Charge (heraldry)

In heraldry, a charge is the image that occupies the field on an escutcheon (or shield). The most common charges, or "ordinaries," are geometric constructs such as crosses and saltires. Other charges include animals, plants, astronomical objects and tools ranging from those of ancient vintage to locomotives, airplanes (the arms of Beddington and Wallington specify a "Hannibal Aircraft"), a satellite (in the arms of Arthur Maxwell House). "Atomic" charges have also occurred in recent heraldry (see "atomic heraldry"). The ordinaries are sometimes called "proper charges," with other charges being known as "common charges." Charge can also be used as a verb; for example, if an escutcheon bears three lions, then it is said to be "charged with three lions." It is important to distinguish between divisions of the field and charges, and to note that charges can themselves be charged with a superposed image.

Most armorial achievements include charges, but a few only have a plain tincture (or colour) without any device, or a simple division or pattern of the field. 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 Risoul, Hautes Alpes, France). Charges that were chosen as a pun on the name of the armiger are called "canting arms", and while this largely 15th and 16th century practice survives, charges are less commonly chosen now for their supposed or actual symbolism than formerly (the lion symbolising courage, for example). Recently granted charges are more likely to be chosen for some connection with the career or interests of the grantee, or for aesthetic purposes. Charges need not have any attached meaning.

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.

In later times there are rare instances of charges "in perspective," highlighting that the default tendency is to ignore perspective 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.[1]

Proper charges

Heraldic writers have, somewhat arbitrarily, distinguished between "honourable ordinaries" and "sub-ordinaries." It is often said that only nine charges are "honourable ordinaries," but exactly which nine fit into this category is a subject of disagreement. It is sometimes said that only those ordinaries each of whose widths is one-fifth or more of the total width of the escutcheon is "honourable."

Narrower or smaller versions of these ordinaries are called "diminutives." Many have two diminutives, the first with half the width of the original, and the second with quarter the width of the original.

Honourable Ordinaries

Several different figures are recognised as honourable ordinaries. The chief is a horizontal stripe at the top of the field. Similar to it are the fess, a horizontal stripe in the centre of the field, and the bar, which is of an indeterminate width, but if borne singly supposed to be slightly thinner than a fess. The vertical equivalent of the fess is the pale. The diagonal equivalents are the bend (running from the upper left to the lower right, as \, as perceived by the viewer) and the bend sinister (running from the upper right to the lower left, as / ). A chief, fess or pale occupies one-third of the field; a bar, bend or bend sinister occupies one-fifth of the field.

The cross is a geometric construction of two perpendicular lines, and is sometimes referred to as the "noblest" of the honourable ordinaries. There are several variants, such as Latin crosses and calvary crosses; the arms of Pope John Paul II show a Latin cross skewed to dexter throughout. Of these variants, only the saltire (a St Andrew's Cross or X-shaped construction) is considered an ordinary in its own right. The size of each depends on whether or not the ordinary itself bears another charge; if it is charged, the width is one-third the width of the field, and if it is uncharged, the width is one-fifth the width of the field.

The chevron is a construction shaped like an inverted letter V; the pall, similarly, is shaped like the letter Y. (There is a T-shaped charge, the tau, which is not understood to be an ordinary.) The pile is a triangle, whose base lies along the top of the field, and whose vertex lies in the centre of the bottom half of the field. The quarter is a rectangle occupying the top left quarter of the field, as perceived by the viewer. The canton is a diminutive of the quarter, occupying in theory one-ninth of the area of the field, being as deep as the chief, which theoretically occupies one-third of the area of the field, but occupies the dexter third of this. A quarter or canton on the left side of the field is called a quarter sinister or canton sinister.

Care must be taken in blazoning when two or more ordinaries or subordinaries, or diminutives thereof, are depicted conjoined.

Sub-Ordinaries

In addition to those mentioned in the above section whose status as honourable ordinaries is disputed, there are several other charges recognised as sub-ordinaries. The inescutcheon is a small shield placed in the centre of the field, and general practice, if not strictly speaking a "rule," suggests that it be the same shape as the shield it is on, though shields of specific shapes are rarely specified.[2] The bordure is, as the name suggests, a border touching the edge of the field. Related to the bordure is the orle, a narrow border within the field. Unlike the bordure, the orle does not touch the edges of the field.

There are several diamond-shaped sub-ordinaries, including the lozenge and the fusil (which is thinner and longer than the lozenge). If a lozenge is "voided" or empty, it is called a mascle; if it appears to have a circular hole within it, it is called a rustre. The fret is an interlaced pattern of a mascle and two diagonal bands.

The gyron is a right triangle placed in the dexter chief of the field. A gyron is shaped like the lower left half of a canton. A similar figure found in the sinister chief is called a gyron sinister. (Demi-gyrons are found in the arms of the Oranjegloed Prmary School.[3]) The flanch, also called the flaunch, is a curved figure (somewhat shaped like a part of a hyperbola) that is placed along the dexter or sinister edges of the field. Flanches are always found in pairs, one on either side of the field. A label is a horizontal strap, with a number of pendants suspended therefrom. The default number of pendants is three; another number may be specified in the blazon. This is almost invariably a greater number, though there is allegedly a unique instance of a label with only one pendant.

The billet is a rectangle (the length being twice the width). The short sides of the rectangle are at the top and bottom, and the long sides are on the right and left. (It is important to distinguish the billet from the delf, a square charge that when occurring singly and in one of the stainard colours in supposed to be an abatement. The delf is distinguished 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".) A circular ring is called an annulet; a circle is called a roundel. Roundels have different names depending on their tincture. A gold circle is a bezant, a silver circle a plate, a red circle a torteau, a blue circle a hurt, a black circle an ogress or pellet, a greem circle a pomme, a purple circle a golpe, an orange circle an orange and a blood-red circle a guze. Furthermore, if the circle is barry wavy argent and azure (so that it appears as blue and white waves), then it is called a fountain or syke.

Diminutives

Ordinaries have diminutives, or charges of the same pattern but of smaller sizes. A charge one-half the size of the ordinary is called a closet in the case of a bar, a pallet in the case of a pale, and a chevronnel in the case of a chevron. (There are occasional mentions of "narrow pallets" and "fillet saltires" [very thin pallets and saltires] but these is not considered to be a diminutive.)[4]) A charge one-fourth the size of the ordinary is called a barrulet in the case of a bar, an endorse in the case of a pale, and a couple close in the case of a chevron. Cotises, the endorse, and the couple close cannot be borne singly, but must be born on either side of, and close to, the associated ordinary, in which case the ordinary is said to be cotised. In addition, the cross, pile and saltire are occasionally found cotised, but the pieces making up the "cotising" have no independent description.

Bends and bends sinister have another system of nomenclature for their diminutives. A stripe half as large as a bend is a bendlet or garter, one that is a fourth as large is a cotise, and one that is an eighth as large is a riband. Similarly, a stripe half as large as a bend sinister is a scarpe, and one that as a fourth as large is a baton. A stripe half the size of a bend, but cut off at the ends (so that it does not reach the corners of the field) is called a baton; the equivalent for a bend sinister is a baton sinister. One must distinguish this baton from the type of baton in the arms of The American College of Heraldry.[5]

The diminutive of the chief is sometimes stated to be the fillet, but this is a controversial position. The diminutives of the cross, saltire and pall are the fillet cross, the fillet saltire and fillet pall, respectively. These diminutives are one-fourth the sizes of the honourable ordinaries. The fess does not have a diminutive; it is sometimes suggested that bars are diminutives of fesses, but they are most often regarded as honourable ordinaries in their own right. A similar situation applies to the quarter and canton, though both the quarter and canton are often considered sub-ordinaries.

Most sub-ordinaries do not have diminutives. Though there are occasional anomalous appearances of "a narrow border," such as in the new arms of South Africa (see below), this is not regarded as a diminutive of the bordure. The diminutive of the orle is the tressure; the latter's width is one-half the former's width. Tressures are usually found in pairs, and are known as double tressures. The flaunch also has a diminutive half its size, known as the voider, and there is another diminutive called the flasque, but these are largely theoretical, as these diminutives are no longer used.

Common charges

Common charges include animals, whether land animals, fish or birds. The heraldic depictions need not, and usually do not, exactly resemble the actual creatures. Mythical creatures used in heraldry are sometimes called "monsters." Inanimate objects are also used; many of them resemble flowers and floral designs.

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 God or Christ, though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of Madonna and Child. The Ascension of St. Mary is shown on the arms of Breil, Graubünden, Switzerland,[6] and those of Pinggau, Steiermark, Austria show "the Virgin, St. John the Apostle and St. Mary Magdalene lamenting the body of Christ taken down from the Cross".[7]

The goddess Ceres appears in the arms of the South-African town of that name.[8]

The head of Minerva appears in the arms of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions.[9]

Venus appears in the arms of Zianno di Fiemme, Italy.[10] Taras is shown in the arms of Taranto.

There are a number of Continental appearances of Hercules, and the head of Geryon appears in the arms of Trivulzi.

Mithras appears on the arms of Hajdina, Slovenia.[11]

The Devil (which is perhaps just a demon) takes different forms depending on whether it is being defeated by an archangel (probably St. Michael) or is a freestanding charge; in the latter case (as may be expected) it is far from popular. The devil of Chateau-de-Diable appears in the arms of the 305th Regiment of the United States Army.[12]

Angels very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as cherubim and seraphim, are extremely rare. An archangel appears in the arms of Arkhangelsk.

An imp appears in the arms of the 720th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army.[13]

Humans

Humans may be employed as charges, usually as heads rather than as whole individuals. (Almost without exception, and particularly in Europe, the "default" human is depicted as one of European ancestry.) "Humans" so blazoned are rare, though there are some examples,[14] and the arms of di Petris-Fragianni shows a two-headed figure with one head a man's and one head a woman's. There are also some examples of a man, not more fully described.

Generally speaking, there is only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde, with disheveled hair, though Elzanowski et Elzanowski-Sepiathere bore a brunette [with an eagle's beak in place of a nose], and there are occasional instances of her hair being braided, and appearing more often as a bust than head; though Apfaltrer d'Apfaltrera bore a Moorish woman and the upper body of a Xhosa woman appears in the arms of Lingelethu[15]). (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.

However, there are a number of frequently-occurring types of men, including the Moor or blackamoor (inaccurately shown as being African, although James Parker states that an "African" appears in the arms of Routell,[16] and a nègre [Negro] appears in the arms of Braunjohan[17]), Saracen, Turk, Englishman, Saxon and Welshman. The head of a Greek warrior appears in the arms of the 642d Military Intelligence Battalion,[18] and a conquistador's head in the arms of the 202d Field Artillery Regiment[19], of the United States Army. An Aboriginal head appears in the arms of the city of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia.[20]

There are rare occurences of the child, both the head and entire, and the arms of Frans Bernhard Staal specify a male child.[21] A young girl appears in the arms of Boul.[22]

There are a number of appearances of the infant, and the arms of Auvity show three newborns' heads. An African mother and baby appear in the arms of the Order of Ethiopia.[23]

The bust of a Jew appears in the arms of Jud de Bruckberg.

The Indian occasionally appears in heraldry, as in the arms of Massachusetts (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), though far more often as a supporter than a charge. (A similar figure is described as an "American" in the arms of Leonhardi.) A Taíno Indian appears on the arms of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico; a Mi'kmaq in the arms of Nova Scotia (described as a "savage" in the 17th-century blazon); Beothuks in the contemporaneous arms of Newfoundland and Labrador ("savage[s] of the clime armed and habited for war"), and Inuit as crests in the arms of Peter Irniq, Commissioner of Nunavut, and Helen Maksagak, former commissioner of the Northwest Territories (themselves Inuit).

Patrick McG. Stoker's crest is a Druid.

Giants appear in the arms of Agrigento, Italy.

A naked man occurs in the arms of Dalyell, and there are a number of examples of naked women.

Though men and women of different types and professions other than knights (described as Templars in the arms of Merlevenez, Morbihan, France); and monks, nuns and the like; while being very commonly used as supporters, are rare on the shield, a blacksmith appears in the arms of the Portuguese Município of Ferreira do Alentejo, a coal miner in the arms of Jaworzno, Poland, and a zinc miner on the arms of Altenberg, Sachsen, Germany. A farmer appears in the arms of Baardegem, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium (now incorporated into Aalst). The woman on the arms of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, scatters corn into thirteen furrows.

A naked athlete appears in the arms of Manessy, and a discus thrower in those of Alexander Road High School.[24]

A man wearing judo apparel occurs in the arms of the South African Judo Union, and two judo wrestlers in the arms of M.L. Sultan Technical College.[25]

A Roman praetor occurs in the canting arms of Pretoria, South Africa.[26]

There are frequent appearances of allegorical figures, such as "Hope" in the former arms of South Africa.[27]

In British heraldry it is highly unusual for there to be a depiction of a particular named individual on the shield, though abroad particular saints 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 Baptist usually occurs as a head on a plate.

The head of Charlemagne appears in profile in the arms of the Münstertal District in Graubünden canton, Switzerland.

Atuhaulpa appears on the arms of Francisco Pizarro.[28]

Martin Krpan, a character created by Slovenian writer Fran Levstik, appears on the arms of Pivka.[29]

A "[representation] in the Australian Aboriginal manner of an Arnhem Land rock painting of a woman with stylised internal anatomy" is the central charge in the arms of the Northern Territory of Australia, while the new arms of South Africa are blazoned "Or, representations of two San human figures of red ochre, statant respectant, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands Argent, and a narrow border of red ochre".[30]

A dead woman appears in the arms of Moura, Portugal.[31]

Humans are standing and affronty unless otherwise stated, though there are occasional examples of people kneeling.

Parts of human bodies, in addition to the head, that occur include the arm, eye (rarely accompanied by eyebrows), hand, leg and skull. Shin bones appeared in the arms of Sir Isaac Newton. Teeth appear in the arms of Zahn. 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 Beyer de Boppard.

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", a woman's breast "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 Dodge Automotive company. [32] [33]

There are some Continental appearances of the beard, and moustaches appear in the arms of Barban, Istria County, Croatia.[34]

The Urological Association of South Africa's arms contain kidneys with their ducts.

The Neapolitan family of Coglione bore per fess argent and gules, three pairs of testicles counterchanged.[35]

Animals

With the exception of the griffin, beasts in heraldry are male unless otherwise specified.

The most common beast used in heraldry is perhaps the lion. Other common beasts include the tiger (if not otherwise described depicted in a typically heraldic, rather than the natural, form -- the arms of the Jewish Autonomous Region show a "tiger of Ussouri"), leopard (which may be used to describe the lion "passant guardant" rather than the natural leopard), ounce (snow leopard), wolf (and the she-wolf in the arms of Cormaranche en Bugey Ain, France), fox (occasionally including the arctic fox), dog, bat (sometimes called "reremouse"), beaver (often depicted as quite unlike the natural animal), stag (though quite a few other types of animals in the deer family also occur, such as the hind (doe), roebuck and reindeer; caribou heads appear in the arms of MacPherson[36]), antelope, horse, lamb, sheep (the "fat-tailed sheep" is distinguished in the arms of Canvey Island Urban District Council), ram, cow, bull, calf, ox, goat, squirrel, serpent (almost invariably used to mean "snake," though in French heraldry the "couleuvre" or Grass Snake is distinguished, and the arms of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army contain a rattlesnake[37]; there are also instances of winged serpents), snail (rarely called "house snail") and ape and (much less often) monkey. The rhinoceros appears in the arms of Tapps-Gervis.[38] The hippopotamus, perhaps surprisingly, is mentioned as appearing by very early writers on heraldry.

There are occasional appearances of the ass, bison, "brock" (badger), camel, elk, ermine, marmot, "moldiwarp" (mole), moose, and the porcupine.

The bear (including, rarely, the polar bear) frequently appears, and the arms of Perlsdorf, Steiermark, Austria contain two young bears.

The boar occurs very frequently, but Wilnis, Utrecht, the Netherlands, shows a pig.[39] Verhamme bears Or, three hams sable.

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 cats are known. A female cat appears in a handful of coats.

The eland figures in a few coats of South-African origin.

The elephant appears fairly frequently, and the arms of Marija Gorica, Croatia, give an apparently unique example of a "paleo-elephant".[40]

The kangaroo rarely occurs in arms with an Australian connexion, although quite frequently as a supporter.

The mermaid occurs not infrequently.

The pangolin appears in the arms of Mazoe, in Zimbabwe.

The vicuña appears in the arms of Peru.

Van Walree bears the walrus.

There are very rare appearances of the worm.

Rarely-occurring animals are the cougar, numbat, raccoon and wolverine.

The lizard is almost without exception shown in generic form, but the crocodile also appears. The salamander is shown as a generic lizard surrounded by flames (in the arms of Le Clei shown as vomissant des flammes ["vomiting flames"] as well).

"Fish" are sometimes only described as "a fish," but commonly-found types include the dolphin (though it is not, in scientific terms, fish), the eel (the Conger eel is distinguished in the arms of the Congleton Borough Council), ged (pike), burt, lucy, salmon (there is at least one occurrence of an "Atlantic salmon"), roach and herring. There are occasional appearances of the trout. The swordfish appears in the arms of Snyders. The whale (again, defined as a fish though in science it is a mammal) rarely appears, and the shark is rare in the extreme. The catfish appears in the arms of Karl Freiherr Auer von Welsbach.[41] The coelacanth appears in the arms of Arcadia School in East London, South Africa.[42]

Fishbones appear in the arms of Bordes (des) de Chalendray.

The manatee appeared in the heraldry of the Kingdom of Haiti, and figures in the arms of Manati, Puerto Rico.[43]

The proteus appears in a 1909 grant to Postojna, now Slovenia.

Oft-used birds include the eagle (sometimes having two heads), falcon, raven (appearing as the Naden Raven, a symbol of the Naden River people of the Haida Indians in the arms of Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada), swan, owl, crane, stork, heron, dove, cock (appearing with two heads on the arms of Versailles), ostrich, peacock, and popinjay (parrot). (The osprey is almost invariably depicted simply as an eagle argent.) Otton de Cazeneuve bore Or, three magpies sable at Falkirk. The turkey cock was a later immigrant from the New World, as are the cardinal and North American Kingfisher. The kiwi bird occurs sometimes in coats where the grantee has some connexion to New Zealand; the kookaburra, Australia. An emu appears in the arms of Toowoomba, Australia. The phoenix also occurs (including in a Chinese type that can be seen in the arms of Adrienne Clarkson), as does the secretary bird. Sometimes appearing are the cormorant, gull or seagull and swallow; more rarely the finch. The flamingo appears, rarely, in South-African heraldry. There are apparently unique instances of the puffin and Knysna Lourie.[44] The arms of Colin Fleming include a white-tailed tropic bird. There are several types of "mutilated birds" in heraldry, including the alerion (an eagle without beak or legs) and merlette (used almost exclusively in France), a duck without beak or legs.

The non-deformed duck sometimes appears, and the arms of Thomas A. Hickey contain three heads of a Redhead (Aythya americana) drake.[45] Ducklings appear in the arms of Steynsrus, South Africa.[46]

In addition to the generic goose, the Magellan-goose appears in the arms of Ashfield,[47] and the Canada goose occurs, almost invariably in Canada.

The egg occurs rarely ([48]); see below for an example of duck eggs.

Insects include the bee (beehives also sometimes occur, usually 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), dragonfly, grasshopper, butterfly, and, rather rarely, ants and flies. (An anthill appears in the arms of Bertrand.) In heraldry the spider is considered an insect, and there are a few examples.

Several mythical creatures are also used as charges. One of the most common is the unicorn, a one-horned horse. The dragon, another common charge, is depicted as large and reptilian, with a forked tongue, an eagle's eyes and a bat's wings. The wyvern is a creature similar to a dragon, but with only two legs. These predate the appearance of several types of Oriental dragons including the three-clawed dragon, granted in Europe and Canada for those with some connexion to China. (Another Chinese monster, the qilin, appears in the arms of Captain Benjamin Lee.[49]) The sphinx is not depicted in the familiar way, but with the head and breasts of a woman. The martlet, also common, is a bird without legs. Many of the other monsters are compound creatures. A simple example is the griffin, 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 Magdalensberg, Kärnten, Austria show a specific ancient statue of a griffin.) The hippogriff is like the griffin except that the lion parts of the griffin are replaced by those of a horse. The pegasus is a winged horse. The sea-lion is a combination of a lion and a fish. In Canada compound creatures such as the raven-bear appear.

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. The term demi (as in, for instance, demi-lion) is used to indicate 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," and the arms of Alexander L. Purves show an application of this term to the head of the Chinese dragon.[50] Elephant tusks frequently appear, a "boar's tooth" [sic] appears in the arms of the Orange Free State Amateur Athletic Association,[51] and wolves' teeth in the arms of Zemby.

The position, or attitude, of the creature's body is also described. An animal engaged in battle (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,[52] and the flamingo[53] and kiwi[54] have also been blazoned stantant.) 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 Iberia show a horse in full gallop.[55] 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. Animals with the two hind paws on the ground and the two forepaws in the air are salient (jumping). An animal is couchant if it is laying 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[56] and pegasus.[57] A very rare term, pascuant, is applied to a quadruped when grazing. The arms of the Erasmus Family Association show a bull storming.[58]

If the eyes 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 penis 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 perceived by the viewer. The head of an animal guardant faces the viewer, and that of an animal reguardant faces the right, again as perceived 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"[59] can be seen in the arms of Christopher Sterling Tod Mackie. The Chinese dragon in the arms of Dr. Richard Gordon Num is torqued.[60]

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, though the arms of the 37th Armor of the United States Army give an example of a wyvern (sans legs) glissant.[61] The rattlesnake, uniquely, can be described as coiled to strike.

As might be expected, fish also use a different terminology. A straight horizontal fish is naiant, and an arched horizontal fish is embowed. If the fish is vertical, and its head faces upwards, it is hauriant; if its head faces downwards, the fish is uriant.

Finally, 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. 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.[62]

Plants

Plants 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.

Wheat constantly occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves (and in fields in the arms of the province of Alberta and elsewhere), though less often as ears), though most often they are shown in stylised form. Ears of rye are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down. "Ginny wheat" (like wheat but with a fatter ear) also exists. There are very few examples of barley, maize and oats.

Grass is sometimes specified to occur on the "mounts vert" (green hillocks) on which charges on the shield, or crest, sit or are placed. The mount in base with "chalk outcrops" occurs in the arms of the Chiltern District Council. A meadow appears in the arms of Aprato.[63]

The artichoke appears in a very few European coats.

Cabbage appears in the arms of the French Antarctic Territory and lettuce in the arms of Lechuga.

There is an apparently unique example of celery in the arms of Boussu.

The elderberry is shown not as a shrub, but a flower growing from the ground.

The fern 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 fiddleheads (Matteuccia Struthiopteris).

The broom plant, symbol of the Platagenets, occurs occasionally; so do hops.

Thorns sometimes occur (usually in the form of a crown of thorns), as does ivy and holly.

The catail makes its appearance in the arms of the town of Arronville in France.

Juniper makes at least one appearance.

The heliotrope appears in the arms of Ennery, and hemp in the arms of Chennevières lès Louvres, both in the department of Val d'Oise; and the Bermudiana flower, and Giant Red Paintbrush all make at least one appearance. Parnassus flowers appear in the arms of Cumberland.

The most famous heraldic flower 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 -- also somewhat stylised in its depiction -- also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lys) on the arms of Eton College; the Joseph's lily in some Irish grants[64] and the lily of the valley are also distinguished from these). The arms of Free State Province, South Africa, contain the head of an Orange River Lily.[65] The arms of Laško, Slovenia are blazoned "Azure, three Bourbonic Fleurs-de-lys Argent".[66] Heraldic roses are also (most commonly, and unless otherwise specified) shown in stylised form, as is the lotus flower. The thistle occurs constantly, as it is the symbol of Scotland. Other commonly used flower-like charges (called "foils") include the trefoil (with three petals), quatrefoil (with four petals), cinquefoil (with five petals) and sexfoil (with six petals); the double quatrefoil (with eight petals) is in England the seldom if ever seen cadency mark of the ninth son. The septfoil (with seven petals) appears in the arms of the 63rd Armor of the United States Army.[67] Less frequently used flowers include the flower of the almond tree, the anemone, the carnation, the daisy, the lilac, the dogwood flower, the peony, the sunflower, the tulip and the hydrangea (as in the arms of Rueil Malmaison). Sprigs of lavender occur in the arms of the Mitcham Borough Council; cranberry flowers in the arms of Besenbüren, Aargau, Switzerland. (Tulip bulbs appear in the arms of Fressal.) The trilium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context, and the protea flower constantly appears in South Africa. The arms of Rybnik, Poland, contain "a floral pattern" of "a water nut."[68]

Among fruits apples occur very frequently, as do grapevines (with their grapes), cherries, pears (with their attendant tree) and strawberries but peaches also occur, and, infrequently, oranges, gourds and the cantaloupe. The lemon appears in the arms of Limojon, in addition to more frequent occurences of its tree, and limes occur in the arms of Durand. A raspberry occurs in the arms of Abernethy, Scotland.

Vegetables include rare instances of the carrot and the cucumbers borne by the family of Favier de Bains.

There are occasional occurences of garlic.

Trees are sometimes merely blazoned as "a tree" but specific trees are mentioned in blazon. Far and away the most frequently occurring is the oak, but others include the pine ("pineapples" refer anciently and much more often to the cone rather than the tropical fruit), the beech, birch, the elm, the poplar, willow, alder, box tree, coconut tree and the palm; 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 pomegranate tree appears in a stylized form in the arms of the Chesterfield Borough Council. The gum tree occurs in the arms of Woodville, Australia, since incorporated into Charles Stuart City.[69] The quinine tree appears in the arms of Peru and the dragon tree in the arms of Porto Santo in Portugal.[70] The tree of paradise appears in the arms of Vale do Paraíso, Azambuja, Lisboa, Portugal. A milkwood tree appears in the arms of the former Republic of Ciskei.[71] Laurel trees occur, as do olive, but in both cases less frequently than their branches. The arms of Fosses, in Val d'Oise, shows a monstrous tree ending in two hands cradling a town; the china cokar tree is another kind of "monster tree." A small group of trees is blazoned as a "hurst," which is distinguished from a forest. In the arms of the Crown Colony of Ceylon, there was "a grove of eight coconut trees".

The bamboo ball forms part of the crest of Suan-Seh Foo.

The burning bush appears in the arms of the Session of Knox Presbyterian Church of Stratford in Ontario, Canada.

The maple usually occurs only in the form of leaves, and there are a few occurrences of the tobacco leaf and plant.[72]

Nuts are sometimes blazoned simply as "nuts" (depicted like the walnut)though the most frequently occurring nut is the acorn, often cracked by a squirrel, and constantly in conjunction with the oak. There is at least one apperance of the almond.[73] The chestnut, sometimes on branches, also appears (the burr of the chestnut tree appears in the arms of the Município of Alijó in Portugal) as does the hazel.

Other plants include, rarely, mushrooms (though that usually is blazoned and depicted as the morel) and sugarcane. The bordure on the arms of Hart Bei Graz, Steiermark, Austria, is charge with an orle of lichen.

Inanimate charges

Celestial objects also feature as charges. A sun with rays is called a sun in splendour. (A Philippine sun can be seen in the arms of the 387th Replacement Battalion of the United States Army[74] and a Namibian sun in the arms of Klaazen[75]) Moons come in many varieties, including the full moon and the crescent. Although mullets appear to be stars, in English heraldry they are actually supposed to be spur rowels; they are shown with five points, unless another number is specified (as in mullet of six). Estoiles are stars with wavy rays; pole stars are occasionally differentiated. An example of stars grouped in a constellation is in the arms of the Australian state of Victoria, which show the Southern Cross. The arms of Pierre-Simon Laplace showed the planets Jupiter and Saturn and their moons. The aurora borealis appears in the arms of Murmansk Oblast in Russia. There are also comets, thunderbolts, lightning bolts -- also called "lightning flashes" (all shown in a stylised way), and there is at least one example of a "fork of lightning". Clouds often occur, though more frequently for people or animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges; clouds forming a genie appear in the arms of the 3rd Chemical Battalion of the United States Army.[76] In terms of clouds' precipitation, the raindrop as such is unknown, and the snowflake (sometimes blazoned as snow crystal[77]) is only known in more recent times, though the snowball predates this by some centuries.

Geological and geographic charges include the mountain (which must be distinguished from the oft-occurring "mount in base vert") and volcano, in addition to the "range of mountains," such as appear in the arms of the Candian province of Alberta and the U.S. State of Colorado. An example of a specific mountain is Mt. Warning in the arms of Tweed Shire, Australia. The black wildebeests in the arms of Natal ran on a plain, and the woman in the arms of Francke de Rückersdorf stands in a field of wheat. Charges are also sometimes, if rarely, stated to be on a promontory or peninsula. The island appears in the arms of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. Stones are usually distinguished from rocks, and are to be distingished from pebbles. A rock in the form of a lion appeared in the former colonial arms of Bône, Algeria. Cut diamonds occasionally appear. Crystals of gypsum form a sort of border in the arms of Gams Bei Hieflau, Steiermark, Austria. A chipped flint implement occurs in the arms of Crouttes sur Marne, Aisne, France.

Geometrical shapes are very rare in heraldry, but there are occurences of the triangle (sometimes specified to be equilateral, and there is a voided isoceles triangle in the arms of the 304th Military Intelligence Batallion of the United States Army[78]) and very occasional appearances of the pentagon and hexagon. The demi-triangle appears in the arms of Badon-Ghyben, and the triangle in relief in those of Belon-Lapisse. The arms of Seissenegger show the Pythagorean theorem. There are a handful of examples of the cone and the cube. Lines appear in the arms of Allanridege, South Africa.[79]

Tools include axes of various types (including the ice-axe and pickaxe),hammers, blazoned either as "a hammer" and of various other types including the "paver's hammer" in the arms of Fanhões, Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal; the shovel, sickle and the hoe.

The chief of the arms of Longhi is charged with the "marque du maison": <|||

From ancient times, we have the amphora, and it is joined by the more nondescript vase, and particular types of vases, such as the "jar" and perfume vase. The japanned vase occurs in the arms of the Torfaen County Borough Council. A specific vase is Kolyvan's "Queen of Vases," from the arms of Altai.

The arc of Trajan at Batna, Algeria, blazoned as "l'arc de triomphe du lieu," appears in the colonial arms of that town.[80]

The bearded man in the arms of the Red Baron sat in an armchair.

The badge of the VIII Corps (2d Division, 2d Brigade...) in the War with Spain appears in the arms of the U.S. 18th Infantry Regiment.

The barrel almost invariably occurs in the form of, and is described as a, tun.

There are baskets of several types, including the egg basket... three quarters filled with duck eggs in the arms of Pieter Goede.[81]

A bobbin features in the arms of Romilly sur Seine, Aube, France.

Books constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of colleges and universities, though the Gospel is sometimes distinguished. A bookcase replenished with books appeared in the arms of the Haitian nobleman the Baron de Sévelinge.[82]

The arms of Loé show a box.

Bridges, variously and usually more fully described, often occur. A suspension bridge occurs in the arms of Plouhinec, Morbihan, France;[83] and a railway bridge in the arms of Hadsund, Denmark.[84] A specific bridge, the Staines Bridge can be seen in the arms of the Staines Urban District Council.

Buckles occur not infrequently, including the stylized "boucle d'Oise." The arms of Peter Greenhill are an example of buckles with double tongues.

The chief building that appears is the castle. This is distinguished from the tower in that a castle of the "generic" type (in British and allied heraldry, at any rate) consists of two joined towers at either end of a wall (also a charge in heraldry; the arms of Alexandow Kujawski show a city wall with the letter "A" formed out of the masonry) with another tower rising from, or behind, the wall), though there are a number of other types of castles including the quadrangular castle. Castles may be domed.[85] A castle of an unusual type appears in the arms of Lauerz, Schwyz canton, Switzerland. The Nordborg castle appears in the arms of Nordborg, Denmark.[86] A ruined castle appears in the arms of Altusreid, in Bavaria.[87] (The castle is distinguished from the tower triple-towered [which has three smaller towers or turrets rising out of the top].) The tower in the regular sense is distinguished from the "modern tower," which appears as a sort of pallet-like, couped in chief, charge (compare the immeubles as shown in this depiction of the arms of Avion, Pas de Calais, France, and the skyscraper in the arms of Velenje, Slovenia[88]). A campanile appears in the arms of the Port Elizabeth Hospital Board.[89] A cooling tower figures in the arms of Hendrina, South Africa.[90] Other buildings and related structures include the baking furnace,[91] the blast furnace (as can be seen in the arms of Barnaul, Altai, Russia); dolmens; various forms of religious buildings (including an "ecclesiastical building" in the arms of the town of Eccles in England, a belfry and steeple, churches of various types including a romanic church and specific churches such as the Church of Ormskirk in the arms of the West Lancashire District Council, chapels, a monk's cell [shown as a separate building], various types of temples, and the minaret of a mosque in the arms of Tlemcen), the factory (in the arms of São João da Madeira, Portugal; silhouettes of factory roofs are shown in the arms of Ruše, Slovenia[92]) and cement mill (in the arms of Retznei, Steiermark, Austria, farmhouse in the arms of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada; hermitage, lighthouse, kilns (for firing ceramics and lime[93], the pavilion, tents, the mairie or town hall (in the arms of Locmiquélic, Morbihan, France), windmills (including various components), and even pigeon coops, pillories and the Moscow Kremlin (in the arms of Le Kremlin Bicêtre, 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 la Malmaison [in the arms of Rueil Malmaison in Hauts de Seine, France] or the hôpital Saint Louis à Paris in the arms of Richerand, one can be in trouble.) In France, the aquaduct sometimes appears (and there is an appearance of its vent in Portugal)[94] and the rampart in ruins occurs in the arms of Mennetou sur Cher, Loir et Cher, France. James Parker states that (in addition to regular appearances of the building) "the ruins of an old abbey" appear in arms quartered by Maitland.[95] An oak fortress figures in the arms of Arsk, Russia. Weathervanes occur not only atop buildings but as independent charges. The city is also a frequently occurring charge, though almost exclusively in civic heraldry. An example of an autochthonic charge along these lines appearing in heraldry is the inuksuk in the arms of Nunavut.

The national arms of Cameroun show the shape of that country, while the arms of Santana de Parnaíba, São Paulo, Brazil show a map of that country divided between the portion falling within Portugal's part of the world awarded by the Pope, and the rest of the country.[96] Similarly, the map of China appears in the arms of Ignatius Cardinal Kung Pin-Mei (Gong).

The candle occurs as a charge, in addition to the candle-holder; the arms of Josh R.M. Kyle show a candle-holder with three branches.

A cane occurs in the arms of Odouze.

There are occasional appearances of the Catherine wheel.

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 pots forced upon them.[97]

Cheeses appear in the arms of Ainkäs and of Kässpair.

Chess rooks, 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. A "knight chess piece" appears in the arms of Luther Eeben Barlow.[98]

The coffeepot appears in the arms of Caffin de Mérouville.

A coin appears in the arms of Quarteira, in Portugal.

The column sometimes appears, and there is at least one example of a Corinthian column.

A converter occurs in the arms of Homécourt, Meurthe et Moselle, France.

Constantly appearing are crowns of various kinds.

There is an interlacing in the arms of Ploerdut, Morbihan, France.[99]

In addition to inanimate objects (as well as plants and animals) being enflamed, the flame itself is used as a charge.

A grape press occurs in the arms of Zavrč, Slovenia.[100]

Hats include the ecclesiastical hat in the Freguesia do Prior Velho in Portugal,[101] the shako, and the "wide-brimmed hat" in the arms of Marco Foppoli. Basotho hats appear in the arms of the Molefe Tribal Authority.[102] A miner's helmet occurs in the arms of Le Roc Saint André, Morbihan, France, and Phrygian caps very occasionally appear. A Roman helmet appeared in the colonial arms of Aïn Témouchent, Algeria. A "horned Viking's helmet" appears in the arms of Ronald Norman Schlemmer.[103] There are occasional appearances of the turban.

Charges related to industry include the cogwheel.

Keys (taking a form similar to a "skeleton key") frequently appear

Ladders typically take the form of scaling ladders.

Ladles appear in the arms of Stellenbosch Technical College.[104]

Letters of the (Latin) alphabet rarely appear, and then almost invariably in either one of two "fonts," Latin or "text" letters, although there are rare instances of onical, as the "M" in the arms of Meaux, Seine et Marne, France; and the arms of Pope John Paul II show a "block letter" M. A mongram, "MK," appears in the arms of Konskie, Poland. Letters are almost invariably capital, but the arms of Brétigny sur Orge, Essonne, France, provide perhaps a unique example of a "lower-case" letter. A capital "L" enjolivée or "embellished" appears in the arms of Lagny sur Marne, Seine et Marne, France. Letters of the Hebrew alphabet also appear, and the arms of Alexio, Italy provide an example of Greek letters. Entire words and phrases, while all but unknown in British heraldry, frequently appear in Spanish and Portuguese. A Roman numeral appears in the arms of Štore, Slovenia.[105]

A canal lock appears in the arms of Idegem, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Mathematical charges include the infinity symbol, in arms of those with some connexion to the Metis.

The maunch is a woman's sleeve; it is shown in a highly stylized form. A bishop's mitre also not infrequently occurs as a charge.

There is a mine in the arms of Biysk, Altai Region, Russia.

Musical instruments include the harp, bagpipes, bells, drum (shown as a "field drum"), guitar (only occurring as acoustic), lyres, organ pipes, and violin (along with its bow). The tuning fork in the arms of Franklin W. Darroch of Mulmorich might be placed under the same heading.

Nails occur in several forms, but are the type without modern heads.

A painter's palette and paintbrushes appear in the arms of Barbizon, France.

The pen is shown as a quill pen.

The "perron" occurs in the arms of Dilsen-Stokkem, Limburg, Belgium.

The porca de Murça occurs in the arms of the Murça, Portugal.

There is a reliquary in the arms of La Vraie Croix, Morbihan, France.[106]

The bundle of rods is occasionally termed a faggot.

A salt bucket appears in the arms of Sulz, Aargau, Switzerland, and the salt cellar or sprinkling salt in the arms of the Salters' Company.[107]

The escallop (scallop shell) is one of the most frequent charges.

Ships take a variety of forms, most often the lymphad (a type of ancient ship); but also the sinagot (fishing boat) of Séné, Morbihan, France; Viking ships; sailboats[108] including the Cape Breton Sloop in the arms of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada; three-masted sailing ships; a barque and even a steamer. The arms of San Franciso show "a device of a steamship passing the Golden Gate." The arms of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham includes a "Barking Well Smack," and the colonial arms of Dakar show pirogues. The arms of Atalaia Freguesia, Lourinhã, Portugal, feature a galley wrecked by crashing into a rock. A barge appears in the arms of Bruyères sur Oise. Val d'Oise, France, and there are rare occurences of Noah's ark. The arms of Zaandam, Noord Holland, the Netherlands, contain an "unfinished ship". A part of a ship that sometimes occurs is the rudder.

Spectacles rarely occur.

Sports equipment includes golf clubs, as found in the arms of the Hoylake Urban District Council; skis, in the arms of Križevci, Slovenia; and a number of examples of skates.[109] Tennis racquets appear in the arms of the South African Railways Recreation Club, Coligny.[110] A football ("soccer ball") appears in the arms of Baron M. D'Hooghe. [111]Rugby balls occasionally occur in the arms of South-African rugby clubs,[112] and rugby goal posts in the arms of the Collegians Rugby Club, Kroonstad.[113]

The stairs in the arms of Kandersteg, Bern canton, Switzerland, are depicted in a way that is perhaps counterintuitive.[114]

An instance of statuary is the bust of Pedro IV in the arms of Municipal de Horta in Portugal.

Niels Bohr bore "Argent a t'ai chi gules and azure."[115]

The telegraph at Chappe features in the arms of Saint Martin du Tertre, Val d'Oise, France.

The arms of La Roche sur Yon, in the Vendée, show a town, and those of Masevaux, Haut Rhin, France, a fortified town. The coat of arms of Villalba, Puerto Rico show "a village of the XIX century"

The trophy is a collection of armor and weapons.

Aboriginal artifacts are common in North American, especially Canadian, heraldry. The arms of Nunavut territory feature a qulliq (stone lamp), an inukshuk, and an igloo. There is a band of wampum in the arms of New Brunswick and in those of M. L. Jocelyn Jobin-Holmes.

Charges relating to water comprise the loch, and the arms of Westhoek, in Friesland, show a gulf.[116] The arms of Tolmin, Slovenia, show a "curving creek".[117]

Weapons include bows (including the longbow) and arrows (from which the birdbolt is distinguished), the cannon (and its balls, dirk, grenade (which has the appearance of similar to a cannonball with flames coming out of a flattened end) and the mace; a machine gun (upon a Vavasseur mounting) occurred in the arms of Josiah Vavasseur, Esq.; and the spear and sword. The slingshot, appropriately, figures in the arms of the French family of David. Military medals and decorations sometimes occur as charges; Belfort, in Territoire de Belfort, France, bears the croix de la Légion d’honneur on its shield.

The wheel is almost invariably a carriage wheel. (A winged wheel occurs in the arms of Barrie, Ontario.) However, the front wheel of an oxwagon appears in the arms of Cicero Rautenbach, [118] A covered wagon appears in the arms of the 734th Transportation Battalion of the United States Army[119] and an army truck in those of the 49th.[120]

The wind sock appears in the arms of Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal.

The helm of Athene Promachos occurs in the arms of George Francis Gilman Stanley.

Other inanimate charges include anchors, crosiers, lamps, portcullises, scales, scissors, shoes, spurs, and ermine spots.