Heraldry for Beginners

Blazon and Emblazon

The description of a coat of arms in words is called a blazon. The act of so describing is blazoning. An actual graphical depiction of the blazon is an emblazon.

Special Terms

The position and orientation of the charges are specified using special heraldic terms. Unless otherwise noted creatures are assumed to face the dexter side of the shield (see explanation for Passant to sinister). Some of the more common ones are defined below.

Accosted	Side by side.
Accrued	For trees. At full growth.
Addorsed	Back to back.
Affronty	Full face, that is, the whole body facing the viewer. If only the face is turned toward the viewer, use guardant (see Passant guardant).
Ambulant	For humans. Walking. For animals use Passant.
Arched	Curved.
Armed	For animals. Horns, teeth, tusks, talons of a different tincture from the rest of the body. Birds without talons (such as swans, geese) are described as “beaked and membered” rather than “armed”.
Assurgeant	Rising from water.
Attired	For animals. Deer and similar with horns/antlers in place.
Banded	Wrapped with a cord or rope. For example, a sheaf of grain.
Barbed	For humans. The beard in a different tincture from the rest. For a heraldic rose. The leaves in a different tincture. For an arrow, fishhook, spear. The points in a different tincture. For wheat. The ears in a different tincture. For horses. A fully Caparisoned horse.
Battled	Drawn to represent the battlements of a castle.
Bay, at	For stag. Head lowered in defence.
Beaked	See Armed
Cabossed	For animals. Head shown full face with no neck visible.
Cap-a-pie	Head to toe. A man in full armour is “armed cap-a-pie”.
Caparison	For horses. The trappings of a warhorse. See Equipped.
Charged	Anything bearing charges.
Combatant	For animals/humans. Two charges rampant face to face.
Compony	A single row of squares alternating two tinctures. See also Countercompony and Chequy.
Conjoined	Joined together.
Couchant	For animals. Lying down with head raised. This is posture that the Egyptian sphinx is in.
Countercharged	For a field divided into two parts, one a metal the other a colour, with any charges or parts of charges falling on the metal being of the colour and any those falling on the colour being of the metal.
Countercompony	Two rows of squares alternating two tinctures.
Courant	Running
Coward	For animals. Tail between its legs.
Crined	Haired or maned in a different tincture.
Debruised	Any charge with an ordinary or sub-ordinary place over it.
Decked	For birds. Feathers edged with a different tincture.
Decollated	Beheaded.
Defamed	With no tail.
Demi	Half
Disclosed	Wings stretched out and inverted.
Displayed	For birds. Wings stretched out. The bird usually faces the dexter side of the shield. To face the sinister side of the shield, add the term Reguardant. (For a front view, use Affronty.) See also Rising, Overt, Disclosed and Elevated.
Dormant	Sleeping
Elevated	Wings with tips pointing upwards.
Embowed	Bent or bowed.
Ensigned	A charge placed above another.
Equipped	For horses. Fully Caparisoned.
Eradicated	For plants/trees. Torn up by the roots.
Erect	Upright.
Feathered	For arrows. Fletching different tincture.
Flotant	For banners. Waving in the wind. For ships. Floating.
Foliated	For plants. Leaves in different tincture.
Forcene	For horses. Rearing on hind legs.
Fulgent	Rayed.
Fumant	Smoking
Garnished	For armour. Decorated.
Genuant	Kneeling.
Glissant	For snakes. Gliding.
Glory	Surrounded by rays.
Gorged	Collared.
Guardant	Full faced.
Habited	Clothed.
Hauriant	For fish. Swimming head upwards. See also urinant.
Incensed	For animals. With flames coming from mouth and ears.
Inflamed	Burning.
In pride	For turkey/peacock. Tail displayed.
Issuant	Coming from.
Jacent	A tree trunk or similar charge shown horizontal instead of the usual vertical orientation.
Jessant	A half-figure rising from an ordinary.
Mounted	A rider on a horse or other animal.
Naiant	For fish. Swimming in horizontal position. See also Hauriant and Urinant.
Naiant counter naiant	For fish. Swimming in horizontal position alternating dexter and sinister.
Naissant	Rising.
Nerved.	For plant leaves when the veins are in a different tincture from the rest of the leaf.
Nimbate	Haloed.
Over all	A charge or ordinary placed over everything else.
Overt	For birds. Wings open for flight.
Passant	For animals (except deer). Walking from sinister to dexter (that is, the animal faces the dexter side of the shield). For deer use Trippant.
Passant counter passant	For animals. Two animals one above the other walking in opposite directions. For deer use Counter trippant. (Animal counter-part to Naiant counter naiant for fish.)
Passant guardant	For animals. Walking with head full face.
Passant reguardant	For animals. Walking with head looking back. See example under Reguardant.
Passant to sinister	For animals. Walking from dexter to sinister. Note that you can also use to sinister to reverse the direction of other positions such as couchant, rampant, sejant.
Pendant	Hanging
Pierced	For any charge with holes in it to show either the field or a specified tincture.
Powdered	A field with minor charges scattered over it.
Preying	For birds/animals. Standing on and eating its prey.
Queue	For animals. The tail.
Rampant	For animals. Standing on one hind leg (usually the left) with the other slightly raised in front and with the forepaws stretched out front as well. The tail is curved up over the back. For griffins use Segrant. For reptiles and fish use Upright.
Reguardant	Looking back over the shoulder. Can be used in combination with other terms such as couchant, passant, rampant, sejant.
Respecting	For animals. Two animals face to face.
Retorted	For snakes. Two serpents wreathed together.
Rising	For birds. About to take flight.
Salient	For animals. Springing up.
Scintillant	Sparkling.
Segreant	A griffin shown in the rampant position.
Sejant	Seated.
Sejant erect	For lions. Seated but with raised forlegs.
Statant	Standing.
Trippant	A deer shown in the passant position.
Turreted	A wall or tower with small turrets.
Unguled	Hooved in a different tincture.
Upright	A reptile or fish in the rampant position.
Urinant	For fish. Swimming head downwards. See also Hauriant.
Voided	A charge with the centre cut out leaving only the edge.
Volant	Flying.
Vulned	Wounded.

Examples

The emblem for the Knights of Jubal (Eqvites Ivbalis) designed by Lady Anne Moloney could be blazoned like this:

Gold border; green charged an eagle in silver, wings outstretched and looking to the shield carrier’s left; in chief bends red and silver charged round spectacles in black.

A blazon with more traditional language and style might go like this:

For the British Royal insignia you could use:

Here’s the blazon for a complicated charge:

Lion sejant reguardant Tenné crined Gules langued Purpure.

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Heraldry information compiled and organised by Timber Bram.
Copyright © 2001.