Capricorn (heraldic animal)

Capricorn in the coat of arms of Silvaplana

The Capricorn is by the horns from the goat in heraldry to distinguish. The horns are drawn wavy at least on the upper side.

As a heraldic animal , it is a common figure and is usually shown looking to the right (heraldic) and standing upright on two hind legs in the coat of arms .

Forms of representation

The chosen color of the buck is usually black , followed by silver and rarely gold . In many coats of arms he holds - like other heraldic animals - flags , keys and similar symbols. Standing on a mountain or three-mountain , it can be easily recognized. Bergün combines an ibex with a sword on the Dreiberg. St. Leonhard im Pitztal shows two animals in mixed up colors .

The reinforcement can, but does not always have to be different. In addition to horns and hooves tongue and the genitals are preferred differently colored ( tinged ), such as the arms of Hebertshausen (blue tongue). The color deviation of the genitals is described as adorned (showing genitals) or unadorned (without them) in the case of heraldic figures.

The horns are often not used in pairs in the coat of arms. A horn with the grind ( cloverleaf-like design on the horn in heraldry) fills the coat of arms.

In the upper arms is Capricorn growing to find. One example is the coat of arms of the Bredow family .

A special symbolic power of the Capricorn can not be derived from the description of the coat of arms ( blazon ). Its distribution in the coat of arms is often limited to its habitat.

A Capricorn with fish tail is already on the back of one in Spain dominated denarius (coin) of Augustus . Seen between the years 18-16 BC. A horn of plenty , a globe and an oar surround this animal.

See also

• Common figure # Horns and antlers

literature

• Walter Leonhard : The great book of heraldic art. Development, elements, motifs, design. 2., through and exp. Edition Callway, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-7667-0345-5 ; License edition: Bechtermünz, Augsburg 2000, ISBN 3-8289-0768-7 .
• Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry. VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984, DNB 850576571 ; Licensed edition: Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim / Vienna / Zurich 1984, ISBN 3-411-02149-7 ; 3rd, unchanged. Edition. Battenberg, Regenstauf 2011, ISBN 978-3-86646-077-5 (title addition: From apple cross to twin bar ).

Web links

Commons : Capricorn in Heraldry  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Christian S. Th. Bernd : Handbuch der Wappenwissenschaft in application and examples of really used coats of arms. T. O. Weigel, Leipzig 1856, OCLC 14389859 , p. 49 (§ 53 at the end) (in Fraktur ; preview in the Google book search).
2. ↑ Simonetta Terio: The ibex as a sign of rule of Augustus (= Orbis antiquus. Volume 41). Aschendorff, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-402-00871-8 , pp. 60, 223 (also: Münster, Universität, Dissertation, 2004; limited preview in the Google book search).