List of heraldic charges

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Main article: Charge (heraldry)

This article does not cover those charges which derive their shape in part from that of the field; see Ordinary (heraldry).

\"Subordinary\" charges

A few simple charges are traditionally, and arbitrarily, classified among the subordinaries.

A lozenge is a rhombus, similar to the diamond of playing-cards (though its sides are never concave). A narrower lozenge may be called a fusil. A mascle is a lozenge voided, i.e. with a lozenge-shaped hole; a rustre is a lozenge pierced, i.e. with a round hole.

A billet is a rectangle, sometimes representing a sheet of paper or a piece of firewood. Its long side is normally vertical.

• a billet with ends splayed in three points appears in the arms of Khienburg[link]
• It is important to distinguish the billet from the delf, a square charge that when occurring singly and in one of the stainard colours 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 solid circle is called a roundel.

Common charges

Common charges include land animals and fish and 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.

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, though an exception may be in the not-uncommon Continental depictions of Madonna and Child, including the Black Madonna in the arms of Marija Bistrica, Croatia.[link]

Christianity

• The Ascension of St. Mary: on the arms of Breil, Graubünden, Switzerland,[link], and ["the Virgin, St. John the Apostle and St. Mary Magdalene lamenting the body of Christ taken down from the Cross": the arms of Pinggau, Steiermark, Austria][link]
• The Devil (or a demon) being defeated by an archangel (probably St. Michael)
• The Devil (or a demon), freestanding. This form is far from popular.
• Satan's face: on the arms of the 5th Communications Group of the United States Air Force.
• The "devil of Chateau-de-Diable": in the arms of the 305th Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• Angels very frequently appear, but angelic beings of higher rank, such as cherubim and seraphim, are extremely rare.
• An archangel: in the arms of Arkhangelsk.
• An imp: in the arms of the 720th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• Outside Britain, particular saints are the named individuals most often appearing. 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.

Other religions

• The goddess Ceres: in the arms of the South-African town of that name.[link]
• The god Mercury: in the arms of Idrija, Slovenia[link]
• The head of Minerva: in the arms of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions.[link]
• Venus: in the arms of Zianno di Fiemme, Italy.[link]
• Taras: in the arms of Taranto.
• Hercules: in a number of Continental coats of arms
• The head of Geryon: in the arms of Trivulzi.

Humans

Humans may be used as charges, usually as heads rather than as whole individuals. (Particularly in Europe, the "default" human is almost always depicted as one of European ancestry, though contrary examples can very occasionally be seen.[link]) "Humans" so blazoned are rare, though there are some examples.[link]

• A two-headed figure with one head a man's and one head a woman's: the arms of di Petris-Fragianni.
• There are also some examples of a man, not more fully described.

However, there are a number of frequently-occurring types of men, usually just as heads.

• The Moor or "blackamoor" is inaccurately shown as being African, although James Parker states that an "African" appears in the arms of Routell,[link]
• Englishman
• A "nègre" (= Negro): in the arms of Braunjohan[link]).
• A "negro cutting down a sugar cane": George Frederick Chambers, Esq.
• Saracen
• Saxon
• Turk
• Welshman
• The head of a Greek warrior: in the arms of the 642d Military Intelligence Battalion[link].
• A "conquistador's head": in the arms of the 202d Field Artillery Regiment[link], of the United States Army.
• An Aboriginal head: in the arms of the city of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia.[link]
• The "bust of a Jew": in the arms of Jud de Bruckberg.

Generally speaking, there is only one type of woman (young, beautiful and blonde, with disheveled hair, but there are occasional instances of her hair being braided), and appearing more often as a bust than head.

• A brunette [with an eagle's beak in place of a nose]: Elzanowski et Elzanowski-Sepiathere
• A Moorish woman: Apfaltrer d'Apfaltrera.
• "The upper body of a Xhosa woman": in the arms of Lingelethu[link]).

The "maiden" or "virgin" overlaps with the woman to a large degree. A "maiden in her modesty" is one who is covering her breasts with one arm and her groin with the other hand.

• The [symbol for a woman]: in the arms of Kim Campbell, Prime Minister of Canada.[link]

There are rare occurrences of the child, both the head and entire, and (although generally speaking the word "child" is used to mean "boy"): the arms of Frans Bernhard Staal specify a "male child".[link]

• A young girl: in the arms of Boul.[link]

There are a number of appearances of the "infant"

• Three newborns' heads: the arms of Auvity.
• An African mother and baby: the arms of the Order of Ethiopia.[link]

Races and nationalities of humans

The American Indian occasionally appears in heraldry though far more often as a supporter than a charge.

• "Sapphire an Indian dressed in his shirt and moccasins, belted proper. In his right hand a bow topaz; in his left, an arrow, its point towards the base. On the dexter side of the Indian's head a star, pearl, for one of the United States of America": the arms of Massachusetts.
• Irregularly, in caricatured form in the arms of the 8th Flying Training Squadron of the United States Air Force.[link]
• A similar figure is described as an "American": in the arms of Leonhardi)
• An "Algonquin warrior's head couped proper wearing two feathers gules": in the arms of the 306th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• A Taíno Indian: the arms of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico.
• A Tarahumara woman's head: the arms of the city of Chihuahua.[link]
• The new arms of South Africa are blazoned "Or, representations of two San human figures of red ochre, statant respectant, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands Argent, and a narrow border of red ochre".[link]
• Giants: in the arms of Agrigento, Italy.

Human occupations

• A Druid: Patrick McG. Stoker's crest.
• A naked man: in the arms of Dalyell
• There are a number of examples of naked women.
• Men and women of various types and professions are rare other than as knights (described as Templars in [the arms of Merlevenez, Morbihan, France])
• monks, nuns and the like.
• A minuteman: the arms of the 437th Airlift Wing of the United States Air Force.[link]
• A stylized figure in the form of a parachutist: in the arms of the 509th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• A blacksmith: in [the arms of the Portuguese Município] of Ferreira do Alentejo.
• A coal miner: [the arms] of Jaworzno, Poland.
• A zinc miner: [the arms] of Altenberg, Sachsen, Germany.
• A farmer: in [the arms] of Baardegem, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium (now incorporated into Aalst).
• A labourer:in the arms of Saint Arnaud, Algeria.
• A cowboy mounted on a horse appears on the arms of Thomas Gordon Towers.[link].
• A scuba diver: in the arms of Kenneth Angus Munn: in [this image] he seems to be using a rebreather.
• A woman scattering corn into 13 furrows on the arms of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico
• A naked athlete: the arms of Manessy.
• A discus thrower: the arms of Alexander Road High School.[link]
• A man wearing judo apparel: the arms of the South African Judo Union.
• Two "judo wrestlers": the arms of M.L. Sultan Technical College.

[link]

• A bowler: the arms of the Claremont Bowling Club, Cape Town[link]
• A Roman praetor: the canting arms of Pretoria, South Africa.

[link]

• [A] Hawaiian warrior: the arms of the 487th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• Frequently, allegorical figures, such as "Hope" in the former arms of South Africa.[link]

Named individuals

In British heraldry it is highly unusual for there to be a depiction of a particular named individual on the shield.

• The head of Charlemagne: in profile in the arms of the Münstertal District in Graubünden canton, Switzerland.
• Atahuallpa: on the arms of Francisco Pizarro.[link]
• Dmitriy Ivanovich: arms of Uglich, Russia[link]
• Balto Puente: the arms of Yumbo, Valle de Cauca, Colombia.[link]
• Martin Krpan (a character created by Slovenian writer Fran Levstik): on the arms of Pivka.[link]
• A "[representation] in the Australian Aboriginal manner of an Arnhem Land rock painting of a woman with stylised internal anatomy": is the central charge in the arms of the Northern Territory of Australia.
• A dead woman: the arms of Moura, Portugal.[link]

Attitudes of humans

Humans are standing and affronty unless otherwise stated, though there are occasional examples of people kneeling. Walking people are sometimes described as ambulant.

Parts of human bodies

Parts of human bodies, in addition to the head, that occur include the arm, eye (rarely accompanied by eyebrows), leg and skull.

• a dexter hand appaumé and a maple leaf conjoined: the arms of Brian Mulroney.[link]
• feet: the arms of Millares.[link]
• The cochlea: in the arms of Daniel Ling.[link]
• Shin bones: appeared in the arms of Sir Isaac Newton.
• Rib bones: in the arms of Mendes da Costa[link].
• A vertebra: in the arms of Walter William Roy Bradford.[link]
• Teeth: in the arms of Zahn.
• If possible to determine the difference, the "default" is supposed to be a man's, though a woman's arm occurs in the arms of Beyer de Boppard.
• The hand, as in the blood-soaked severed hand on the flag of Ulster.
• The heart, even when blazoned "a human heart", always appears like the heart in a deck of cards rather than a natural human heart.
• A "dug" or woman's breast "distilling drops of milk", famously appears in the arms of the Dodge family, and appeared for a time on the badge of cars made by the Dodge Automotive company. [link] [link]
• There are some Continental appearances of the beard.
• Moustaches: the arms of Barban, Istria County, Croatia.[link]
• Kidneys with their ducts: the Urological Association of South Africa's arms.
• Testicles: the Neapolitan family of Coglione bore "per fess argent and gules, three pairs of testicles counterchanged".[link]

Animals

Except the griffin, beasts in heraldry are male unless otherwise specified.

Carnivores

• 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)

(A "tiger of Ussouri": the arms of the Jewish Autonomous Region

• leopard (which may be used to describe the lion "passant guardant" [see explanation of "attitude"s below] rather than the natural leopard)
• ounce (snow leopard)
• bobcat: the arms of the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division of the United States Army.[link]
• 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. A female cat appears in a handful of coats of arms.
• wolf
• She-wolf: [the arms of Cormaranche en Bugey Ain, France]),
• fox (occasionally including the arctic fox)
• dog
• bear (including, rarely, the polar bear) frequently appears
• * Two young bears: [the arms of Perlsdorf, Steiermark, Austria]
• * teddy bear: the arms of Avril Elizabeth Home for the Mentally Handicapped, Cleveland, Johannesburg[link]
• "brock" (badger) (occasional) (and his pawprints): [link]
• ermine (occasional)
• cougar (rare)
• raccoon (rare)

Hoofed animals

• antelope
• bison
• The boar occurs very frequently
• bull
• calf
• camel (occasional)
• caribou heads: in the arms of MacPherson[link]),
• cow
• doe
• ass (occasional)
• The eland figures in a few coats of South African origin.
• elk (occasional)
• goat
• hart
• The hippopotamus is mentioned by very early writers on heraldry.
• horse
• lamb
• moose (occasional)
• "moose-deer": the arms of State of Maine, USA
• pig: Wilnis, Utrecht, the Netherlands
• * "Or, three hams sable": [link]
• ram
• reindeer
• rhinoceros: the arms of Tapps-Gervis.[link]
• roebuck
• sheep
• The "fat-tailed sheep" is distinguished in [the arms of Canvey Island Urban District Council]
• stag
• vicuña: the arms of Peru.

Other mammals

• ape
• bat (sometimes called "reremouse"),
• beaver (often depicted as quite unlike the natural animal),
• The elephant appears fairly frequently: the arms of Marija Gorica, Croatia, give an apparently unique example of a "paleo-elephant".[link]
• * African elephant: in the arms of Carl A. Larsen[link]
• gopher: the arms of the 136th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• kangaroo: rarely, in arms with an Australian connexion, although quite frequently as a supporter.
• manatee: the Kingdom of Haiti; the arms of Manati, Puerto Rico.[link]
• marmot (occasional)
• "moldiwarp" (mole) (occasional)
• monkey (much less often than ape)
• numbat (rare)
• pangolin: the arms of Mazoe, in Zimbabwe.
• porcupine (occasional)
• squirrel.
• thylacine: the arms of the Australian state of Tasmania.
• walrus: the arms of Van Walree
• wolverine (rare)

Reptiles and amphibians

• The serpent (the almost invariably used word for "snake", though in Canadian heraldry the snake is sometimes called a snake,[link].
• In French heraldry the "couleuvre" or Grass Snake is distinguished.
• The arms of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army contain a rattlesnake[link];
• There are instances of winged serpents,
• 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 (in the arms of Le Clei shown as "vomissant des flammes" ["vomiting flames"] as well).
• There are quite rare appearances of the chameleon.
• The arms of the 92nd Bombardment Group of the United States Air Force contain a pterodactyl.[link]

Fish and other sea animals

"Fish" are sometimes only described as "a fish", but commonly-found types include:-

• burt,
• The catfish appears in the arms of Karl Freiherr Auer von Welsbach.[link]
• Conger eel: distinguished in the arms of the Congleton Borough Council),
• The coelacanth appears in the arms of Arcadia School in East London, South Africa.[link]
• dolphin (though it is not, in scientific terms, fish),
• eel
• ged (= pike),
• lucy (= perch),
• roach
• salmon (there is at least one occurrence of an "Atlantic salmon"),
• and herring.
• The "seahorse" is depicted as one of those pulling Neptune's chariot, and if the natural seahorse is to be depicted it is blazoned as a "seahorse (hippocampus)".
• The shark is rare in the extreme.
• The swordfish appears in the arms of Snyders.
• There are occasional appearances of the trout.
• The whale (again, defined as a fish though in science it is a mammal) rarely appears
• The ichthus symbol appears in the arms of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada.[link]
• Fishbones appear in the arms of Bordes (des) de Chalendray.
• The escallop (scallop shell) is one of the most frequent charges
• Mussels appear in the arms of Musselburgh in Scotland.
• The proteus appears in a 1909 grant to Postojna, now Slovenia.
• The sand dollar appears in the arms of Michaëlle Jean.
• oyster shell, in which a pearl sometimes appears.[link]
• whelk shell
• A trilobite appears in the Dudley coat of arms.

Birds

There are rare examples of a "bird," not more specifically named.[link]

Oft-used birds include the eagle (sometimes having two heads, and there is at least one example of a three-headed eagle[link]),

• The allerion is an eagle with expanded wings, the points turned downwards, and without beak or feet.
• canary (apparently one use only): [link]
• cardinal: was a later immigrant from the New World
• cock: with two heads on the arms of Versailles)
• cormorant
• crane
• dove,
• duck: sometimes appears
• * the duck without beak or legs is called the merlette
• * ducklings: the arms of Steynsrus, South Africa.[link]
• emu: the arms of Toowoomba, Australia.
• falcon
• * the Icelandic falcon: in the arms of George Johnson[link]
• flamingo appears, rarely, in South-African heraldry.
• finch: more rarely.
• The generic goose
• * The "Magellan-goose": in the arms of Ashfield,[link]
• * Canada goose: almost invariably in Canada
• grebe: in the arms of Ig, Slovenia[link]
• gull or seagull
• heron
• kiwi: sometimes in coats where the grantee has some connection to New Zealand;
• Knysna Lourie (apparently one use only): [link]
• kookaburra: Australia.
• magpie: Otton de Cazeneuve bore "Or, three magpies sable" at Falkirk.
• martlet: common, is a mythiclal bird without legs.
• merlette (used almost exclusively in France)
• North American Kingfisher: was a later immigrant from the New World
• osprey: almost invariably depicted simply as an eagle argent
• ostrich,
• owl
• peacock,
• popinjay (parrot).
• ptarmigan: the arms of the 588th Engineering Battalion of the United States Army[link]
• puffin (apparently one use only)
• raven: (appearing as the Naden Raven, a symbol of the Naden River people of the Haida Indians in the arms of Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada),
• three heads of a Redhead (Aythya americana) drake: the arms of Thomas A. Hickey.[link]
• secretary bird.
• stork
• swallow
• swan
• white-tailed tropic bird: the arms of Colin Fleming
• turkey cock: was a later immigrant from the New World
• egg: rarely ([link])
• see below for an example of "duck eggs".
• An example of "a vertical section of an egg".[link]

Invertebrates

Insects include:-

• bee (beehives also sometimes occur, usually in the natural form, though that in [the arms of Marquion, Pas de Calais, France was at least once depicted as of a man-made type]).
• dragonfly
• grasshopper
• butterfly
• ant (rather rarely)
• fly (rather rarely)
• anthill: in the arms of Bertrand.
• Stag beetles, appropriately, appear in the arms of Sir George Martin.[link]
• In heraldry the spider is considered an insect, and there are a few examples.
• A "caricatured" mosquito: in the arms of the 6147th Tactical Control Group,[link]
• boll weevil: in the arms of the 81st Training Wing of the United States Air Force.[link]
• snail (rarely called "house snail," supposedly to disntinguish from slug),
• worm: very rare

Mythical

Several mythical creatures are also used as charges.

• dragon: another common charge, depicted as large and reptilian, with a forked tongue, an eagle's eyes, and a bat's wings. (The number of "membranes" in the wings may be specified.[link])
• wyvern: similar to a dragon, but with only two legs.
• These pre-date the appearance of several types of Oriental dragons including:-
• The generally-described "Chinese dragon"
• * The three-clawed dragon, granted in Europe and Canada for those with some connexion to China,
• * The imperial Chinese dragon.[link]
• Another Chinese monster, the qilin: in the arms of Captain Benjamin Lee.[link]
• mermaid: not infrequently.
• Phoenix: including in a Chinese type in the arms of Adrienne Clarkson)
• unicorn
• sphinx: not depicted in the familiar way, but with the head and breasts of a woman.
• 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 arms of Magdalensberg, Kärnten, Austria] show a specific ancient statue of a 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.
• A half-eagle, half-tiger (an eagle dimidated with a tiger) creature figured in the arms granted to Fernando de Tapia.[link]
• In Canada compound creatures such as the raven-bear and raven-wolf appear.
• Mithras - appears on the arms of Hajdina, Slovenia [link].

Parts of creatures may also be used as charges. The most frequent parts used as charges are 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.
• demi (as in, for instance, demi-lion) means 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 terms applied to the head vary; if shown full-faced and without the neck showing, the heads of deer-like animals, and the bull, are termed "caboshed", and the arms of Alexander L. Purves show an application of this term to the head of the Chinese dragon.[link]
• Elephant tusks frequently appear
• A "boar's tooth" [sic] appears in the arms of the Orange Free State Amateur Athletic Association,[link]
• Wolves' teeth in the arms of Zemby.

Attitude of animals

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. *A rare example of passant applied to the bird is to the flamingo in the arms of the Kuisebmond Second School, Walvis Bay,[link]
• The flamingo[link] and kiwi[link] have also been blazoned stantant.
• There is even an example in the heraldry of the United States Air Force of "two boots passant",[link] though this is incorrect as "passant" can be applied only to beasts and, rarely, some types of birds, and not inanimate objects.)
• Animals with all four paws on the ground are statant (standing).
• Beasts of prey, and horses, running are courant (they are shown with both forelimbs and both hind limbs together), though the arms of Iberia show a horse in full gallop.[link]
• 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).
• (There is at least one case of leaping being distinguished.)[link]
• An animal is couchant if it is laying down, and dormant if it is sleeping (with its head lowered).
• The term clymant is almost exclusively applied to the goat, but there are instances of its application to:-
• * The unicorn[link]
• * The pegasus.[link]
• A very rare term, pascuant, is applied to a quadruped when grazing.
• A bull "storming": The arms of the Erasmus Family Association[link]
• "a crouching panther, tail elevated": the arms of the 31st Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army show .[link]
• If the tongue of the animal is of a different tincture, it is said to be langued of such-and-such a tincture, though it is not necessary to specify that a lion is "langued gules" as this is the default unless it is charged on gules, in which case the default is azure.
• * The arms of the 345th Quartermaster Battalion of the United States Army provide a unique example in which a cottonmouth is langued with a thunderbird Gules.[link]
• If the eyes of the animal are of a different tincture, it is said to be eyed of such-and-such a tincture, and the arms of the 83d Chemical Battalion of the U.S. Army show a rare example in which the tincture of the pupil is specified.
• If the penis of the animal is of a different tincture than the rest, it is said to be pizzled of such-and-such a tincture.

By default, the charge faces the left, as seen by the viewer.

• The head of an animal guardant faces the viewer,
• The head of an animal reguardant faces the right, as seen by the viewer.
• It is extremely unusual for the head to be described as in trian aspect (or three-quarters profile).[link]
• There are several positional descriptions unique to the lion, which appears to be the only creature that can be stantant with tail extended, though other animals have been known to have their tails "erect".
• A "lion with a dragon's tail"[link] can be seen in the arms of Christopher Sterling Tod Mackie.
• The Chinese dragon in the arms of Dr. Richard Gordon Num is torqued.[link]

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.
• The snake is sometimes found in a circle with its tail in its mouth, which position in French heraldry sometimes makes it an ouroboros.
• If gliding along, the serpent is glissant, though the arms of the 37th Armor of the United States Army give an example of a wyvern (sans legs) glissant.[link]
• The rattlesnake, uniquely, can be described as coiled to strike.

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.

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.
• (The attitude "volant" is also sometimes applied to aircraft.)
• (Owls volant affronty appear in the arms of Sir Christopher Frayling[link])
• {An owl affronty hovering appears in the arms of Jules Léger.)
• If the bird's head faces upward, the bird is rising or rousant (about to take flight).
• Swans and ducks are very occasionally found naiant (= swimming).[link]
• There are several examples of crowing cocks.

Plants

Plants are extremely common in heraldry and figure among the earliest charges. (The colonial-era arms of Tlemcen, Algeria are unusual in that they contain generic "plants".) The turnip, for instance, makes an early appearance, as does wheat.

When the fruit of a tree, branch, or the like is mentioned, as it generally will only be if it is of a different tincture, it is said to be fructed of the tincture. The arms of the French family of Fenoyer provide a perhaps unique example in which the number of "pieces" of the "fructed" is stated.

Grain crops

• 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.
• * bearded wheat ears are distinguished in the arms of the 469th Support Battalion of the United States Army
• Ears of rye are depicted exactly as wheat, except the ears droop down.
• "Ginny wheat" (like wheat but with a fatter ear) also exists.
• There are very few examples of barley, maize and oats.

Flowers

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 Joseph's lily in some Irish grants[link] and the lily of the valley are also distinguished from these).

• The head of an Orange River Lily: the arms of Free State Province, South Africa[link] The arms of Laško, Slovenia are blazoned "Azure, three Bourbonic Fleurs-de-lys Argent".[link]
• 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:-

• trefoil (with three petals),
• quatrefoil (with four petals),
• cinquefoil (with five petals),
• sexfoil (with six petals);
• The septfoil (with seven petals) appears in the arms of the 63rd Armor of the United States Army.[link]
• 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 carnation, the daisy, the lilac, the dogwood flower, the peony, the poppy,[link] the sunflower, the tulip and the hydrangea (as in the arms of Rueil Malmaison).
• The althaea blossom appears in the arms of the 228th Support Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• Sprigs of lavender occur in the arms of the Mitcham Borough Council; cranberry flowers in the arms of Besenbüren, Aargau, Switzerland.

(Tulip bulbs appear in the arms of Fressal.)

• The trillium flower occurs occasionally in a Canadian context, and the protea flower constantly appears in South Africa.
• "A floral pattern" of "a water nut": the arms of Rybnik, Poland[link]
• Bermudiana flower,
• The heliotrope: in the arms of Ennery, in the department of Val d'Oise.
• Giant Red Paintbrush all make at least one appearance.
• Parnassus flowers appear in the arms of Cumberland.
• The peach blossom.[link]

Fruits

• apples occur very frequently,
• cantaloupe (infrequent)
• cherries,
• gourds (infrequent)
• grapevines (with their grapes) occur very frequently,
• lemon: in the arms of Limojon
• lemon tree (more frequently)
• Lime (fruit): in the arms of Durand
• oranges (infrequent)
• The "orange sanguine": in the arms of Perrégaux, Algeria.)
• peaches
• pears (with peartrees)
• raspberry: in the arms of Abernethy, Scotland
• strawberries.
• A slice of watermelon: in the arms of General Bravo, in Mexico.

• The artichoke appears in a very few European coats, and there is at least one example of its leaves.[link]
• Cabbage appears in the arms of the French Antarctic Territory and lettuce in the arms of Lechuga.
• carrot (rare)
• There is an apparently unique example of celery in the arms of Boussu.
• cucumbers (rare): the family of Favier de Bains
• garlic (occasional)

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.
• A close second is the pine.
• * "pineapples" refer anciently and much more often to the cone rather than the tropical fruit.

Members of the pine family such as:-

• The fir,
• redwood (in the form of a "triple frond"): in the arms of the Stanford University School of Medicine[link].
• There is at least one appearance of the almond.[link]
• The beech, birch, the elm, the poplar, willow, alder, box tree, coconut tree and the palm also appear.
• 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.
• dragon tree: in the arms of Porto Santo in Portugal.[link]
• gum tree: in the arms of Woodville, Australia, since incorporated into Charles Stuart City.[link]
• Juniper appears at least once.
• Laurel trees occur, as do olive, but in both cases less frequently than their branches.
• A milkwood tree appears in the arms of the former Republic of Ciskei.[link]
• 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.
• quinine tree: in the arms of Peru
• The tree of paradise: in the arms of Vale do Paraíso, Azambuja, Lisboa, Portugal.
• A monstrous tree ending in two hands cradling a town: the arms of Fosses, in Val d'Oise
• The china cokar tree is another kind of "monster tree".
• "A palmetto tree issuant from an oak tree eradicated": in the arms of the 118th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• A small group of trees is blazoned as a "hurst", which is distinguished from a forest.
• "A grove of eight coconut trees": was in the arms of the Crown Colony of Ceylon
• The Ceiba Macho of the Parque Principal: in the arms of San Antonio del Tequendama, Cundinamarca, Colombia.[link]
• In Portuguese heraldry but rarely in the heraldry of other countries trees are sometimes found decorticated.

Other plants

• The aloe plant: in the arms of the North-Eastern Transvaal Tennis Association.
• Bobactitli: in the arms of Gonzalo Tecpanecate, Francisco de Mendoza.[link]
• Bushes: in the arms of Lionel Camps Perezfarras
• The burning bush: in the arms of the Session of Knox Presbyterian Church of Stratford in Ontario, Canada.
• A cotton ball: in the arms of New Germany in South Africa.
• The maple usually occurs only in the form of leaves (and occasionally seeds)[link]
• There are a few occurrences of the tobacco leaf and plant.[link]
• Marjoram: in the arms of Noble Ivan B. Mazuranic-Jankovic of the Counts Mazuranic[link]
• 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 taro plant: in the arms of the 24th Finance Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• The prickly pear cactus: in the arms of the 113th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• Vanilla: in the arms of Antalaha, in Madagascar.
• The yucca plant: in the arms of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• 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 charged with an orle of lichen.
• Grass is sometimes specified to occur on the "mounts vert" (green hillocks) on which charges on the shield, or crest, sit or are placed.
• A meadow appears in the arms of Aprato.[link]
• The elderberry is shown not as a shrub, but a flower growing from the ground.
• The broom plant, symbol of the Plantagenets, occurs occasionally.
• The cattail makes its appearance in the arms of the town of Arronville in France.
• 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).
• hemp: in the arms of Chennevières lès Louvres, in the department of Val d'Oise.
• holly.
• hops toccur occasionally.
• ivy
• Thorns (usually in the form of a crown of thorns),

Inanimate charges

Astronomical

Celestial objects also feature as charges. A sun with rays is called a sun in splendour.

• (A "Philippine sun" can be seen in the arms of the 387th Replacement Battalion of the United States Army[link].
• A "Namibian sun" in the arms of Klaazen[link])
• 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; pole stars are occasionally differentiated.
• the Star of Acadia (which has the same appeance as a mullet): in the arms of Romeo LeBlanc
• An example of stars grouped in a constellation is in the arms of the Australian state of Victoria, which show the Southern Cross.
• Magden David: in the arms of Camilo Agasim-Pereira of Fulwood & Dirleton.
• The arms of Pierre-Simon Laplace showed the planets Jupiter and Saturn and their moons.
• The aurora borealis appears in the arms of Murmansk Oblast in Russia.
• There are also comets and shooting stars.[link]
• The globe appears frequently in later times, and the arms of the last Swedish knight Sven Anders Hedin are "Argent, a globe Azure centered on Asia, on a chief Sable three escallops of the first."[link]
• * an arc of the globe showing Newfoundland: the arms of Arthur Maxwell House[link]

Weather

• Thunderbolts and lightning bolts -- also called "lightning flashes" -- are shown in a stylized way.
• * There is a perhaps unique example of "sound waves", which can apparently be distinguished only contextually.[link])
• 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.
• A "cloud formation": in the arms of the 23rd Air Division of the United States Air Force[link]
• "clouds forming a genie":in the arms of the 3rd Chemical Battalion of the United States Army.
• In terms of clouds' precipitation, the raindrop as such is unknown,
• and the snowflake (blazoned as "snow crystal"[link]) is only known in more recent times,
• though the snowball predates this by some centuries.

Geology and geography

Geological and geographic charges include the mountain (sometimes blazoned as a "rocky mountain," though the difference in appearance between the two is not significant),[link] which must be distinguished from the oft-occurring:-

• * "mount in base vert"
• * volcano
• * "range of mountains", such as appear in the arms of the Canadian province of Alberta and the U.S. State of Colorado.
• The mount in base with "chalk outcrops" occurs in the arms of the Chiltern District Council.
• A mountain or mountains, a mount in base or cliff can be covered with snow.
• a stylized mountain bearing the profile of the “Old Man of the Mountain” is in the arms of the 167th Support Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• Examples of specific mountain are:-
• * a representation of Diamond Head[link]
• * Mt. Ararat
• * Mount Rainier[link]
• * Mt. Warning
• * Sentinnel Peak
• * Mount Triglav[link]
• The black wildebeests in the arms of Natal ran on a "plain".
• The woman in the arms of Francke de Rückersdorf stands in a field of wheat.
• Charges are also sometimes, if rarely, stated to be on a "promontory" or "peninsula".
• "Land masses" appear in the arms of some United States Air Force units.[link]
• The island: in the arms of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island.
• Stones are usually distinguished from rocks, and are to be distinguished from pebbles
• * heart-shaped stones: in the arms of Šoštanj, Slovenia
• A rock in the form of a lion: in the former colonial arms of Bône, Algeria.
• Cut diamonds occasionally appear.
• Crystals of gypsum form a sort of border in [the arms of Gams Bei Hieflau, Steiermark, Austria].
• A chipped flint implement: in the arms of Crouttes sur Marne, Aisne, France.
• Charges relating to water comprise the loch, and the arms of Westhoek, in Friesland, show a gulf.[link]
• * The arms of Tolmin, Slovenia, show a "curving creek".[link]
• * A river of water and blood: in the arms of Geronimo del Aguila[link]

Geometrical shapes

Geometrical shapes are very rare in heraldry.

• An "acute angular pattern" (very exceptionally): in the arms of the 313th Air Division of the United States Air Force.[link]
• There are occurrences of the triangle (sometimes specified to be equilateral though this is the default).
• * A triangle with concave sides: in the arms of the 10th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army[link]
• * "Voided" isoceles triangle: in the arms of the 304th Military Intelligence Batallion of the United States Army[link])
• ** An isoceles triangle treated as a mountain in that it is "capped argent": in the arms of the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army.[link]
• 45° drafting triangle (engineering drawing implement): in the arms of the 30th Engineering Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• There are very occasional appearances of the pentagon and hexagon.
• octagon: in the arms of the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army.
• demi-triangle: in the arms of Badon-Ghyben
• "triangle in relief": in the arms of Belon-Lapisse.
• Pythagorean theorem: the arms of Seissenegger
• The oval: in the arms of Carolus Linnæus.[link]
• There are a handful of examples of the cone and the cube.
• Lines: in the arms of Allanridege, South Africa.[link]

Tools

Tools include:-

• axes of various types (including
• * ice-axe
• pickaxe
• hammers, blazoned either as "a hammer" and of various other types including:-
• * "paver's hammer": in the arms of Fanhões, Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal
• * martels-de-fer: in the arms of the 192nd Ordnance Battalion of the United States Army.
• * maul
• shovel
• sickle
• hoe.
• ladders typically take the form of scaling ladders.
• scales (weighing)
• scissors
• trowel[link]

Aircraft and flying

• Generic aircraft",[link]
• The Wright flyer
• "Bi-wing aircraft,"[link]
• "Flight symbols" (sometimes described as "aircraft symbols") with "vapor trails".[link]
• "Futuramic aircraft".[link]
• A "DHC-2 aircraft" appears in the arms of John Munroe Bogie.[link]
• "Hannibal Aircraft": the arms of Beddington and Wallington
• The wind sock: in the arms of Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal.
• a witch's broom: in the arms of De Doorns, South Africa.[link]

Spacecraft

• A space capsule: in the arms of Vicomte F. de Winne[link]

Ground vehicles

The wheel is almost invariably a carriage wheel.

• A winged wheel: in the arms of Barrie, Ontario.
• "The front wheel of an oxwagon": appears in the arms of Cicero Rautenbach, [link]
• A "covered wagon": in the arms of the 734th Transportation Battalion of the United States Army[link]
• A Voortrekker wagon: in the arms of the Transvaal Provincial Administration[link]
• An "army truck": in the arms of the 49th.[link]
• Truck wheels are said to be tired if the tires are of a different tincture: as at this link[link]
• A "stage coach": in the arms of Ville de Stanstead.[link]
• A road roller: in the arms of Phillipstown Divisional Council, South Africa[link]

Ships and boats and water transport

Ships take a variety of forms:-

• Most often the lymphad (a type of ancient ship).
• but also the sinagot (fishing boat) of Séné, Morbihan, France
• Viking ships
• sailboats[link] including:-
• * The Cape Breton Sloop in the arms of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Three-masted sailing ships
• A barque
• A steamer.
• The arms of San Francisco show "a device of a steamship passing the Golden Gate".
• a Mississippi River steamboat: the arms of the 442nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• The arms of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham includes a "Barking Well Smack".
• The colonial arms of Dakar show pirogues.
• [The arms of Atalaia Freguesia, Lourinhã, Portugal], feature a galley wrecked by crashing into a rock.
• A barge appears in the arms of Bruyères sur Oise, Val d'Oise, France
• There rare occurrences of Noah's ark.
• The arms of Zaandam, Noord Holland, the Netherlands, contain an "unfinished ship".
• canoes and canoe paddles: in the arms of John Turner
• * "Ojibwe canoes" figure in the arms of James Karl Bartleman[link]
• * A "Kootenai canoe" is in the arms of the College of the Rockies.[link]
• A part of a ship that sometimes occurs is the rudder.
• A canal lock: in [the arms of Idegem, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium].
• anchor

Bridges

Bridges, variously and usually more fully described, often occur.

• A suspension bridge occurs in the arms of Plouhinec, Morbihan, France;[link].
• A railway bridge in the arms of Hadsund, Denmark.[link]
• A specific bridge, the Staines Bridge can be seen in the arms of the Staines Urban District Council.
• An [ancient roman bridge], such as in Sacavém CoA, Portugal.

Buckles occur not infrequently, including the stylized ""boucle d'Oise"". The arms of Peter Greenhill are an example of buckles with double tongues.

Buildings

Religious buildings

• Various forms of religious buildings including:-
• A campanile: in the arms of the Port Elizabeth Hospital Board.[link]
• An "ecclesiastical building": in the arms of the town of Eccles in England
• A belfry
• A steeple
• churches of various types including a romanic church
• Specific churches such as:-
• * The basilica at She-Shan: in the arms of Cardinal Kung
• * The Church of Ormskirk: in the arms of the West Lancashire District Council
• chapels
• A monk's cell [shown as a separate building]
• James Parker states that (in addition to regular appearances of the building) "the ruins of an old abbey" appear in arms quartered by Maitland.[link]
• Various types of temples, including:-
• * the three columned temple of Georgia: the arms of the 325th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• * A "Korean temple": in the arms of the 321st Army Security Agency of the United States Army[link])
• * The minaret of a mosque: in the arms of Tlemcen

Industrial buildings

• A cooling tower: in the arms of Hendrina, South Africa.[link]
• Other buildings and related structures include:-
• The baking furnace: [link]
• The blast furnace: in the arms of Barnaul, Altai Krai, Russia);
• dolmens
• smokestacks: in the arms of Trail, British Columbia,[link]
• The factory: in the arms of São João da Madeira, Portugal
• * A factory chimney (with ladder railing): the arms of Fakkel Volkskool, Sasolburg, South Africa[link]
• * Silhouettes of factory roofs: in the arms of Ruše, Slovenia[link])
• A cement mill: in [the arms] of Retznei, Steiermark, Austria
• kilns (for firing ceramics and lime)[link]
• A converter: in the arms of Homécourt, Meurthe et Moselle, France.

Fortified buildings

• 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).
• There are a number of other types of castles including the quadrangular castle.
• * Castles may be domed[link] or may have conical roofs.
• * A turreted castle of three storeys appears in the arms of Benoni, South Africa.
• * A castle of an unusual type: in the arms of Lauerz, Schwyz canton, Switzerland.
• * The Nordborg castle: in the arms of Nordborg, Denmark.[link]
• * the castle of Ehrenbreitstein: in the arms of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• * A ruined castle: in the arms of Altusreid, in Bavaria.[link]
• * a mount Vert debruising all but the embattlements of a castle and tower: the arms of the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• * A castle gateway: in the arms of Heidelberg, South Africa.
• The castle is distinguished from the "tower triple-towered" [which has three smaller towers or turrets rising out of the top].
• * An octagonal tower of Caernarvon Castle with two turrets: Institute of Quarrying, South Africa.
• A city wall with the letter "A" formed out of the masonry) with another tower rising from, or behind, the wall):[the arms of Alexandow Kujawski]
• The "rampart in ruins": in the arms of Mennetou sur Cher, Loir et Cher, France.
• An oak fortress figures in the arms of Arsk, Russia
• A "four-bastioned fort": in the arms of the 729th Support Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• The city is also a frequently occurring charge, though almost exclusively in civic heraldry.

Groups of buildings

• [The arms of La Roche sur Yon, in the Vendée], show a town.
• [The arms of Masevaux, Haut Rhin, France], a fortified town.
• [The coat of arms of Villalba, Puerto Rico show "a village of the XIX century"]
• The arms of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, show a seaport.[link]
• [T]he silhouette of the Twin Towers (of New York City's World Trade Center, though this is not stated, and it has been pointed out that this could lead to confusion in future[link]): arms of the 104th Military Police Battalion of the United States Army[link]

Other buildings

A vaguely-described "stylized building" appears in the arms of the 26th Air Division of the United States Air Force,[link].

• a Montreal dwelling under construction (tempore 1680): in the arms of Pierre Trudeau
• The domes of the Taj Mahal: in the arms of the 160th Miliary Police Battalion of the United States Army.[link].
• The tower in the regular sense is distinguished from:-
• The "modern tower", which appears as a sort of pallet-like, couped in chief, charge (compare the immeubles as shown in [this depiction of the arms of Avion, Pas de Calais, France].
• * The skyscraper: in the arms of Velenje, Slovenia[link]).
• Brick towers: in the arms of the Office of Historic Properties of the United States Army.[link].
• a specific tower that appears is Franke Tower in the arms of Omaruru, South Africa.
• A farmhouse: in [the arms of] Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada
• hut: in the arms of Monnakato Urban Council, South Africa
• hermitage
• lighthouse
• The pavilion
• tents
• the mairie or town hall: in [the arms of Locmiquélic, Morbihan, France])
• windmills (including various components)
• pigeon coops
• pillories
• 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 is not familiar with the château de la Malmaison [in the arms of Rueil Malmaison in Hauts de Seine, France] or the hôpital Saint Louis à Paris in the arms of Richerand, one can be in trouble.)
• The Royal Exchange: in the arms of the Royal Exchange Assurance Company.[link]
• In France, the aquaduct sometimes appears (and there is an appearance of its vent in Portugal)[link].
• Weathervanes occur not only atop buildings but as independent charges.
• An example of an autochthonic charge along these lines appearing in heraldry is the inuksuk in the arms of Nunavut
• wigwam: in the arms of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• The keystone: in the arms of the 104th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• A kiosk and fountain: in the arms of the Mexican city of General Bravo.

Hats and other headgear

Hats include:-

• The ecclesiastical hat in the arms of Freguesia do Prior Velho in Portugal[link]
• The shako
• The "wide-brimmed hat" in the arms of Marco Foppoli
• Constantly appearing are crowns and coronets of various kinds:
• * Coronets érablé: in the arms of Brian Mulroney
• * The liberty tiara: in the arms of the 389th Support Battalion of the United States Army
• The mortarboard.[link]
• Basotho hats: in the arms of the Molefe Tribal Authority[link]
• Confucian hats: in the arms of John Chiu.[link]
• A miner's helmet: in [the arms of Le Roc Saint André, Morbihan, France].
• Phrygian caps very occasionally appear.
• A Roman helmet: appeared in the colonial arms of Aïn Témouchent, Algeria.
• A "horned Viking's helmet" appears in the arms of Ronald Norman Schlemmer.[link]
• There are occasional appearances of the turban.

Industrial

• Charges related to industry include the cogwheel.
• Keys (taking a form similar to a "skeleton key") frequently appear.
• Ladles: in the arms of Stellenbosch Technical College.[link]
• mine (as in mineral): in the arms of Biysk, Altai Krai region, Russia.
• a flat bed printing press in the arms of Joe Clark.
• spanner: tihe arms of the 749th Maintenance Battalion of the United States Army.[link]

Scientific

• benzene ring: the arms of the 476th Chemical Battalion of the United States Army
• infinity symbol: in arms of those with some connexion to the Metis.
• micrometer: in the arms of the 194th Maintenance Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• microscope: in the arms of Fitzpatricks Limited.[link]
• chemical symbol for phosphorus: in the arms of Nauru.[link]

Atomic

Atomic heraldry is heraldry characterised by the appearance of charges including the atom or showing the motion of parts of the atom; more loosely, it may describe heraldry in which atoms or the component parts thereof are represented through a combination of other charges. This is a late development in heraldry.]

• Two nuclei enclosed within a representation of three electron paths: the arms of Fedoruk[link]
• A "sign of" the atom": [the arms of Saint-Vulbas, Ain, France]
• "A representation of an atom with four electrons Sable in orbits Gules": the arms of George Georgiou.[link]
• A methane molecule: in the arms of Hoerskool Secunda.[link]

Letters and numbers

Letters of the (Latin) alphabet rarely appear, and then almost invariably in either one of two "fonts", Latin or "text" letters.

• There are rare instances of onical, as the "M" in the arms of Meaux, Seine et Marne, France.
• A "block letter" M: in the arms of Pope John Paul II.
• A monogram, "MK", appears in [the arms of Konskie, Poland]
• * The most common monogram is the chi rho.
• Letters are almost invariably capital, but the arms of Brétigny sur Orge, Essonne, France, provide perhaps a unique example of a "lower-case" letter.
• A capital "L" enjolivée or "embellished": in the arms of Lagny sur Marne, Seine et Marne, France.
• Letters of the Hebrew alphabet also appear, as in the arms of Brandeis University.
• Greek letters: in the arms of Alexio, Italy.
• Runes appear in the arms of Nollert.[link]
• Very rarely, typically in North-African contexts, Arabic writing appears.
• An Assyrian ideogramme: in Baron Leon de Meyer's arms.[link]
• Entire words and phrases, while all but unknown in British heraldry, frequently appear in Spanish and Portuguese.
• Arabic numerals sometimes appear[link].
• A[n] (underlined) Roman numeral: in the arms of Štore, Slovenia.[link]

Music

Musical instruments include:-

• harp (as in the Coat of arms of Ireland)
• bagpipes
• bells
• *the Liberty Bell: in the arms of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• an Infantry bugle of 1861: the arms of the 19th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• drum (shown as a "field drum")
• guitar (only occurring as acoustic)
• lyres
• organ pipes
• violin (along with its bow)
• clarinet: in the arms of Chevalier Walter Boekens[link]
• panpipe: in the arms of Hilary Mary Weston
• tuning fork: in the arms of Franklin W. Darroch of Mulmorich might be placed under the same heading.
• treble clef: in the arms of the Hamilton Children's Choir[link]
• Minims (half-notes): in the arms of Iain Millington.[link]
• A sharp, flat, and natural: in the arms of Orlando di Lasso.[link]
• A specific musical score ("Intermezzo," by Luis A. Calvo): in the arms of Agua de Dios, Colombia.[link]

Sports equipment

Sports equipment includes:-

• golf clubs, as found in the arms of the Hoylake Urban District Council;*skis, in the arms of Križevci, Slovenia; and a number of examples of skates.[link]
• Tennis racquets appear in the arms of the South African Railways Recreation Club, Coligny.[link]
• A football ("soccer ball") appears in the arms of Baron M. D'Hooghe.[link]
• Rugby balls occasionally occur in the arms of South African rugby clubs,[link]
• Rugby goal posts are in the arms of the Collegians Rugby Club, Kroonstad.[link]

Weapons and militaria

There are quite a variety of weapons as charges.

• The trophy is a collection of armor and weapons.
• Bows include the longbow and crossbow and arrows include the birdbolt.
• The cannon (and its balls, including:-
• * An "ancient cannon": in the arms of Robert B. Mitchell.[link]
• * A "projectile": in the arms of the 131st Signal Battalion,[link]
• * A "75 mm projectile": in the arms of the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, of the United States Army[link]) make some later appearances.
• A "broken howitzer": in the arms of the 13th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• The Polynesian war club: in the arms of the 131st Armor Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• A tomahawk: in the arms of the Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Infanty Division of the United States Army.[link]
• The dirk makes frequent appearances in Scottish heraldry.
• The grenade has an appearance similar to a cannonball with flames coming out of a flattened end.
• The mace appears as a weapon in addition to its appearance as a symbol of authority.
• Weapons of later times also appear, such as:-
• * A machine gun on a Vavasseur mounting: in the arms of Josiah Vavasseur, Esq..
• A "stand of grape" : in the arms of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• Atomic cloud: in the arms of the 509th Bomb Wing of the United States Air Force, which dropped the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• intercontinental ballistic missile: the arms of Randal Carr.
• The slingshot, appropriately, figures in the arms of the French family of David.
• Military medals and decorations sometimes occur as charges:
• * The croix de la Légion d’honneur: on tne arms of Belfort, in Territoire de Belfort, France.
• The helmet of Athene Promachos: in the arms of George Francis Gilman Stanley.

Others

• The chief of the arms of Longhi is charged with the "marque du maison": <|||
• A "Grecian bowl": in the arms of the South African Ceramic Society.[link]
• A "bowl of Hygeia": in the arms of the South African Pharmacy Council.[link]
• A piece of calico: in the arms of the Accrington Borough Council.[link]
• The candle occurs as a charge
• candle-holder: the arms of Josh R.M. Kyle show a candle-holder with three branches.
• A cane: in the arms of Odouze.
• There are occasional appearances of the Catherine wheel.
• In 1696 a French edict compelled anyone with arms to register those arms and pay a tax to do so; those who did not cooperate had unflattering charges, such as chamber pots forced upon them.[link]
• Cheeses appear in the arms of Ainkäs and of Kässpair.
• Combs
• 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"
• "Double chess rooks" appear in the arms of de Zuylen van Nyevelt.

The arms of the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion of the United States Army contain "a chess-piece with a griffin's head".[link]

• pawns: in the arms of Petrus Frederik Bouwer[link]
• The coffeepot appears in the arms of Caffin de Mérouville.
• A coin appears in the arms of Quarteira, in Portugal.
• The column sometimes appears, and there is at least one example of a Corinthian column.
• A broken classic column appears in the arms of the 501st Support Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• Four culinary whisks appear in the arms of Linda Mary Alice Thom.[link]
• There is an interlacing in the arms of Ploerdut, Morbihan, France.[link]
• A stick of dynamite: in the arms of the Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army.[link]
• fishhook: in the arms of the 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment of the United States Army.[link]
• Flags of various kinds occasionally appear as charges.
• * The arms of the 12th Field Artillery Regiment of the United States Army show an Aztec banner.[link]
• In addition to inanimate objects (as well as plants and animals) being enflamed, the flame itself is used as a charge, and there are some examples of
• *the fire or
• *logfire[link]
• grape press: in the arms of Zavrc(, Slovenia.[link]
• A splice of three wires: in the arms of the 58th Signal Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• An X-frame: in the arms of the 29th Signal Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• 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: in the arms of the Torfaen County Borough Council.
• * The vaška situla[link]: in the arms of Litije, Slovenia[link]
• A specific vase is Kolyvan's "Queen of Vases": in the arms of Altai Krai.
• The arch of Trajan at Batna, Algeria, blazoned as "l'arc de triomphe du lieu," appears in the colonial arms of Batna.[link]
• Roofing tiles appear in the arms of the Freguesia de Meirinhas in Pombas, Portugal.[link]
• The bearded man in the arms of the Red Baron sat in an armchair.
• The badge of the VIII Corps (2d Division, 2d Brigade...) in the War with Spain appears in the arms of the U.S. 18th Infantry Regiment.
• The barrel almost invariably occurs in the form of, and is described as, a tun.
• There are baskets of several types, including the "egg basket, three quarters filled with duck eggs" in the arms of Pieter Goede.[link]
• A bobbin features in the arms of Romilly sur Seine, Aube, France.
• Books constantly occur, most frequently in the arms of colleges and universities, though the Gospel and Bible are sometimes distinguished.
• * A bookcase replenished with books: appeared in the arms of the Haitian nobleman the Baron de Sévelinge.[link]
• The arms of Loé show a box.
• A "winged packing box" appears in the arms of the 315th Troop Carrier Group.[link]
• [T]he insignia of the Siberian American Expeditionary Force: the arms of the 27th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army[link]
• The stairs in the arms of Kandersteg, Bern canton, Switzerland, are depicted in a way that is perhaps counterintuitive.[link]
• Instances of statuary is the bust of Pedro IV in the arms of Municipal de Horta in Portugal, and the "Statue of Liberty" ("Liberty Enlightening the World") in the arms of th 48th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force.[link]
• "[T]wo strakes of the Pewterer's Company" appear in the arms of Clive Alexander. [link]
• The arms of the 421st Medical Battalion of the United States Army contain a stretcher.[link]
• Niels Bohr bore "Argent a t'ai chi gules and azure."[link]
• The telegraph at Chappe features in the arms of Saint Martin du Tertre, Val d'Oise, France.
• Spectacles rarely occur.
• the star of Vergina: in the arms of Alexander John Roman[link]
• Nails occur in several forms, but are the type without modern heads.
• A painter's palette and paintbrushes: in the arms of Barbizon, France.
• The pen is shown as a quill pen;
• * ink bottles
• ** with ink occur in the arms of Velike Lašče, Slovenia
• The "perron": in [the arms of Dilsen-Stokkem, Limburg, Belgium].
• The porca de Murça: in the arms of the Murça, Portugal.
• Pyrotechnic projectors: in the arms of the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• A radio tower: in the arms of the 17th Signal Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• A radome: in the arms of the 20th Air Division of the United States Air Force.[link]
• A reliquary: in the arms of La Vraie Croix, Morbihan, France.[link]
• The bundle of rods is occasionally termed a faggot.
• A salt bucket: the arms of Sulz, Aargau, Switzerland
• salt cellar or sprinkling salt: in the arms of the Salters' Company.[link]
• A smoke ring appears in the arms of the 485th Chemical Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• a representation of a Charles Fawcett Manufacturing Company Charm Oak stove: the arms of the Fawcett Family Foundation[link]
• Maps or outlines of a particular country have shown China, Cameroun, Brazil (as originally divided by the Pope between Spain and Portugal) and Korea.[link]
• 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.
• The Battle of Baltimore monument: the arms of the 229th Support Battalion of the United States Army[link]
• The "Airlift Monument: the arms of the 759th Military Police Battalion show[link]
• a silhouette of the Voortrekker Monument: the arms of Laerskool Monument[link]
• the Paardekraal Monument: the arms of Krugersdorp[link]
• The Trojan horse figures as a charge in the arms of the 18th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army.[link]
• Aboriginal artifacts are common in North American, especially Canadian, heraldry.
• The arms of Nunavut territory feature a qulliq (stone lamp), an inukshuk, and an igloo.
• There is a band of wampum in the arms of New Brunswick and in those of M. L. Jocelyn Jobin-Holmes.
• ermine spots.
• crosier
• lamps
• portcullises
• shoes
• spurs.

Miscellaneous details of blazon

The charges are either in one or more of the tinctures, or umbrated, supposedly represented as a shadow, though the representation is closest to an outline alone (an example of similar terminology applied to the "shadows" of a charge are the arms of Risoul, Hautes Alpes, France). Even though it can be argued that it is not strictly accurate, charges consisting of an outline of a particular tincture (where a blazon as voided would not be appropriate) have been blazoned as umbreated of such-and-such a tincture. This is to be distinguished from "a silhouette of [a charge then named]".[link]

When a charge is said to be sans something, that part is missing; this is most commonly used in the case of animals missing some body part. [link]

A charge is said to be throughout when it is shown as touching the edges of the shield when this is not its default position.

Some charges can be diminished; that is, shown smaller than their default size.

The many examples of charges blazoned as stylized are practically[link] confined to the heraldry of the United States Army, but this can be open to criticism because it does not necessarily make their appearance clear. Similarly, there are examples in the heraldry of the United States Air Force of a caricatured[link] and conventionalized[link] charges.

In later times there are rare instances of charges "in perspective''": normally perspective is ignored in the treatment of charges.

A charge of rectangular form is said to be arraswise when a corner is in front and two sides are visible.[link]

 

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