Click on any of the following links for more information on that topic.
What is Heraldry?

• How Heraldry Began
• Uses of Heraldry

Tinctures

• A Closer Look
• Uses in Literature

Symbols

• Animals
• Birds
• Mythological Creatures

Symbolism in Literature

• Beowulf
• Dante's Inferno
• Sir Gawain

Shields
Works Cited
Home


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At first, heraldry consisted of simple geometric patterns arranged in various ways for easy identification (Slater 84).  It wasn't until the second half of the 12th Century that the nobility began adding charges, or symbols to their shields.  These charges, or symbols, were associated with their families (12).

 

This website explores three of the many symbol groups:

•    Animals
  •    Your standard, day-to-day creatures such as the infamous lion, wolf, stag, and boar.
•     Birds
  •     The winged wonders of the animal kingdom - doves, eagles, falcons, and swans.
•     Mythological Creatures
  •     Creatures found only in legends and lore.  Dragons, griffins, phoenixes and unicorns.