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.

Next to the lion it is the eagle that is often portrayed on coats of arms. This was the insignia of the great Roman Empire, which now represents the United States. The Eagle stands for nobility, strength, and bravery. Its outspread wings indicate protection. Two-headed eagles indicate a joining of two forces.

Besides the aforementioned two animals there are others like boar and bull for bravery and valor, cat for liberty and vigilance, rooster for perseverance and courage, dolphin for swiftness, charity, diligence and love, dragon as valiant defender, fish means generous, true and virtuous mind, ram indicates authority and serpent for wisdom. Imaginary animal like unicorn is also used. It depicts extreme courage and virtue.

Plants in many coats of arms also have definite meanings just like animals and colors. For instance, the shamrock represents continuity and a sheaf of wheat stands for a harvest of hopes. The most common plant used on coats of arms is the rose that signifies hope, happiness, elegance and beauty. Laurel leaves are signs of victory, and the lily stands 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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