Heraldry facts for kids

Two Swedish heralds from the year 1594

Heraldry is the art and science of designing and using coats of arms. It's also the study of these unique designs. Long ago, in the Middle Ages, knights wore helmets that covered their faces. This made it hard to tell them apart in battle! So, they started putting special markings on their shields. This was the beginning of heraldry.

At first, only knights and noble families used coats of arms. But over time, some cities and towns also started using them. By the end of the Middle Ages, other people, not just nobles, began to use them too. These were called burgher arms. An official who approves and records these designs is called a herald. The study of flags, which is related to heraldry, is called vexillology.

The Language of Heraldry

Heraldry uses its own special language, called Blazon. This language uses many words from old French. It helps describe coats of arms very precisely.

Colors and Patterns

Heraldry uses only bold, bright colors. These are called tinctures and have special names. For example, gold is called Or, and silver or white is called argent. These words are often capitalized to avoid confusion.

Some patterns look like animal furs and also have unique names, like Ermine or Vair.

Tinctures
Examples
	Argent	Azure	Gules	Vert	Purpure	Sable
Metals			Furs
	Or	Argent		Ermine	Vair	Vairy (Or/gules)

Shield Divisions and Shapes

The shield itself can be divided in many ways. These divisions often follow the lines of basic geometric shapes. These shapes are called ordinaries. Each ordinary also has a special name.

Divisions
	Party per fess	Party per pale	Party per bend sinister	Quarterly	Quarterly with a heart

Ordinaries
	Chief	Pale	Fess	Bend	Bend sinister	Chevron
Ordinaries
	Cross	Saltire	Pall	Flaunches	Pile	Bordure

Pattern Variations

Besides solid colors and furs, shields can also have repeating patterns. These patterns are made by dividing the shield in specific ways.

Variations
	Barry (of eight)	Paly (of eight)	Bendy (of eight)	Chevronny	Chequy	Lozengy	Gyronny

Images for kids

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  The German Hyghalmen Roll was made in the late 15th century and illustrates the German practice of repeating themes from the arms in the crest. (See Roll of arms).

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  Enamel from the tomb of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, one of the earliest depictions of modern heraldry.

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  Two pursuivants wearing tabards, Windsor Castle, 2006.

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  German heraldry has examples of shields with numerous crests, as this arms of Saxe-Altenburg featuring a total of seven crests. Some thaler coins display as many as fifteen.

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  Coat of Arms of the Turiec county in Slovakia.

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  Military coat of arms, depicting a red locomotive.

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  Reverse of the Narmer Palette, circa 3100 BC. The top row depicts four men carrying standards. Directly above them is a serekh containing the name of the king, Narmer.

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  Fresco depicting a shield of a type common in Mycenaean Greece.

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  Vase with Greek soldiers in armor, circa 550 BC.

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  A reconstruction of a shield that would have been carried by a Roman Legionary.

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  Shields from the "Magister Militum Praesentalis II". From the Notitia Dignitatum, a medieval copy of a Late Roman register of military commands. However, it is likely the art on the shields are made to fit the era and not from the original.

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  The death of King Harold, from the Bayeux Tapestry. The shields look heraldic, but do not seem to have been personal or hereditary emblems.

See also

In Spanish: Heráldica para niños