Misplaced Pages

#53946

90-504: Wolfsangel ( German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfsˌʔaŋəl] , translation "wolf's hook") or Crampon ( French pronunciation: [kʁɑ̃pɔ̃] ) is a heraldic charge from mainly Germany and eastern France , which was inspired by medieval European wolf traps that consisted of a Z-shaped metal hook (called the Wolfsangel , or the crampon in French) that was hung by

180-490: A church or a whole town, and cities, towns and Scots burghs often bear a mural crown (a crown in the form of a wall with battlements or turrets) in place of a crown over the shield. Ships of various types often appear; the most frequent being the ancient galley often called, from the Gaelic, a lymphad . Also frequent are anchors and oars . The maunch is a 12th-century lady's sleeve style. Its use in heraldry arose from

270-611: A 1616 boundary treaty concluded between Hesse and Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Brunswick forest boundary marker was called a Wulffsangel (a horizontal Wolfsangel ). There is also evidence of its use in correspondence from the Forest Services in 1674. Later, the Wolfsangel was also used as a symbol on forest uniforms. In a 1792 document regarding new uniforms, chief forester Adolf Friedrich von Stralenheim suggested

360-603: A Wolfsangel symbol. The book draws parallels with the origins and symbolism of the Wolfsangel, particularly resistance against foreign mercenaries, and the events of the massacre. In Nazi Germany, the Wolfsangel symbol was widely adopted in Nazi symbolism . It is not clear whether the driver of its adoption was Hitler 's strong personal association with wolf imagery (the Wolf's Lair for example), or to create an association with

450-422: A beast is shown; for example, the demi-lion is among the most common forms occurring in heraldic crests. Heads may appear cabossed (also caboshed or caboched ): with the head cleanly separated from the neck so that only the face shows; couped : with the neck cleanly separated from the body so that the whole head and neck are present; or erased : with the neck showing a ragged edge as if forcibly torn from

540-566: A chain from a crescent-shaped metal bar (called the Wolfsanker , or the hameçon in French). The stylized symbol of the Z-shape (also called the Doppelhaken , meaning the "double-hook") can include a central horizontal bar to give a Ƶ -symbol, which can be reversed and/or rotated; it is sometimes mistaken as being an ancient rune due to its similarity to the " gibor rune " of

630-421: A charge appears alone, it is placed with sufficient position and size to occupy the entire field. Common mobile charges include human figures, human parts, animals , animal parts, legendary creatures (or " monsters "), plants and floral designs, inanimate objects, and other devices. The heraldic animals need not exactly resemble the actual creatures. A number of geometric charges are sometimes listed among

720-435: A chunk of meat that would impale any unsuspecting wolf gulping the meat in one movement. The tool was developed by attaching the hook via a chain or rope to a larger bar (often with a double crescent or half-moon shape per photo opposite) lodged between the overhanging branches of a tree. This would encourage the wolf to jump up to gulp the hanging chunk of meat (with the hook concealed inside), thus further impaling itself in

810-403: A church. Sometimes it is shown with a key, because Saints Peter and Paul are paired together. Other weapons occur more often in modern than in earlier heraldry. The mace also appears as a weapon, the war mace, in addition to its appearance as a symbol of authority, plain mace. The globus cruciger , also variously called an orb , a royal orb , or a mound (from French monde , Latin mundus ,

900-522: A crescent moon with a ring inside, at mid-height", which describes the bar from which the Z-shaped hook is hung (see the yellow coat of arms of the von Stein family in the table opposite for an example). In modern German-language heraldic terminology, the name Wolfsangel is de facto used for a variety of heraldic charges , including the Wolfsanker from above (i.e. the half-moon shape with

990-507: A crest or even a charge itself may be "charged", such as a pair of eagle wings charged with trefoils (as on the coat of arms of Brandenburg ). It is important to distinguish between the ordinaries and divisions of the field , as they typically follow similar patterns, such as a shield divided "per chevron", as distinct from being charged with a chevron . While thousands of objects found in religion, nature, mythology, or technology have appeared in armory, there are several charges (such as

SECTION 10

#1732783861054

1080-417: A deer. The griffin combines the head (but with ears), chest, wings and forelegs of the eagle with the hindquarters and legs of a lion. The male griffin lacks wings and his body is scattered with spikes. The bird most frequently found in armory is, by far, the eagle . Eagles in heraldry are predominantly presented with one or two heads, though triple-headed eagles are not unknown, and one eagle appearing in

1170-473: A design for uniform buttons including the letters "GR" and a symbol similar to the Wolfsangel , which he called Forstzeichen . Later the Wolfsangel was also worn as a single badge in brass caps on the service and on the buttons of the Hanoverian forest supervisor. In Brunswick , it was prescribed for private forests and gamekeepers as a badge on the bonnet. The Wolfsangel is still used in

1260-621: A larger one). A castle is generally shown as two towers joined by a wall, the doorway often shown secured by a portcullis . The portcullis was used as a canting badge by the House of Tudor ("two-doors"), and has since come to represent the British Parliament. The modern chess-rook would be indistinguishable from a tower; the heraldic chess rook, based on the medieval form of the piece, instead of battlements, has two outward-splayed "horns". Civic and ecclesiastical armory sometimes shows

1350-459: A mane and a pointed snout. Dogs of various types, and occasionally of specific breeds, occur more often as crests or supporters than as charges. According to Neubecker, heraldry in the Middle Ages generally distinguished only between pointers, hounds and whippets, when any distinction was made. The unicorn resembles a horse with a single horn, but its hooves are usually cloven like those of

1440-463: A particular religious meaning (as a symbol of Christ sacrificing Himself), and became so popular in heraldry that pelicans rarely exist in heraldry in any other position. Distinction is however observed, between a pelican "vulning herself" (alone, piercing her breast) and "in her piety" (surrounded by and feeding her chicks). The swan is also often seen, and the peacock in heraldry is described as being in its pride . The domestic cock (or rooster )

1530-552: A peasant chronicle , and as The Warwolf in English). The book is set in a 17th-century German farming community during the Thirty Years' War and the protagonist, a resistance fighter named Harm Wulf, adopts the Wolfsangel symbol as his personal badge. Wolfsangel: German City on Trial is a 2000 book by August Niro on the 1944 Rüsselsheim massacre that occurred in the city of Rüsselsheim am Main , whose coat of arms features

1620-534: A result of being the dominant charge on the imperial Byzantine , Holy Roman , Austrian and Russian coats of arms, the double eagle gained enduring renown throughout the Western world. Among the present day nations with an eagle charge on their coat of arms are: Albania , Austria , Germany , Montenegro , Poland , Romania , Russia , and Serbia . Additionally, the Double-Headed Eagle of Lagash

1710-543: A ring that is also called a fer-de-loop ), as well as the Wolfshaken or crampon (i.e. the Z-shaped or double-hook that is also called a Mauerhaken or a Doppelhaken , and that can also appear with a ring or a transversal stroke, Ƶ, at the center). The Z-shaped symbol is found comparatively frequently in municipal coats of arms in Germany, and also in eastern France (see Wolfisheim or Wolxheim ), where it

1800-516: A round shield, eventually becoming a heraldic charge. The fasces (not to be confused with the French term for a bar or fess ) is emblematic of the Roman magisterial office and has often been granted to mayors . Keys (taking a form similar to a " skeleton key ") are emblematic of Saint Peter and, by extension, the papacy , and thus frequently appear in ecclesiastical heraldry. Because St. Peter

1890-425: A simple charge in undifferenced arms. Its attitude is usually statant (and is never blazoned as such); but it can also be found volant. The pelican is notable as frequently occurring in a peculiar attitude described as in her piety ( i.e. wings raised, piercing her own breast to feed her chicks in the nest, which is how it is actually often blazoned, 'in its piety' being a fairly modern conceit). This symbol carries

SECTION 20

#1732783861054

1980-516: A talisman) is rare", and "... in Ukraine, the use of a Wolfsangel as a heraldic symbol or a traditional talisman would be uncharacteristic". The Karelian National Battalion , a pro-Ukrainian volunteer battalion formed in January 2023, features a Wolfsangel in the middle of the battalion's insignia. In 2020, there was a brief trend of Generation Z TikTok users tattooing a "Generation Ƶ" symbol on

2070-404: A token of pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela . The sea-lion and sea-horse , like the mermaid , combine the foreparts of a mammal with the tail of a fish, and a dorsal fin in place of the mane. (When the natural seahorse is meant, it is blazoned as a hippocampus .) The sea-dog and sea-wolf are quadrupeds but with scales, webbed feet, and often a flat tail resembling that of

2160-475: A visual resemblance to the proto-Germanic Eihwaz rune (meaning "yew"), historically part of the ancient runic alphabet . However, the full Wolfsangel Ƶ-symbol has no equivalent amongst ancient runic systems but is sometimes confused as such due to its similarity to the " gibor rune ", the eighteenth pseudo rune that was created by the nineteenth-century German revivalist Guido von List as part of his Armanen runes . Academic Akbar Ahmed writes that

2250-468: A wavy form) or nowed (as a figure-eight knot ). Griffins and quadrupedal dragons constantly appear segreant ( i.e. rampant with wings addorsed and elevated) and, together with lions, may appear combatant ( i.e. two of them turned to face each other in the rampant position). Plants are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges. The turnip , for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat . Trees also appear in heraldry;

2340-469: Is rampant ( i.e. standing on one hind leg with forepaws raised as if to climb or mount - sometimes including an erect member). Beasts also frequently appear walking, passant or, in the case of stags and the occasional unicorn, trippant , and may appear statant (standing), salient or springing (leaping), sejant (seated), couchant or lodged (lying prone with head raised), or occasionally dormant (sleeping). The principal attitude of birds, namely

2430-569: Is a composite of the "N" and the "I", for their political slogan Ідея Нації ( Ukrainian for " National Idea ", and deny any connection or attempt to draw a parallel with the regiment and Nazism . Political scientist Andreas Umland told Deutsche Welle , that though it had far-right connotations, the Wolfsangel was not considered a fascist symbol by the general population in Ukraine. The Reporting Radicalism initiative from Freedom House notes that "Accidental use of this symbol or its use without an understanding of its connotations (for example as

2520-480: Is a subject of constant disagreement. The remainder are often termed sub-ordinaries , and narrower or smaller versions of the ordinaries are called diminutives . While the term ordinaries is generally recognised, so much dispute may be found among sources regarding which are "honourable" and which are relegated to the category of "sub-ordinaries" that indeed one of the leading authors in the field, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1871–1928), wrote at length on what he calls

2610-488: Is always shown slipped (i.e. with a stem), unless blazoned otherwise. The cinquefoil is sometimes blazoned fraise (strawberry flower), most notably when canting for Fraser. The trillium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context, and the protea flower constantly appears in South Africa, since it is the national flower symbol. Wheat constantly occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves and in fields (e.g. in

2700-468: Is exceedingly common in Hungarian arms. Natural mountains and boulders are not unknown, though ranges of mountains are differently shown. An example is the arms of Edinburgh , portraying Edinburgh Castle atop Castle Rock . Volcanos are shown, almost without exception, as erupting, and the eruption is generally quite stylised. In the 18th century, landscapes began to appear in armory, often depicting

2790-681: Is of the field drum type. Since musical notation is a comparatively recent invention, it is not found in early heraldry, though it does appear in 20th century heraldry. Japanese mon are sometimes used as heraldic charges. They are blazoned in traditional heraldic style rather than in the Japanese style. Mason%27s mark A mason's mark is an engraved symbol often found on dressed stone in buildings and other public structures. Regulations issued in Scotland in 1598 by James VI 's Master of Works, William Schaw , stated that on admission to

Wolfsangel - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-532: Is often identified as a Wolfsangel . The Ƶ-design is rarer but is found in about a dozen contemporary municipal coats of arms, and is usually (but not exclusively) represented as a reversed Ƶ-shape. In heraldry, the upright or vertical form of the Ƶ-symbol is associated with the Donnerkeil (or "thunderbolt"), while the horizontal form of the Ƶ-symbol is associated with the Werwolf (or " Werewolf "). In

2970-410: Is rarely used for a similar treatment. In Portuguese heraldry, but rarely in other countries, trees are sometimes found decorticated . The most famous heraldic flower (particularly in French heraldry) is the fleur-de-lis , which is often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this. The "natural" lily , somewhat stylised, also occurs, as (together with

3060-490: Is said to more often termed a " mullet of five points pierced" by English heralds. Crowns and coronets of various kinds are constantly seen. The ecclesiastical hat and bishop's mitre are nearly ubiquitous in ecclesiastical heraldry . The sword is sometimes a symbol of authority, as in the royal arms of the Netherlands , but may also allude to Saint Paul , as the patron of a town (e.g. London ) or dedicatee of

3150-440: Is sometimes called dunghill cock to distinguish it from the game cock which has a cut comb and exaggerated spurs, and the moor cock , which is the farmyard cock with a game bird's tail. Other birds occur less frequently. The category of sea creatures may be seen to include various fish, a highly stylized "dolphin", and various fanciful creatures, sea monsters, which are shown as half-fish and half-beast, as well as mermaids and

3240-422: Is the inescutcheon, the seventh is the chevron, the eighth is the saltire, and the ninth is the bar, while stating that "some writers" prefer the bordure as the ninth ordinary. Volborth, having decidedly less to say on the matter, agrees that the classifications are arbitrary and the subject of disagreement, and lists the "definite" ordinaries as the chief, pale, bend, fess, chevron, cross and saltire. Boutell lists

3330-902: Is the patron saint of fishermen, keys also notably appear in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers . The sun is a disc with twelve or more wavy rays, or alternating wavy and straight rays, often represented " in his splendour " ( i.e. with a face). The moon "in her plenitude" (full) sometimes appears, distinguished from a roundel argent by having a face; but crescents occur much more frequently. Estoiles are stars with six wavy rays, while stars (when they occur under that name) have straight rays usually numbering five in British and North American heraldry and six in continental European heraldry. Clouds often occur, though more frequently for people or animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges. The raindrop as such

3420-401: Is typically shown as a simple lizard surrounded by flames. Also notably occurring (undoubtedly owing much of its fame to Napoleon , though it also appears in much earlier heraldry) is the bee . Animals' heads are also very frequent charges, as are the paw or leg ( gamb ) of the lion, the wing (often paired) of the eagle, and the antlers ( attire ) of the stag. Sometimes only the top half of

3510-447: Is unknown, though drops of fluid ( goutte ) is known. These occasionally appear as a charge, but more frequently constitute a field semé (known as goutté ). The snowflake occurs in modern heraldry, sometimes blazoned as a "snow crystal" or "ice crystal". The oldest geological charge is the mount , typically a green hilltop rising from the lower edge of the field, providing a place for a beast, building or tree to stand. This feature

3600-718: Is used as an emblem by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry . There are many meanings attached to this symbol, and it was introduced in France in the early 1760s as the emblem of the Knight Kadosh degree. The martlet , a stylized swift or swallow without feet (sometimes incorrectly, at least in the Anglophone heraldries these days, said to have no beak), is a mark of cadency in English heraldry, but also appears as

3690-434: The Wolfsangel symbol as their emblem; they reportedly carved the symbol on the trees from which they hanged captured foreign combatants. The term "Wolfs-Angel" (German) and "Hameçon" (French) appears in a 1714 German heraldic handbook titled Wappenkunst . However, the description is more specifically about the Wolfsanker (or hameçon ) component part of the Wolfsangel trap, and defines it as: "the shape of

Wolfsangel - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-533: The Wolfsangel symbol has been used by some Neo-Nazi organizations such as in the United States where the Aryan Nations organization uses a white Wolfsangel -like symbol with a sword replacing the cross-bar in its logo. The US-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) database, as well as other non-governmental organisations, list the Wolfsangel as a hate symbol and as a neo-Nazi symbol. In Italy,

3870-482: The Wolfsangel was adopted by 15th-century German peasants during revolts against oppressive German princes and their foreign mercenaries, and thus became an important early popular Germanic symbol of independence and liberty. Ahmed further notes that during the 17th-century Thirty Years War , groups of German militia waged a guerilla war against foreign forces under the German name Wehrwolf , and also adopted

3960-668: The Wolfsangel was the symbol used by the far right movement Terza Posizione . In Ukraine, far-right movements like the Social-National Party of Ukraine and the Social-National Assembly , as well as the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian army, have used a similar symbol of ꑭ (an elongated centre bar and the Z being rotated but untypically not reversed; The group claim that the symbol

4050-591: The Black Madonna in the arms of Marija Bistrica , Croatia . Moors—or more frequently their heads, often crowned—appear with some frequency in medieval European heraldry. They are also sometimes called moore , blackmoor or negro . Moors appear in European heraldry from at least as early as the 13th century, and some have been attested as early as the 11th century in Italy , where they have persisted in

4140-474: The Codex Manesse has its wing bones fashioned into additional heads. Eagles and their wings also feature prominently as crests. Eagles most frequently appear full-bodied, with one head, in numerous positions including displayed , statant , passant and rising . The demi-eagle , which is shown only from the waist up, occurs less frequently. Double-headed eagles almost always appear displayed . As

4230-629: The United States Air Force with charges blazoned as "mythical", or beasts as "chimerical", but those conceptions are meaningless and irrelevant to the conception of heraldry, and it does not affect the appearance of those charges. Unlike mobile charges , the ordinary charges reach to the edge of the field. Some heraldic writers distinguish, albeit arbitrarily, between (honourable) ordinaries and sub-ordinaries . While some authors hold that only nine charges are "honourable" ordinaries, exactly which ones fit into this category

4320-629: The arms of Pope Benedict XVI feature a moor's head, crowned and collared red. Nevertheless, the use of moors (and particularly their heads) as a heraldic symbol has been deprecated in modern North America, where racial stereotypes have been influenced by a history of Trans-Atlantic slave trade and racial segregation, and applicants to the College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism are urged to use them delicately to avoid creating offensive images. Parts of human bodies occur more often than

4410-411: The beaver . Reptiles and invertebrates occurring in heraldry include serpents, lizards, salamanders and others, but the most frequently occurring of these are various forms of dragons. The " dragon ", thus termed, is a large monstrous reptile with, often, a forked or barbed tongue, membraned wings like a bat's, and four legs. The wyvern and lindworm are dragons with only two legs. The salamander

4500-408: The fess ), and chevronels . In addition to those mentioned in the above section, the following are variously called "honourable ordinaries" by different authors, while others of these are often called sub-ordinaries . The so-called mobile charges (or sometimes common charges ) are not tied to the size and shape of the shield, and so may be placed in any part of the field, although whenever

4590-416: The pseudo Armanen runes . It became an early symbol of German liberty and independence after its adoption as an emblem in various 15th-century peasant revolts , and also in the 17th-century Thirty Years War . In pre-war Germany, interest in the Wolfsangel was revived by the popularity of Hermann Löns 's 1910 novel Der Wehrwolf , which follows a hero in the Thirty Years war. The Ƶ-symbol

SECTION 50

#1732783861054

4680-477: The rampant position; while birds, particularly the eagle, most often appear displayed . While the lion, regarded as the king of beasts, is by far the most frequently occurring beast in heraldry, the eagle, equally regarded as the king of birds, is overwhelmingly the most frequently occurring bird, and the rivalry between these two is often noted to parallel with the political rivalry between the powers they came to represent in medieval Europe. Neubecker notes that "in

4770-519: The "utter absurdity of the necessity for any [such] classification at all", stating that the ordinaries and sub-ordinaries are, in his mind, "no more than first charges". Apparently ceding the point for the moment, Fox-Davies lists the generally agreed-upon "honourable ordinaries" as the bend, fess, pale, pile, chevron, cross, saltire, and chief. Woodcock sheds some light on the matter, stating that earlier writers such as Leigh, Holme and Guillim proposed that "honourable ordinaries" should occupy one-third of

4860-651: The Counts Colleoni of Milan bear arms blazoned: "Per pale argent and gules, three hearts reversed counterchanged;" but in less delicate times these were read as canting arms showing three pairs of testicles ( coglioni = "testicles" in Italian). The community of Cölbe in Hesse has a coat of arms with a similar charge. Animals, especially lions and eagles, feature prominently as heraldic charges. Some differences may be observed between an animal's natural form and

4950-534: The German Black Forest town of Wolfach (see opposite, the seal of the widow Countess Udilhild von Fürstenberg  [ de ] , the sole heiress of the Lords of Wolfach); and their Wolfsangel banner became the municipal coat of arms for the town (see opposite). The symbol can be found as a medieval mason's mark . The stylized Wolfsangel Z-symbol (i.e. excluding the horizontal bar) bears

5040-510: The Lion of the House of Welf ." The beast most often portrayed in heraldry is the lion . When posed passant guardant (walking and facing the viewer), he is called a léopard in French blazon . Other beasts frequently seen include the wolf , bear , boar , horse , bull or ox , and stag or hart. The tiger (unless blazoned as a Bengal tiger ) is a fanciful beast with a wolflike body,

5130-478: The Z-shaped Wolfsangel developed into a popular medieval symbol in Germany that was associated with magical powers, and was believed to have the ability to ward off wolves. The symbol appears on early medieval banners and town seals in Germany (particularly in forested regions where wolves were present in large numbers); for example, as early as 1299 the symbol is found on seals of the Lords of

5220-487: The arm as "a symbol of unity in our generation but also as a sign of rebellion" (in the manner of the 15th-century peasant's revolts). The originator of the trend later renounced it when the use of the symbol by the Nazis was brought to her attention. Heraldic charge The term charge can also be used as a verb; for example, if an escutcheon depicts three lions , it is said to be charged with three lions ; similarly,

5310-414: The arms of Arkhangelsk . The Devil or a demon is occasionally seen, being defeated by the archangel Saint Michael . 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 God or Christ , though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of Madonna and Child , including

5400-425: The arms of the province of Alberta , Canada), though less often as ears, which are shown unwhiskered (though some varieties of wheat are naturally whiskered). Ears of rye are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down and are often whiskered, e.g. in the arms of the former Ruislip-Northwood Urban District . Barley , cannabis , maize , and oats also occur. The "garb" in the arms of Gustav Vasa (and in

5490-445: The ban on the usage of swastikas and other Nazi symbols in video games. "Through the change in the interpretation of the law, games that critically look at current affairs can for the first time be given a USK age rating," USK managing director Elisabeth Secker told CTV. "This has long been the case for films and with regards to the freedom of the arts, this is now rightly also the case with computer and videogames." Outside of Germany,

SECTION 60

#1732783861054

5580-412: The body. While cabossed heads are shown facing forward ( affronté ), heads that are couped or erased face dexter unless otherwise specified for differencing. Heads of horned beasts are often shown cabossed to display the horns, but instances can be found in any of these circumstances. A lion's head cabossed is called simply a face , and a fox's head cabossed, a mask . The attitude , or position, of

5670-452: The center. Certain features of an animal are often of a contrasting tincture. The charge is then said to be armed (claws and horns and tusks), langued (tongue), vilené or pizzled (penis), attired (antlers or very occasionally horns), unguled (hooves), crined (horse's mane or human hair) of a specified tincture. Many attitudes have developed from the herald's imagination and ever-increasing need for differentiation, but only

5760-428: The chief, pale, bend, bend sinister, fess, bar, cross, saltire and chevron as the "honourable ordinaries". Thus, the chief, bend, pale, fess, chevron, cross and saltire appear to be the undisputed ordinaries, while authors disagree over the status of the pile, bar, inescutcheon, bordure and others. Several different figures are recognised as honourable ordinaries , each normally occupying about one-fifth to one-third of

5850-430: The coat of arms of Sweden) is not a wheatsheaf, although it was pictured in that way from the 16th to 19th century; rather, this "vasa" is a bundle but of unknown sort. Very few inanimate objects in heraldry carry a special significance distinct from that of the object itself, but among such objects are the escarbuncle , the fasces , and the key . The escarbuncle developed from the radiating iron bands used to strengthen

5940-443: The conventional attitudes (positions) into which heraldic animals are contorted; additionally, various parts of an animal (claws, horns, tongue, etc.) may be differently coloured, each with its own terminology. Most animals are broadly classified, according to their natural form, into beasts, birds, sea creatures and others, and the attitudes that apply to them may be grouped accordingly. Beasts, particularly lions, most often appear in

6030-401: The creature's body is usually explicitly stated in English blazon. When such description is omitted, a lion can be assumed to be rampant , a leopard or herbivore passant . By default, the charge faces dexter (left as seen by the viewer); this would be forward on a shield worn on the left arm. In German armory, animate charges in the dexter half of a composite display are usually turned to face

6120-547: The cross, the eagle, and the lion) which have contributed to the distinctive flavour of heraldic design. Only these and a few other notable charges (crowns, stars, keys, etc.) are discussed in this article. In addition to being shown in the regular way, charges may be blazoned as umbrated (shadowed), detailed , (rather incorrectly) outlined , highly unusually shaded and rather irregularly in silhouette or, more ambiguously, confusingly, and unhelpfully, futuristic , stylized or simplified . There are also several units in

6210-414: The custom of the knights who attended tournaments wearing their ladies sleeves, as "gages d'amour" (tokens of love). This fashion of sleeve would later evolve into Tippet -style stoles. In French blazon this charge is sometimes informally referred to as manche mal taillée (a sleeve badly cut). Spurs also occur, sometimes "winged", but more frequently occurring is the spur-rowel or spur-revel , which

6300-678: The eagle, is displayed ( i.e. facing the viewer with the head turned toward dexter and wings raised and upturned to show the full underside of both wings). Birds also appear rising or rousant ( i.e. wings raised and head upturned as if about to take flight), volant (flying), statant (standing, with wings raised), close (at rest with wings folded), and waterfowl may appear naiant (swimming), while cranes may appear vigilant (standing on one leg). Fish often appear naiant (swimming horizontally) or hauriant (upwards) or urinant (downwards), but may also appear addorsed (two fish hauriant, back to back). Serpents may appear glissant (gliding in

6390-403: The field, while later writers such as Edmondson favoured one-fifth, "on the grounds that a bend, pale, or chevron occupying one-third of the field makes the coat look clumsy and disagreeable". Woodcock goes so far as to enumerate the ordinaries thus: "The first Honourable Ordinary is the cross", the second is the chief, the third is the pale, the fourth is the bend, the fifth is the fess, the sixth

6480-466: The field. As discussed above, much disagreement exists among authors regarding which ordinary charges are "honourable", so only those generally agreed to be "honourable ordinaries" will be discussed here, while the remainder of ordinary charges will be discussed in the following section. Most of the ordinaries have corresponding diminutives , narrower versions, most often mentioned when two or more appear in parallel: bendlets, pallets, bars (multiples of

6570-501: The fleur-de-lis) in the arms of Eton College . The rose is perhaps even more widely seen in English heraldry than the fleur-de-lis. Its heraldic form is derived from the "wild" type with only five petals, and it is often barbed (the hull of the bud, its points showing between the petals) and seeded in contrasting tinctures. The thistle frequently appears as a symbol of Scotland . The trefoil , quatrefoil and cinquefoil are abstract forms resembling flowers or leaves. The trefoil

6660-504: The heroic poem by Heinrich von Veldeke based on the story of Aeneas , the bearer of the arms of a lion is set against the bearer of the arms of an eagle. If one takes the latter to be the historical and geographical forerunner of the Holy Roman emperor , then the bearer of the lion represents the unruly feudal lords, to whom the emperor had to make more and more concessions, particularly to the powerful duke of Bavaria and Saxony, Henry

6750-497: The like. The "sea lion" and "sea horse", for example, do not appear as natural sea lions and seahorses , but rather as half-lion half-fish and half-horse half-fish, respectively. Fish of various species often appear in canting arms , e.g.: pike , also called luce, for Pike or Lucy; dolphin (a conventional kind of fish rather than the natural mammal) for the Dauphin de Viennois . The escallop ( scallop shell) became popular as

6840-522: The local heraldry and vexillology well into modern times in Corsica and Sardinia . Armigers bearing moors or moors' heads may have adopted them for any of several reasons, to include symbolizing military victories in the Crusades , as a pun on the bearer's name in the canting arms of Morese, Negri, Saraceni, etc., or in the case of Frederick II , possibly to demonstrate the reach of his empire. Even

6930-623: The manner of a fish caught on a fishing hook. Medieval hunters were known to use "blood trails" to lead the wolf to the Wolfsangel trap and also used wattle fencing nearer to the trap to create narrow channels that would guide the wolf to the trap. Other German names include Wolfsanker ("wolf anchor", the crescent-shaped bar holding the hook), Wolfshaken ("wolf hook"), and Doppelhaken ("double hook"); French names include hameçon ("fish hook"), hameçon de loup ("fish hook for wolves") and fer-a-loup ("wolf iron"), as well as crampon ("iron hook"). The stylised version of

7020-415: The most frequent tree by far is the oak (drawn with large leaves and acorns), followed by the pine . Apples and bunches of grapes occur very frequently, other fruits less so. When the fruit is mentioned, as to indicate a different tincture, the tree is said to be fructed of the tincture. If a tree is "eradicated" it is shown as if it has been ripped up from the ground, the roots being exposed. "Erased"

7110-500: The mullet or star, crescent and cross: In English heraldry the crescent , mullet , martlet , annulet , fleur-de-lis and rose may be added to a shield to distinguish cadet branches of a family from the senior line. It does not follow, however, that a shield containing such a charge necessarily belongs to a cadet branch. All of these charges occur frequently in basic ( undifferenced ) coats of arms. Humans, deities, angels and demons occur more often as crests and supporters than on

7200-651: The patron of a town. Knights, bishops, monks and nuns, kings and queens also occur frequently. There are rare occurrences of a "child" (without further description, this is usually understood to be a very young boy, and young girls are extremely rare in heraldry), both the head and entire body. A famous example is the child swallowed by a dragon (the biscione ) in the arms of Visconti dukes of Milan . Greco - Roman mythological figures typically appear in an allegorical or canting role. Angels very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as cherubim and seraphim , are extremely rare. An archangel appears in

7290-437: The post-15th-century symbol of German independence and liberty, which had a particular relationship to the achievement of German freedom from foreign influence by force. The symbol was used by a range of military and non-military Nazi-linked groups, including: After World War II , public exhibition of the Wolfsangel symbol became illegal in Germany if it was connected with Neo-Nazi groups. On 9 August 2018 Germany lifted

7380-505: The principal attitudes found in heraldry need be discussed here. These, in the case of beasts, include the erect positions, the seated positions, and the prone positions. In the case of birds, these include the "displayed" positions, the flying positions, and the resting positions. Additionally, birds are frequently described by the position of their wings. A few other attitudes warrant discussion, including those particular to fish, serpents, griffins and dragons. The principal attitude of beasts

7470-502: The shield. (Though in many heraldic traditions the depiction of deities is considered taboo, exceptions to this also occur.) When humans do appear on the shield, they almost always appear affronté (facing forward), rather than toward the left like beasts. Such as the arms of the Dalziel family of Scotland, which depicted a naked man his arms expanded on a black background. The largest group of human charges consists of saints , often as

7560-622: The sites of battles. For example, Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson received a chief of augmentation containing a landscape alluding to the Battle of the Nile . By far the most frequent building in heraldry is the tower , a tapering cylinder of masonry topped with battlements , usually having a door and a few windows. The canting arms of the Kingdom of Castile are Gules, a tower triple-turreted Or ( i.e. three small towers standing atop

7650-425: The subordinaries (see above), but as their form is not related to the shape of the shield – indeed they may appear independent of the shield ( i.e. in crests and badges ) – they are more usefully considered here. These include the escutcheon or inescutcheon, lozenge, fusil, mascle, rustre, billet, roundel, fountain, and annulet. Several other simple charges occur with comparable frequency. These include

7740-462: The various alphabets are also relatively rare. Arms of merchants in Poland and eastern Germany are often based on house marks , abstract symbols resembling runes , though they are almost never blazoned as runes, but as combinations of other heraldic charges. Musical instruments commonly seen are the harp (as in the coat of arms of Ireland ), bell and trumpet . The drum , almost without exception,

7830-477: The various forest districts in Lower Saxony as a boundary marker and it is part of the emblem of the hunters' association of Lower Saxony and the club Hirschmann , dedicated to the breeding and training of Hanover Hounds . In pre-war 1930s Germany, interest in the Wolfsangel was revived by the popularity of Hermann Löns 's 1910 novel entitled Der Wehrwolf (later published as Harm Wulf,

7920-577: The whole, particularly heads (occasionally of exotic nationality), hearts (always stylized), hands, torso and armored limbs. A famous heraldic hand is the Red Hand of Ulster , alluding to an incident in the legendary Milesian invasion. Hands also appear in the coat of arms of Antwerp . Ribs occur in Iberian armory, canting for the Portuguese family da Costa . According to Woodward & Burnett,

8010-550: The world) is a ball or globe surmounted by a cross, which is part of the regalia of an emperor or king, and is the emblem of sovereign authority and majesty. Books constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of colleges and universities , though the Gospel and Bible are sometimes distinguished. Books if open may be inscribed with words. Words and phrases are otherwise rare, except in Spanish and Portuguese armory. Letters of

8100-634: Was later adopted by the Nazi Party , and was used by various German Wehrmacht and SS units such as the Waffen-SS Division Das Reich and the Waffen-SS Division Landstorm Nederland . The Anti-Defamation League , and others, list the Ƶ-symbol as a hate and a neo-Nazi symbol. The Wolfsangel was a medieval European wolf hunting tool where the hook was concealed inside

#53946