Please note that the following descriptions and meanings are gleaned from a variety of sources, some of which disagree on those meanings. The most commonly accepted meanings are given, but scholars vary in the their opinions concerning the reliability of any "commonly held" historic meanings for coats of arms and crests.
Even the colors can have special meaning in a "family crest" or coat of arms:
|
Gold (Or) |
Generosity and elevation of the mind |
|
Silver or White (Argent) |
Peace and sincerity |
|
Red (Gules) |
Warrior or martyr; Military strength and magnanimity |
|
Blue (Azure) |
Truth and loyalty |
|
Green (Vert) |
Hope, joy, and loyalty in love |
|
Black (Sable) |
Constancy or grief |
|
Purple (Purpure) |
Royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice |
|
Orange (Tawny or Tenne) |
Worthy ambition |
|
Maroon (Sanguine or Murray) |
Patient in battle, and yet victorious |
|
FURS |
The mere fact that a shield or crest contains furs
suggests a mark of dignity. Usually the fur coat of the weasel is
represented. |
|
Ermine |
|
|
Erminois |
|
|
Ermines |
|
|
Pean |
|
|
Vair |
|
Heraldic Lines and Ordinaries:
|
Nebuly Line
|
Clouds or air |
|
Wavy Line
|
Sea or water |
|
Engrailed Line
|
Earth or land |
|
Invected Line
|
Earth or land |
|
Indented Line
|
Fire |
|
Dancette Line
|
Water |
|
Raguly Line
|
Difficulties that have been encountered |
|
Embattled Line
|
Walls of a fortress or town (also, fire) |
The following are some of the more common heraldic symbols and their meanings as suggested by some historians:
|
Acacia Branch or Leaves |
Eternal and affectionate remembrance |
|
Acorn |
Antiquity and strength. |
|
Agricultural Tools |
Labouring in the earth and depending upon
providence; see also Scythe and Sickle |
|
Anchor |
Hope; religious steadfastness |
|
Angel |
Dignity, glory, and honour; missionary; bearer of
joyful news |
|
Annulet |
Fidelity |
|
Ant |
Great labour, wisdom, and providence in one's
affairs |
|
Antelope (heraldic)
|
A mythical animal with the body of a stag, the tail
of a unicorn, a tusk at the tip of the nose, tufts down the back of the
neck, chest, and thighs (usually represented with two straight horns
serrated on one side) |
|
Antlers |
Strength and fortitude |
|
Anvil |
Honour; emblem of the smith's trade |
|
Apple |
Liberality, felicity, and peace |
|
Arm in Armour |
A person with qualities of leadership |
|
Arm, Naked |
An industrious person |
|
Arrow |
Readiness (for battle); if depicted with a cross,
represents an affliction |
|
Ass |
Patience and humility |
|
Axe |
Execution of military duty |
|
Baguette (gem ring) |
Fidelity |
|
Banners |
Refer to special action in which bearer was
captured, or a reward for valiant service |
|
Bar, Barry, or Barrulet |
"One who sets the bar of conscience, religion,
and honour against angry passions and evil temptations" acc. to
Guillim |
|
Barry Wavy |
Troubles keep us in continuous exercise and
reminders of providence (as waves in a storm at sea) |
|
Baton |
Token of authority |
|
Battle Axe |
Execution of military duty |
|
Bay Leaves |
Poet or victor's laurel |
|
Beacon |
One who is watchful, who gave the signal in time of
danger |
|
Bear |
Strength, cunning, ferosity in the protection of
one's kindred |
|
Beaver |
Industry and perseverance |
|
Bee |
Efficient industry |
|
Bells |
Power to disperse evil spirits; a hawk's bells
denotes one who was not afraid of signalling his approach in peace or
war |
|
Bend
|
Scarf or shield suspender of a knight commander;
signifies defense or protection |
|
Berries |
Liberality, felicity, and peace |
|
Billet/Billettee |
Bricks or letters (correspondence); one who
obtained credence, knowledge, and faith in his words and deeds; one who
is secret in one's affairs |
|
Bishop's Mitre |
Authority |
|
Blasted |
Tree without leaves, withered |
|
Boar |
Bravery; fights to the death |
|
Boar's Head |
Hospitality |
|
Bonacan |
Bull with horse's tail and short mane |
|
Bomb (Mortar piece) |
One who has dared the terror of such a weapon in
battle |
|
Bones (crossed thighbones) |
Mortality |
|
Book |
If open, manifestation; if closed, counsel |
|
Border |
Difference between relatives bearing the same arms;
also an augmentation of an honour |
|
Bourdon |
See pilgrim's or palmer's staff -- knob at upper
end, point at bottom, hook near top |
|
Bow |
Readiness (for battle) |
|
Bow and Arrow |
War, power, ability to hit a target |
|
Braced |
Interlaced |
|
Bracket |
May be single or double; right angle-shaped
support, as in a shelf support |
|
Bridge |
Governor or magistrate |
|
Broom Plant |
Humility |
|
Buck |
One who will not fight unless provoked; peace and
harmony |
|
Buckle |
Victorious fidelity in authority |
|
Buglass (purple quatrefoil) |
Hope and joy. |
|
Bull/Buffalo |
Valour, bravery, generosity |
|
Bull's Horns |
Strength and fortitude |
|
Butterfly |
Psyche or Soul |
|
Caduceus |
Homeopathic medicine; medical profession; balance
and the union of opposing forces |
|
Camel |
Docility, patience, and perseverance |
|
Cannon and Cannon Balls |
One who has dared the terror of such a weapon in
battle |
|
Candle (Lamp) |
Light, life, and spirituality |
|
Canton |
As in a flag borne at the top corner of the shield;
reward from the sovereign for performance of eminent service |
|
Cap of Maintenance
|
Granted to British peers and Scottish feudal barons
(see "Chapeau") |
|
Carnation |
Admiration |
|
Carpenter's Square |
Conforming one's actions to the laws of right and
equity |
|
Castle (Tower/Chateau) |
Safety |
|
Cat |
Liberty, vigilance, forecast, and courage |
|
Centaur |
Eminence in the field of battle |
|
Chains |
Reward for acceptable and weighty service; with
crowns and collars, this suggests the bearer bore the chain of
obligation or obliged others because of services done |
|
Chapeau |
Granted to British peers and Scottish feudal barons
(see also "cap of maintenance") |
|
Chaplet (Floral) |
Usually with green leaves and four roses: the crown
of joy and admiration |
|
Cherub |
Dignity, glory, and honour; missionary; bearer of
joyful news |
|
Chevron
|
Protection; Builders or others who have
accomplished some work of faithful service |
|
Chief |
Top one-third of the shield; signifies dominion and
authority; often granted as a special reward for prudence and wisdom or
successful command in war |
|
Chough (Cornish Crow) |
Strategist in battle; watchful for friends |
|
Cinquefoils
|
Hope and joy |
|
Civic Wreath (of oak leaves and acorns) |
One who saved a fellow citizen's life or shown
patriotism in defense of one's native land |
|
Clarion |
Ready for war |
|
Claw of a Bird |
Note the preyer that has been preyed upon |
|
Clouds |
Mystery, obscured truth |
|
Cock (male bird) |
Courage and perseverance; hero; able man in
politics |
|
Cockatrice |
Terror to all beholders |
|
Column |
Fortitude and constancy; with serpent coiled around
it, wisdom with fortitude |
|
Comet |
Unknown |
|
Cornish Chough (crow, raven) |
Strategist in battle; watchful for friends; divine
providence |
|
Cornucopia (horn of plenty) |
The bounty of nature's gifts |
|
Cottice/Cotice (bendlet) |
Scarf or shield suspender of a knight commander;
signifies defense or protection |
|
Coupeaux |
(Hills - usually three) Unknown; may be purely an
artistic device |
|
Crane (Stork) |
Close parental bond; Vigilance if holding a rock |
|
Crescent
|
One who has been honored by the sovereign; hope of
greater glory (horns to the chief) |
|
Cresset (Beacon) |
One who is watchful, who gave the signal in time of
danger |
|
Crosier/shepherd's crook |
The shepherd's watchfulness; Christian faith;
pastoral authority; also Episcopal jurisdiction and authority |
|
Cross |
Faith; service in the Crusades |
|
Cross (Celtic) |
Unity of heaven and earth |
|
Cross (Constantine's; Labarum)
|
Good omen; Christianity |
|
Cross Crosslet
|
(crossed at each end) Signifies the fourfold
mystery of the cross |
|
Cross Fitchee
|
(cross pointed at base) A combination of cross and
sword; unshakeable faith |
|
Cross Flory |
(cross flowered at each end) One who has conquered |
|
Cross Formee (Pattee)
|
Military honour |
|
Cross (Maltese)
|
(cross with eight points) Blessings; badge of
Knights Hospitalier |
|
Cross Moline
|
The mutual converse of human society (said to
represent a millstone) |
|
Cross Raguly
|
Difficulties encountered |
|
Crossed thighbones |
Mortality |
|
Crow (Cornish Chough) |
Strategist in battle; watchful for friends; divine
providence |
|
Crown |
Royal or seigniorial authority |
|
Crown (Mural) |
Defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one
who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress |
|
Crown (Naval) |
One who first boarded an enemy's ship;
distinguished naval commander |
|
Crown of thorns |
Adversity |
|
Cup (covered) |
Office of the king's butler |
|
Cushions |
Authority |
|
Cygnet (young swan) |
Where gorged with a crown around its neck,
signifies dignity |
|
Cypress |
Death and eternal life thereafter |
|
Dagger or dart |
Justice and military honour |
|
Dawle (black quatrefoil) |
Hope and joy |
|
Decrescent |
One who has been honored by the sovereign; hope of
greater glory (crescent with horns to the sinister) |
|
Deer |
One who will not fight unless provoked; peace and
harmony |
|
Dice |
Constancy |
|
Dog |
Courage, vigilance, and loyalty |
|
Dolphin |
Swiftness, diligence, salvation, charity, and love |
|
Dragon |
Valiant defender of treasure; valour and protection |
|
Drops (Guttees) |
One who has endured torrents of liquids, as in
battle, depending upon the color of the liquid. |
|
Drum |
Ready for war |
|
Dove |
Loving constancy and peace; the Holy Spirit; with
an olive branch in its bill, it signifies a harbinger of good tidings |
|
Duck |
Person of many resources |
|
Eagle |
Person of noble nature, strength, bravery, and
alertness; or one who is high-spirited, ingenious, quick-witted, and
judicious; "True magnanimity and strength of mind" acc. to
Guillim. |
|
Eagle with two heads |
Conjoining of two forces |
|
Elephant |
Great strength, wit, longevity, happiness, royalty,
good luck, and ambition |
|
Enfield |
Mythical beast said to have protected fallen
chieftains' bodies for proper burial |
|
Escallop (scallop shell) |
Traveller to far places or victorious naval
commander |
|
Escarbuncle
|
Supremacy; brilliant gem |
|
Escutcheon of Pretence |
(Small shield in center of primary shield.) Claim
of a prince to sovereignty; or marriage to an heiress of the family |
|
Estoile (star with six wavy points)
|
Celestial goodness; noble person |
|
Eye |
Providence in government |
|
Falcon (Hawk) |
One who does not rest until objective achieved |
|
Feathers |
(usually ostrich feathers) Sign of obedience and
serenity |
|
Fer de moline |
Center of the millstone, by which it is turned |
|
Fess/Fesse
|
Military belt or girdle of honour; represents
readiness to serve the public |
|
Fetterlock |
Victory; one who has taken prisoners or rescued
prisoners of war |
|
Fife |
Ready for war |
|
Finger, pointing |
Direction; correct route |
|
Fire |
Zealousness |
|
Fish |
A true, generous mind; virtuous for himself, not
because of his heritage; also unity with Christ, spiritual nourishment |
|
Flag |
Refer to special action in which bearer was
captured, or a reward for valiant service |
|
Flanchi/flasque/flanches |
Given by a king for virtue and learning |
|
Fleece (lamb's) |
Ancient honour from the knightly order of the
Fleece of Gold |
|
Fleur-de-lis
|
Purity; light; floral badge of France; represents
sixth son as mark of difference |
|
Flint stone |
Readiness for zealous service |
|
Flowers |
Hope and joy |
|
Fountain |
Usually a roundle, crossed with wavy bars of blue
and white; represents water, a spring |
|
Fox |
One who will use all that he/she may possess of
wisdom and wit in his/her own defense |
|
Fraises |
Strawberries; usually refers to the cinquefoil |
|
Fret |
(Also, fretty or latticework) |
|
Fruit |
Felicity and peace |
|
Fusil |
Travel and labour |
|
Fusil of Yarn (yarn with the spindle) |
Negotiation |
|
Galley |
See Ship |
|
Gannet (duck without beak or legs) |
One who has to subsist by virtue and merit |
|
Garb (wheatsheaf) |
The harvest of one's hopes has been secured |
|
Gauntlet |
Armed for the performance of martial enterprise |
|
Gillyflower (tawney quatrefoil) |
Hope and joy |
|
Goat |
One who wins through politics rather than war |
|
Goose |
Resourcefulness |
|
Gorged (around neck) |
High dignity |
|
Grapes |
Liberality, felicity, and peace; also, association
with wine-making |
|
Grasshopper |
Noble and home-bred |
|
Grenade |
One who has dared the terror of such a weapon in
battle |
|
Greyhound |
Courage, vigilance, and loyalty |
|
Griffin
|
(Head, wings, and talons of an eagle with the body
of a lion); Valour and death-defying bravery; vigilance |
|
Gyronny |
Unity (six- or eight-part division of the shield) |
|
Hammer |
Honour; emblem of the smith's trade |
|
Hand |
Pledge of faith, sincerity, and justice; |
|
Hand, red |
Mark of a baronet |
|
Hare |
One who enjoys a peaceable and retired life |
|
Harp |
Well-composed person of tempered judgment;
contemplation; mystical bridge between heaven and earth |
|
Harpy |
Ferosity under provocation |
|
Hart (male deer) |
Peace and harmony |
|
Hawk (Falcon) |
One who does not rest until objective achieved |
|
Hawks' lures: |
One who is fond of the highest pursuits, such as
hunting and falconry |
|
Head (Human) |
Honour; if the head of a "blackamoor" or
Moor, refers to deeds of prowess in the Crusades |
|
Heart, Flaming |
Intense, burning affection |
|
Heart, Human |
Charity and sincerity |
|
Hedgehog |
"Provident provider" acc. to Sloane Evans |
|
Helmet |
When depicted on the shield, denotes wisdom and
security in defense; strength, protection, invulnerability |
|
Hind (female deer) |
Peace and harmony |
|
Holly |
Truth |
|
Horns |
Strength and fortitude |
|
Horse |
Readiness for all employments for king and country |
|
Horseshoe |
Good luck and safeguard against evil spirits |
|
Hourglass |
Flight of time; mortality |
|
Huitfoil |
Mark of cadency for the ninth son |
|
Human Head |
Honour (if the head of a Blackamoor, it refers to
deeds of prowess in the Crusades) |
|
Hunting Horn |
One who is fond of the chase, of high pursuits |
|
Hydra (dragon with seven heads) |
Conquest of a very powerful enemy |
|
Increscent/Increment |
One who has been honored by the sovereign; hope of
greater glory (crescent with horns to the dexter) |
|
Inescutcheon |
See "Escutcheon of Pretence" |
|
Ivy Leaves |
Strong and lasting friendship |
|
Inkhorn |
Art of writing and educated employment |
|
Jessamine (white quatrefoil) |
Hope and joy |
|
Jessant de lis |
With a fleur-de-lis shooting out, i.e., from the
mouth of a leopard or lion; Represents dominion over France. |
|
Keys |
Guardianship and dominion |
|
Knight (especially on horseback) |
The soul guiding the body; man's journey through
life |
|
Labarum (Constantine's Cross) |
Good omen; Christianity |
|
Ladder (Scaling Ladder) |
One who was fearless in attacking; if against a
tower, be on guard against spiritual and corporeal enemies |
|
Lamb |
Gentleness and patience under suffering |
|
Lamb carrying staff or banner with a cross |
Faith; innocence, bravery, gentleness, purity,
resolute spirit |
|
Lamp (candle) |
Light, life, and spirituality |
|
Lance |
The perfection of martial affairs; emblem of
knightly service; devotion to honour |
|
Laurel Leaves |
Peace and/or triumph |
|
Leg |
Strength, stability, and expedition |
|
Leopard |
Valiant and hardy warrior who enterprises hazardous
things by force and courage |
|
Leopard's head swallowing a fleur-de-lis (jessant) |
Represents the lion of England swallowing the lily
of France |
White with black
spots.
Gold with black
spots.
Black with white
spots.
Black with gold
spots.
Blue and white
bell-shaped objects.
