Merrick/Mirick Heraldry
Basics of Heraldry
During the Middle Ages, knights and noblemen used a padded linen, covered by metal, called a "surcoat" to protect themselves from the heat.
The "charges" of armorial devices were embodied on these surcoats (with very colorful crests, shields any symbols), which is where the term "coat of arms" comes from.
The knights used a coat of arms to identify themselves. However, one knight in armor looked similar to another, so the coat of arms was important in identifing a knight in battle. It made it easy to see who was a friend or foe with a quick glance.
Parts of the coat of arms.
Coat of arms can have many parts but the main part is a shield.
A charge is what is shown on the base color of your shield.
The shield can have a crest above it, a motto, and supports (usually animals supporting the shield).
Animals were frequently used as a main charge in coat of arms.
Animals were shown in certain traditional postures, but they were not meant to be realistic pictures of the animals. They were drawn to depict the animal as a symbol. Usually the animals chosen were fierce, some are mythological animals, and they were often show in the positions of combat.
Here are a few of the most common animals on shields of coats of arms.
Lion, Bear, Boar, Eagle, Horse, Dragon, Wolf, Unicorn, Hawk, Raven, and Griffin.
There were also names for the positions in which the animals were shown. Here are some of the most common:
Rampant - standing on hind legs
Rampant Guardant - standing on hind legs, facing the viewer
Passant - walking
Sejant - sitting
Couchant - lying down
The "blazon" is a description of the shield in words, using a special vocabulary similar to a kind of old French. The terms used in heraldry are used by the aristocracy during the Middle Ages, and French was the language.
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