Working Out The Meanings Of Coats of Arms

Coats of arms speak of the family history and heritage through the years. Often people and nations like to use coats of arms to portray their values, principles and what they stand for. Coats of arms have certain symbols with meanings and depict the heraldry, colors, animals and various other symbols. They have been here for centuries. A few elements common to most of the coats of arms are discussed here.

Colors: The colors used in coats of arms, whether in background or in motifs, symbolize one or the other virtue. For example, gold stands for generosity, white and silver for peace and sincerity, blue for truth and loyalty and green for hope and joy. Likewise, there are many other colors and their meanings. Then there are colors that are representative of valor and military. For example red is for military strength, maroon for patient victorious battle, purple for royalty and justice and oranges represent high ambition.

Animals. Animals are frequently represented on coats of arms. One of the most common is the lion. There is the lion rampant, which stands on its hind legs. This symbol represents dauntless courage. The heraldic lion represents bravery, strength, and valor. The lion is very often used in royal crests and many national crests.

Eagle is another animal that finds a frequent place in coats of arms. It represents noble nature, strength and bravery, an eagle with outspread wings depicts protection and the one with two heads shows the joining of two forces. The Roman Empire chose eagle as its insignia and in the contemporary times the United States adorns it.

The boar represents bravery and the bull symbolizes valor. The cat indicates freedom and alertness, whereas the rooster stands for patient perseverance and dauntless courage. The dolphin signifies speed, compassion, hard work, and love. The dragon is known as a chivalrous defender, and a fish means an honest, large hearted mind full of virtue. The ram shows authority; and the serpent indicates wisdom. Even the unicorn is used to represent extreme courage and virtue.

Besides animals, nature finds its way in coats of arms in the form of plants. All of these plants represent one or the other virtue. Shamrock stands for perpetuity and harvest of hope is depicted by sheaf of wheat. Rose indicates hope, joy, grace and beauty and is the most commonly used plant. Laurel leaves are used to signify victory and lily for purity.

Oak tree in general represents great age, strength, continuous growth and fertility. However, its variations in form of leaves and nuts indicate different things. Acorn is used to depict strength and antiquity.

Weapons and armor. In addition to colors, plants, and animals, coats of arms also include weapons and armor. Hands or arms clad in arm indicate leadership. The helmet indicates strength and invulnerability, as well as wisdom. The axe indicates military duty and the arrow is a symbol of battle-readiness. A hammer is the symbol of honor. The dagger indicates justice and the shacklebolt is an indicator of victory. The spear and the pike both represent an honorable warrior or valiant knight.

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