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Heraldry >> Beasts As Charges
         
From the outset, animal figures were an essential and original
component of heraldry. On a third of all arms, the main charge is an animal. The
lion is certainly the most popular heraldic charge in every region, period and
social class. Nearly fifteen per cent of European arms are charged with a lion -
a little more in the Middle Ages, a little less in modern times. That is a
considerable proportion, since the next charges in order of frequency, the `Fess
and the `Bend', that is two geometrical designs or `ordinaries', account for
less than five per cent. In fact, when arms became established in the course of
the l2th century, the lion became the definitive king of the beasts in all the
western traditions. Previously, the bear had been king in much of Germanic,
Celtic and Scandinavian Europe.
The heraldic lion is always shown in profile, more often erect (rampant) than
lying down (couchant). In early English armoury, until the late 14th century,
any lion that was not rampant was called a "Lion leoparde". This term
may date back to an ancient Greek convention that distinguished between the
lion, usually shown with a heavy mane and in profile, and the leopard, which had
less hair and was shown looking towards the observer. Later the term leopard was
applied only to the `Lion passant guardant', that is a lion walking, with its
right forepaw raised and its head facing the spectator, as in the royal arms of
England; hence the expression `the leopards of England'. Nowadays, the term
leopard applies only to the real animal, which is rarely found in blazon.
After the lion comes the eagle, king of the skies and sometimes competing
with the lion for the throne of king of the beasts - in modern times, in fact,
empires have all chosen the eagle and not the lion as their heraldic emblem. In
heraldry, the two animals are more or less mutually exclusive: in regions where
lions are frequently displayed (Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, for instance)
there are few eagles, and vice versa (Austria, northern Italy). The blazoned
eagle is also rather unlike the real animal. It is shown Flattened, its body
facing the spectator and its head in profile, with a very prominent beak and
claws. The eagle appears on about two per cent of European arms, especially
those of the nobility.
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Heraldic Beasts |
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