Teach Yourself Heraldry Module 7

The Language of Heraldry – 3

Lines

Engrailed lines are very common; invected much less so. In most cases it is clear which is which: engrailed lines have their spikes pointing “outwards”, away from the charge they are part of.

Indented and dancetty basically differ in size, dancetty having relatively few big zig-zags, while indented lines, like engrailed, have lots of teeth.

There is quite a bit of latitude in the design of lines nebuly.

If a fess, for instance, is battlemented on both sides, blazoning depends on the relative positions of the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’. If the ‘outs’ on one edge are opposite the ‘ins’ on the other, the fess is said to be embattled counter-embattled. However if the ‘outs’ are opposite each other, the fess is said to be bretessé

Sable a cross engrailed or

Gules a bend raguly argent between two garbs or

Per fess indented argent and gules

Argent a fess embattled counter-embattled sable

Lions

Lions have traditionally been the animals most commonly used in heraldry. They are shown in a wide range of positions, the most common being rampant and passant. Unless a different position is blazoned, a lion is rampant.

Lion rampant
(one foot on the ground)

Lion rampant queue fouchée
(with forked tail)

Lion salient

Lion sejant

Lion sejant erect

Lion passant
(one foot raised)

Lion statant

Lion courant

Lion couchant

Lion dormant

By default all animals look to the dexter. Frequently, however, lions are showing looking out towards us (guardant) or looking back over their shoulders (regardant).

Lion rampant guardant

Lion passant guardant

Lion rampant regardant

Claws and Tongue
If the claws and tongue are a different colour from the rest of the lion, this should be specified. A lion with a blue tongue is said to be langued azure, while one with red claws would be described as armed gules.

All the examples earlier are of lions armed argent and langued gules.

Or a lion rampant sable armed and langued gules

Gules three lions passant guardant in pale or armed and langued azure

Argent a lion rampant regardant queue-fourche gules armed and langued or

Multiple lions
Two lions rampant facing each other are said to be combatant while two lions rampant back to back are addorsed

A collection of at least five or six small lions rampant on a shield have traditionally been described as lioncels, but the term is rarely used today.

Azure two lions combatant or

Or two lions addorsed gules

Azure six lioncels or 3, 2 and 1 armed and langued gules

Lions and Leopards
In the early days of heraldry, the only attitude in which the king of the beasts was shown was rampant. The word lion still implies lion rampant unless otherwise stated. A lion shown in an attitude lower to the ground was thought to be behaving like a leopard. Eventually the term leopard became synonymous with what we now call lion passant guardant. So the three lions of England are, more ‘historically accurately’ called the three leopards of England.

But the term leopard is still in use. If a lion’s face is shown, looking towards the observer (affronté) usually without any neck or much mane, it is called a leopard’s face. If the face has been pierced by a fleur-de-lis, it is said to be jessant-de-lys.

Azure a fess between three leopards’ faces or

A leopard’s face jessant-de-lys

Gules, three leopards’ faces reversed jessant-de-lys or

Miscellaneous
Lions are sometimes shown wearing a collar or a crown or coronet, of some sort. If the lion has a coronet around its neck it is said to be gorged.

Sometimes only the upper half of a lion rampant is shown. This is referred to as a demi-lion and normally the top half of its tail is also shown, in its usual place, separated from its body.

If a lion rampant has its tail between its legs it is termed a lion coward.

Argent a lion rampant sable armed argent, ducally gorged and chained or

Or issuant from a base wavy vert charged with two bars wavy of the field, a demi-lion rampant sable armed and langued gules grasping in its dexter paw a dagger hilted or and in its sinister a sheaf of arrows proper, in chief three mullets azure

A lion coward

Study Exercise 1 – Lines and Lions

Blazon these coats of arms.

Answers to this study exercise ☛☛

Crosses

A wide variety of crosses occur in heraldry and just a few are shown here, including those that occur most frequently. There can be considerable variability of design for each type.

A cross is fitchy if its lower arm is changed into a pointed spike. If a spike is added to an existing design, the cross is said to be fitchy at the foot.

A cross is voided if only its outline is drawn on the field. If the square intersection of the two parts of the cross is a different colour, it is said to be quarter pierced.