Hobbies and Interests


eg: UK or Brides UK or Classical Art or Buy Music or Spirituality

Business & Money

Technology

Women

Health

Education

Family

Travel

Cars

Entertainment

Make Your Family Crest

View:

Discovering the design of your family crest is an exciting moment. But, what exactly do those colors and images mean? Believe it or not, every part of the coat of arms has a specific symbolic meaning. Therefore, your family probably put a great deal of time and thought creating the family crest you are still enjoying today.

Family Crest Colors

The first thing you will likely notice is the colors of your family crest - more specifically, the background colors of the shield. The following is a list of colors commonly found on the coat of arms and their meaning:

-Black (known as sable) - grief and constancy

-Blue (known as azure) - loyalty and strength

-Gold (known as or) - generosity

-Green (known as vert) - loyalty in love and hope

-Maroon (known as murray or sanguine) - patient in battle and victorious

-Purple (known as purpure) - sovereignty, justice, and regal

-Red (known as gules) - martyr, warrior, strength, and military

-Silver or white (known as argent) - peace and sincerity

-Orange (known as Tawny or Tenne) - worthwhile ambition

Family Crest Animals

A number of different animals may also be found on your family crest, each with its own unique meaning such as:

-Bear - fierce protection

-Boar - fights to the death or fierce fighter

-Boars Head - hospitality

-Bull - magnanimity and valor; the symbol was also worn during battles as a charm against becoming injured

-Deer (or stag or buck) - politic, skillful, or lover of harmony; representative of all Celtic ancestors

-Dog (usually the greyhound or the Talbot) - fidelity, courage, or loyalty

-Dolphin - charity or affection

-Dragon - valiant defender

-Fish - of high nature or regal; Gods are often represented by fish

-Fox - wisdom or wise defense

-Griffin - vigilance or valiant soldier

-Horse - ready for duty

-Leopard - enduring and valiant warrior

-Lion - fierce courage, can be used to represent someone who was a great warrior or a chief

-Rabbits (also known as hares or conies) - peace loving

-Snake - wisdom; also a symbol of renewal and fertility in Ireland and long associated with lightening

-Tiger - valor and fierceness

-Tortoise - invulnerability

-Wolf - perseverance in effort or siege

Family Crest Birds

You may discover that your family crest includes birds rather than mammals, reptiles, or imaginary animals. These birds also have their own unique meaning, including:

-Dove - peach and love; considered the bird of God in Ireland

-Eagle - a person of action, power, noble nature, or strength; the protector

-Peacock - pride and beauty

-Swallow (or Martlet) - the sign of the fourth son, representing a person who has lost his land; the Martlet was considered a symbol of perpetual movement in Ireland

-Swan - poetry, musical, harmony; the swan was thought to bear the spirit of dead Celtic Chieftains as they carried them to the next life

Markings of the Family Crest Shield

The markings of the shield in the family crest also have a significant meaning, such as:

-Bend (characterized by two diagonal lines running from the upper left hand corner of the shield to the lower right hand corner) - represents the knight's scarf, signifying defense

-Bordure (characterized by a smaller image of the shield within the shield) - representing honor and used to differentiate between family members bearing the same family crest

-Canton (characterized by a small square in the upper left hand corner of the shield) - representing a flag that has been added to the arms that may have been granted by a Sovereign

-Chevron (characterized by two lines bent into right angles and forming a point in the middle of the shield) - representing the roof of a house and signifying faithful service and protection

-Chief (characterized by one horizontal line toward the top of the shield) - authority, dominion, achievement in battle, wisdom

-Cross (characterized by a large cross covering the entire width and length of the shield, the lines are horizontal and vertical) - one of Christian faith who served in the Crusades

-Fess (characterized by two horizontal lines running through the middle of the shield) - signifying the military belt and representing honor

-Pale (characterized by two vertical lines in the middle of the shield) - fortitude and military strength

-Pile - (characterized by a triangular image with the point of the triangle pointing downward) - representing wood used to build bridges and signifying building and construction

-Saltire - (characterized by a cross looking like a large X covering the entire area of the shield, running from corner to corner) - St. Andrew's cross signifying resolve and resolution

These are just a few of the symbols and shapes commonly found on the coat of arms. There may be different symbols and colors used on your own personal family crest aside from those mentioned because many families sought to find a family crest that was truly unique. Through a little research and imagination, you just might be able to decode your family crest as well!

Make Your Family Crest

I have had an interest in ?Coats of Arms? for many years. They are often referred to as Family Crests. The Family Crest can be found sitting directly on top of the wreath, which is on the Coat of Arms, which is above the helmet, mantle and shield. Habitation origin, occupational origin and occupative origin is some of the terminology that is used in Heraldry. For anyone who is involved in Heraldry or who may have studied it, it is very simple to understand.

The following are samples of Heraldic terminology and their meanings.

What does this statement mean?

The meaning is ? being part of that category of surnames that is derived from a position that was held, or the occupation that was sought after by the original bearer of the name.

For example;

There is an old English name ? Burgess, which is a surname of occupational origin. The burgess was a person who owned a lot of land and had no requirements of service to the King of England Another example of this name is found in Ireland. A notable bearer of the Burgess name was Cathal Brugha (1874-1922), who was a courageous Republican leader. He was killed in the Civil War of 1922. He orginally came from an old Dublin Family who was named Burgess.

What is the meaning of this statement?

The name was originally derived from the occupation of some of the common trades of Medieval Europe. It gives us some ideas of the daily lives of some of our ancestors.

For example;

Stelmack is a name from Poland and is of occupative origin. This name orginally came from the old Germanic name ?Stellmacher?. In English it means carriage maker. The name of Stelmach was first introduced in the nineteenth century, during the emigration from Europe to the United States. In 1897, the name Kirilo Stelmach was recorded in North America.

What does this statement mean?

This simply means that it came from the place or home where the original bearer abided.

For example;

The name of ?Krysztaki? was from Poland. This name would have been of habitational origiin. Persons with this name might have displayed a sign or engraving over their door where they lived that indicated the place where the residence was located, by some geographical feature. One variant of the name Krysztaki is Mikolaj Frystacki, who was cited in the Sandomiera region in or around the year 1436.

Waclow Frystacki was listed as a person who entered the United States in 1907 through the port of Ellis Island in New York Other notable persons who have this name are Professor Krysataf Frystacki, who is head of the Sociology Department of Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

I hope that this explanation of Heraldic terminology shows you how simple it is, even though it is written in an old fashioned way. Some parts of it were translated from Latin and the language it was written in at the time was Norman French.

Even though there are many ways to display and show your earliest ?Coat of Arms?, here are some of the world's favourites;

The Family Crest Ring includes your name and is engraved with your earliest crest or shield.

The Family Seal Ring has reverse engraving to allow you to make your Family Seal in wax on letters or valuable documents you might have.

The Family Crest Banner is embroidered with your earliest ?Coat of Arms? This also shows your crest and the markings on your shield.

The Family Crest Plaque is embroidered with or is painted with your earliest ?Coat of Arms?. They can be shown in a single or double format and makes for a unique and beautiful display in your home or office.

The Family Crest Pendant is often bought as a gift for a family member or loved one.

Societygifts offer these in Golf or Silver. They are engraved with your family's earliest recorded ?Coat of Arms?.

More Articles from

A Interest Only Mortgage

Storage For Your Stamp Collection

Valuable Tips For Collecting Stamps

Tips For Selling Your Stamp Collection

Tips For Adding Stamps To Your Collection

Tips For Storing Your Stamp Collection

Valuable Information For Any Stamp Collector

Equipment Needed For Your Stamp Collection

The Fascinating Featues Of Enesco Figurines

Coin Collecting Auctions: Bane or Boon?

Educating Yourself About Yarns

Puzzles Will Help the Advanced Child

Collectibles - Values, Costs, And True Worth

Collectibles: How To Cash In

Different tips Clay Poker Chips!

THE LINGO POKER FOR AMATEURS !

The Unique Features of Charnming Tails Figurines

The Unique Features of the Delightful Figurines

Five Steps to Become a True Cactus Lover

Secrets to Improve Your Hotel

SportsBettingChamp Review

» More on

For Interest Only Mortgage

Related Articles
Author
Most Popular

•	Cooking For Your Family, by Geoffrey Cook
•	How To Make Your Own Baby Food, by Peter Lenkefi
•	How To Trace Your Family, by Linda Weaver Clarke
•	Make A Family Crest, by Mike Selvon
•	Make A Family Tree, by Jerry Cahill

About Author

Both Marie Christianson & Diane are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Marie Christianson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Family and Computers and The Internet. Marie Christianson is a senior business analyst at . Visit the FamilyDetails.com. Marie Christianson's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.

Diane has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Babies and Interest. Diane Hamments is a freelance author who writes on various subjects including , Collectables and. Diane's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.

Car Insurance Multi Car
So you can find out the one that suits your requirements and you can apply for it in easy steps, such as by filling out the application form provided on the websites.