Mill wheel (heraldry)

The mill wheel , or just water wheel , is a common figure in heraldry and is represented in many different ways in the coat of arms .

The wheel is shown with blades resting on the outer circle, often four or six, but usually eight. Even more are possible. Here, the rectangular, the crutches occupied or the dovetail-shaped design has prevailed. In appearance it often resembles the straightening wheel . Many variants can be found as shovels in the coat of arms. If these blades are missing, a special design of the spokes is sought. The wheel circle is also occasionally left out and the exposed spoke ends are then designed very differently. In Swedish coats of arms, the representation is often a cross in a circle made up of two parallel, vertical and horizontal thin spokes within a circle in one color. Half mill wheels are also possible, whether at the gap or at the dividing line.

The coat of arms generally stands for industrialization, handicrafts and wealth in water, but also as a talking coat of arms for places like Mülhausen , Mühlbachl , Mühlacker or Molinis .