1.2 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 colour s 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.

1.3 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 the fillet. 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. 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.

2 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.

2.1 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.

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.

2.2 Humans

Humans may be employed as charges, usually as heads rather than as whole individuals. While there is, generally speaking, only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde), there are a number of frequently-occurring types of men, including the Moor (inaccurately shown as being African), Saracen, Turk, Englishman, Saxon and Welshman . Patrick McG. Stoker's crest is a Druid. A naked man occurs in the arms of Dalyell.

Though men and women of different types and professions, 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 .

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 often appear, in addition to the rare occurrence of other named individuals. 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.

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.

2.3 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, fox (occasionally including the arctic fox), dog, bear (including, rarely, the polar bear), bat (sometimes called "reremouse"), beaver (often depicted as quite unlike the natural animal), boar, stag (though quite a few other types of animals in the deer family also occur, such as the hind ( doe), roebuck and reindeer), antelope, horse, lamb, sheep, ram, cow, bull, calf, ox, goat, elephant, squirrel, serpent (almost invariably used to mean " snake;" in French heraldry the "couleuvre" or Grass Snake is distinguished), snail (rarely called "house snail") and ape and (much less often) monkey. 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, "moldiwarp" ( mole), moose, and the porcupine.

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 kangaroo frequently occurs in arms with an Australian connexion.

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, racoon 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.

"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 narwal occurs sometimes as a supporter in Canada.

Oft-used birds include the eagle (sometimes having two heads), falcon, raven (appearing as the Naden Raven , a symbol of the the Naden River people of the Haida Indians in the arms of Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada), swan, owl, crane, goose, 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 . In Canada the Canada goose occasionally appears. The kiwi bird occurs sometimes in coats where the grantee has some connexion to New Zealand; the kookaburra, 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.

Insects include the bee (their hives also sometimes occur), 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. 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 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 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). 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.

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.

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).

2.4 Plants

Plants are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges (the turnip, for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat).

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.

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 Platagenet s, 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.

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 lily of the valley is also distinguished from these). 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 . The trilium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context. The arms of Rybnik , Poland, contain "a floral pattern" of "a water nut ."[1]

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, 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 quinine tree appears in the arms of Peru. 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.

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 .

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.

2.5 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. 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. Stones are usually distinguished from rocks, and are to be distingished from pebbles. The island appears in the arms of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. Tools include 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.

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 barrel almost invariably occurs in the form of, and is described as a, tun.

There are baskets of several types.

Bridges, variously and usually more fully described, often occur. 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) with another tower rising from, or behind, the wall), though there are a number of other types of castles including the quadrangular castle . (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. Other buildings and related structures include the blast furnace (as can be seen in the arms of Barnaul, Altai, Russia), dolmens, various forms of ecclesiastical buildings (including an "ecclesiastical building" in the arms of the town of Eccles in England; a belfry; churches of various types including a romanic church and specific churches such as the the Church of Ormskirk in the arms of the West Lancashire District Council ; chapels; abbeys; a monk's cell [shown as a separate building] and various types of temples), the factory (in the arms of São João da Madeira, Portugal), the lighthouse, kilns for firing ceramics, the pavilion , tents, towers, windmills (including various components), and even pigeon coop s, 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 does not know what the château de la Malmaison [in the arms of Rueil Malmaison in Hauts de Seine, France looks like, one can be in trouble.) In France, the aquaduct sometimes appears, and the rampart in ruins occurs in the arms of Mennetou sur Cher , Loir et Cher , France. 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 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.

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."

A coin appears in the arms of Quarteira, in Portugal.

Constantly appearing are crowns of various kinds.

In addition to inanimate objects (as well as plants and animals) being enflamed, the flame itself is used as a charge.

Hats include the shako and the "wide-brimmed hat" in the arms of Marco Foppoli . 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. Letters are almost invariably capital , but the arms of Brétigny sur Orge , Essonne, France, provide perhaps a unique example of a " lower-case" letter. Letters of the Hebrew alphabet also appear.

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.

Musical instruments include the harp, bagpipes, bells, drum (shown as a "field drum"), guitar (only occurring as acoustic), lyres, organ pipe s, 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 paintbrush es appear in the arms of Barbizon , France.

The pen is shown as a quill pen .

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 Viking ships; sailboats 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 the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham includes a " Barking Well Smack ." A part of a ship that sometimes occurs is the rudder. Sports equipment includes golf clubs, as found in the arms of the Hoylake Urban District Council .

An instance of statuary is the bust of Pedro IV in the arms of Municipal de Horta in Portugal.

The trophy is a collection of armor and weapons.

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 sword. 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, axes of various types (including the pickaxe), books, crosiers, lamps, portcullises, scales, scissors, shoes, spurs, and ermine spots.

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