotted unless this is mentioned in the blazon. - Ounce (snow leopardSnow LeopardThe snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
) - BobcatBobcatThe bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
: the arms of the Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services... - The cat has two forms: the "cat-a-mount", and the domestic cat, the latter called just a "cat". Only rarely is the breed described; Himalayan catsHimalayan (cat)The Himalayan cat is a breed of long-haired cat identical in type to the Persian, with the exception of its blue eyes and its point coloration, which were derived from the crossing of the Persian with the Siamese...
are known. A female cat appears in a handful of coats of arms. - Wolf
- The Arctic wolfArctic WolfThe Arctic Wolf , also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland....
is distinguished in the arms of Rodney George Wilson - She-wolf: in the arms of Cormaranche en Bugey Ain, France
- FoxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
(occasionally including the arctic foxArctic foxThe arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
) It is sometimes used as a punning reference to names, and is used by some ancient European families, notably with names like VossVossis a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen.... - Dog; in addition to the generically-blazoned type, the
- Boxer dog's head appears in the arms of the Federation of Boxer Clubs of South Africa
- "houn' dawg" appears in the arms of the 175 Military Police Battalion of the United States Army">
- BearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
(including, rarely, the polar bearPolar BearThe polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
) frequently appears- Two young bears: in the arms of PerlsdorfPerlsdorfPerlsdorf is a municipality in the district of Feldbach in Styria, Austria....
, Steiermark, Austria - Teddy bearTeddy bearThe teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
: the arms of Avril Elizabeth Home for the Mentally Handicapped, Cleveland, Johannesburg.
- Two young bears: in the arms of Perlsdorf
- Brock (badgerBadgerBadgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
) (occasional)- The badger's pawprints
- ErmineErmineErmine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
(occasional) - Cougar (rare)
- Winged cougar: arms of the Anglican Parish of St. Mark, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
- RaccoonRaccoonProcyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
(rare)
Hoofed animals
- AntelopeAntelopeAntelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
(comes in particular heraldic version as well as the natural beast)- OribiOribiOribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
- Oribi
- BisonBisonMembers of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, sometimes called a buffalo in North American heraldry - The boarBoarWild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
occurs very frequently - BullBullBull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
- CalfCalfCalves are the young of domestic cattle. Calves are reared to become adult cattle, or are slaughtered for their meat, called veal.-Terminology:...
- CamelCamelA camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
(occasional) - Caribou, i.e the reindeer; heads: in the arms of Lt-Col. Cluny MacPherson
- Cow
- DeerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
: both hart and doe (usually blazoned as a hind), the female red deer- Stag i.e. the male red deer
- Fawn, borne by the Kamloops Indian Band of the Shuswap Nation
- AssDonkeyThe donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
(occasional) - The elandCommon ElandThe common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
figures in a few coats of South African origin. - ElkRed DeerThe red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
(occasional) (the red deer or wapiti,the European elk is the moose) - GoatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
- A she-goat is distinguished in the arms of CampegineCampegineCampegine is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 70 km northwest of Bologna and about 12 km northwest of Reggio Emilia...
, Italy - The hippopotamusHippopotamusThe hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
is mentioned by very early writers on heraldry. - HorseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
- sometimes of a specified breed, e.g. AveligneseHaflinger (horse)The Haflinger, also known as the Avelignese, is a breed of horse developed in Austria and northern Italy during the late 19th century. Haflinger horses are relatively small, are always chestnut in color, have distinctive gaits described as energetic but smooth, and are well-muscled yet elegant...
for Avelegno or an Andalusian stallion in the arms of the 712th Air Base Group of the United States Air Force - a bucking bronco in the arms of the 213 Regiment of the United States Army
- A human skeleton rides on the skeleton of a horse in the arms of Hupperts
- sometimes of a specified breed, e.g. Avelignese
- MooseMooseThe moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
(occasional) - Moose-deer: the arms of the state of MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, USA - Peruvian sheep, i.e. South American camelid as in the coats of the Scots Colony of Caledonia and The Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies
- PigPigA pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
: Wilnis, Utrecht, the Netherlands - ram
- ReindeerReindeerThe reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
, i.e. the caribou - RhinocerosRhinocerosRhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
: the arms of Tapps-Gervis. - RoebuckRoe DeerThe European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
- Sheep, i.e. the ewe
- LambDomestic sheepSheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
- The "fat-tailed sheep" is distinguished in the arms of Canvey Island Urban District Council
- Lamb
- VicuñaVicuñaThe vicuña or vicugna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes. It is a relative of the llama, and is now believed to share a wild ancestor with domesticated alpacas, which are raised for their fibre...
: in the coat of arms of PeruCoat of arms of PeruThe coat of arms of Peru is the national symbolic emblem of Peru. Four variants are used: the coat of arms per se ; the national coat of arms, or national shield ; the great seal of the state ; and the naval coat of arms .-Description:All four share the same escutcheon or shield,...
.
Other mammals
- ApeApeApes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
- ArmadilloArmadilloArmadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
: the arms of TatuíTatuíTatuí is a city located on São Paulo state, Brazil. Known as "Music City", the city has the largest music school in Latin America. Its name comes from Tupi language and means "Armadillos River". Population: 109.017 . Area: 525.4 km². Weather: dry...
, Brazil - BatBatBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
(sometimes called "reremouse"), - BeaverBeaverThe beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
(in the very distant past may have been depicted as quite unlike the natural animal, but in modern times, at least in the Anglophone heraldies, it has always been shown as the beast of nature))- Beaver peltFurFur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
s: the arms of Ernest Michael Rhodes Skutezky
- Beaver pelt
- The elephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
appears fairly frequently: the arms of Marija Gorica, Croatia, give an apparently unique example of a "paleo-elephant".- African elephant: in the arms of Carl A. Larsen
- gopherGopher (animal)The term gopher as it is commonly used does not relate to any one species, but is a generic term used to describe any of several small burrowing rodents endemic to North America, including the pocket gopher , also called true gophers, and the ground squirrel , including Richardson's ground squirrel...
: the arms of the 136th Infantry Regiment of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - Two guenons heads combattant, winged palewise: the arms of Baltzar von Platen
- KoalaKoalaThe koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
faces: in the arms of Peter James Dickinson-Starkey - KangarooKangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
: rarely, in arms with an Australian connexion, although quite frequently as a supporter. - ManateeManateeManatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...
: the Kingdom of HaitiKingdom of HaitiThe Kingdom of Haiti was the state established by Henri Christophe on March 28, 1811 when he was proclaimed King Henri I having previously ruled as president. This was Haiti's second attempt at monarchal rule as Jean-Jacques Dessalines had previously ruled over the Empire of Haiti...
; the arms of Manatí, Puerto Rico. - MarmotMarmotThe marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
(occasional) - Moldiwarp (moleMole (animal)Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
) (occasional) - MonkeyMonkeyA monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
(much less often than ape)- The vervet monkeyVervet MonkeyThe vervet monkey , or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus....
is distinguished on one occasion
- The vervet monkey
- NumbatNumbatThe numbat , also known as the banded anteater, or walpurti, is a marsupial found in Western Australia. Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. Once widespread across southern Australia, the range is now restricted to several small colonies and it is listed as an endangered species...
(rare) - PangolinPangolinA pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
: the arms of Mazoe, in ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. - PorcupinePorcupinePorcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
(occasional) - SquirrelSquirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
. - ThylacineThylacineThe thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
: the arms of the Australian state of TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. - WalrusWalrusThe walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
: the arms of Van Walree - WolverineWolverineThe wolverine, pronounced , Gulo gulo , also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch, is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae . It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids...
(rare)
Reptiles and amphibians
- The serpentSerpent (symbolism)Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
(the almost invariably used word for "snakeSnakeSnakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
", though in Canadian heraldryCanadian heraldryCanadian heraldry is the cultural tradition and style of coats of arms and other heraldic achievements in both modern and historic Canada. It includes national, provincial, and civic arms, noble and personal arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays as corporate logos, and Canadian heraldic...
the snake is sometimes called a snake, - In French heraldryFrench heraldryFrench heraldry is the use of heraldic symbols in France. Although it had a considerable history, like England, existing from the eleventh century, such formality has largely died out in France. The role of the herald in France declined in the seventeenth century...
the "couleuvre" or Grass SnakeGrass SnakeThe grass snake , sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake is a European non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.-Etymology:...
is distinguished. - The arms of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army contain a rattlesnakeRattlesnakeRattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
, - There are instances of winged serpents,
- The lizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
is almost without exception shown in generic form, but the crocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
also appears. - The salamanderSalamander (legendary creature)The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela. As with many real creatures, pre-modern authors often ascribed fantastic qualities to it , and in recent times some have come to identify a legendary salamander as a distinct concept from the real organism. This idea is most highly developed in...
is typically shown as a generic lizard, sometimes with a head of unusual shape often described as "dog-shaped", and always surrounded by flames. In the arms of Le Clei shown as vomissant des flammes ("vomiting flames") as well. - There are quite rare appearances of the chameleonChameleonChameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
. - An iguanaIguanaIguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
appears in the arms of Terre-de-HautTerre-de-HautTerre-de-Haut is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, on Terre-de-Haut Island. It is the most populous island of the archipelago of the Îles des Saintes. The Fort Napoléon des Saintes is located in this commune....
, GuadeloupeGuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. - A dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
(TyrannosaurusTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
): in the arms of the 40th Armored Regiment of the United States Army - The arms of the 92nd Bombardment Group of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
contain a pterodactyl. - The attributed armsAttributed armsAttributed arms are coats of arms given to legendary figures, or to notable persons from times before the rise of heraldry. Beginning in the 12th century, imaginary arms were assigned to the knights of the Round Table, and soon arms were given to biblical figures, to Roman and Greek heroes, and to...
of SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
include three frogFrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s. Clovis IClovis IClovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
, king of Franks, originally had a coat of arms charged with three toadToadA toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
s; this was changed to the familiar fleur-de-lys after his conversion to Christianity. - The coat of arms of DominicaCoat of arms of DominicaThe coat of arms of Dominica was adopted on July 21, 1961. It consists of a shield with two guardian Sisserou Parrots bracing the shield atop of which is a raging lion. The quadrants of the shield depict a canoe, a banana tree, a palm and a frog of the native species known as the mountain chicken...
includes an image of a native frog species, the mountain chicken.
Fish and other sea animals
"Fish" are sometimes only described as "a fish", but the species is often named:- BurtHerringHerring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
- CatfishCatfishCatfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
: in the arms of Carl Freiherr Auer von WelsbachCarl Auer von WelsbachCarl Auer Freiherr von Welsbach was an Austrian scientist and inventor who had a talent for not only discovering advances, but turning them into commercially successful products...
. - Cod
- Conger eelCongerConger is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 3 m in length, in the case of the European conger...
: distinguished in the arms of the CongletonCongletonCongleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
Borough Council) - The coelacanthCoelacanthCoelacanths are members of an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of Sarcopterygii known to date....
appears in the arms of Arcadia School in East London, South Africa. - DolphinDolphinDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
(though it is not, in scientific terms, a fish) - EelEelEels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
- "Garvine fishes", in canting contexts
- ged (= pikeEsoxEsox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
) - Lucy (= perchPerchPerch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
) - OctopusOctopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
: in the arms of the 304th Chemical Regiment of the United States Army - RoachRoach (fish)The Common Roach is a freshwater and brackish water fish native to most of Europe and western Asia...
- SalmonSalmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
(there is at least one occurrence of an "Atlantic salmonAtlantic salmonThe Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
") - HerringHerringHerring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
- The "seahorseSeahorseSeahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...
" is depicted as one of those pulling Neptune's chariot, but if the natural seahorse is to be depicted it is blazoned as a "seahorse (hippocampus)". - The sharkSharkSharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
is rare in the extreme. - The swordfishSwordfishSwordfish , also known as broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood...
appears in the arms of Snyders. - There are occasional appearances of the troutTroutTrout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. - The tigerfishTigerfishTigerfish is the common name for a variety of species from several different families of fish, usually on account of their colouration or otherwise fearsome appearance and teeth.- Alestiidae :...
appears in the arms of Angling Club. - The whaleWhaleWhale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
(again, classified as a fish though in science it is a mammalMammalMammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
) rarely appears - The ichthusIchthysIchthys, from Koine Greek: , is the Greek word for "fish"....
symbol appears in the arms of the Ecclesiastical Province of CanadaEcclesiastical Province of CanadaThe Ecclesiastical Province of Canada was founded in 1860 and is one of four ecclesiastical provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada. Despite its name, the province covers only the former territory of Lower Canada , the Maritimes, and Newfoundland and Labrador...
. - Fishbones appear in the arms of Bordes (des) de Chalendray.
- The escallop (scallop shell) is one of the most frequent charges
- The sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is distinguished on at least one occasion
- MusselMusselThe common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s appear in the arms of Musselburgh in Scotland. - The proteusProteusIn Greek mythology, Proteus is an early sea-god, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea", whose name suggests the "first" , as protogonos is the "primordial" or the "firstborn". He became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian theogony In Greek mythology, Proteus (Πρωτεύς)...
appears in a 1909 grant to Postojna, now Slovenia. - The sand dollarSand dollarThe term Sand dollar refers to species of extremely flattened, burrowing echinoids belonging to the order Clypeasteroida. Some species within the order, not quite as flat, are known as sea biscuits...
appears in the arms of Michaëlle JeanMichaëlle JeanMichaëlle Jean is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation, from 2005 to 2010....
. - OysterOysterThe word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
shell, in which a pearlPearlA pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
sometimes appears. - WhelkWhelkWhelk, also spelled welk or even "wilks", is a common name used to mean one or more kinds of sea snail. The species, genera and families referred to using this common name vary a great deal from one geographic area to another...
shell - A trilobiteTrilobiteTrilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period , and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before...
appears in the DudleyDudleyDudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
coat of arms.
Birds
There are rare examples of a "bird", not more specifically named; a "stylized bird" appears in the arms of the 890th Engineer Battalion of the United States Army.Oft-used birds include the eagle
Eagle (heraldry)
The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Parts of the eagle's body such as its head, wings or leg are also used as a charge or crest....
(sometimes having two heads
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
, and there is at least one example of a three-headed eagle); the bateleur
Bateleur
The Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers...
is distinguished in at least one blazon.
- The alerion is an eagle with expanded wings, the points turned downwards, and without beak or feet.
- AukAukAn auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...
- Canary (appears under the guise of a martlet in the 'canting' arms of Kinneir of that Ilk; apparently one other use)
- cardinalCardinal (bird)The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae ....
: was a later immigrant from the New World - cockRoosterA rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
: with two heads on the arms of VersaillesVersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre... - CormorantCormorantThe bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
- craneCrane (bird)Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
- Crow: see raven
- DodoDodoThe dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
: in the arms of Les AvironsLes AvironsLes Avirons , is a commune in the Réunion overseas department of France in the Indian Ocean. It borders the commnues of Saint-Leu, Cilaos, Saint-Louis and L'Étang-Salé, an 150 metres of coastline.-External links:*...
, RéunionRéunionRéunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France... - DoveDovePigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
: in the arms of the Counts Cseszneky de Milvány et CsesznekHouse of CsesznekyThe House of Cseszneky was one of the most prominent noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary. The Counts Cseszneky de Milvány et Csesznek have produced many individuals notable in Hungarian and general European history and culture.-Name and origin:... - DuckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
: sometimes appears- The duck without beak or legs is called the merlette
- Ducklings: the arms of SteynsrusSteynsrusSteynsrus is s a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa that was founded in 1910 and named after the last president of the Orange Free State, Martinus Theunis Steyn...
, South Africa.
- EmuEmuThe Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
: the arms of Toowoomba, Australia. - FalconFalconA falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
- The Icelandic falcon: in the arms of George Johnson
- FlamingoFlamingoFlamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
appears, rarely, in South-African heraldry. - FinchFinchThe true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
: more rarely. - The generic gooseGooseThe word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
- The "Magellan-goose": in the arms of Ashfield
- Canada gooseCanada GooseThe Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
: almost invariably in Canada
- GrebeGrebeA grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
: in the arms of Ig, Slovenia - GullGullGulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
or seagull - hawk
- HeronHeronThe herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
- KiwiKiwiKiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
: sometimes in coats where the grantee has some connection to New Zealand; - Knysna LourieKnysna TuracoThe Knysna Turaco , or, in South Africa, Knysna Lourie, is a large turaco, one of a group of African near-passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, and Swaziland. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the...
: the city of George (South Africa) and the former arms of the Cape Provincial Department of Environment and Nature Conservation. - KookaburraKookaburraKookaburras are terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea. They are large to very large, with a total length of . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, and is onomatopoeic of its call...
: Australia. - MagpieMagpieMagpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia...
: Otton de Cazeneuve bore "Or, three magpies sable" at FalkirkBattle of Falkirk (1298)The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
. - MartletMartletA martlet is a heraldic charge depicting a stylized bird with short tufts of feathers in the place of legs...
(French equivalent is merlette though in modern French a merlette is a blackbird): a small bird without legs or very rarely without beak; a very frequent charge.- Canadian martlet Martlets, the wings and tail of each forming a maple leaf: in the arms of Nicholas Jane Pepino
- North American Kingfisher: was a later immigrant from the New World
- OspreyOspreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
: almost invariably depicted simply as an eagle argent - OstrichOstrichThe Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
, - OwlOwlOwls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
- Peacock,
- Papingo or PopinjayParrotParrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
(parrot). - Ptarmigan: the arms of the 588th Engineering Battalion of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- PuffinPuffin BooksPuffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
(apparently one use only) - RavenRavenRaven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
(also known as "crow" or "rook"): (appearing as the Naden Raven, a symbol of the Naden River people of the Haida IndiansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the arms of Esquimalt, British ColumbiaEsquimalt, British ColumbiaThe Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquimalt Harbour and Royal Roads, to the northwest by the...
, Canada), - Three heads of a Redhead (Aythya americana) drake: the arms of Thomas A. Hickey.
- Secretary birdSecretary BirdThe Secretarybird or Secretary Bird is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara...
- SheldrakeShelduckThe shelducks, genus Tadorna, are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans....
- Song thrushSong ThrushThe Song Thrush is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies...
: in the arms of the former Rural Municipality of Attmar in Sweden - StorkStorkStorks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
; a double-headed stork appears in the arms of BessenbachBessenbachBessenbach is a community in the Aschaffenburg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.-Location:Bessenbach lies southeast of the town of Aschaffenburg among the Spessart range's outliers....
, Germany - Swallow
- SwanSwanSwans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
- White-tailed tropic bird: the arms of Colin Fleming
- Turkey cock: was a later immigrant from the New World
- EggEgg (biology)An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
: rare.- See below for an example of "duck eggs".
- One example of "a vertical section of an egg".
Invertebrates
Insects include:- BeeBeeBees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
(beehivesBeehive (beekeeping)A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Natural beehives are naturally occurring structures occupied by honeybee colonies, while domesticated honeybees live in man-made beehives, often in an apiary. These man-made...
also sometimes occur in the natural form (?), though that in the arms of Marquion, Pas de Calais, France was at least once depicted as of a man-made type.; in the Anglophone heraldries invariably a human construction of an old fashioned medieval type - DragonflyDragonflyA dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
- GrasshopperGrasshopperThe grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
- ButterflyButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
- with at least one example of cocoons
- the California dog-face butterfly is distinguished on at least one occasion
- AntAntAnts are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
(rather rarely) - FlyFlyTrue flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
(rather rarely) - Anthill: in the arms of Bertrand.
- Stag beetleStag beetleStag beetles are a group of about 1,200 species of beetle in the family Lucanidae, presently classified in four subfamilies Some species grow up to over 12 cm , but most are about 5 cm .-Overview:...
s, appropriately, appear in the arms of Sir George MartinGeorge MartinSir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
. - In heraldry the spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
is considered an insect, and there are a few examples. - A "caricatured" mosquitoMosquitoMosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
: in the arms of the 6147th Tactical Control Group. - Boll weevilBoll weevilThe boll weevil is a beetle measuring an average length of six millimeters, which feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central America, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all U.S. cotton-growing areas by the 1920s,...
: in the arms of the 81st Training Wing of the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. - SnailSnailSnail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
(usually called "house snail", supposedly to distinguish it from the slugSlugSlug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
) - WormWormThe term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
: very rare
Mythical
- DragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
: another common charge, depicted as large and reptilian, with a forked tongue and a bat's wings. The number of "membranes" in the wings may be specified. - WyvernWyvernA wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
: similar to a dragon, but with only two legs. - These pre-date the appearance of several types of Oriental dragons including:-
- The generally-described "Chinese dragon"
- The three-clawed dragon, granted in Europe and Canada for those with some connexion to China,
- The imperial Chinese dragon.
- Another Chinese monster, the qilinQilinThe Qilin is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen that brings rui . It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over...
: in the arms of Captain Benjamin Lee. - MermaidMermaidA mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
: not infrequently. - Melusine, the two tailed mermaid in the Anglophone heraldries
- PhoenixPhoenix (mythology)The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
an eagle like or pheasantlike bird, always in flames; there is also a Chinese type in the arms of Adrienne ClarksonAdrienne ClarksonAdrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
) - UnicornUnicornThe unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
- SphinxSphinxA sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
: not depicted in the familiar way, but with the head and breasts of a woman.
Many other monsters are compound creatures.
- A simple example is the griffinGriffinThe griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
, combining 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); there is at least one example of the double-headed griffin.- The arms of MagdalensbergMagdalensbergMagdalensberg is a municipality in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia in Austria.The municipality comprises 40 villages and hamlets: Christofberg, Deinsdorf, Dürnfeld, Eibelhof, Eixendorf, Farchern, Freudenberg, Gammersdorf, Geiersdorf, Göriach, Gottesbichl, Großgörtschach, Gundersdorf,...
, Kärnten, Austria show a specific ancient statue of a griffin.
- The arms of Magdalensberg
- The hippogriffHippogriffA Hippogriff is a legendary creature, supposedly the offspring of a griffin and a mare.- Early references :...
is like the griffin except that the lion parts of the griffin are replaced by those of a horse. - The pegasusPegasusPegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
is a winged horse. - The sea-lion is a combination of a lion and a fish.
- A half-eagle, half-tiger (an eagle dimidiatedDimidiationIn heraldry, dimidiation is a method of joining two coats of arms.For a time, dimidiation preceded the method known as impalement. Whereas impalement involves placing the whole of both coats of arms side by side in the same shield, dimidiation involves placing the dexter half of one coat of arms...
with a tiger) creature figured in the arms granted to Fernando de Tapia. - In Canada compound creatures such as the raven-bear and raven-wolf appear.
- A winged chimera with the feet of an eagle figured in the arms of Fada of Verona
Parts of animals
Parts of creatures may also be used as charges.The most frequent parts used as charges are the head, the gamb (or limb) and the paw.
- If the part is erased, then it is depicted with ragged edges, as if it had been ripped from the animal's body.
- If the part is couped, then it is depicted with a straight edge, as if it were neatly severed.
- Demi (as in, for instance, demi-lion) means that the upper half of an animal alone is to be shown.
- If an animal is shown in its entirety, but with the head, tail and limbs separated from the body, it is said to be dismembered.
- The terms applied to the head vary; if shown full-faced and without the neck showing, the heads of deer-like animals, and the bull, are termed caboshed.
- Elephant tuskTuskTusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...
s frequently appear - A "boar's tooth" [sic] appears in the arms of the Orange Free State Amateur Athletic Association.
- Wolves' teeth in the arms of Zemby.
Attitudes of animals and some attributes
The position, or attitude, of the creature's body is also described; the vague description of the three herons in the arms of Ibinu, Brazil, as being "em posição diferentes" (in different positions) being something of an exception.
- An animal shown with one hind paw on the ground and three paws in the air) is called rampant (except the griffin, for whom the term segreant must be used);
- one that is walking (shown with one forepaw in the air and three paws on the ground) is passant.
- A rare example of passant applied to the bird is to the flamingo in the arms of the Kuisebmond Second School, Walvis Bay.
- The flamingo and kiwi have also been blazoned statant.
- There is even an example in the heraldry of the United States Air Force of "two boots passant"; this is strictly incorrect as "passant" can be applied only to beasts and, rarely, some types of birds, and not inanimate objects.
- Animals with all four paws on the ground are statant (standing).
- Beasts of prey, and horses, running are courant (they are shown with both forelimbs and both hind limbs together), though the arms of IberiaCaucasian IberiaIberia , also known as Iveria , was a name given by the ancient Greeks and Romans to the ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli , corresponding roughly to the eastern and southern parts of the present day Georgia...
show a horse in full gallop. - The bear, apparently uniquely, can walk on its hind legs.
- If the animal is sitting, the term sejant is employed, and if sitting with the front paws raised in the air, sejant erect
- A cat sejant in a watching posture with her dexter paw extended appears in the arms of Smith of Canmo
- Animals with the two hind paws on the ground and the two forepaws in the air are salient (jumping).
- (There is at least one case of leaping being distinguished.)
- An animal is couchant if it is lying down, and dormant if it is sleeping (with its head lowered).
- The term clymant is almost exclusively applied to the goat, but there are instances of its application to the unicorn and pegasus.
- A very rare term, pascuant, is applied to a quadruped when grazingGrazingGrazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
. - The ox in the arms of DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
is statant, ruminating. - A bull "storming": in the arms of the Erasmus Family Association.
- "A crouching panther, tail elevated": in the arms of the 31st Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.
- If the tongue of the animal is of a different tincture, it is said to be langued of such-and-such a tincture, though it is not necessary to specify that a lion is "langued gules" as this is the default unless it is charged on gules, in which case the default is azure.
- The arms of the 345th Quartermaster Battalion of the United States Army provide a unique example in which a cottonmouthAgkistrodon piscivorusAgkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs...
is langued with a thunderbird Gules.
- The arms of the 345th Quartermaster Battalion of the United States Army provide a unique example in which a cottonmouth
- The snakes in the arms of the 1 Air Defence Artillery Regiment of the United States Army are "lipped [Or]"
- There may be examples of the teeth of an animal being of a different tincture (dented)
- If the eyes of the animal are of a different tincture, it is said to be eyed of such-and-such a tincture, and the arms of the 83d Chemical Battalion of the U.S. Army show a rare example in which the tincture of the pupil is specified.
- If the penisPenisThe penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
of the animal is of a different tincture than the rest, it is said to be pizzled of such-and-such a tincture.
By default, the charge faces the left, as seen by the viewer.
- The head of an animal guardant faces the viewer,
- The head of an animal or bird reguardant faces the right, as seen by the viewer.
- It is extremely unusual for the head to be described as in trian aspect (or three-quarters profile).
- There are several positional descriptions unique to the lion, which appears to be the only creature that can be stantant with tail extended, though other animals have been known to have their tails "erect".
- A "lion with a dragon's tail" can be seen in the arms of Christopher Sterling Tod Mackie.
- The Chinese dragon in the arms of Dr. Richard Gordon Num is torqued.
Entirely different terms are used for stags and other deer-like creatures.
Trippant is used instead of passant, at bay instead of statant, at gaze instead of statant guardant, springing instead of salient and lodged instead of couchant.
- The serpent is said to be nowed if tied in a knot.
- The snake is sometimes found in a circle with its tail in its mouth, which position in French heraldry sometimes makes it an ouroboros.
- If gliding along, the serpent is glissant. The arms of the 37th Armor of the United States Army give an example of a wyvernWyvernA wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
(sans legs) glissant. - The rattlesnake, uniquely, can be described as coiled to strike.
Fish also use a different terminology.
- A straight horizontal fish is naiant,
- and an arched horizontal fish is embowed (though this can sometimes be applied to other animals, such as the crocodile).
- If the fish is vertical, and its head faces upwards, it is hauriant;
- if its head faces downwards, the fish is urinant. (The example of a "dragon urinant" in the arms of the USS Tornado is certainly open to criticism.)
The terminology for birds is based on the position of the wings.
- If a bird faces the viewer, with the head turned to one side, and the wings spread apart on either side, the bird is displayed.
- If the bird is not shown facing the viewer, and the wings are shown spread apart, the bird is volant (flying);
- If the wings are shown folded, the bird is trussed, close or perched.
- (The attitude "volant" is also sometimes applied to aircraft.)
- Owls volant affronty appear in the arms of Sir Christopher FraylingChristopher FraylingSir Christopher John Frayling is a British educationalist and writer, known for his study of popular culture.-Biography:Frayling read history at Churchill College, Cambridge and gained a PhD in the study of Jean-Jacques Rousseau...
- An owl affronty hovering appears in the arms of Jules LégerJules LégerJules Léger was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 21st since Canadian Confederation....
. - If the bird's head faces upward, the bird is rising or rousant (about to take flight).
- Swans and ducks are very occasionally found naiant (= swimming).
- There are several examples of crowing cocksRoosterA rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
.
Plants
PlantPlant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges.
(The colonial-era arms of Tlemcen, Algeria are unusual in that they contain generic "plants".) The turnip
Turnip
The turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
, for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
.
When the fruit of a tree, branch, or the like is mentioned, as it generally will only be if it is of a different tincture, it is said to be fructed of the tincture.
The arms of the French family of Fenoyer provide a perhaps unique example in which the number of "pieces" of the "fructed" is stated.
Grain crops
- Wheat constantly occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves (and in fields in the arms of the province of AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and elsewhere), though less often as ears), though most often they are shown in stylised form.- a garb of hayHayHay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
, in the arms of Myron Wyn Evans - bearded wheat ears are distinguished in the arms of the 469th Support Battalion of the United States Army
- a garb of hay
- Ears of ryeRyeRye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down. - "Ginny wheat" or "guinea wheat" (like wheat but with a fatter ear) also exists
- There are very few examples of barleyBarleyBarley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, maizeMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and oatOatThe common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed...
s.
Flowers
The most famous heraldic flower is the fleur-de-lisFleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
, which is often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this. A more "natural" (but still stylised) lily also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lys) on the arms of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
; the Joseph's lily in some Irish grants, the Calla lily
Calla Lily
-Botany:* Calla, a genus of common flowering plant in the family Araceae, containing the single species Calla palustris, native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
and the lily of the valley
Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis , commonly known as the lily-of-the-valley, is a poisonous woodland flowering plant native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe....
are also distinguished from these.
-
- The head of an Orange River Lily: the arms of Free State Province, South Africa.
- The arms of Laško, Slovenia are blazoned "Azure, three Bourbonic Fleurs-de-lys Argent".
- A fleur de lysFleur de LysFleur de Lys is a superheroine from Quebec and an ally of Northguard, created in 1984 by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette. The name of the character is inspired by the heraldic symbol of the fleur de lys. It is the official emblem of Quebec and a prominent part of the Flag of Quebec...
bourgeonée is distinguished.
- Heraldic rosesRose (heraldry)The rose is a common device in heraldry. It is often used both as a charge on a coat of arms and by itself as a heraldic badge. The heraldic rose has a stylized form consisting of five symmetrical lobes, five barbs, and a circular seed. The rose is one of the most common plant symbols in...
are also (most commonly, and unless otherwise specified) shown in a stylised form similar to the wild rose.- though there are several unusual different types blazoned, such as the Luther roseLuther roseThe Luther seal or Luther rose is a widely-recognized symbol for Lutheranism. It was the seal that was designed for Martin Luther at the behest of Prince John Frederick, in 1530, while Luther was staying at the Coburg Fortress during the Diet of Augsburg. Lazarus Spengler, to whom Luther wrote his...
. - White Rose of YorkWhite Rose of YorkThe White Rose of York , a white heraldic rose, is the symbol of the House of York and has since been adopted as a symbol of Yorkshire as a whole.-History:...
; Red Rose of LancasterRed Rose of LancasterThe Red Rose of Lancaster is the county flower of Lancashire.The exact species or cultivar which the red rose relates to is uncertain, but it is thought to be Rosa gallica officinalis....
; Tudor RoseTudor roseThe Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
- though there are several unusual different types blazoned, such as the Luther rose
- The lotus flower is also shown in a stylised form
- The thistleThistleThistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
occurs constantly, as it is the symbol of ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Other commonly used flower-like charges (called "foils") include:
- Trefoil (with three petals),
- Quatrefoil (with four petals),
- Cinquefoil (with five petals),
- Sexfoil (with six petals);
- The septfoil (with seven petals) appears in the arms of the 63rd Armor of the United States Army.
- The double quatrefoil (with eight petals) is in England the seldom if ever seen cadency mark of the ninth son.
Less frequently used flowers include the flower of the almond tree, the anemone
Anemone
Anemone , is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae in the north and south temperate zones...
, the carnation
Carnation
Dianthus caryophyllus is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years. It is the wild ancestor of the garden carnation.It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 80 cm tall...
, the columbine
Aquilegia
Aquilegia is a genus of about 60-70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.-Etymology:The genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle , because...
, the daisy, the lilac
Lilac
Syringa is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering woody plants in the olive family , native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere....
, the dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
flower, marjoram
Marjoram
Marjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
, the marigold and pot marigold, the peony
Peony
Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America...
, the poppy
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
(the Macedonian coat of arms uses opium poppy
Opium poppy
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine , thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine...
for instance), the sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
, the tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
and the hydrangea
Hydrangea
Hydrangea is a genus of about 70 to 75 species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and North and South America. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea...
(as in the arms of Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located 12.6 kilometers from the center of Paris.-Name:...
).
- The flower-gentle appears in the arms of John CaiusJohn CaiusJohn Caius , also known as Johannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.-Early years:...
(Keys), as borne by Gonville and Caius College, CambridgeGonville and Caius College, CambridgeGonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
. - The althaeaAlthaea (genus)Althaea is a genus of 6-12 species of perennial herbs native to Europe and western Asia. It includes Althaea officinalis, also known as the marshmallow plant, whence the fluffy confection got its name. They are found on the banks of rivers and in salt marshes, preferring moist, sandy soils. The...
blossom appears in the arms of the 228th Support Battalion of the United States Army. - Sprigs of lavenderLavenderThe lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
occur in the arms of the Mitcham Borough Council; cranberryCranberryCranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
flowers in the arms of BesenbürenBesenbürenBesenbüren is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The first indication of human settlement near Besenbüren are paleo- and mesolithic items that were discovered in the Forenmoos...
, Aargau, Switzerland. - Tulip bulbs appear in the arms of Fressal.
- The trilliumTrilliumTrillium is a genus of about 40–50 species of spring ephemeral perennials, native to temperate regions of North America and Asia....
flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context, and the proteaProteaProtea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...
flower constantly appears in South Africa (whose national flower it is). - "A floral pattern" of "a water nut": the arms ofCoat of arms of RybnikThe coat of arms of the city of Rybnik in Poland consists of a blue shield bearing a white pike rising diagonally, between two floral patterns. The arms are an example of canting arms, since ryb means "fish"...
RybnikRybnikRybnik is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship. Rybnik is located close to the border with the Czech Republic and just outside the southern border of the largest urban area in Poland, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union...
, Poland - Bermudiana flower,
- The heliotropeHeliotropiumHeliotropium is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. There are 250 to 300 species in this genus, which are commonly known as heliotropes ....
: in the arms of EnneryEnnery, Val-d'OiseEnnery is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* * *...
, in the department of Val d'Oise. - Giant Red Paintbrush all make at least one appearance.
- Parnassus flowers appear in the arms of Cumberland.
- The peach blossomPeach BlossomThe Peach Blossom is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found throughout Europe and is a fairly common species in the British Isles....
. - saffron flowers
- flowers of Cytisus make at least one appearance
- a flower-head and slip of the Wild Dagga shrub (Leonotis leonurus)
Fruits and nuts
- There is at least one appearance of the almondAlmondThe almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
. - AppleAppleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s occur very frequently, - CantaloupeCantaloupe"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
(infrequent) - CherriesCherryThe cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, - GourdGourdA gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
s (infrequent) - GrapevineGrapevineGrapevine is the common name for plants of the genus Vitis. Other meanings include:*Grapevine , a term often used to describe a form of communication by means of gossip or rumor, as in "heard it through the grapevine"...
s (with their grapeGrapeA grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s) occur very frequently, - LemonLemonThe lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
: in the arms of Limojon - Lime (fruit)Lime (fruit)Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
: in the arms of DurandDurand- Places :United States* Durand, Illinois* Durand, Michigan**Durand Union Station, the town's Amtrak station* Durand , Wisconsin** Durand, Wisconsin, small city within the town* Durand Township, Minnesota* Durand-Eastman Park, Rochester, New YorkOther... - NutNut (fruit)A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s are sometimes blazoned simply as "nuts" (depicted like the walnutWalnutJuglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
) though the most frequently occurring nut is the acornAcornThe acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
, often cracked by a squirrel, and constantly in conjunction with the oak. - orangesOrange (fruit)An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
(infrequent) - The orange sanguine: in the arms of Perregaux, OranOranOran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria - PeachPeachThe peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es - PearPearThe pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s (with peartrees)- The warden pear is rarely distinguished, in arms for people with the surname "Warden"
- PineapplesConifer coneA cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
refer anciently and much more often to the cone rather than the tropical fruit.- The Korean pine cone is distinguished on at least one occasion.
- RaspberriesRaspberryThe raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
: in the arms of Abernethy, Scotland - StrawberriesStrawberryFragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
. - A slice of watermelonWatermelonWatermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
: in the arms of General Bravo, in Mexico.
Vegetables
- The artichokeArtichoke-Plants:* Globe artichoke, a partially edible perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean* Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower with an edible tuber...
appears in a very few European coats, and there is at least one example of its leaves. - CabbageCabbageCabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
appears in the arms of the French Antarctic Territory and lettuceLettuceLettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
in the arms of Lechuga. - CarrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
(rare) - There is an apparently unique example of celeryCeleryApium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
in the arms of BoussuBoussuBoussu is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. As of January 1, 2006, Boussu had a total population of 20,058. The total area is 20.01 km², which gives a population density of 1,002 inhabitants per km²....
. - CucumberCucumberThe cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
s (rare): the family of Favier de Bains - GarlicGarlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
(occasional) - LeekLeekThe leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
- Sugar beetSugar beetSugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s (rare) appears in the arms of Burlöv MunicipalityBurlöv MunicipalityBurlöv Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden, just north of Malmö. Its seat is located in a part of Malmö urban area called Arlöv....
Trees
Dead trees are occasionally used as a charge. Trees are sometimes merely blazoned as "a tree" but specific trees are mentioned in blazon.- Far and away the most frequently occurring is the oakOak TreeOak Tree may refer to:*Oak, the tree*Oak Tree, County Durham, a village in County Durham, England*The Oaktree Foundation, a youth-run aid and development agency*Oak Tree National, golf club in Edmond, Oklahoma...
. - The pinePinePines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
is also used.
Members of the pine family such as:
- The cedar, the cedar of Lebanon being distinguished
- The firFirFirs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
, - Redwood (in the form of a "triple frond"): in the arms of the Stanford University School of MedicineStanford University School of MedicineStanford University School of Medicine is a leading medical school located at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, California. Originally based in San Francisco, California as Cooper Medical College, it is the oldest continuously running medical school in the western United States...
- The beechBeechBeech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, birchBirchBirch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, the elmElmElms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, the poplarPoplarPopulus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
, willowWillowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, alderAlderAlder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, box treeBox TreeBox Tree is a restaurant located in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. , the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide.- External links :*...
, coconut tree and the palm also appear.- The royal palm (actually a genus of a number of different species) is distinguished in the arms of Cuba.
- A sabal palm tree with a crooked stem: in the arms of Alan David Craxford
- The chestnutChestnutChestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
, sometimes on branches, also appears (the burBURBUR may refer to:* Bur, a saying by Gucci Mane* Burs , a Germanic tribe* Bob Hope Airport, Burbank, California * Burmese language * Burkina Faso...
r of the chestnut tree appears in the arms of the MunicípioMunicipalities of PortugalIn Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...
of AlijóAlijóAlijó is a municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal, located in the district of Vila Real. The municipality, comprising 19 parishes, has a total area of 267.6 km² and a population of 13,942 inhabitants .-History:There are several megalithic structures, dolmens and castros in Alijó...
in Portugal) of as does the hazelHazelThe hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
. - The crabappleCrabappleCrabapple is a term used for several species of Malus in the family Rosaceae, which are characterized by small sour fruit resembling familiar table apples . They are usually small trees or shrubs....
tree, in a canting context - Dragon tree: in the arms of Porto Santo in Portugal.
- Eucalyptus tree: in the arms of Campo Limpo Paulista, Brazil
- Gum tree: in the arms of WoodvilleWoodville, South AustraliaWoodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about 8 kilometres northwest of the Central Business District of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The postcode of Woodville is 5011...
(since incorporated into City of Charles SturtCity of Charles SturtThe City of Charles Sturt is a Local Government Area in the western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, stretching to the coast.It came into being on 1 January 1997 as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Hindmarsh Woodville and the City of Henley and Grange...
), South Australia. - JuniperJuniperJunipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
appears at least once. - Laurel treeBay LaurelThe bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
s occur, as do oliveOliveThe olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
, but in both cases less frequently than their branches. - LemonLemonThe lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
: more frequent than its fruit. - A milkwoodMilkwoodMilkwood may refer to:Plant species or genera* Alstonia, a widespread genus of evergreen trees and shrubs from the dogbane family Apocynaceae* Sideroxylon inerme, or White Milkwood of southern Africa, a member of the Sapotaceae...
appears in the arms of the former Republic of CiskeiCiskeiCiskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
. - Palm branches very frequently occur but are blazoned as appearing in a "stylized" form in the arms of Éragny-sur-Oise in Val d'Oise.
- In addition to the much more frequent appearance of its fruit, the pomegranatePomegranateThe pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
tree appears in a stylized form in the arms of the Chesterfield Borough Council. - Quinine tree: in the arms of PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
- The tree of paradiseTree of lifeThe concept of a tree of life, a many-branched tree illustrating the idea that all life on earth is related, has been used in science , religion, philosophy, mythology, and other areas...
: in the arms of Vale do ParaísoVale do ParaísoVale do Paraíso is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Its population was 10,354 and its area is 965 km²....
, AzambujaAzambujaAzambuja is a Portuguese municipality in Lisbon District, in the historical region of Ribatejo with a total area of 262.7 km² and a total population of 20,838 inhabitants...
, Lisboa, Portugal. - A monstrous tree ending in two hands cradling a town: the arms of FossesFossesFosses is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* * *...
, in Val d'Oise - The china cokar tree is another kind of "monster tree".
- "A palmettoPalmetto-Botany:Members of several genera of small palms:*the genus Sabal of the Arecaceae family**Dwarf Palmetto**Sabal palmetto*Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens*Silver saw palmetto, Acoelorraphe wrightii-Place names:United States...
tree issuant from an oakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree eradicated": in the arms of the 118th Infantry Regiment of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - A small group of trees is blazoned as a "hurst", which is distinguished from a forest.
- "A grove of eight coconut trees": was in the arms of the Crown Colony of Ceylon
- The Ceiba Macho of the Parque Principal: in the arms of San Antonio del Tequendama, Cundinamarca, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. - In Portuguese heraldry but rarely in the heraldry of other countries trees are sometimes found decorticated.
Other plants
- The aloeAloeAloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
plant: in many South African arms, e.g. the Eastern CapeEastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
province, and the North-Eastern Transvaal Tennis Association. - Bobactitli: in the arms of Gonzalo Tecpanecate, Francisco de Mendoza.
- BushesShrubA shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
: in the arms of Lionel Camps Perezfarras - The burning bushBurning bushThe burning bush is an object described by the Book of Exodus as being located on Mount Sinai; according to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name...
: in the arms of the Session of Knox Presbyterian Church of StratfordStratford, OntarioStratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
in OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada. - CoffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, including branches and beans - A cotton ball: in the arms of New Germany in South Africa.
- The mapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
usually occurs only in the form of the maple leafMaple leafThe maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
(and occasionally seeds) - There are a few occurrences of the tobaccoTobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
leaf and plant, such as the coat of arms of the Republic of MacedoniaCoat of arms of the Republic of MacedoniaThe coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia is composed of two curved garlands of sheaves of wheat, tobacco leaves and opium poppy fruits, tied by a ribbon decorated with embroidery of traditional Macedonian folk motifs. In the centre of the ovoid frame are depicted a mountain, a lake and a sunrise...
. - MarjoramMarjoramMarjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
: in the arms of Noble Ivan B. Mazuranic-Janković of the Counts Mazuranic - MimosaMimosaMimosa is a genus of about 400 species of herbs and shrubs, in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word μιμος , meaning "mimic."...
: the arms of South African mining magnate Sir Abe Bailey - TaroTaroTaro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
: in the arms of the 24th Finance Battalion of the United States Army. - RooibosRooibosRooibos is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush...
tea twigs - The prickly pearOpuntiaOpuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
cactus: in the arms of the 113th Cavalry Regiment of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services... - Two cacti in a desert landscape proper in the Coat of arms of La Guajira.
- VanillaVanillaVanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
: in the arms of AntalahaAntalahaAntalaha is a commune in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Antalaha, which is a part of Sava Region. According to 2001 census the population of Antalaha was 75,000....
, in MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. - YuccaYuccaYucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
: in the arms of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - the magüey or century plant: in the arms of Don Diego de Mendoza
- MushroomMushroomA mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s (usually blazoned and depicted as the morelMorelMorchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them....
) - SugarcaneSugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
- A sugarcane plantation: the arms of ValeraValeraValera is a city in Trujillo State in Venezuela, situated between the rivers Momboy and Motatán. The mayor is Temístocles Cabezas, who has had that post since 2009. The city is home to Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Colombian and Spanish communities...
, Trujillo, Venezuela - The bordure on the arms of Hart bei GrazHart bei GrazHart bei Graz is a municipality in the district of Graz-Umgebung in Styria, Austria....
, Steiermark, Austria, is charged with an orle of lichenLichenLichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium... - GrassGrassGrasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
is sometimes specified to occur on the "mounts vert" (green hillocks) on which charges on the shield, or crest, sit or are placed. - A meadowMeadowA meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
appears in the arms of Aprato - a field of flowers: the arms of Blumenau, Brazil
- The elderberryElderberrySambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
is shown not as a shrubShrubA shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
, but a flower growing from the ground. - The broom plantBroom (shrub)Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in many other small genera . All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae...
, symbol of the Plantagenets, occurs occasionally. - The cattailTyphaTypha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
makes its appearance in the arms of the town of ArronvilleArronvilleArronville is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-Population:-References:** -External links:* * *...
in France. - The fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
is usually found as part of the "fern-brake" or group of ferns. Almost invariably ferns are "generic" and mature but the arms of John Leighton Williamson give an example of fiddlehead fernFiddlehead fernFiddleheads or Fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond...
(specifically Matteuccia struthiopteris). - HempHempHemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
: in the arms of Chennevières-lès-LouvresChennevières-lès-LouvresChennevières-lès-Louvres is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* *...
, in the department of Val d'Oise - HollyHollyIlex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
- HopsHopsHops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
occur occasionally - IvyIvyIvy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
- Thorns, spines, and pricklesThorns, spines, and pricklesIn botanical morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles are hard structures with sharp, or at least pointed, ends. In spite of this common feature, they differ in their growth and development on the plant; they are modified versions of different plant organs, stems, stipules, leaf veins, or hairs...
(usually in the form of a crown of thornsCrown of ThornsIn Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...
)
Astronomical
Celestial objects also feature as charges.A sun with rays is called a sun in splendour; there is at least one example of the rays being blazoned as differently tinctured.
- A "Philippine sun" can be seen in the arms of the 387th Replacement Battalion of the United States Army.
- A "Namibian sun" in the arms of Klaazen
- Moons come in many varieties, including the "full moon" and the "crescentCrescentIn art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
". - Although mulletsMullet (heraldry)In heraldry, the term star may refer to any star-shaped charge with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced...
appear to be starStarA star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s, in English heraldry they are actually supposed to be spurSpurA spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...
rowels; in modern times they are shown with five points, unless another number is specified (as in "mullet of six")- Ridged mullets appear in the arms of Gareth Zundel
- Estoiles are stars with wavy rays; pole starPole starThe term "Pole Star" usually refers to Polaris, which is the current northern pole star, also known as the North Star.In general, however, a pole star is a visible star, especially a prominent one, that is approximately aligned with the Earth's axis of rotation; that is, a star whose apparent...
s are occasionally differentiated. - The Star of Acadia (which has the same appeance as a mullet): in the arms of Roméo LeBlancRoméo LeBlancRoméo-Adrien LeBlanc was a Canadian journalist, politician, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since Canadian Confederation....
- An example of stars grouped in a constellationConstellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
is in the arms of the Australian state of Victoria, and repeated in the Australian armsCoat of arms of AustraliaThe coat of arms of Australia is the official symbol of Australia. The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be used in some contexts, notably appearing on...
, which show the Southern Cross. - Magen David: in the arms of Camilo Agasim-Pereira of Fulwood & Dirleton, The Baron of Fulwood & Dirleton.
- the astrologicalAstrologyAstrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
symbol of TaurusTaurus (constellation)Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head:...
appears in the arms of the 635th Supply Chain Operations Group of the United States Air Force. - The arms of the 507th Air Refuelling Wing of the United States Air Force show "a ringed planet"
- The arms of Pierre-Simon Laplace showed the planets Jupiter and Saturn and their moons.
- The aurora borealis appears in the arms of Murmansk OblastMurmansk OblastMurmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...
in Russia. - There are also cometCometA comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s and shooting starMeteoroidA meteoroid is a sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System. The visible path of a meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere is called a meteor, or colloquially a shooting star or falling star. If a meteoroid reaches the ground and survives impact, then it is called a meteorite...
s. - The globeGlobeA globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
appears frequently in later times, and the arms of Sven Anders Hedin are "Argent, a globe Azure centered on Asia, on a chief Sable three escallops of the first."- an arc of the globe showing Newfoundland: the arms of Arthur Maxwell HouseArthur Maxwell HouseArthur Maxwell House, is a Canadian neurologist and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.Born in Glovertown, he graduated from medical school at Dalhousie University in 1952...
- an arc of the globe showing Newfoundland: the arms of Arthur Maxwell House
Weather
- ThunderboltThunderboltA thunderbolt is a discharge of lightning accompanied by a loud thunderclap or its symbolic representation. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors, or, as Plato suggested in Timaeus, of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies,...
s and lightningLightningLightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
bolts—also called "lightning flashes" -- are shown in a stylized way. - There is at least one example of a "fork of lightning".
- CloudCloudA cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body. They are also known as aerosols. Clouds in Earth's atmosphere are studied in the cloud physics branch of meteorology...
s often occur, though more frequently for people or animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges. There are rare examples of unspecified numbers of clouds in an "atmosphere." - A "cloud formation": in the arms of the 23rd Air Division of the United States Air Force.
- Clouds forming a genieGenieJinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
: in the arms of the 3rd Chemical Battalion of the United States Army. - In terms of clouds' precipitation, the raindrop as such is unknown,
- The snowflakeSnowflakeSnowflakes are conglomerations of frozen ice crystals which fall through the Earth's atmosphere. They begin as snow crystals which develop when microscopic supercooled cloud droplets freeze. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through...
(blazoned as "snow crystal") is only known in more recent times, - though the snowballSnowballA snowball is a spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and compacting it into a roughly fist-sized ball. The snowball is often used to engage in games, such as snowball fights. Snowball fights are usually light-hearted and involve throwing snowballs at...
predates this by some centuries. - There is a perhaps unique example of "sound waves", which can apparently be distinguished only contextually.
Geology and geography
GeologicalGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and geographic
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
charges include the mountain (sometimes blazoned as a "rocky mountain," though the distinction is not significant), which must be distinguished from the oft-occurring mount in base vert. This mount is in turn similar to the terrace (though this is usually depicted as flatter) or champagne; the last is sometimes charged or modified in some way, including being crossed by a road. Very unusually, something about the road is blazoned. Landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s, in addition to their unusual use as field
Field (heraldry)
In heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
s, are very occasionally used as charges, typically in a Latin-American context.
- A desertDesertA desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
as a charge is featured in the Coat of arms of La Guajira.- Sand dunes occur in the arms of the former AFS Rooikop.
- volcanoVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
- A specific volcanos, including the Nevado del RuizNevado del RuizThe Nevado del Ruiz, also known as La Mesa de Herveo or Kumanday in the language of the local pre-Columbian indigenous people, is a volcano located on the border of the departments of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia, about west of the capital city Bogotá. It is a stratovolcano, composed of many...
- Xinantécatl in the arms of the State of Mexico
- A specific volcanos, including the Nevado del Ruiz
- A range of mountainsMountain rangeA mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
, such as appear in the arms of the Canadian province of Alberta and the United States State of ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
(the form is somewhat different than a mere group of mountains)- specific mountain ranges include the:
- Serra do Pedro in the arms of Patos, Paraiba, Brazil,
- ItapetingaItapetingaItapetinga is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.Its population in 2010, according to estimates by the IBGE, was 68,314, so it's the 24th most populous municipality of Bahia.-External links:...
in the arms of Atibaia, Brazil, - Curral D`el Rei in the arms of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Serra de Luminárias in the arms of LumináriasLumináriasLuminárias is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Campo das Vertentes and to the microregion of Lavras.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais...
, Minas Gerais, Brazil - A mountain from the Buerán range: the arms of Cantón AzoguesAzoguesAzogues is the capital of the province of Cañar in Ecuador. The population of Azogues is 27,866. Azogues is known for its Panama hat industry; the hats are produced primarily for export. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Azogues....
, CanarCañar ProvinceCañar is a province in Ecuador. The capital is Azogues. At the time of census 2005 the province had a population of 221,045. It contains the 16th-century ruins of Ingapirca, the best-known Inca settlement in Ecuador and a product of their conquest of the indigenous Cañari.- Cantons :The province...
, EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
- specific mountain ranges include the:
- A mount in base with "chalkChalkChalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
outcrops" occurs in the arms of the Chiltern District Council. - A mountain or mountains, a mount in base or a cliff can be covered with snow.
- Examples of specific mountain are:
- A representation of Diamond HeadDiamond Head, HawaiiDiamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin...
- Mt. Ararat
- Mount RainierMount RainierMount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
- Mt. Warning
- Sentinel PeakSentinel PeakSentinel Peak may refer to:* Sentinel Peak * Sentinel Peak * Sentinel Peak * Sentinel Peak * Sentinel Peak * Sentinel Peak * Sentinel Peak...
- Mount Triglav, in the coat of arms of SloveniaCoat of arms of SloveniaThe Slovenian coat of arms consists of a red bordered blue shield on which there is a stylised white mount Triglav. Under Triglav there are two bending lines that represent the sea and rivers, and above Triglav there are three golden, six-pointed stars, forming a triangle...
- Fitz RoyCerro ChalténMonte Fitz Roy is a mountain located near El Chaltén village, in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in Patagonia, on the border between Argentina and Chile...
, in the arms of the Argentinian Province of Santa Cruz - Korab or Šar Mountains, in the Macedonian coat of arms
- A stylized mountain bearing the profile of the "Old Man of the Mountain" is in the arms of the 167th Support Battalion of the United States Army.
- A representation of Diamond Head
Underneath the ground are rare occurrences of mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s, including the
- entrance to a coal mine in the arms of Biblian, Ecuador
- "Fingal's CaveFingal's CaveFingal's Cave is a sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, part of a National Nature Reserve owned by the National Trust for Scotland. It is formed entirely from hexagonally jointed basalt columns, similar in structure to the Giant's Causeway in Northern...
" appears in the arms of Reginald Macdonald Steurat - The black wildebeestWildebeestThe wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
s in the arms of Natal ran on a "plainPlainIn geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
". - The woman in the arms of Francke de Rückersdorf stands in a field of wheatWheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
. - Charges are also sometimes, if rarely, stated to be on a "promontory" or "peninsula".
- "Land masses" appear in the arms of some United States Air Force units.
- The island: in the arms ofCoat of arms of Prince Edward IslandThe coat of arms of Prince Edward Island was begun when the shield and motto in the achievement were granted in 1905 by royal warrant of the King Edward VII.-History:In the chief of the shield is the lion passant of England...
the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. - StoneRock (geology)In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
s are usually distinguished from rocks, and are to be distinguished from pebblePebbleA pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of 4 to 64 millimetres based on the Krumbein phi scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered to be larger than granules and smaller than cobbles . A rock made predominantly of pebbles is termed a conglomerate...
s- heart-shaped stones: in the arms of Šoštanj, Slovenia
- A rock in the form of a lion: in the former colonial arms of Bône, Algeria.
- Cut diamondDiamondIn mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s occasionally appear, one described in some detail in the arms of Asprey Holdings, Ltd. - Crystals of gypsumGypsumGypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
form a sort of border in the arms of Gams bei HieflauGams bei HieflauGams bei Hieflau is a municipality in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria....
, Steiermark, Austria. - A chipped flintFlintFlint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
implement: in the arms of Crouttes sur Marne, Aisne, France. - Charges relating to water include:
- The stylised lochLochLoch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
(the lake is shown more naturalistically), - Stylized wavy lake, such as the Ohrid Lake in the Macedonian coat of arms
- The arms of Westhoek, in Friesland, show a gulfHeadlands and baysHeadlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
. - The arms of the USS CardinalUSS CardinalUSS Cardinal may refer to:, was a Lapwing-class minesweeper that served between World War I and World War II., was built as the civilian fishing boat Jeanne D'Arc, then acquired and used by the Navy as a minesweeper during World War II....
show whitecaps - A lagoon or small lake or pond (laguna): in the arms of Don Diego
- The horse in the arms of Gesturi, Italy, gallops over a swampSwampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
- The arms of Tolmin, Slovenia, show a curving creekStreamA stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
. - A river of water and blood: in the arms of Geronimo del Aguila.
- Specific rivers, the São Francisco and Pará, in the arms of Martinho Campos, Minha Gervais, Brazil,
- The Rio Burgay in the arms of Biblián, Ecuador
- The Rio Iguaçu in the arms of Araucária, Paraná, Brazil
- The "confluence of the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões to form the Amazon"
- VardarVardarThe Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
River in the coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia - Waterfalls include
- The Salto del Tequendama in the arms of El ColegioEl ColegioEl Colegio is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
, Colombia. - The Amazon RiverAmazon RiverThe Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
in the Coat of arms of the Department of AmazonasCoat of arms of the Department of AmazonasThe coat of arms of the Amazonas was officially adopted by means of the Departamental Assembly Ordinance 020 of March 2, 1995. The coat of arms of Amazonas is also featured as a charge in the centre of the upper band of the Flag of Amazonas....
.
- The Salto del Tequendama in the arms of El Colegio
- The rocky shoreShoreA shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
in the arms of the state of AlagoasAlagoasAlagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
, Brazil, may also be reduced to this heading
- The stylised loch
Geometrical shapes
GeometricalGeometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
shapes, other than the ordinaries
Ordinary (heraldry)
In heraldry, an ordinary is a simple geometrical figure, bounded by straight lines and running from side to side or top to bottom of the shield. There are also some geometric charges known as subordinaries, which have been given lesser status by some heraldic writers, though most have been in use...
and subordinaries, are very rare in heraldry.
- An "acute angular pattern" (very exceptionally): in the arms of the 313th Air Division313th Air DivisionThe 313th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Kadena AB, Okinawa. It was deactivated on 1 October 1991.-History:...
of the United States Air Force. - There are occurrences of the triangleTriangleA triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
(sometimes specified to be equilateral though this is the default).- A triangle with concave sides: in the arms of the 10th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army.
- "Voided" isosceles triangle: in the arms of the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion of the United States Army.
- An isosceles triangle treated as a mountain in that it is "capped argent": in the arms of the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - See also the Christian Trinity emblemShield of the TrinityThe Shield of the Trinity or Scutum Fidei is a traditional Christian visual symbol which expresses many aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity, summarizing the first part of the Athanasian Creed in a compact diagram...
used in heraldry.
- 45° drafting triangleSet squareA set square or triangle is an object used in engineering and technical drawing, with the aim of providing a straightedge at a right angle or other particular planar angle to a baseline....
(engineering drawing implement): in the arms of the 30th Engineering Battalion of the United States Army. - There are very occasional appearances of the pentagonPentagonIn geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagram is an example of a self-intersecting pentagon.- Regular pentagons :In a regular pentagon, all sides are equal in length and...
and hexagon. - Octagon: in the arms of the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army.
- Demi-triangle: in the arms of Badon-Ghyben
- "Triangle in relief": in the arms of Belon-Lapisse.
- Pythagorean theoremPythagorean theoremIn mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle...
: the arms of Seissenegger - The ovalOvalAn oval is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse, such as a Cassini oval. The term does not have a precise mathematical definition except in one area oval , but it may also refer to:* A sporting arena of oval shape** a cricket field...
: in the arms of Carolus Linnæus. - There are a handful of examples of the coneCone (geometry)A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
and the cubeCubeIn geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. The cube can also be called a regular hexahedron and is one of the five Platonic solids. It is a special kind of square prism, of rectangular parallelepiped and...
. - LineLine (geometry)The notion of line or straight line was introduced by the ancient mathematicians to represent straight objects with negligible width and depth. Lines are an idealization of such objects...
s: in the arms of Allanridege, South Africa.
Tools
ToolTool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
s include:
- A double ansul in the arms of the Canadian Bar AssociationCanadian Bar AssociationThe Canadian Bar Association represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada.-History:The Association's first Annual Meeting was held in Montreal in 1896. However, the CBA has been in continuous existence in its present form since 1914...
- AxeAxeThe axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s of various types (including- Ice-axe
- PickaxePickaxeA pickaxe or pick is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle.Some people make the distinction that a pickaxe has a head with a pointed end and a flat end, and a pick has both ends pointed, or only one end; but most people use the words to mean the same thing.The head is...
- Pioneer's axes: in the arms of William Wallace McCuaig
- Fire tongs: in the arms of Stepney Metropolitan Borough Council
- HammerHammerA hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
s, blazoned either as "a hammer" and of various other types including:- Blacksmith's hammers: in the arms of Dr. Raymond Ernest Smith
- Paver's hammer": in the arms of Fanhões, AjudaAjudaAjuda is a Portuguese civil parish in the municipality of Lisbon with an area and 17,961 inhabitants ; its density was 5707.3 inhabitants/km².-History:...
, Lisboa, Portugal - Martels-de-fer: in the arms of the 192nd Ordnance Battalion of the United States Army.
- MaulMaulA splitting maul also known as a block buster, or block splitter is a heavy, long-handled hammer used for splitting a piece of wood along its grain. One side of its head is like a sledgehammer, and the other side is like an axe.- Wedged mauls :...
- HoeHoe (tool)A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural tool used to move small amounts of soil. Common goals include weed control by agitating the surface of the soil around plants, piling soil around the base of plants , creating narrow furrows and shallow trenches for planting seeds and bulbs, to chop...
- ShovelShovelA shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
- SickleSickleA sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
- LadderLadderA ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
s typically take the form of scaling ladders. - RakeRake (tool)A rake is a broom for outside; an horticultural implement consisting of a toothed bar fixed transversely to a handle, and used to collect leaves, hay, grass, etc., and, in gardening, for loosening the soil, light weeding and levelling, removing dead grass from...
- ScalesWeighing scaleA weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
(weighing) - ScissorsScissorsScissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
- SurgeonSurgeonIn medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
s' scalpelScalpelA scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts . Scalpels may be single-use disposable or re-usable. Re-usable scalpels can have attached, resharpenable blades or, more commonly, non-attached, replaceable...
s - TrowelTrowelA trowel is one of several similar hand tools used for digging, smoothing, or otherwise moving around small amounts of viscous or particulate material.-Hand tools:...
Aircraft and flying
- Generic aircraft,
- The Wright FlyerWright FlyerThe Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...
- Bi-wing aircraft,
- Flight symbols (sometimes described as "aircraft symbols") with "vapor trails".
- Futuramic aircraft.
- A DHC-2 appears in the arms of John Munroe Bogie.
- Hannibal AircraftHandley Page H.P.42The Handley Page H.P.42 and H.P.45 were British four-engine long-range biplane airliners designed to a 1928 Imperial Airways specification by Handley Page of Radlett in Hertfordshire....
: the arms of Beddington and Wallington - Impala AircraftAermacchi MB-326The Aermacchi or Macchi MB-326 is a light military jet aircraft designed in Italy. Originally conceived as a two-seat trainer, there have also been single and two-seat light attack versions produced. It is one of the most commercially successful aircraft of its type, being bought by more than 10...
: the arms of the Flying Training School of the South African Air Force. - The wind sock: in the arms of AmadoraAmadoraAmadora is a city and a municipality in Portugal, in the northwest of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The city and municipality population is 175,872 in eleven freguesias . With an area of 23.77 km², it is the most densely populated municipality of Portugal...
, Lisboa, Portugal. - A witch's broom: in the arms of the town De Doorns, South Africa - the town is situated near the Hex River.
Ground vehicles
The wheelWheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
is a carriage wheel unless otherwise specified, of which there are very few instances.
- A winged wheel: in the arms of Barrie, OntarioBarrie, OntarioBarrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
.- Parker states that a wagonWagonA wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
appears in the arms of Binning. - The front wheel of an ox-wagonOx-wagonAn ox-wagon or bullock wagon is a four-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen . It was a traditional form of transport, especially in Southern Africa but also in New Zealand and Australia. Ox-wagons were also used in the United States...
: appears in the arms of Cicero Rautenbach (South Africa). - A Covered wagonConestoga wagonThe Conestoga wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and sometimes in Canada as well. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons , and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen...
: in the arms of the 734th Transportation Battalion of the United States Army.- A stylized image of an oxen drawn covered wagon: the arms of the Special Troops Battalion of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the United States Army
- A mine wagon: in the arms of Mont-DoreMont-DoreLe Mont-Dore , formerly called Mont-Dore-les-Bains, is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-Geography:...
- A Voortrekker wagon: in the arms of the former South African RepublicSouth African RepublicThe South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
, later revived as the provincial arms of the TransvaalTransvaal ProvinceTransvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
.
- Parker states that a wagon
- A mechanized track: in the arms of the 121st Support Battalion of the United States Army.
- An army truckTruckA truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
: in the arms of the 49th. - Truck wheels are said to be tireTireA tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
d if the tires are of a different tincture - A stage coachStagecoachA stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
: in the arms of Ville de Stanstead. - A road roller: in the arms of Phillipstown Divisional Council, South Africa.
- A tractorTractorA tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
: in the arms of Nova Mutum, Brazil; a man riding one can be seen in the arms of Sulina, Brazil.
Ships and boats and water transport
ShipShip
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s take a variety of forms:
- Most often the lymphad (a type of ancient ship).
- Sinagot (fishing boat) of SénéSénéSéné is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Breton language:The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on September 22 2006.-References:* * -External links:* * *...
, MorbihanMorbihanMorbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
, France - A Roman ship
- Viking shipViking shipViking ships were vessels used during the Viking Age in Northern Europe. Scandinavian tradition of shipbuilding during the Viking Age was characterized by slender and flexible boats, with symmetrical ends with true keel. They were clinker built, which is the overlapping of planks riveted together...
s - SailboatSailboatA sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
s including:- The Cape Breton Sloop in the arms of Cape BretonCape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova ScotiaCape Breton Regional Municipality often shortened to simply CBRM, is a regional municipality in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton County.According to the 2006 Census of Canada, the population within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is 102,250...
, Nova ScotiaNova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
- The Cape Breton Sloop in the arms of Cape Breton
- Three-masted sailing ships
- A barqueBarqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
- A steamerSteamboatA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
. - The arms of San Francisco show "a device of a steamship passing the Golden GateGolden GateThe Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
". - Mississippi RiverMississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
steamboat: the arms of the 442nd Infantry Regiment442nd Regimental Combat TeamThe 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army, was composed of Japanese-American enlisted men and mostly Caucasian officers. They fought primarily in Europe during World War II, beginning in 1944. The families of many of its soldiers were subject to internment...
of the United States Army - The arms of the London Borough of Barking and DagenhamLondon Borough of Barking and DagenhamIn 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by...
includes a "Barking Well Smack". - The colonial arms of DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
show piroguePirogueA pirogue is a small, flat-bottomed boat of a design associated particularly with the Cajuns of the Louisiana marsh. In West Africa they were used as traditional fishing boats. These boats are not usually intended for overnight travel but are light and small enough to be easily taken onto land...
s. - The arms of Atalaia Freguesia, Lourinhã, Portugal], feature a galley wrecked by crashing into a rock.
- A bargeBargeA barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
appears in the arms of Bruyères sur Oise, Val d'Oise, France - There rare occurrences of Noah's arkNoah's ArkNoah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
. - The arms of Zaandam, Noord Holland, the Netherlands, contain an "unfinished ship".
- canoeCanoeA canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s and canoe paddles: in the arms of John TurnerJohn TurnerJohn Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
- Ojibwe canoeCanoeA canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s figure in the arms of James Karl Bartleman - A "Kootenai canoe" is in the arms of the College of the Rockies.
- Ojibwe canoe
- A 15th century Portuguese caravelle
- The silhouette of the PG 101
Parts of ships include the rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
- topsail, crow's nestCrow's nestA crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship or structure, that is used as a lookout point.This position ensured the best view of the approaching hazards, other ships or land. It was the best device for this purpose until the invention of radar.In early ships it was...
and pennant: in the arms of the USS PrebleUSS PrebleUSS Preble may refer to: was a sloop-of-war that fought at the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812, was a sloop that fought in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War, and visited Japan... - A canal lock: in the arms of Idegem, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
- AnchorAnchorAn anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
Bridges
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s, variously and usually more fully described, often occur.
- A suspension bridgeSuspension bridgeA suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
occurs in the arms of Plouhinec, MorbihanPlouhinec, MorbihanPlouhinec is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* * *...
, France. - A railway bridge in the arms of HadsundHadsundHadsund is a town with a population of 5,040 in Mariagerfjord municipality, Region Nordjylland on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark....
, Denmark. - A specific bridge, the Staines BridgeStaines BridgeStaines Bridge is a road bridge running in a south-west to north-east direction across the River Thames in Surrey. It is on the modern A308 road and links the boroughs of Spelthorne and Runnymede at Staines and Egham Hythe....
, can be seen in the arms of the Staines Urban DistrictStaines Urban DistrictStaines was a local government district from 1894 to 1974 around the town of Staines. Apart from Staines itself, it also covered Ashford, Laleham and Stanwell....
Council. - An ancient Roman bridge such as in the arms of SacavémSacavémSacavém is a Portuguese civil parish , in the municipality of Loures, just a few kilometers northeast of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The parish covers an area of , with a population of 17,659 inhabitants...
, Portugal. - A "bridge issuant therefrom a minaret and a tower" occurs in the arms of Vicken Koundakjian
Religious buildings
- Various forms of religious buildings including:-
- An "ecclesiastical building": in the arms of the town of EcclesEccles, Greater ManchesterEccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
in England - The bridge in the arms of Vicken Koundakjian supports a minaretMinaretA minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
and tower (see above) - A belfry
- A steepleSteeple (architecture)A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
- A specific steeple, that of "San Agustin Cathedral in LaredoLaredo, TexasLaredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Texas"
- A specific steeple, that of "San Agustin Cathedral in Laredo
- churches of various types including a romanic church
- Rural church "domed onion-shaped": in the arms of Kirchberg, Germany
- A church with campanileCampanileCampanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
in the gothic style: in the arms of BercetoBercetoBerceto is a village and comune in Italy, located in the Apennine Mountains on the main road between La Spezia and Parma, in the Taro River valley.-External links:* - from the Parish of San Lorenzo, villa Lozzola, comune Berceto, Parma,Italy...
, Italy; the campanile appears separately in the arms of the Port Elizabeth Hospital Board.
- Specific churches such as:
- The basilicaBasilicaThe Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
at She-Shan: in the arms of Cardinal Kung - The cupola of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow: in the arms of Juan Antonio Samaranch i Torelló, Marquis of Samaranch.
- The Cathedral of Chihuahua: in the arms of that city
- The Church of OrmskirkOrmskirkOrmskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
: in the arms of the West Lancashire District Council - Chiesa Di Santa Vittoria: in the arms of Telti, Sardinia, Italy
- The basilica
- ChapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s, including an:- Octagon chapel in romanic style
- The chapel of Siecha
- the Convento da Penha: in the arms of Vila Velha, Brazil.
- missions:
- Mission San Francisco de la EspadaMission San Francisco de la EspadaMission San Francisco de la Espada was a Roman Catholic mission established by Spain near San Antonio de Bexar in northern New Spain in 1731 to convert local Native Americans to Christianity and solidify Spanish territorial claims in the New World against encroachment from France...
: the arms of the County of Bexar, Texas. - the silhouette of a mission colonnadeColonnadeIn classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
: the arms of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, CaliforniaOrange, CaliforniaSouthern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
.
- Mission San Francisco de la Espada
- A monk's cell [shown as a separate building]
- James Parker states that (in addition to regular appearances of the building) "the ruins of an old abbey" appear in arms quartered by Maitland.
- Various types of templeTempleA temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, including:- The three columned temple of GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
: the arms of the 325th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. - A "Korean temple": in the arms of the 321st Army Security Agency of the United States Army.
- The minaretMinaretA minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
of a mosqueMosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
: in the arms of TlemcenTlemcenTlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
- The three columned temple of Georgia
Industrial buildings
- A cooling towerCooling towerCooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
: in the arms of Hendrina, South Africa. - Other buildings and related structures include:
- The bakingBakingBaking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, cookies and crackers. Such items...
furnaceFurnaceA furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
: - The blast furnaceBlast furnaceA blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
: in the arms of BarnaulBarnaul-Russian Empire:Barnaul was one of the earlier cities established in Siberia. Originally chosen for its proximity to the mineral-rich Altai Mountains and its location on a major river, the site was founded by the wealthy Demidov family in the 1730s. In addition to the copper which had originally...
, Altai KraiAltai KraiAltai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
, Russia); - DolmenDolmenA dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s - Chimneyss: in the arms of Trail, British ColumbiaTrail, British ColumbiaTrail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
; - There are a few Brazilian examples of electrical towers, otherwise described as electrical transmission towers;
- The factoryFactoryA factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
: in the arms of São João da MadeiraSão João da MadeiraSão João da Madeira , in English St. John's Wood, is a municipality in northwestern Portugal. Its part of Porto Metropolitan Area, the second largest of Portugal. It has a land area of 8.11 km² and a total population of 21 685 inhabitants...
, Portugal- A factory chimney (with ladder railing): the arms of Fakkel Volkskool, Sasolburg, South Africa
- Silhouettes of factory roofs: in the arms of RušeRušeRuše is a small town and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. It lies on the right bank of the Drava River to the west of Maribor and extends south into the Pohorje hills. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
- A cementCementIn the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
mill in the arms of RetzneiRetzneiRetznei is a municipality in the district of Leibnitz in Styria, Austria....
, Steiermark, Austria of and a particular cement factory (in the arms of ApuloApuloApulo is a Colombian town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department....
, Colombia. - KilnKilnA kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s (for firing ceramicsPotteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and lime) - A converter: in the arms of HomécourtHomécourtHomécourt is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.- See also :* Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
, Meurthe et Moselle, France.
Fortified buildings
- castleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
- This is distinguished from the towerTowerA tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
in that a castle of the "generic" type (in British and allied heraldry, at any rate) consists of two towers connected by an embattled wall (also a charge in heraldry). - There are a number of other types of castles including the quadrangular castleQuadrangular castleA quadrangular castle or courtyard castle is a type of castle characterised by ranges of buildings which are integral with the curtain walls, enclosing a central ward or quadrangle, and typically with angle towers. There is no keep and frequently no distinct gatehouse...
. - Castles may be domed or may have conical roofs.
- A turreted castle of three storeys appears in the former civic arms of Benoni, South Africa.
- A castle of an unusual type: in the arms of LauerzLauerzLauerz is a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.-Geography:Lauerz has an area, , of . Of this area, 44.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 35.7% is forested...
, in the canton of SchwyzCanton of SchwyzSchwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz....
, Switzerland. - The Fontanellato castle: in the arms of FontanellatoFontanellatoFontanellato is a small town in the province of Parma, in northern Italy. It lies on the plains of the River Po near the A1 autostrada, about 20 kilometres west of Parma towards Piacenza....
, Italy. - The Nordborg castleNordborg CastleNordborg Castle is a small castle which lies on the southern side of Nordborg Lake in Nordborg on the island of Als in Denmark. The castle premises are currently used as a boarding school.-Founding and Early History:...
: in the arms of NordborgNordborgNordborg , is a town with a population of 6,730 and a former municipality in Sønderborg Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark on the northwest half of the island of Als off the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The former Nordborg municipality covered an area of...
, Denmark. - The castle of Ehrenbreitstein: in the arms of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.
- Rocca di Minozzo: the arms of Villa MinozzoVilla MinozzoVilla Minozzo is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 70 km west of Bologna and about 40 km southwest of Reggio Emilia....
, Italy - ruined castles sometimes appear
- A mount Vert debruising all but the embattlements of a castle and tower: the arms of the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.
- A castle gateway: in the arms of Heidelberg, South Africa.
- This is distinguished from the tower
- The castle is distinguished from the "tower triple-towered", i.e. with three smaller towers or turrets rising out of the top, as in the arms of CastileKingdom of CastileKingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
.- An octagonal tower of Caernarvon Castle with two turrets: Institute of Quarrying, South Africa.
- A martello towerMartello towerMartello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
: in the arms of the 41st Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. - In addition, there are a great number of specific types of towers, often very extensively described.
- The Palazzo della "Torraccia": in the arms of Terzolas, Italy.
- A city wall with the letter "A" formed out of the masonry) with another tower rising from, or behind, the wall) in the arms of Alexandow Kujawski:
- An arched wall with three capstones, one, one and one, charged with two pillars, one in dexter and one in sinister appears in the arms of the 559th Medical Group of the United States Air Force
- The "rampartDefensive wallA defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
in ruinsRuinsRuins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
": in the arms of Mennetou sur Cher, Loir et Cher, France. - An oak fortress figures in the arms of Arsk, Russia
- A "four-bastioned fort" (in plan): in the arms of the 729th Support Battalion of the United States Army. and
- A four bastioned fort of the outline of old Fort Stanwix: in the arms of the 390th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.
- The city is also a frequently occurring charge, though almost exclusively in civic heraldry.
- The Chaussée Gate of Verdun: in the arms of the 108th Medical Battalion of the United States Army.
- The stone block house of El Caney, Cuba: in the arms of the 25th Armored Infantry Battalion of the United States Army.
Groups of buildings
- city: the arms of Diego de Mendoza, Austria y Moctezuma
- The arms of La Roche sur Yon, in the Vendée, show a town.
- The arms of Masevaux, Haut Rhin, France], show a fortified town.
- The coat of arms of Villalba, Puerto Rico show "a village of the XIX century".
- The arms of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, show a seaport.
- Industrial center: the arms of Motatan, Trujillo, Venezuela
- [T]he silhouette of the Twin Towers (of New York City's World Trade CenterWorld Trade CenterThe original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, though this is not stated, and it has been pointed out that this could lead to confusion in future): arms of the 104th Military Police Battalion of the New York Army National Guard - Plaza de Bolivar, Herveo en Tolima, Colombia, in the arms of that town
Other buildings
A vaguely-described "stylized building" appears in the arms of the 26th Air Division of the United States Air Force.- An arcadeArcade (architecture)An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
: in the arms of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. - A stylized representation of the Cliff PalaceCliff PalaceThe Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The structure built by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples is located in Mesa Verde National Park in their former homeland region...
dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans: in the arms of the USS Mesa Verde. - A Montreal dwelling under construction (tempore 1680): in the arms of Pierre TrudeauPierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
- The domes of the Taj MahalTaj MahalThe Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
: in the arms of the 160th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army. - The tower in the regular sense is distinguished from:
- The "modern tower", resembling a palletPale (heraldry)A pale is a term used in heraldic blazon and vexillology to describe a charge on a coat of arms , that takes the form of a band running vertically down the center of the shield. Writers broadly agree that the width of the pale ranges from about one-fifth to about one-third of the width of the...
couped in chief; compare the immeubles in the arms of Avion, Pas de Calais, France. - The skyscraperSkyscraperA skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
: in the arms of VelenjeVelenjeVelenje is a town and municipality in northern Slovenia. The municipality has 33.331 inhabitants. Staro Velenje is first mentioned in written doucments dating to 1264 and 1374 as small market town and was a center of handicraft and trade...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
.
- The "modern tower", resembling a pallet
- Brick towers: in the arms of the Office of Historic Properties of the United States Army.
- A specific tower that appears is Franke Tower in the arms of Omaruru, Namibia.
- Colonial or colonial-style houses.
- A farmhouseFarmhouseFarmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
: in the arms of Stoney Creek, OntarioStoney Creek, OntarioStoney Creek is a community in Ontario, Canada.Note: This article will only deal with matters up to its amalgamation with Hamilton.-Geography and population:...
, Canada - A sod houseSod houseThe sod house or "soddy" was a corollary to the log cabin during frontier settlement of Canada and the United States. The prairie lacked standard building materials such as wood or stone; however, sod from thickly-rooted prairie grass was abundant...
: in the arms of Katherina Fahlman Selinger Schaaf - A garage: in the arms of BálsamoBálsamoBálsamo is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2003 is 7,632 and the area is 150.86 km². Its latitude is 20.33/20°44'7" S and the longitude is 49.16/49°35'1" W, the density is /km²...
, Brazil - A hutHut (dwelling)A hut is a small and crude shelter, usually used for dwelling. Its design favors local techniques and materials to allow for swift and inexpensive construction.-Modern use:...
: in the arms of Monnakato Urban Council, South Africa - A hermitageHermitage (religious retreat)Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
- A lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
- A specific lighthouse, the Point Bonita LightPoint Bonita LightPoint Bonita Light is a lighthouse located at Point Bonita at the San Francisco Bay entrance in the Marin Headlands near Sausalito, California. Point Bonita was the last manned lighthouse on the California coast.-History:...
(in silhouetteSilhouetteA silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
): in the arms of the USCGC George Cobb.
- A specific lighthouse, the Point Bonita Light
- The pavilionPavilion (structure)In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
- TentTentA tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s - The mairie or town hall: in the arms of LocmiquélicLocmiquélicLocmiquélic is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Locmiquélic are called in French Locmiquélicains or Minahouëts.-References:* * -External links:*...
, MorbihanMorbihanMorbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
, France. - WindmillWindmillA windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s (including various components) - Pigeon coops
- PilloriesPilloryThe pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
- The Moscow KremlinMoscow KremlinThe Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
: in the arms of Le Kremlin-BicêtreLe Kremlin-BicêtreLe Kremlin-Bicêtre is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe....
, Val de Marne, France). (The appearance of the Kremlin brings up the point that difficulties can sometimes arise when it comes to depicting specific buildings, rather than specific types of buildings, from the blazon; for instance, if one is not familiar with the Château de MalmaisonChâteau de MalmaisonThe Château de Malmaison is a country house in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km from Paris.It was formerly the residence of Joséphine de Beauharnais, and with the Tuileries, was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government.-History:Joséphine de Beauharnais bought the...
[in the arms of Rueil-MalmaisonRueil-MalmaisonRueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located 12.6 kilometers from the center of Paris.-Name:...
in Hauts de Seine, France] or the hôpital Saint Louis à Paris in the arms of Richerand, one can be in trouble.) - The Façade of the House of the Royal Society of Arts: in the arms of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
- The Royal Exchange: in the arms of the Royal Exchange Assurance CompanyRoyal Exchange Assurance CorporationThe Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation, founded in 1720, was a British insurance company. It took its name from the location of its offices at the Royal Exchange, London.-Origins:...
. - In France, the aqueductAqueductAn aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
sometimes appears; and there is an appearance of its vent in Portugal. - Weathervanes occur not only atop buildings but as independent charges.
- An example of an autochthonic charge along these lines appearing in heraldry is the inuksuk in the arms of NunavutNunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
- A wigwamWigwamA wigwam or wickiup is a domed room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. The term wickiup is generally used to label these kinds of dwellings in American Southwest and West. Wigwam is usually applied to these structures in the American Northeast...
: in the arms of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. - The keystoneKeystone (architecture)A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
: in the arms of the 104th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. - A kioskKioskKiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
and fountain: in the arms of the Mexican city of General Bravo. - The entrance portal of the former Scarborough High School: in the arms of R.H. King Academy.
- The Osono Giants' TombGiants' gravethumb|300px|sa Ena 'e Thomes Giants' grave in [[Dorgali]].thumb|300px|Interior of the sa Ena 'e Thomes tomb.Giants' grave is the name given by local people and archaeologists to a type of Sardinian megalithic gallery grave built during the Bronze Age by the Nuragic civilization...
: in the arms of TrieiTrieiTriei is a comune of c. 1,000 inhabitants in the province of Ogliastra in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 100 km northeast of Cagliari and about 11 km north of Tortolì....
, Sardinia, Italy - A three-columned DoricDoric orderThe Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
porticoPorticoA portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
: in the arms of University College of the North, South Africa
Hats and other headgear
HatHat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
s include:-
- The ecclesiastical hat in the arms of Freguesia do Prior Velho in Portugal
- the ecclesiastical hat of a bishop: in the arms of São João NepomucenoSão João NepomucenoSão João Nepomuceno is a city in the southeast of Minas Gerais, Brazil close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro.-External links:http://wikitravel.org/pt/São_João_Nepomuceno...
, Minas Gerais, Brazil. - The shakoShakoA shako is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a peak or visor and sometimes tapered at the top...
- The "wide-brimmed hat" in the arms of Marco Foppoli
- Constantly appearing are crowns (sometimes stated to be encrusted with jewels such as emeraldEmeraldEmerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
s) and coronetCoronetA coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
s of various kinds:- two circlets of the crown of a King of Arms: in the arms of Sir Albert William Woods
- The Gothick crown
- The crest coronet: in the arms of Steven B. Madewell
- Coronets érablé: in the arms of Brian Mulroney
- The liberty tiara: in the arms of the 389th Support Battalion of the United States Army.
- The naval crown: in the arms of the USCGC Decisive.
- The mortarboard.
- Basotho hats: in the arms of the Molefe Tribal Authority (South Africa).
- Confucian hats: in the arms of John Chiu.
- Helmets include
- A miner's helmet: in the arms of Le Roc Saint André, Morbihan, France.
- A Roman helmet: appeared in the colonial arms of Aïn TémouchentAïn Témouchent- References :...
, Algeria. - A "horned Viking's helmet" appears in the arms of Ronald Norman Schlemmer (South Africa).
- A winged conical helmet: in the arms of Thornley Todd Wehling.
- The Papal tiaraPapal TiaraThe Papal Tiara, also known incorrectly as the Triple Tiara, or in Latin as the Triregnum, in Italian as the Triregno and as the Trirègne in French, is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown, supposedly of Byzantine and Persian origin, that is a prominent symbol of the papacy...
- Phrygian capPhrygian capThe Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia. In the western provinces of the Roman Empire it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty, perhaps through a confusion with the pileus,...
s very occasionally appear. - There are occasional appearances of the turbanTurbanIn English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
.
Industrial
- Charges related to industryIndustryIndustry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
include the cogwheel. - KeysKey (lock)A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
(taking a form similar to a "skeleton keySkeleton KeySkeleton Key is a rock band based in New York City. The band is the brainchild of bassist and singer Erik Sanko, who is the only constant member of the band...
") frequently appear. - LadleLadle (metallurgy)In a foundry, a ladle is a vessel used to transport and pour out molten metals. Ladles range in size from small hand carried vessels that resemble a kitchen ladle and hold or to large steelmill ladles that hold up to...
s: in the arms of Stellenbosch Technical College. - mineMiningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
(as in mineral): in the arms of BiyskBiyskBiysk is a city in Altai Krai, Russia. It is the second largest city of the krai . Population: -Geography:Biysk is situated in southwestern Siberia, on the Biya River . The city is called "the gates to the Altai Mountains", because of its position comparatively not far from this range...
, Altai Krai region, Russia. - pipelinePipeline transportPipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
in the form of two hands shaking: in the arms of Puerto SalgarPuerto SalgarPuerto Salgar is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It has come to international attention since the US ambassador in Colombia announced the Palanquero Air Base had entered a recertification process, possibly in order to host US military personnel as a...
, Colombia. - Flat bed printing pressPrinting pressA printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
in the arms of Joe Clark. - spannerWrenchA wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning....
: tihe arms of the 749th Maintenance Battalion of the United States Army.
Scientific
- Alchemical symbolAlchemical symbolAlchemical symbols, originally devised as part of alchemy, were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Note that while notation like this was mostly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists, so this page lists the most common.-Three primes:According...
for phosphorusPhosphorusPhosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
: in the armsCoat of arms of NauruThe design of the coat of arms of the Republic of Nauru originated in 1968 following the declaration of independence, and it began to be used officially in the early 1970s.-Features:Its shield is divided and separated in the middle...
of NauruNauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
. - Benzene ring: the arms of the 476th Chemical Battalion of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- InfinityInfinityInfinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
symbol: in arms of those with some connexion to the MétisMétis people (Canada)The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
. - MicrometerMicrometerA micrometer , sometimes known as a micrometer screw gauge, is a device incorporating a calibrated screw used widely for precise measurement of small distances in mechanical engineering and machining as well as most mechanical trades, along with other metrological instruments such as dial, vernier,...
: in the arms of the 194th Maintenance Battalion of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - MicroscopeMicroscopeA microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
: in the arms of Fitzpatricks Limited.
Atomic
Atomic heraldry is heraldryHeraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
characterised by the appearance of charges
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...
including the atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
or showing the motion of parts of the atom; more loosely, it may describe heraldry in which atoms or the component parts thereof are represented through a combination of other charges. This is a late development in heraldry.
- A nucleus encircled by electrons: the arms of Carletonville (South Africa) (1962), Clarington, OntarioClarington, OntarioClarington is a municipality in Ontario, Canada in the Regional Municipality of Durham. It took its present name in 1994 after having been known as the Town of Newcastle from 1974-93. The name change was made to alleviate long-standing confusion between the municipality as a whole and the included...
, Canada. - Two nuclei enclosed within a representation of three electron paths: in the arms of Fedoruk.
- A sign of the "atom": in the arms of Saint-VulbasSaint-VulbasSaint-Vulbas is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, AinAinAin is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
, France. - A representation of an atom with four electrons Sable in orbits Gules: the arms of George GeorgiouGeorge GeorgiouGeorge Georgiou is a freelance British photographer and photojournalist best known for his work in eastern Europe, particularly Turkey.-Career in photography:...
. - A methaneMethaneMethane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
moleculeMoleculeA molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
: in the arms of Hoerskool Secunda (South AFrica).
Letters and numbers
Letters of the (Latin) alphabet rarely appear, and then almost invariably in either one of two "fontsTypeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
", Latin
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
or "text" letters ("black letter", which it has been blazoned as at least once".
- There are rare instances of uncialUncialUncial is a majuscule script commonly used from the 3rd to 8th centuries AD by Latin and Greek scribes. Uncial letters are written in either Greek, Latin, or Gothic.-Development:...
, as the "M" in the arms of MeauxMeauxMeaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
, Seine et Marne, France. - A "block letter" M: in the arms of Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. - A monogramMonogramA monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a...
, "MK", appears in the arms of Końskie, Poland.- The most common monogram is the chi rhoChi RhoThe Chi Rho is one of the earliest forms of christogram, and is used by Christians. It is formed by superimposing the first two letters chi and rho of the Greek word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" =Christ in such a way to produce the monogram ☧...
. - The monogrammed "OT" of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 90th Division: the arms of the 357th Regiment of the United States Army.
- The most common monogram is the chi rho
- Letters are almost invariably capital, but the arms of Brétigny-sur-OrgeBrétigny-sur-OrgeBrétigny-sur-Orge is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:Brétigny-sur-Orge is served by Brétigny station on Paris RER line C.Inhabitants of Brétigny-sur-Orge are known as Brétignolais....
, EssonneEssonneEssonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
, France, provide perhaps a unique example of a "lower-case" letter.- A capital "L" enjolivée or "embellished": in the arms of Lagny sur Marne, Seine et Marne, France.
- the capital "K" in the arms of Casacalenda, Italy, has its arms ending in triangles
- Letters of the Hebrew alphabetHebrew alphabetThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
also appear, as in the arms of Brandeis UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. - Greek letters: in the arms of Alexio, Italy and Clark
- Runes appear in the arms of Nollert.
- Very rarely, typically in North-African contexts, Arabic writing appears.
- An AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n ideogrammeIdeogrammeAn ideogramme is a form of poetry that relies heavily on typographical elements, design, and layout.It comparable in manner to onomatopoetics or onomatopoeia. With onomatopoeia the word said sounds like what it represents: Moo, Whack, Bang, etc. etc....
: in Baron Leon de Meyer's arms. - Egyptian hieroglyphics: in the arms of Hosni MubarakHosni MubarakMuhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
. - Entire wordsMorphemeIn linguistics, a morpheme is the smallest semantically meaningful unit in a language. The field of study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology. A morpheme is not identical to a word, and the principal difference between the two is that a morpheme may or may not stand alone, whereas a word,...
and phrasePhraseIn everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words which form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause....
s, while all but unknown in British heraldry, frequently appear in Spanish and Portuguese. - Arabic numerals sometimes appear, in addition to the occasional later (and often criticised) appearance of datesCalendar dateA date in a calendar is a reference to a particular day represented within a calendar system. The calendar date allows the specific day to be identified. The number of days between two dates may be calculated. For example, "24 " is ten days after "14 " in the Gregorian calendar. The date of a...
. - A[n] (underlineUnderlineAn underline, also called an underscore, is one or more horizontal lines immediately below a portion of writing. Single, and occasionally double , underlining was originally used in hand-written or typewritten documents to emphasise text...
d) Roman numeral: in the arms of Štore, Slovenia.
Music
Musical instruments include:- HarpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
(as in the Coat of arms of IrelandCoat of arms of IrelandThe arms of Ireland is blazoned as Azure a harp Or, stringed Argent . These arms have long been Ireland's heraldic emblem. References to them as being the arms of the king of Ireland can be found as early as the 13th century...
) - BagpipesBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
- BellBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
s- The Liberty BellLiberty BellThe Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
: in the arms of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.
- The Liberty Bell
- An Infantry bugleBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
of 1861: in the arms of the 19th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. - ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
: in the arms of Chevalier Walter Boekens - DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
(shown as a "field drum") but- An ethnic drum: distinguished in the arms of Lyndhurst Primary School in South Africa
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(only occurring as acoustic) - LyreLyreThe lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
s - Musical notes include
- MinimHalf noteIn music, a half note or minim is a note played for half the duration of a whole note and twice the duration of a quarter note...
s (half-notes) (in the arms of Iain Millington) and - Croches (quarter-notes) (in the arms of Baron Toots ThielemansToots ThielemansJean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans , known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century...
)
- Minim
- Organ pipeOrgan pipeAn organ pipe is a sound-producing element of the pipe organ that resonates at a specific pitch when pressurized air is driven through it. Each pipe is tuned to a specific note of the musical scale...
s - Panpipe: in the arms of Hilary Mary Weston
- A sharpSharp (music)In music, sharp, dièse , or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
, flat, and natural: in the arms of Orlando di Lasso. - Treble clef: in the arms of the Hamilton Children's Choir
- Tuning forkTuning forkA tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork with the prongs formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic metal . It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object, and emits a pure musical tone after waiting a...
: in the arms of Franklin W. Darroch of Mulmorich might be placed under the same heading. - ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(along with its bow)- The violin bridge: in the arms of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- A specific musical score ("Intermezzo", by Luis A. Calvo): in the arms of Agua de Dios, Colombia.
Sports equipment
Sports equipmentSports equipment
Sports equipment is a general term for any object used for sport or exercise. Examples of sports equipment include:-Exercise equipment:Examples for exercise include swiss balls, weights, equipment for the gym...
includes:
- A bowling jack and bowling woods: the arms of the Cape County Bowling Association, South Africa
- A cycle car: in the arms of the Western Province Cycle-Car Association
- A soccer ball appears in the arms of Baron M. D'Hooghe.
- golf clubGolf club (equipment)A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
s, as found in the arms of the Hoylake Urban District Council - SkiSkiA ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
s, in the arms of Bloke, Slovenia - A rubberRubberNatural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
ball: in the arms of Altamira, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... - RugbyRugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
balls occasionally occur in the arms of South African rugby clubs. - Rugby goal posts are in the arms of the Collegians Rugby Club, Kroonstad (South Africa).
- Tennis racquets appear in the arms of the South African Railways Recreation Club, Coligny (South Africa).
Weapons and militaria
- a contact mine: in the arms of the USS CardinalUSS CardinalUSS Cardinal may refer to:, was a Lapwing-class minesweeper that served between World War I and World War II., was built as the civilian fishing boat Jeanne D'Arc, then acquired and used by the Navy as a minesweeper during World War II....
- The trophyTrophyA trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
is a collection of armor and weaponWeaponA weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s. - Bows include the longbowLongbowA longbow is a type of bow that is tall ; this will allow its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw....
and crossbowCrossbowA crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
and arrowArrowAn arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s include the birdbolt- an arrow tipped with a "Reed" stone head: the arms of Joe Lyn Casey
- The cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
(and its ballsRound shotRound shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
, including:- An "ancient cannon": in the arms of Robert B. Mitchell.
- A "projectile": in the arms of the 131st Signal Battalion,
- A "75 mm projectile": in the arms of the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, of the United States Army.
- A "broken howitzerHowitzerA howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
": in the arms of the 13th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army. - The Polynesian war club: in the arms of the 131st Armor Regiment of the United States Army.
- A tomahawkTomahawk (axe)A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
: in the arms of the Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division of the United States Army. - The dirkDirkA dirk is a short thrusting dagger, sometimes a cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt rather than a knife blade. It was historically used as a personal weapon for officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail.-Etymology:...
makes frequent appearances in Scottish heraldry. - The grenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
has an appearance similar to a cannonball with flames coming out of a flattened end. - lanceLanceA Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
- "Polish lance" born by Davout
- The mace appears as a weapon in addition to its appearance as a symbol of authority.
- The swordSwordA sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
constantly appears, often as an attribute of Saint Paul. (The hilt and pommel sometimes differ in tincture from the blade.)- suriks: in the arms of East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
- an infantry officer's sword: the arms of William Livesay Beverley Heath.
- suriks: in the arms of East Timor
- Weapons of later times (or the effects of such weapons) also appear, such as:
- The musketMusketA musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
: in the arms of Hocklin. - A field gunField gunA field gun is an artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march and when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances, as to opposed guns installed in a fort, or to siege cannon or mortars which...
: in the arms of John Ballingal Wilkes.- A Mexican field gun is distinguished in the arms of the 2d Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.
- A machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
on a Vavasseur mountingVavasseur mountingJosiah Vavasseur was an inventor who patented several mounting devices for artillery and machine guns. These were known as Vavasseur mountings....
: in the arms of Josiah Vavasseur, Esq.. - A railway gunRailway gunA railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval ordnance, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World...
appears in the arms of the 7 Air Defense Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.
- The musket
- A "stand of grapeGrapeshotIn artillery, a grapeshot is a type of shot that is not a one solid element, but a mass of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag. It was used both in land and naval warfare. When assembled, the balls resembled a cluster of grapes, hence the name...
": in the arms of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army. - Atomic cloudMushroom cloudA mushroom cloud is a distinctive pyrocumulus mushroom-shaped cloud of condensed water vapor or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect. They can be caused by...
: in the arms of the 509th Bomb Wing509th Bomb WingThe 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....
of the United States Air Force, which dropped the atom bombs on HiroshimaHiroshimais the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki. - Intercontinental ballistic missileIntercontinental ballistic missileAn intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
: the arms of Randal Carr. - The slingshotSlingshotA slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
, appropriately, figures in the arms of the French family of David. - Military medalMedalA medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
s and decorations sometimes occur as charges:- The croix de la Légion d’honneur: on the arms of BelfortBelfortBelfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
, in Territoire de BelfortTerritoire de BelfortThe Territoire de Belfort is a department in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.-Administration:Its departmental code is 90, and its prefecture is Belfort...
, France. - The medallion in the arms of RondonópolisRondonópolisFormerly known as Rio Vermelho , Rondonópolis is the third-largest city in Mato Grosso. It is located around from Cuiabá the capital of the state.- Overview :...
, Mato GrossoMato GrossoMato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
, Brazil showing the head of Marshal Cándido Rondón, may be reduced to this heading.
- The croix de la Légion d’honneur: on the arms of Belfort
- The helmet of Athene Promachos: in the arms of George Francis Gilman Stanley.
Clothing and other personal items
- BuckleBuckleThe buckle or clasp is a device used for fastening two loose ends, with one end attached to it and the other held by a catch in a secure but adjustable manner. Usually overlooked and taken for granted, the invention of the buckle has been indispensable in securing two ends before the invention of...
s occur not infrequently, including the stylized boucle d'Oise. The arms of Peter Greenhill are an example of buckles with double tongues- a buckle "in the form of a heart" appears in the arms of Forbes of Pitsligo
- A piece of calicoCalico (fabric)Calico is a plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap. Originally from the...
: in the arms of the Accrington Borough Council. - A cane: in the arms of Odouze.
- CombCombA comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...
s - A bobbinBobbinA bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, thread or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in sewing machines, cameras, and within electronic equipment....
features in the arms of Romilly sur Seine, AubeAubeAube is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.- History :Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, France. - Spectacles rarely occur.
- The maunch is a lady's sleeveSleeveSleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period...
; it is shown in a highly stylized form. - A bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
's mitre also not infrequently occurs as a charge; the simple mitre has been distinguished on at least one occasion. - ShoeShoeA shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s, including:- A kind of native Mexican shoe called esdaques.
- SpurSpurA spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...
s.
Furniture
- The bearded man in the arms of the Red Baron sat in an armchairChairA chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
. - In 1696 a French edict compelled anyone with arms to register those arms and pay a tax to do so; those who did not cooperate had unflattering charges, such as chamber potChamber potA chamber pot is a bowl-shaped container with a handle, and often a lid, kept in the bedroom under a bed or in the cabinet of a nightstand and...
s forced upon them. - A scamnum: in the arms of the British Orthopaedic Association
Dishes
- A Grecian bowl: in the arms of the South African Ceramic Society.
- Olympic bowl
- A bowl of Hygeia: in the arms of the South African Pharmacy Council.
- The coffeepot appears in the arms of Caffin de Mérouville.
- There is at least one instance of a KhoiKhoiKhoi may refer to:*The common name of Siamese Rough Bush, Streblus asper Lour*The Khoikhoi people*One of the Khoe languages*The Khoekhoe language*Khoy, a city in Iran*Khoy County, an administrative subdivision of Iran...
clay pot - an iron-ageIron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
pot appears in the arms of the Natal Museum - From ancient times, we have the amphoraAmphoraAn amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
, and it is joined by the more nondescript vaseVaseThe vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....
, and particular types of vases, such as the "jarJarA jar is a rigid, approximately cylindrical container with a wide mouth or opening. Jars are typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic. They are used for foods, cosmetics, medications, and chemicals that are relatively thick or viscous...
" and perfume vase.- The japanned vase: in the arms of the TorfaenTorfaenTorfaen is a county borough in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was originally formed in 1974 as a district of the county of Gwent and in 1996 it was reconstituted as a unitary authority.-Education:...
County Borough Council. - The vaška situla; in the arms of Litije, Slovenia
- A specific vase is Kolyvan's "Queen of Vases": in the arms of Altai KraiAltai KraiAltai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
. - An oil jar: the arms of Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-HoustonRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-HoustonThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...
.
- The japanned vase: in the arms of the Torfaen
Games
- Chess rooksRook (chess)A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
, as a charge, have a very different appearance from the rooks with which one might be familiar, ending in two outward-splayed "horns".- "Double chess rooks" appear in the arms of de Zuylen van Nyevelt.
- The arms of the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion of the United States Army contain "a chess-piece with a griffin's head".
- PawnsPawn (chess)The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
: in the arms of Petrus Frederik Bouwer (South Africa)
Food and its preparation
- CheeseCheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
s appear in the arms of Ainkäs and of Kässpair. - There are numerous instances of the cornucopiaCornucopiaThe cornucopia or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, nuts, other edibles, or wealth in some form...
. - Four culinary whisks appear in the arms of Linda Mary Alice Thom.
- Grape press: in the arms of Zavrč, Slovenia.
- The barrelBarrelA barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
almost invariably occurs in the form of, and is described as, a tunTun- Science and technology :* TUN/TAP, a computer network device driver* TUN , a Danish product standard for building materials* Tun , a part of the Mayan long count calendar system* A unit of time in the Mayan Long Count calendar...
. - There are basketBasketA basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, which can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair, baleen, or metal wire can be used. Baskets are...
s of several types, including the "egg basket, three quarters filled with duckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
eggs" in the arms of Pieter Goede. - A salt bucket: the arms of SulzSulz, AargauSulz was a municipality in the district of Laufenburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. The late Roman watchtower in Rheinsulz is listed as a heritage site of national significance. On 1 January 2010 the municipality of Sulz merged into Laufenburg....
, AargauAargauAargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
, Switzerland - A mound of salt: the arms of Araruama, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- salt cellarSalt cellarA salt cellar is a vessel, usually small and made of glass or silver, used on the table for holding salt. An individual salt dish or squat open salt cellar placed near a trencher was called a trencher salt...
or sprinkling salt: in the arms of the Salters' Company. - A representation of a Charles Fawcett Manufacturing Company Charm Oak stove: the arms of the Fawcett Family Foundation.
Architecture
- The columnColumnA column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
sometimes appears, and there is at least one example of a Corinthian column.- A broken classic column appears in the arms of the 501st Support Battalion of the United States Army.
- The arch of TrajanTrajanTrajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
at Batna, Algeria, blazoned as "l'arc de triomphe du lieu," appears in the colonial arms of Batna. - Roofing tiles appear in the arms of the Freguesia de Meirinhas in Pombas, Portugal.
- The stairsStairs-People:* Scott Kannberg , guitarist of Pavement* A. Edison Stairs , New Brunswick politician* Denis Stairs , engineer, Montreal businessman* Ernest W. Stairs , New Brunswick politician...
in the arms of KanderstegKanderstegKandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a...
, Bern canton, Switzerland, are depicted in a way that is perhaps counterintuitive. - monumentMonumentA monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
s include- the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, of which there is a "stylized rendition" in the arms of the USS Pearl Harbor.
- The Battle of BaltimoreBattle of BaltimoreThe Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
monument: the arms of the 229th Support Battalion of the United States Army. - The "Airlift Monument": the arms of the 759th Military Police Battalion.
- A silhouette of the Voortrekker Monument: the arms of Laerskool Monument (South Africa)
- The Paardekraal Monument: the arms of Krugersdorp
- The Monumento di Mentana: the arms of MentanaMentanaMentana is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, central Italy.-History:Mentana's name in ancient times was Nomentum, to which the Via Nomentana led from Rome. According to Livy, the town was part of the Latin League, which went to war with Rome during the reign of Rome's king Lucius...
, Italy - The United States Marine Corps War Memorial: the arms of the USS Iwo JimaUSS Iwo JimaThree ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Iwo Jima, in memory of the Battle of Iwo Jima., was to be a Ticonderoga-class aircraft carrier, but construction was canceled in August 1945...
.
- The ruins of Great ZimbabweGreat ZimbabweGreat Zimbabwe is a ruined city that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which existed from 1100 to 1450 C.E. during the country’s Late Iron Age. The monument, which first began to be constructed in the 11th century and which continued to be built until the 14th century, spanned an...
, in the arms of Zimbabwe.
Relics and religious objects
- AltarAltarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
- The Holy Ark
- There are occasional appearances of the Catherine wheelBreaking wheelThe breaking wheel, also known as the Catherine wheel or simply the wheel, was a torture device used for capital punishment in the Middle Ages and early modern times for public execution by bludgeoning to death...
. - A reliquaryReliquaryA reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
: in the arms of La Vraie Croix, Morbihan, France. - A rosaryRosaryThe rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
: in the arms of Rio Pardo, Rio Grande, Brazil.
Others
- Balls of twineTwineTwine is a light string or strong thread composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together. More generally, the term can be applied to any thin cord....
: the arms of the Divisional Council of Dias, South Africa. - The Bowen knotBowen knotThe Bowen knot is not a true knot, but is rather a heraldic knot, sometimes used in heraldic designs. It consists of a rope in the form of a continuous loop laid out as an upright square shape with loops at each of the four corners...
, a continuous loop of rope - The chief of the arms of Longhi is charged with the "marque du maison"
- The candleCandleA candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
occurs as a charge - Candle-holderCandlestickA candlestick, chamberstick, or candelabrum is a holder for one or more candles, used for illumination, rituals, or decorative purposes. The name 'candlestick' derives from the fact that it is usually tall and stick-shaped.Candlesticks are also called candle holders...
: the arms of Josh R.M. Kyle show a candle-holder with three branches. - A coinCoinA coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
appears in the arms of QuarteiraQuarteiraQuarteira is a Portuguese city and a parish, located in the municipality of Loulé. It has a population of 16,131 inhabitants and a total area of 37.78 km². Quarteira is a city since May 13 of 1999....
, in Portugal. - There is an interlacing in the arms of PloerdutPloërdutPloërdut is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* *...
, MorbihanMorbihanMorbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
, France. - A stick of dynamiteDynamiteDynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
: in the arms of the Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army. - fishhookFish hookA fish hook is a device for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish. Fish hooks have been employed for centuries by fishermen to catch fresh and saltwater fish. In 2005, the fish hook was chosen by Forbes as one of the top twenty tools...
: in the arms of the 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment of the United States Army. - FlagFlagA flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
s of various kinds occasionally appear as charges.- The arms of the 12th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army show an Aztec banner.
- the Green Bay city logo: the arms of the USS Green BayUSS Green BayTwo ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Green Bay, after the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, was a patrol gunboat launched in 1969, and in 1975 was transferred to the Hellenic Navy and renamed HS Tolmi...
- In addition to inanimate objects (as well as plants and animals) being inflamed, the flameFlameA flame is the visible , gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic reaction taking place in a thin zone...
itself is used as a charge, and there are some examples of- The fire or
- Logfire
- A splice of three wireWireA wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
s: in the arms of the 58th Signal Battalion of the United States Army. - An X-frame: in the arms of the 29th Signal Battalion of the United States Army.
- The badgeBadgeA badge is a device or fashion accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...
of the VIII CorpsVIII Corps (PE)The VIII Corps was formed on June 21, 1898 to provide a ground contingent to exploit Admiral Dewey's success in defeating the Spanish fleet in Manila harbor...
(2d Division, 2d Brigade...) in the War with Spain appears in the arms of the U.S. 18th Infantry Regiment. - BookBookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of collegeCollegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and universitiesUniversityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, though the GospelGospelA gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
are sometimes distinguished.- the book in the arms of Gregory John McGroarty is stated to represent the psalterPsalterA psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
of St. Columbkille. - A bookcase replenished with books: appeared in the arms of the Haitian nobleman the Baron de Sévelinge.
- A ledger appears in the arms of the Natal Society of (Chartered) Accountants.
- the book in the arms of Gregory John McGroarty is stated to represent the psalter
- A stylized representation of the Rosetta stoneRosetta StoneThe Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek...
: the arms of the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion of the United States Army. - The arms of Loé show a boxBoxBox describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents. The word derives from the Greek πύξος , "box, boxwood"....
.- A "winged packing box" appears in the arms of the 315th Troop Carrier Group.
- The insignia of the Siberian American Expeditionary Force: the arms of the 27th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.
- Statuary:
- the bust of Pedro IV in the arms of Municipal de Horta in Portugal.
- the "Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
" ("Liberty Enlightening the World") in the arms of the 48th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force, and the torch from the statue in the arms of the USS PorterUSS PorterUSS Porter may refer to one of several ships in the United States Navy named in honor of Commodore David Porter, and his son, Admiral David Dixon Porter....
.
- "[T]wo strakes of the Pewterer's CompanyWorshipful Company of PewterersThe Worshipful Company of Pewterers is a livery company of the United Kingdom. It is 16th in the order of precedence of livery companies. It has existed since at least 1348....
" appear in the arms of Clive Alexander. - The arms of the 421st Medical Battalion of the United States Army contain a stretcherStretcherA stretcher is a medical device used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another. It is a simple type of litter, and still called by that name in some cases....
. - Niels Bohr bore "Argent a t'ai chiTaijiTaiji 太極 is a Chinese cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potentiality, contrasted with the Wuji 無極 "Without Ultimate"...
gules and azure." - The telegraph at Chappe features in the arms of Saint Martin du TertreSaint-Martin-du-Tertre, Val-d'OiseSaint-Martin-du-Tertre is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* * *...
, Val d'Oise, France. - the Vergina SunVergina SunThe Vergina Sun — also known as the Star of Vergina, Macedonian star, or Argead Star — is the name given to a symbol of a stylised star or sun with sixteen rays. It was unearthed in 1977 during excavations in Vergina, in the northern Greek region of Macedonia, by archaeologist Manolis Andronikos...
in the arms of Alexander John Roman. - Nails occur in several forms, but are the type without modern heads.
- A painter's palettePalette (painting)A palette , in the original sense of the word, is a rigid, flat surface on which a painter arranges and mixes paints. A palette is usually made of wood, plastic, ceramic, or other hard, inert, nonporous material, and can vary greatly in size and shape...
and paintbrushes: in the arms of BarbizonBarbizonBarbizon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. It is located near the Fontainebleau Forest.-Art history:The Barbizon school of painters is named after the village; Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet, leaders of the school, made their homes and died in the...
, France. - The penPenA pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
is shown as a quill pen;- Ink bottles
- with inkInkInk is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
occur in the arms of Velike LaščeVelike LašceVelike Lašče is a town and municipality in Slovenia. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Central Slovenia statistical region...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
- with ink
- Ink bottles
- The "perronPerronPerron may refer to:* Pierre Cuillier-Perron was a French military adventurer in India* Fleuri Perron was an Alberta politician and businessman* Oskar Perron was a German mathematician...
": in the arms of Dilsen-StokkemDilsen-StokkemDilsen-Stokkem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Dilsen-Stokkem had a total population of 19,106. The total area is 65.61 km² which gives a population density of 291 inhabitants per km²....
, Limburg, Belgium. - The porca de Murça: in the arms of the Murça, Portugal.
- Pyrotechnic projectors: in the arms of the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - A radio towerRadio masts and towersRadio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
: in the arms of the 17th Signal Battalion of the United States Army. - A radomeRadomeA radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...
: in the arms of the 20th Air Division of the United States Air Force. - The bundle of rods is occasionally termed a faggot.
- the sealSeal (device)A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
of the Missionary Oblates of Mary ImmaculateMissionary Oblates of Mary ImmaculateThe Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
: in the arms of the Bishop Edward Gabriel Risi of the Suffragan Diocese of the Province of Bloemfontein - Republic of South Africa. - A smoke ringSmoke ringA smoke ring is a visible vortex ring formed by sudden release of smoke. It can be created by blowing smoke from the mouth, quickly lighting a cigarette lighter and putting it out or holding a burning incense stick or a cigarette vertically, pushing it with the burning side up and suddenly pulling...
appears in the arms of the 485th Chemical Battalion of the United States Army. - MapMapA map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
s or outlines of a particular municipalityMunicipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, country or continentContinentA continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
have shown Africa, China, CamerounCamerounCameroun was a French and British mandate territory in central Africa, now constituting the majority of the territory of the Republic of Cameroon....
, the town of Ecoporanga, Espírito Santo, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and the country itself (as originally divided by the PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
between Spain and Portugal) and KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. - The Trojan horseTrojan HorseThe Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
figures as a charge in the arms of the 18th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army. - The yardYardA yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
-measure. - Aboriginal artifacts are common in North American, especially Canadian, heraldry.
- The arms of NunavutNunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
territory feature a qulliq (stone lamp), an inukshukInukshukAn inuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland...
, and an iglooIglooAn igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....
. - There is a band of wampumWampumWampum are traditional, sacred shell beads of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of the indigenous people of North America. Wampum include the white shell beads fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell; and the white and purple beads made from the quahog, or Western North Atlantic...
in the arms of New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and in those of M. L. Jocelyn Jobin-Holmes.
- The arms of Nunavut
- ErmineErmineErmine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
spots. - CrosierCrosierA crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates...
- lampOil lampAn oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day....
s;- The oil lamp is distinguished on at least one occasion
- PortcullisPortcullisA portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...
- speaking trumpets
- A shacklebolt appears in the coat of arms of the Nuttall family
Miscellaneous details of blazon
The charges are either in one or more of the tinctures, or umbrated, supposedly represented as a shadow, though the representation is closest to an outline alone (an example of similar terminology applied to the "shadows" of a charge are the arms of RisoulRisoul
Risoul is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern FranceIt is located in the French Alps between the towns of Briançon and Gap...
, Hautes Alpes, France). Even though it can be argued that it is not strictly accurate, charges consisting of an outline of a particular tincture (where a blazon as voided would not be appropriate) have been blazoned as umbreated of such-and-such a tincture. This is to be distinguished from "a silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
of [a charge then named]" (see examples above).
When a charge is said to be sans something, that part is missing; this is most commonly used in the case of animals missing some body part.
A charge is said to be throughout when it is shown as touching the edges of the shield when this is not its default position.
Some charges can be diminished; that is, shown smaller than their default size.
The many examples of charges blazoned as stylized are practically confined to the heraldry of the United States Army, but this can be open to criticism because it does not necessarily make their appearance clear. Similarly, there are examples in the heraldry of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
of a caricatured and conventionalized charges.
In later times there are rare instances of charges "in perspective
Perspective (graphical)
Perspective in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface , of an image as it is seen by the eye...
": normally perspective is ignored in the treatment of charges.
A charge of rectangular form is said to be arraswise when a corner is in front and two sides are visible.
External links
- NGW.nl, List of heraldic charges (with images)