Blazon Components

Index | My Arms (and Traditional Bowen Arms) | Blazonry | History of Heraldry
Bibliography/References | Sr. Bowen | The Knightly Code | Related Links

Vocabulary: Parts of Arms | Components | Composition Rules
Fields and Partitions | Tinctures | Charges (Ordinaries and Other)

Fields and Partitions

• dexter = the right side of the shield, from the knight's viewpoint
• sinister = the left side of the shield, from the knight's viewpoint
• Field Divisions
  • Parted Fields
    • quarterly (per cross)
    • per pale (right and left halves)
    • per fess (upper and lower halves)
    • per saltire (in X)
    • etc...
  • Varied Fields - repeated designs
    • barry - horizontal bars
    • paly - vertical bars
    • etc...
  • Varied Lines
    • [straight]
    • angled
    • arched
    • bevilled
    • etc...

Tinctures:

• Metals [F&F, p.150]
  • or (gold or yellow)
  • argent (silver or white, represented as dots on white)
• Colors [F&F, p.150]
  • gules (red, represented as vertical lines on white)
  • azure (blue, represented as horizontal lines on white)
  • vert (green, represented as top to bottom diagonal lines on white)
  • purpure (purple, represented as bottom to top diagonal lines on white)
  • sable (black, represented as crossed lines on white)
  • murrey (mulberry)
• Furs [F&F, p.150]
  • Erm (ermine, white field with black spots)
  • Vair (silver/white and blue flower shapes)
  • Plumete´ (feathers)
  • Papellone´ (scales)
• Stains [F&F, p.150]
  • Sanguine (blood-red)
  • Tenne´ (tawny)

Charges:

Ordinaries

• Honorable ordinaries = a principal charge of bold rectilinear shape
  • bend - diagonal bar from knight's right top (bend sinister starts from the left)
  • chevron - upside-down "V"
  • chief - upper third of shield
  • cross
  • fess - horizontal bar
  • pale - vertical bar
  • saltire - an "X"
• Subordinaries = a smaller charge of geometrical shape
  • annulet
  • base - lower third of shield
  • billet - rectangle in middle
  • bordure - a border around the edge of the shield
  • canton - square in upper (knight) right of shield (smaller than quarter)
  • chief - upper third of shield
  • double tressure
  • flaunch - rounded "bite" in the side
  • fret
  • gyron
  • inescutcheon - small shield in the middle (by default)
  • label - resembles a bridge or the head of a rake
  • lozenge - diamond
  • orle - line inside the edge of the shield, compare bordure
  • pall - "Y" shapped
  • pile - an inverted triangle (from the top corners to below center)
  • quarter - square in upper (knight) right quarter of shield
  • roundel - ball
  • tressure - like an orle, but double line
  • etc...
• Diminutives = "thinner" or repetitive forms of ordinaries
  • fess => bar => barrulet
  • pale => pallets
  • bend => bendelets => riband
  • chevron => chevronels
  • cross => fillet cross
  • saltire => fillet saltire
  • pall => fillet pall
  • etc...

Varied Lines

• angled
• arched
• etc...

Other Charges

• Animals (heraldic beasts)
  • boar
  • hawk
  • lion
  • nag = horse
  • stag = a male deer
  • etc.
• Other Items
  • arrow
  • Bowen knot
  • cinquefoils = five-lobed flower
  • fleurs-de-lis = lilly
  • mullet = star
  • rose
  • trefoil = three-lobed flower
  • etc...
• Attitudes and attributes
  • statant = standing [default]
  • addorsed = two animals back to back rampant
  • affronte = facing forward (whole body)
  • alerion = birds displayed without beaks or legs
  • at gaze = body sideways with face turned toward viewer (both eyes in view) for peaceful animals, compare guardant
  • at speed = faster then courant
  • attired = antlered or horned
  • close = bird with closed wings
  • combatant = two animals face to face rampant
  • couchant = lying down (deer family), compare lodged
  • couped = severed in a straight line
  • courant = running for deer, fox, horse
  • coward = tail between legs
  • displayed = (birds) wings spread (like the Boy Scout Eagle emblem)
  • displayed inverted = wings spread, but feathers point down, rather than fanned out and up 
  • erased = torn off roughly
  • extended = tail stretched out
  • furnished = (horse) with saddle
  • guardant = body sideways with face turned toward viewer (both eyes in view) for wild animals, compare at gaze
  • lodged = lying down (deer family), compare couchant
  • nowed = tail knotted, curled
  • passant = walking; compare tripping
  • proper = natural colours [F&F, p.150]
  • queue forche = fork tail
  • rampant = standing on one hind leg with the front paws raised, compare segreant
  • reguardant = body sideways with face looking over back, compare with at gaze and guardant
  • salient = leaping
  • segreant = used in place of rampant for a griffin or dragon
  • sejant = sitting, compare springing
  • sejant erect = sitting with front paws up
  • springing = leaping for deer family, compare salient
  • tripping = walking for deer, fox, horse; compare passant
  • voided = depicted in outline
  • vulned = wounded
  • etc...

Fields and Partitions | Tinctures | Charges (Ordinaries and Other)
Vocabulary: Parts of Arms | Components | Composition Rules

Index | My Arms (and Traditional Bowen Arms) | Blazonry | History of Heraldry
Bibliography/References | Sr. Bowen | The Knightly Code | Related Links

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©1994-2007 Gregory M. Bowen