No default posture.
No default orientation.
No default tincture.
14 Entries
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Additional Divisions
Pily
Barry Pily
Pily Bendy
Pily Bendy Sinister
Lozengy Barry
Gyronny
Gyronny from Chief
Gyronny From Canton
Gyronny From Base
Barry Bendy
Barry Bendy Sinister
Chapé
Chaussé Vétu
Party of Six
Paly Bendy
Paly Bendy Sinister
These divisions use two contrasting tinctures.
Pily fields have triangles in parallel, while gyronny fields have triangles that meet at a point. Chapé, chaussé, and vétu each cloak the corners of the field in a contrasting tincture, which are typically not charged.
(Head) Gardant (Head) Regardant
Queue Nowed Queue Forchy
Beyond the overall posture, specific characteristics of an animal may be blazoned with these terms.
Fess
Pale
Bend
Bend Sinister
Chevron
Chevron Inverted
Two Bars
Two Pallets
Two Bendlets
Two Bendlets Sinister
Two Chevronels
Two Chevronels Inverted
Cross
Saltire
Pall
Pall Inverted
Pile
Pile Inverted
Ordinaries are simple geometric shapes that overlay the field; central ordinaries extend from the edge of the field and pass through its center. Many ordinaries have a different name, known as their “diminutives,” when there are two or more of them.
Per Fess
Per Pale
Per Bend
Per Bend Sinister
Per Chevron
Per Chevron Inverted
Barry
Paly
Bendy
Bendy Sinister
Chevronelly
Chevronelly Inverted
Quarterly
Per Saltire
Checky
Lozengy
Per Pall
Per Pall Inverted
Simple divisions of two or four equal pieces may use any two tinctures. Divisions with more pieces must use two contrasting tinctures. Per pall and per pall inverted divide the field into three different tinctures, of which one or two must be a metal.
Gules (Red)
Azure (Blue)
Sable (Black)
Vert (Green)
Purpure (Purple)
Metals
Argent (Silver/White) Argent & Gules
Argent & Azure
Argent & Sable
Argent & Vert
Argent & Purpure
Or (Gold/Yellow) Or & Gules
Or & Azure
Or & Sable
Or & Vert
Or & Purpure
Any pairing of a metal and a color is said to have good contrast, producing the following ten combinations.
Multple
Ordinary Division Division Arranged Orientation
Ordinary Division Arranged Orientation
Ordinary Location Orientation
A ~
Per ~
~y
In ~ ~wise
A ~ Per ~
In ~
In ~
A ~
In ~
To ~
Fess
Pale Bend
Bend Sinister
Chevron
Chevron Inverted
Cross
Chief Base
Dexter
Sinister
**
Saltire
Pall
Pall Inverted
*
*
* There are some special cases where blazons don’t follow the patterns shown above:
Canton
Sinister Canton
Horizontal multiple division is blazoned “barry.” A cross-wise division is blazoned “quarterly.”
The dexter-side ordinary is blazoned a “tierce,” and the sinister a “tierce sinister.”
Arrangements may be blazoned by number, so three charges in chevron are “one and two,” etc.
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Source: Book of Traceable Heraldic Art. Adapted from Yehuda’s Guide to Commonly Confused Heraldic Terms by Juliean Galak. Adapted by Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin. Source: Book of Traceable Heraldic Art. Adapted from Yehuda’s Guide to Commonly Confused Heraldic Terms by Juliean Galak. Adapted by Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin.
Ermine
Vair
Counter-vair
Vair En Point
Vair In Pale
Vair (Alternate)
Papellony
Scaly
Masoned
Potent
Counter-potent
Potent En Point
Estencelly
Semy of Roundels
Fretty
Grillage
Papellony (Fur)
Plumetty
These combine two tinctures. Ermine and its relatives are furs. Vair and its relatives form the neutral furs, so called because they contain an equal amount of metal and colour. Masoned, papellony, and scaly are field treatments. Semys are formed by scattering a charge repeatedly over the field. Fretty and grillage are special charges which can extend to cover an area.
Roundel
Annulet
Billet
Saltorel
Fret
Label Couped
Lozenge
Mascle
Delf
Sun
Estoile
Crescent
Triangle
Mullet
Escutcheon
Cartouche
Heart
Goutte
Mobile charges may be arranged in different locations on the field and made smaller or larger to fill the available space. The simplest charges are basic geometric shapes with few internal details.
Ermine Ermois Counter-Ermine Pean
Vair Potent Counter-vair Vair En Point
Furs combine two tinctures into a repeating pattern, and are usually treated as a single tincture.
Ermine and erminois are considered metals while counter-ermine and pean are considered colours.
Vair and its relatives are considered neutral because they contain equal amounts of metal and colour.
Person Statant
Person Affronty
Person Mounted
Reptile Tergiant Insect Volant
Serpent Glissant
Serpent Erect
Fish Haurient
Serpent In Annulo
Serpent Nowed
Fish Naiant
Fish Urinent
Fish Embowed Counter-embowed
There are typical postures for people, fish, reptiles, and insects.
Bordure
Chief
Chief Triangular
Base
Point Pointed Gyron
Orle
Canton
Tierce
Gusset
Gore Flaunches
Double Tressure
Sinister Canton
Tierce Sinister
Gusset Sinister
Gore Sinister
Ordinaries are simple geometric shapes that overlay the field; peripheral ordinaries follow the edge of the field but do not cross its center.
Argent (Silver/White) Gules (Red) Azure (Blue)
Sable (Black)
Or (Gold/Yellow) Vert (Green) Purpure (Purple)
Proper
There are two light tinctures, named “metals”, and five darker ones, named “colors.”
In period armory, all were fairly common, except vert was less frequent and purpure was rarer still. In a few cases, items may instead be colored as they would be found in the world, called “proper.” For example, some wooden objects may be colored brown, some stone objects may be gray, and people and some types of animals may be given natural skin tones.
