Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is the image that occupies the field on an escutcheon (or shield). The most common charges, or "ordinaries," are geometric constructs such as crosses and saltires. Other charges include animals, plants, astronomical objects and tools ranging from those of ancient vintage to locomotives, airplanes (the arms of Beddington and Wallington specify a "Hannibal Aircraft"), a satellite (in the arms of Arthur Maxwell House). "Atomic" charges have also occurred in recent heraldry (see "atomic heraldry"). The ordinaries are sometimes called "proper charges," with other charges being known as "common charges." Charge can also be used as a verb; for example, if an escutcheon bears three lions, then it is said to be "charged with three lions." It is important to distinguish between divisions of the field and charges, and to note that charges can themselves be charged with a superposed image.
Most armorial achievements include charges, but a few only have a plain tincture (or colour) without any device, or a simple division or pattern of the field. The charges are either in one or more of the tinctures, or umbrated, supposedly represented as a shadow, though the representation is closest to an outline alone (an example of similar terminology applied to the "shadows" of a charge are the arms of Risoul, Hautes Alpes, France). Charges that were chosen as a pun on the name of the armiger are called "canting arms", and while this largely 15th and 16th century practice survives, charges are less commonly chosen now for their supposed or actual symbolism than formerly (the lion symbolising courage, for example). Recently granted charges are more likely to be chosen for some connection with the career or interests of the grantee, or for aesthetic purposes. Charges need not have any attached meaning.
A charge is said to be "throughout" when it is shown as touching the edges of the shield when this is not its default position.
In later times there are rare instances of charges "in perspective," highlighting that the default tendency is to ignore perspective in the treatment of charges.
Proper charges
Heraldic writers have, somewhat arbitrarily, distinguished between "honourable ordinaries" and "sub-ordinaries." It is often said that only nine charges are "honourable ordinaries," but exactly which nine fit into this category is a subject of disagreement. It is sometimes said that only those ordinaries each of whose widths is one-fifth or more of the total width of the escutcheon is "honourable."
Narrower or smaller versions of these ordinaries are called "diminutives." Many have two diminutives, the first with half the width of the original, and the second with quarter the width of the original.
Honourable Ordinaries
Several different figures are recognised as honourable ordinaries. The chief is a horizontal stripe at the top of the field. Similar to it are the fess, a horizontal stripe in the centre of the field, and the bar, which is of an indeterminate width, but if borne singly supposed to be slightly thinner than a fess. The vertical equivalent of the fess is the pale. The diagonal equivalents are the bend (running from the upper left to the lower right, as \ , as perceived by the viewer) and the bend sinister (running from the upper right to the lower left, as / ). A chief, fess or pale occupies one-third of the field; a bar, bend or bend sinister occupies one-fifth of the field.
The cross is a geometric construction of two perpendicular lines, and is sometimes referred to as the "noblest" of the honourable ordinaries. There are several variants, such as Latin crosses and calvary crosses. Of these variants, only the saltire (a St Andrew's Cross or X-shaped construction) is considered an ordinary in its own right. The size of each depends on whether or not the ordinary itself bears another charge; if it is charged, the width is one-third the width of the field, and if it is uncharged, the width is one-fifth the width of the field.
The chevron is a construction shaped like an inverted letter V; the pall, similarly, is shaped like the letter Y. (There is a T-shaped charge, the tau, which is not understood to be an ordinary.) The pile is a triangle, whose base lies along the top of the field, and whose vertex lies in the centre of the bottom half of the field. The quarter is a rectangle occupying the top left quarter of the field, as perceived by the viewer. The canton is a diminutive of the quarter, occupying in theory one-ninth of the area of the field, being as deep as the chief, which theoretically occupies one-third of the area of the field, but occupies the dexter third of this. A quarter or canton on the left side of the field is called a quarter sinister or canton sinister.
Care must be taken in blazoning when two or more ordinaries or subordinaries, or diminutives thereof, are depicted conjoined.
Sub-Ordinaries
In addition to those mentioned in the above section whose status as honourable ordinaries is disputed, there are several other charges recognised as sub-ordinaries. The inescutcheon is a small shield placed in the centre of the field. The bordure is, as the name suggests, a border touching the edge of the field. Related to the bordure is the orle, a narrow border within the field. Unlike the bordure, the orle does not touch the edges of the field.
There are several diamond-shaped sub-ordinaries, including the lozenge and the fusil (which is thinner and longer than the lozenge). If a lozenge is "voided" or empty, it is called a mascle; if it appears to have a circular hole within it, it is called a rustre. The fret is an interlaced pattern of a mascle and two diagonal bands.
The gyron is a right triangle placed in the dexter chief of the field. A gyron is shaped like the lower left half of a canton. A similar figure found in the sinister chief is called a gyron sinister. The flanch, also called the flaunch, is a curved figure (somewhat shaped like a part of a hyperbola) that is placed along the dexter or sinister edges of the field. Flanches are always found in pairs, one on either side of the field. A label is a horizontal strap, with a number of pendants suspended therefrom. The default number of pendants is three; another number may be specified in the blazon. This is almost invariably a greater number, though there is allegedly a unique instance of a label with only one pendant.
The billet is a rectangle (the length being twice the width). The short sides of the rectangle are at the top and bottom, and the long sides are on the right and left. (It is important to distinguish the billet from the delf, a square charge that when occurring singly and in one of the stainard colours in supposed to be an abatement. The delf is distinguished from the square, which rarely occurs, the arms of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada including "a square... joined at each corner with a smaller square Vert".) A circular ring is called an annulet; a circle is called a roundel. Roundels have different names depending on their tincture. A gold circle is a bezant, a silver circle a plate, a red circle a torteau, a blue circle a hurt, a black circle an ogress or pellet, a greem circle a pomme, a purple circle a golpe, an orange circle an orange and a blood-red circle a guze. Furthermore, if the circle is barry wavy argent and azure (so that it appears as blue and white waves), then it is called a fountain or syke.
Diminutives
Ordinaries have diminutives, or charges of the same pattern but of smaller sizes. A charge one-half the size of the ordinary is called a closet in the case of a bar, a pallet in the case of a pale, and a chevronnel in the case of a chevron. A charge one-fourth the size of the ordinary is called a barrulet in the case of a bar, an endorse in the case of a pale, and a couple close in the case of a chevron. Cotises, the endorse, and the couple close cannot be borne singly, but must be born on either side of, and close to, the associated ordinary, in which case the ordinary is said to be cotised.
Bends and bends sinister have another system of nomenclature for their diminutives. A stripe half as large as a bend is a bendlet or garter, one that is a fourth as large is a cotsie, and one that is an eighth as large is a riband. Similarly, a stripe half as large as a bend sinister is a scarpe, and one that as a fourth as large is a fissure. A stripe half the size of a bend, but cut off at the ends (so that it does not reach the corners of the field) is called a baton; the equivalent for a bend sinister is a baton sinister.
The diminutive of the chief is sometimes stated to be the fillet, but this is a controversial position. The diminutives of the cross, saltire and pall are the fillet cross, the fillet saltire and fillet pall, respectively. These diminutives are one-fourth the sizes of the honourable ordinaries. The fess does not have a diminutive; it is sometimes suggested that bars are diminutives of fesses, but they are most often regarded as honourable ordinaries in their own right. A similar situation applies to the quarter and canton, though both the quarter and canton are often considered sub-ordinaries.
Most sub-ordinaries do not have diminutives. Though there are occasional anomalous appearances of "a narrow border," such as in the new arms of South Africa (see below), this is not regarded as a diminutive of the bordure. The diminutive of the orle is the tressure; the latter's width is one-half the former's width. Tressures are usually found in pairs, and are known as double tressures. The flanch also has a diminutive half its size, known as the voider, and there is another diminutive called the flasque, but these are largely theoretical, as these diminutives is no longer used.
Common charges
Common charges include animals, whether land animals, fish or birds. The heraldic depictions need not, and usually do not, exactly resemble the actual creatures. Mythical creatures used in heraldry are sometimes called "monsters." Inanimate objects are also used; many of them resemble flowers and floral designs.
Supernatural or Divine beings
Though the taboo is not invariably respected, British heraldry in particular, and to a greater or lesser extent the heraldry of other countries, frowns on depictions of God or Christ, though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of Madonna and Child. The Ascension of St. Mary is shown on the arms of Breil, Graubünden, Switzerland,[1] and those of Pinggau, Steiermark, Austria show "the Virgin, St. John the Apostle and St. Mary Magdalene lamenting the body of Christ taken down from the Cross".[2]
The goddess Ceres appears in the arms of the South-African town of that name.[3]
Venus appears in the arms of Zianno di Fiemme, Italy.[4] Taras is shown in the arms of Taranto.
Mithras appears on the arms of Hajdina, Slovenia.[5]
The Devil (which is perhaps just a demon) takes different forms depending on whether it is being defeated by an archangel (probably St. Michael) or is a freestanding charge; in the latter case (as may be expected) it is far from popular.
Angels very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as cherubim and seraphim, are extremely rare. An archangel appears in the arms of Arkhangelsk.
Humans
Humans may be employed as charges, usually as heads rather than as whole individuals. "Humans" so blazoned are rare, though there are some examples.[6] Generally speaking, only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde, though the upper body of a Xhosa woman appears in the arms of Lingelethu[7]) However, there are a number of frequently-occurring types of men, including the Moor (inaccurately shown as being African, although James Parker states that an "African" appears in the arms of Routell[8]), Saracen, Turk, Englishman, Saxon and Welshman. An Aboriginal head appears in the arms of the city of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia.[9]
The Indian very occasionally appears in heraldry, as in the arms of Massachusetts (Sapphire an Indian dressed in his shirt and moccasins, belted proper. In his right hand a bow topaz; in his left, an arrow, its point towards the base. On the dexter side of the Indian's head a star, pearl, for one of the United States of America), though far more often as a supporter than a charge. A Taíno Indian appears on the arms of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico.
Patrick McG. Stoker's crest is a Druid.
Giants appear in the arms of Agrigento, Italy.
A naked man occurs in the arms of Dalyell.
Though men and women of different types and professions other than knights (described as Templars in the arms of Merlevenez, Morbihan, France); and monks, nuns and the like; while being very commonly used as supporters, are rare on the shield, a blacksmith appears in the arms of the Portuguese Município of Ferreira do Alentejo, a coal miner in the arms of Jaworzno, Poland, and a zinc miner on the arms of Altenberg, Sachsen, Germany. A farmer appears in the arms of Baardegem, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium (now incorporated into Aalst). The woman on the arms of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, scatters corn into thirteen furrows.
A man wearing judo apparel occurs in the arms of the South African Judo Union, and two judo wrestlers in the arms of M.L. Sultan Technical College.[10]
In British heraldry it is highly unusual for there to be a depiction of a particular named individual on the shield, though abroad particular saints are the named individuals most often appearing. It may be necessary to know the attributes of saints to be able to accurately blazon the coat. John the Baptist usually occurs as a head on a plate.
The head of Charlemagne appears in profile in the arms of the Münstertal District in Graubünden canton, Switzerland.
Martin Krpan, a character created by Slovenian writer Fran Levstik, appears on the arms of Pivka.[11]
A "[representation] in the Australian Aboriginal manner of an Arnhem Land rock painting of a woman with stylised internal anatomy" is the central charge in the arms of the Northern Territory of Australia, while the new arms of South Africa are blazoned "Or, representations of two San human figures of red ochre, statant respectant, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands Argent, and a narrow border of red ochre".[12]
A dead woman appears in the arms of Moura, Portugal.[13]
Parts of human bodies that occur include the arm, eye, hand, leg and skull.
The heart always appears like the heart in a deck of cards rather than a natural human heart.
A woman's breast "distilling drops of milk" famously appears in the arms of Dodge.
Moustaches appear in the arms of Barban, Istria County, Croatia.[14]
Animals
The most common beast used in heraldry is perhaps the lion. Other common beasts include the tiger (if not otherwise described depicted in a typically heraldic, rather than the natural, form -- the arms of the Jewish Autonomous Region show a "tiger of Ussouri"), leopard (which may be used to describe the lion "passant guardant" rather than the natural leopard), ounce (snow leopard), wolf (and the she-wolf in [http://www.ngw.nl/int/fra/c/cormaran.htm the arms of Cormaranche en Bugey Ain, France]), fox (occasionally including the arctic fox), dog, bat (sometimes called "reremouse"), beaver (often depicted as quite unlike the natural animal), stag (though quite a few other types of animals in the deer family also occur, such as the hind (doe), roebuck and reindeer; caribou heads appear in the arms of MacPherson[15]), antelope, horse, lamb, sheep (the "fat-tailed sheep" is distinguished in the arms of Canvey Island Urban District Council), ram, cow, bull, calf, ox, goat, squirrel, serpent (almost invariably used to mean "snake," though in French heraldry the "couleuvre" or Grass Snake is distinguished; there are also instances of winged serpents), snail (rarely called "house snail") and ape and (much less often) monkey. The rhinoceros appears in the arms of Tapps-Gervis.[16] The hippopotamus, perhaps surprisingly, is mentioned as appearing by very early writers on heraldry.
There are occasional appearances of the ass, bison, "brock" (badger), camel, elk, ermine, marmot, "moldiwarp" (mole), moose, and the porcupine.
The bear (including, rarely, the polar bear) frequently appears, and the arms of Perlsdorf, Steiermark, Austria contain two young bears.
The boar occurs very frequently, but Wilnis, Utrecht, the Netherlands, shows a pig.[17]
The cat has two forms: the "cat-a-mount," and the domestic cat, the latter called just a "cat." Only rarely is the breed described; Himalayan cats are known.
The elephant appears fairly frequently, and the arms of Marija Gorica, Croatia, give an apparently unique example of a "paleo-elephant".[18]
The kangaroo rarely occurs in arms with an Australian connexion, although quite frequently as a supporter.
The mermaid occurs not infrequently.
The pangolin appears in the arms of Mazoe, in Zimbabwe.
The vicuña appears in the arms of Peru.
Rarely-occurring animals are the cougar, numbat, raccoon and wolverine.
The lizard is almost without exception shown in generic form, but the crocodile also appears. The salamander is shown as a generic lizard surrounded by flames (in the arms of Le Clei shown as vomissant des flammes ["vomiting flames"] as well).
"Fish" are sometimes only described as "a fish," but commonly-found types include the dolphin (though it is not, in scientific terms, fish), the eel (the Conger eel is distinguished in the arms of the Congleton Borough Council), ged (pike), burt, lucy, salmon (there is at least one occurrence of an "Atlantic salmon"), roach and herring. There are occasional appearances of the trout. The whale (again, defined as a fish though in science it is a mammal) rarely appears, and the shark is rare in the extreme. The manatee appeared in the heraldry of the Kingdom of Haiti, and figures in the arms of Manati, Puerto Rico.[19] The proteus appears in a 1909 grant to Postojna, now Slovenia. The coelacanth appears in the arms of Arcadia School in East London, South Africa.[20]
Oft-used birds include the eagle (sometimes having two heads), falcon, raven (appearing as the Naden Raven, a symbol of the Naden River people of the Haida Indians in the arms of Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada), swan, owl, crane, stork, heron, dove, cock (appearing with two heads on the arms of Versailles), ostrich, peacock and popinjay (parrot). (The osprey is almost invariably depicted simply as an eagle argent.) The turkey cock was a later immigrant from the New World, as are the cardinal and North American Kingfisher. The kiwi bird occurs sometimes in coats where the grantee has some connexion to New Zealand; the kookaburra, Australia. An emu appears in the arms of Toowoomba, Australia. The phoenix also occurs (including in a Chinese type that can be seen in the arms of Adrienne Clarkson), as does the secretary bird. Sometimes appearing are the cormorant, gull or seagull and swallow; more rarely the finch. There is an apparently unique instance of the puffin. The arms of Colin Fleming include a white-tailed tropic bird. There are several types of "mutilated birds" in heraldry, including the alerion (an eagle without beak or legs) and merlette (used almost exclusively in France), a duck without beak or legs.
In addition to the generic goose, the Magellan-goose appears in the arms of Ashfield,[21] and the Canada goose occurs, almost invariably in Canada.
Insects include the bee (their hives also sometimes occur, usually in the natural form, though that in the arms of Marquion, Pas de Calais, France was at least once depicted as of an artificial type), dragonfly, grasshopper, butterfly, and, rather rarely, ants and flies.
Several mythical creatures are also used as charges. One of the most common is the unicorn, a one-horned horse. The dragon, another common charge, is depicted as large and reptilian, with a forked tongue, an eagle's eyes and a bat's wings. The wyvern is a creature similar to a dragon, but with only two legs. These predate the appearance of several types of Oriental dragons including the three-clawed dragon, granted in Europe and Canada for those with some connexion to China. (Another Chinese monster, the qilin, appears in the arms of Captain Benjamin Lee.[22]) The sphinx is not depicted in the familiar way, but with the head and breasts of a woman. The martlet, also common, is a bird without legs. Many of the other monsters are compound creatures. A simple example is the griffin, combining the head (but with ears), chest, wings and forelegs of the eagle with the hindquarters and legs of a lion (the male griffin lacks wings and his body is scattered with spikes); there is at least one example of the double-headed griffin. (The arms of Magdalensberg, Kärnten, Austria show a specific ancient statue of a griffin.) The hippogriff is like the griffin except that the lion parts of the griffin are replaced by those of a horse. The pegasus is a winged horse. The sea-lion is a combination of a lion and a fish. In Canada compound creatures such as the raven-bear appear.
Parts of creatures may also be used as charges. Parts used as charges include the head, the gamb (or limb) and the paw. If the part is erased, then it is depicted with ragged edges, as if it had been ripped from the animal's body. If the part is couped, then it is depicted with a straight edge, as if it were neatly severed. The term demi (as in, for instance, demi-lion) is used to indicate that the upper half of an animal alone is to be shown. If an animal is shown in its entirety, but with the head, tail and limbs separated from the body, it is said to be dismembered. The terms applied to the head vary; if shown full-faced and without the neck showing, the heads of deer-like animals, and the bull, are termed "caboshed," and the arms of Alexander L. Purves show an application of this term to the head of the Chinese dragon.[23]
The position, or attitude, of the creature's body is also described. An animal engaged in battle (shown with one hind paw on the ground and three paws in the air) is called rampant (except the griffin, for whom the term segreant must be used); one that is walking (shown with one forepaw in the air and three paws on the ground) is passant. Animals with all four paws on the ground are statant (standing). The bear, apparently uniquely, can walk on its hind legs. If the animal is sitting, the term sejant is employed, and if sitting with the front paws raised in the air, sejant erect. Animals with the two hind paws on the ground and the two forepaws in the air are salient (jumping). An animal is couchant if it is laying down, and dormant if it is sleeping (with its head lowered). The term clymant is almost exclusively applied to the goat, but there are instances of its application to the unicorn[24] and pegasus.[25] A very rare term, pascuant, is applied to a quadruped when grazing.
By default, the charge faces the left, as perceived by the viewer. The head of an animal guardant faces the viewer, and that of an animal reguardant faces the right, again as perceived by the viewer. There are several positional descriptions unique to the lion, which appears to be the only creature that can be stantant with tail extended, though other animals have been known to have their tails "erect." A "lion with a dragon's tail"[26] can be seen in the arms of Christopher Sterling Tod Mackie. The Chinese dragon in the arms of Dr. Richard Gordon Num is torqued.[27]
Entirely different terms are used for stags and other deer-like creatures. Trippant is used instead of passant, at bay instead of statant, at gaze instead of statant guardant, springing instead of salient and lodged instead of couchant.
The serpent is said to be nowed if tied in a knot. The snake is sometimes found in a circle with its tail in its mouth, which position in French heraldry sometimes makes it an ouroboros.
As might be expected, fish also use a different terminology. A straight horizontal fish is naiant, and an arched horizontal fish is embowed. If the fish is vertical, and its head faces upwards, it is hauriant; if its head faces downwards, the fish is uriant.
Finally, the terminology for birds is based on the position of the wings. If a bird faces the viewer, with the head turned to one side, and the wings spread apart on either side, the bird is displayed. If the bird is not shown facing the viewer, and the wings are shown spread apart, the bird is volant (flying); if the wings are shown folded, the bird is trussed, close or perched. If the bird's head faces upward, the bird is rising or rousant (about to take flight). An example of a swan naiant is in the arms of Western Australia.[28]
Plants
Plants are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges. (The colonial-era arms of Tlemcen, Algeria are unusual in that they contain generic "plants".) The turnip, for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat.
When the fruit of a tree, branch, or the like is mentioned, as it generally will only be if it is of a different tincture, it is said to be fructed of the tincture. The arms of the French family of Fenoyer provide a perhaps unique example in which the number of "pieces" of the "fructed" is stated.
Wheat constantly occurs in the form of "garbs" or sheaves (and in fields in the arms of the province of Alberta and elsewhere), though less often as ears), though most often they are shown in stylised form. Ears of rye are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down. "Ginny wheat" (like wheat but with a fatter ear) also exists.
Grass is sometimes specified to occur on the "mounts vert" (green hillocks) on which charges on the shield, or crest, sit or are placed. The mount in base with "chalk outcrops" occurs in the arms of the Chiltern District Council.
Cabbage appears in the arms of the French Antarctic Territory.
The elderberry is shown not as a shrub, but a flower growing from the ground.
The fern is usually found as part of the "fern-brake" or group of ferns. Almost invariably ferns are "generic" and mature but the arms of John Leighton Williamson give an example of fiddleheads (Matteuccia Struthiopteris).
The broom plant, symbol of the Platagenets, occurs occasionally; so do hops.
Thorns sometimes occur (usually in the form of a crown of thorns), as does ivy and holly.
The catail makes its appearance in the arms of the town of Arronville in France.
Juniper makes at least one appearance.
The heliotrope appears in the arms of Ennery, and hemp in the arms of Chennevières lès Louvres, both in the department of Val d'Oise; and the Bermudiana flower, Giant Red Paintbrush, and protea all make at least one appearance. Parnassus flowers appear in the arms of Cumberland.
The most famous heraldic flower is the fleur-de-lis, which is often stated to be a stylised lily, though despite the name there is considerable debate on this (the "natural" lily -- also somewhat stylised in its depiction -- also occurs, as (together with the fleur-de-lys) on the arms of Eton College; the Joseph's lily in some Irish grants[29] and the lily of the valley are also distinguished from these). The arms of Laško, Slovenia are blazoned "Azure, three Bourbonic Fleurs-de-lys Argent".[30] Heraldic roses are also (most commonly, and unless otherwise specified) shown in stylised form, as is the lotus flower. The thistle occurs constantly, as it is the symbol of Scotland. Other commonly used flower-like charges (called "foils") include the trefoil (with three petals), quatrefoil (with four petals), cinquefoil (with five petals) and sexfoil (with six petals); the double quatrefoil (with eight petals) is in England the seldom if ever seen cadency mark of the ninth son. Less frequently used flowers include the flower of the almond tree, the anemone, the daisy, the lilac, the dogwood flower, the peony, the sunflower, the tulip and the hydrangea (as in the arms of Rueil Malmaison). Sprigs of lavender occur in the arms of the Mitcham Borough Council; cranberry flowers in the arms of Besenbüren, Aargau, Switzerland. The trilium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context. The arms of Rybnik, Poland, contain "a floral pattern" of "a water nut."[31]
Among fruits apples occur very frequently, as do grapevines (with their grapes), cherries, pears (with their attendant tree) and strawberries but peaches also occur, and, infrequently, oranges, gourds and the cantaloupe.
Trees are sometimes merely blazoned as "a tree" but specific trees are mentioned in blazon. Far and away the most frequently occurring is the oak, but others include the pine ("pineapples" refer anciently and much more often to the cone rather than the tropical fruit), the beech, birch, the elm, the poplar, willow, alder, box tree, coconut tree and the palm; palm branches very frequently occur but are blazoned as appearing in a "stylized" form in the arms of Éragny sur Oise in Val d'Oise. In addition to the much more frequent appearance of its fruit, the pomegranate tree appears in a stylized form in the arms of the Chesterfield Borough Council. The gum tree occurs in the arms of Woodville, Australia, since incorporated into Charles Stuart City.[32] The quinine tree appears in the arms of Peru and the dragon tree in the arms of Porto Santo in Portugal.[33] The tree of paradise appears in the arms of Vale do Paraíso, Azambuja, Lisboa, Portugal. Laurel trees occur, as do olive, but in both cases less frequently than their branches. The arms of Fosses, in Val d'Oise, shows a monstrous tree ending in two hands cradling a town; the china cokar tree is another kind of "monster tree." A small group of trees is blazoned as a "hurst," which is distinguished from a forest. In the arms of the Crown Colony of Ceylon, there was "a grove of eight coconut trees".
The bamboo ball forms part of the crest of Suan-Seh Foo.
The maple usually occurs only in the form of leaves, and there are a few occurrences of the tobacco leaf and plant.[34]
Nuts are sometimes blazoned simply as "nuts" (depicted like the walnut)though the most frequently occurring nut is the acorn, often cracked by a squirrel, and constantly in conjunction with the oak. The chestnut, sometimes on branches, also appears (the burr of the chestnut tree appears in the arms of the Município of Alijó in Portugal) as does the hazel.
Other plants include, rarely, mushrooms (though that usually is blazoned and depicted as the morel) and sugarcane. The bordure on the arms of Hart Bei Graz, Steiermark, Austria, is charge with an orle of lichen.
Inanimate charges
Celestial objects also feature as charges. A sun with rays is called a sun in splendour. Moons come in many varieties, including the full moon and the crescent. Although mullets appear to be stars, in English heraldry they are actually supposed to be spur rowels; they are shown with five points, unless another number is specified (as in mullet of six). Estoiles are stars with wavy rays; pole stars are occasionally differentiated. An example of stars grouped in a constellation is in the arms of the Australian state of Victoria, which show the Southern Cross. The aurora borealis appears in the arms of Murmansk Oblast in Russia. There are also comets, thunderbolts, lightning bolts -- also called "lightning flashes" (all shown in a stylised way), and there is at least one example of a "fork of lightning". Clouds often occur, though more frequently for people or animals to stand on or issue from than as isolated charges. In terms of clouds' precipitation, the raindrop as such is unknown, and the snowflake is only known in more recent times, though the snowball predates this by some centuries.
Geological and geographic charges include the mountain (which must be distinguished from the oft-occurring "mount in base vert") and volcano, in addition to the "range of mountains," such as appear in the arms of the Candian province of Alberta and the U.S. State of Colorado. An example of a specific mountain is Mt. Warning in the arms of Tweed Shire, Australia. Charges are also sometimes, if rarely, stated to be on a promontory or peninsula. The island appears in the arms of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. Stones are usually distinguished from rocks, and are to be distingished from pebbles. A rock in the form of a lion appeared in the former colonial arms of Bône, Algeria. Crystals of gypsum form a sort of border in the arms of Gams Bei Hieflau, Steiermark, Austria. A chipped flint implement occurs in the arms of Crouttes sur Marne, Aisne, France.
Geometrical shapes are very rare in heraldry, but there are occurences of the triangle (sometimes specified to be equilateral) and very occasional appearances of the pentagon.
Tools include axes of various types (including the ice-axe and pickaxe),hammers, blazoned either as "a hammer" and of various other types including the "paver's hammer" in the arms of Fanhões, Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal; the shovel, sickle and the hoe.
The chief of the arms of Longhi is charged with the "marque du maison": <|||
From ancient times, we have the amphora, and it is joined by the more nondescript vase, and particular types of vases, such as the "jar" and perfume vase. The japanned vase occurs in the arms of the Torfaen County Borough Council. A specific vase is Kolyvan's "Queen of Vases," from the arms of Altai.
The arc of Trajan at Batna, Algeria, blazoned as "l'arc de triomphe du lieu," appears in the colonial arms of that town.[35]
The barrel almost invariably occurs in the form of, and is described as a, tun.
There are baskets of several types.
A bobbin features in the arms of Romilly sur Seine, Aube, France.
Books constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of colleges and universities, though the Gospel is sometimes distinguished.
Bridges, variously and usually more fully described, often occur. A suspension bridge occurs in the arms of Plouhinec, Morbihan, France;[36] and a railway bridge in the arms of Hadsund, Denmark.[37] A specific bridge, the Staines Bridge can be seen in the arms of the Staines Urban District Council.
Buckles occur not infrequently, including the stylized "boucle d'Oise." The arms of Peter Greenhill are an example of buckles with double tongues.
The chief building that appears is the castle. This is distinguished from the tower in that a castle of the "generic" type (in British and allied heraldry, at any rate) consists of two joined towers at either end of a wall (also a charge in heraldry; the arms of Alexandow Kujawski show a city wall with the letter "A" formed out of the masonry) with another tower rising from, or behind, the wall), though there are a number of other types of castles including the quadrangular castle. Castles may be domed.[38] A castle of an unusual type appears in the arms of Lauerz, Schwyz canton, Switzerland. The Nordborg castle appears in the arms of Nordborg, Denmark.[39] A ruined castle appears in the arms of Altusreid, in Bavaria.[40] (The castle is distinguished from the tower triple-towered [which has three smaller towers or turrets rising out of the top].) The tower in the regular sense is distinguished from the "modern tower," which appears as a sort of pallet-like, couped in chief, charge (compare the immeubles as shown in this depiction of the arms of Avion, Pas de Calais, France, and the skyscraper in the arms of Velenje, Slovenia[41]). Other buildings and related structures include the baking furnace,[42] the blast furnace (as can be seen in the arms of Barnaul, Altai, Russia); dolmens; various forms of religious buildings (including an "ecclesiastical building" in the arms of the town of Eccles in England, a belfry and steeple, churches of various types including a romanic church and specific churches such as the Church of Ormskirk in the arms of the West Lancashire District Council, chapels, a monk's cell [shown as a separate building], various types of temples, and the minaret of a mosque in the arms of Tlemcen), the factory (in the arms of São João da Madeira, Portugal; silhouettes of factory roofs are shown in the arms of Ruše, Slovenia[43]) and cement mill (in the arms of Retznei, Steiermark, Austria, farmhouse in the arms of Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada; hermitage, lighthouse, kilns (for firing ceramics and lime[44], the pavilion, tents, towers, the mairie or town hall (in the arms of Locmiquélic, Morbihan, France), windmills (including various components), and even pigeon coops, pillories and the Moscow Kremlin (in the arms of Le Kremlin Bicêtre, Val de Marne, France). (The appearance of the Kremlin brings up the point that difficulties can sometimes arise when it comes to depicting specific buildings, rather than specific types of buildings, from the blazon; for instance, if one is not familiar with the château de la Malmaison [[in the arms of Rueil Malmaison in Hauts de Seine, France]] or the hôpital Saint Louis à Paris in the arms of Richerand, one can be in trouble.) In France, the aquaduct sometimes appears (and there is an appearance of its vent in Portugal)[45] and the rampart in ruins occurs in the arms of Mennetou sur Cher, Loir et Cher, France. James Parker states that (in addition to regular appearances of the building) "the ruins of an old abbey" appear in arms quartered by Maitland.[46] An oak fortress figures in the arms of Arsk, Russia. Weathervanes occur not only atop buildings but as independent charges. The city is also a frequently occurring charge, though almost exclusively in civic heraldry. An example of an autochthonic charge along these lines appearing in heraldry is the inuksuk in the arms of Nunavut.
The national arms of Cameroun show the shape of that country, while the arms of Santana de Parnaíba, São Paulo, Brazil show a map of that country divided between the portion falling within Portugal's part of the world awarded by the Pope, and the rest of the country.[47]
The candle occurs as a charge, in addition to the candle-holder; the arms of Josh R.M. Kyle show a candle-holder with three branches.
A cane occurs in the arms of Odouze.
In 1696 a French edict compelled anyone with arms to register those arms and pay a tax to do so; those who did not cooperate had unflattering charges, such as chamber pots forced upon them.[48]
Chess rooks, as a charge, have a very different appearance from the rooks with which one might be familiar, ending in two outward-splayed "horns." "Double chess rooks" appear in the arms of de Zuylen van Nyevelt. A "knight chess piece" appears in the arms of Luther Eeben Barlow.[49]
A coin appears in the arms of Quarteira, in Portugal.
The column sometimes appears, and there is at least one example of a Corinthian column.
A converter occurs in the arms of Homécourt, Meurthe et Moselle, France.
Constantly appearing are crowns of various kinds.
There is an interlacing in the arms of Ploerdut, Morbihan, France.[50]
In addition to inanimate objects (as well as plants and animals) being enflamed, the flame itself is used as a charge.
A grape press occurs in the arms of Zavrč, Slovenia.[51]
Hats include the ecclesiastical hat in the Freguesia do Prior Velho in Portugal,[52] the shako, and the "wide-brimmed hat" in the arms of Marco Foppoli. A miner's helmet occurs in the arms of Le Roc Saint André, Morbihan, France, and Phrygian caps very occasionally appear. A Roman helmet appeared in the colonial arms of Aïn Témouchent, Algeria. A "horned Viking's helmet" appears in the arms of Ronald Norman Schlemmer.[53]
Charges related to industry include the cogwheel.
Keys (taking a form similar to a "skeleton key") frequently appear
Ladders typically take the form of scaling ladders.
Letters of the (Latin) alphabet rarely appear, and then almost invariably in either one of two "fonts," Latin or "text" letters, although there are rare instances of onical, as the "M" in the arms of Meaux, Seine et Marne, France. A mongram, "MK," appears in the arms of Konskie, Poland. Letters are almost invariably capital, but the arms of Brétigny sur Orge, Essonne, France, provide perhaps a unique example of a "lower-case" letter. A capital "L" enjolivée or "embellished" appears in the arms of Lagny sur Marne, Seine et Marne, France. Letters of the Hebrew alphabet also appear, and the arms of Alexio, Italy provide an example of Greek letters. Entire words and phrases, while all but unknown in British heraldry, frequently appear in Spanish and Portuguese. A Roman numeral appears in the arms of Štore, Slovenia.[54]
A canal lock appears in the arms of Idegem, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Mathematical charges include the infinity symbol, in arms of those with some connexion to the Metis.
The maunch is a woman's sleeve; it is shown in a highly stylized form. A bishop's mitre also not infrequently occurs as a charge.
There is a mine in the arms of Biysk, Altai Region, Russia.
Musical instruments include the harp, bagpipes, bells, drum (shown as a "field drum"), guitar (only occurring as acoustic), lyres, organ pipes, and violin (along with its bow). The tuning fork in the arms of Franklin W. Darroch of Mulmorich might be placed under the same heading.
Nails occur in several forms, but are the type without modern heads.
A painter's palette and paintbrushes appear in the arms of Barbizon, France.
The pen is shown as a quill pen.
The "perron" occurs in the arms of Dilsen-Stokkem, Limburg, Belgium.
The porca de Murça occurs in the arms of the Murça, Portugal.
There is a reliquary in the arms of La Vraie Croix, Morbihan, France.[55]
The bundle of rods is occasionally termed a faggot.
A salt bucket appears in the arms of Sulz, Aargau, Switzerland, and the salt cellar or sprinkling salt in the arms of the Salters' Company.[56]
The escallop (scallop shell) is one of the most frequent charges.
Ships take a variety of forms, most often the lymphad (a type of ancient ship); but also the sinagot (fishing boat) of Séné, Morbihan, France; Viking ships; sailboats[57] including the Cape Breton Sloop in the arms of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada; three-masted sailing ships; a barque and even a steamer. The arms of San Franciso show "a device of a steamship passing the Golden Gate." The arms of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham includes a "Barking Well Smack," and the colonial arms of Dakar show pirogues. The arms of Atalaia Freguesia, Lourinhã, Portugal, feature a galley wrecked by crashing into a rock. A barge appears in the arms of Bruyères sur Oise. Val d'Oise, France, and there are rare occurences of Noah's ark. The arms of Zaandam, Noord Holland, the Netherlands, contain an "unfinished ship". A part of a ship that sometimes occurs is the rudder.
Spectacles rarely occur.
Sports equipment includes golf clubs, as found in the arms of the Hoylake Urban District Council, and skis in the arms of Križevci, Slovenia.[58] Rugby balls occasionally occur in the arms of South-African rugby clubs.[59]
The stairs in the arms of Kandersteg, Bern canton, Switzerland, are depicted in a way that is perhaps counterintuitive.[60]
An instance of statuary is the bust of Pedro IV in the arms of Municipal de Horta in Portugal.
The telegraph at Chappe features in the arms of Saint Martin du Tertre, Val d'Oise, France.
The arms of La Roche sur Yon, in the Vendée, show a town, and those of Masevaux, Haut Rhin, France, a fortified town. The coat of arms of Villalba, Puerto Rico show "a village of the XIX century"
The trophy is a collection of armor and weapons.
Charges relating to water comprise the loch, and the arms of Westhoek, in Friesland, show a gulf.[61] The arms of Tolmin, Slovenia, show a "curving creek".[62]
Weapons include bows (including the longbow) and arrows (from which the birdbolt is distinguished), the cannon (and its balls, dirk, grenade (which has the appearance of similar to a cannonball with flames coming out of a flattened end) and the mace; a machine gun (upon a Vavasseur mounting) occurred in the arms of Josiah Vavasseur, Esq.; and the spear and sword. The slingshot, appropriately, figures in the arms of the French family of David. Military medals and decorations sometimes occur as charges; Belfort, in Territoire de Belfort, France, bears the croix de la Légion d’honneur on its shield.
The wheel is almost invariably a carriage wheel; a winged wheel occurs in the arms of Barrie, Ontario.
The wind sock appears in the arms of Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal.
The helm of Athene Promachos occurs in the arms of George Francis Gilman Stanley.
Other inanimate charges include anchors, crosiers, lamps, portcullises, scales, scissors, shoes, spurs, and ermine spots.