Hand (heraldry)

Hands in the coat of arms of the city of Bapaume (France)

In heraldry, the hand is a common figure in the coat of arms and has different meanings in the coat of arms field depending on the gesture .

A distinction must be made between the right and left hand. In the description of the coat of arms it is called right hand or left hand . It is also important whether the back of the hand or the palm is facing the viewer. When showing the back of the hand, the heraldist speaks of a traffic hand . Occasionally part of the arm is also shown. The facts must also be emblazoned .

The coat of arms opposite is eloquent , because paume (or Dutch: palm ) means 'palm'.

Gestures

A raised hand, often with the fingers stretched out to make an oath , is represented as an oath hand . To do this, the thumb, index finger and middle finger are bent upwards and the other fingers downwards. In English heraldry, this hand is used as a symbol . A red, cut off, upright hand is a sign of baroness. It is taken from the Ulster badge and can be found in many gender coats of arms.

If the hand is lowered, it is described as a blessing hand . The middle finger and index finger are used for blessing. In the coat of arms it is placed across and on the center of the pole.

Also praying hands are a crest motif.

The hand can also be clenched into a fist.

Faithful hands

If two hands meet in greeting, they are loyal hands . The position of two hands with the palm forward is called averted .

The hands are used to hold various things. For this purpose, they can also be armored or provided with wings using armor parts. The hand can also wear a glove, or this is shown alone.