Bear paw

The bear paw , in short just paw or tap , is a common figure in heraldry and a very popular coat of arms figure .

A part of the bear's leg is depicted in the coat of arms or in the field . The bear paw is primarily shown in black. The claws as reinforcement are often set off in color and must be mentioned accordingly in the description of the coat of arms. If a paw is described as torn off, the separation point is frayed and executed in red. The position of the bear paw in the coat of arms can be quite different. The position could break out of the edge or gap from the left or the right, in a pile , placed at an angle or just floating. Holding objects such as swords , crosses or the like in the coat of arms is not unusual, but must be mentioned in the coat of arms description . If there are two paws in the coat of arms, the parallel or crossed position is described according to the heraldic rules. If two paws are taken as one piece in the coat of arms, the dividing surfaces are united and must be reported. Often the connection is emblazoned with "covered / connected with pleura". The step seal also appears in the coat of arms and must be named that way. This representation is rare. One or more paws in the coat of arms are to be described accordingly.