Heraldry: Blazoning of Creatures

by Magister Eldred Ælfwald,
Azure Dragon Herald Extraordinary
© 2025 Eldred Ælfwald / J. T. Thorpe

Under the Sea (Fish, Sea creatures, Sea Monsters)

Fish
HAURIENT Positioned vertically with the head rising upwards. A common posture.	URINANT Positioned vertically with the head sinking downwards, belly to sinister. A rare posture.	NAIANT Literally "swimming" horizontally towards the viewer's left. A common posture.

Dolphins, Whales
Dolphins and whales use the same terminology as fish to describe their general posture. However, to demonstrate they are a special category of sea creature, and distinguish them from ordinary fish, their actual depiction is technically "embowed-counterembowed" -- a reverse "S" shape.
HAURIENT Positioned vertically with the head rising upwards. A common posture.	URINANT Positioned vertically with the head sinking downwards, belly to sinister. A rare posture.	NAIANT Literally "swimming" horizontally towards the viewer's left. A common posture.

Sea Monsters
The vast majority of heraldic sea-monsters are an animal with the hind portion being a fish tail and its forelegs ending in webbed feet. The exception is the sea-dog (thought to be a fanciful depiction of a beaver) and it is treated like a quadruped for postures. The default posture for a sea-monster is erect.
ERECT The body is upright and the forelegs are positioned as if rampant. The tail is curled around. A common posture and is assumed if not explicitly blazoned.	Sea-dog (use quadruped postures)

Enhancing a Posture
EMBOWED This is not a posture by itself, but a modifier. The fish is arched as if leaping--the dorsal fin at the top of the arch. Any of the fish postures can be embowed.	COUNTER-EMBOWED This is not a posture by itself, but a modifier. The fish is arched as if falling--the dorsal fin being in the narrow part of the arc. Unlikely in heraldry.	EMBOWED-COUNTEREMBOWED Regardless of posture, the fish is shown in a reverse "S" shape.

Some notes about differences in fish postures:
With regard to differentiating between sea-creatures' postures, there is NOT a sufficient difference in profile between different fish that choosing a species of fish (e.g. catfish vs herring) that the College of Arms will recognize them as distinctly different, but they will register the species as part of the blazon if so specified. Also, no difference between a fish naiant versus a fish naiant embowed or fish naiant embowed-counterembowed will be used for conflict checking.

Because there is usually NOT a significant visual difference between whether a fish is facing left or right when in a haurient or urinant posture, it may be generally assumed that orientation of dexter and sinister is largely irrelevant when conflict checking unless there is a significant dorsal feature such as with embowed fish or natural sharks.

On the Land (Lions, Tygers, and Bears, Oh My!)

Most Quadrupeds
The vast majority of heraldic quadrupeds are land-based mammals. Some monsters will have four legs, some have two, and a few have wings. Wing postures will be addressed later. Heraldic convention divides animals between "peaceful" and "fierce", and as such "peaceful" beasts have a default posture of statant, and fierce beasts have a default posture of rampant. For the purposes of conflict checking, there is considered to be no difference between the postures of rampant, salient, sejant, sejant erect or their synonyms.
RAMPANT Standing upright on one hind leg (segreant for winged monsters) with forelegs outstretched as if attacking. A very common posture for carnivorous beasts and monsters.	SALIENT Leaping or jumping--forelegs off ground. Synonyms may be found in blazonry: (*forcene* for horses, *climant* for goats, *springing* for deer). Rare in period armory.	SEJANT Seated with forelegs down and together. Tail is between the rear legs and up by default (if it has a tail).	SEJANT ERECT Seated, but has forelegs off ground as if attacking.
For the purposes of conflict checking, there is considered to be no difference between the postures of statant, passant, courant or their synonyms.
STATANT Standing still on all four legs--all legs should be visible. Less common than passant. *Pascuant* is a special, though non-period term for a grazing animal.	PASSANT The beast is walking with far foreleg raised and far hind leg moved slightly forward (*trippant* for deer). A common posture for non-carnivorous beasts.	COURANT Running. The animal appears fesswise with forelegs and hind legs outstretched. Normally associated with canines, stags, and horses.	COUCHANT Laying down with the forelegs together. Tail is between the rear legs and up by default (if it has a tail).

Period, Previously Registered, But No Longer Allowed		SCA-Invented, Previously Registered, Not Likely to be Accepted
❌ DORMANT Laying down, head down, eyes closed, with the forelegs together. Tail is between the rear legs and up by default (if it has a tail).. As of January 2018, dormant beasts are no longer registerable. As a senior herald once wryly observed, "Any animal dormant looks like meatloaf."	❌ AFFRONTY Body and head are facing the viewer. Per a ruling in January 2018, affronty is no longer permitted except for animals sejant affronty erect as there is poor evidence for quadrupeds affronty.	❌ CAT IN ITS CURIOSITY You may find a cat in its curiosity listed as a posture if you browse the SCA Ordinary & Armorial. It is an invented posture, and no longer registered. It would likely conflict with *salient*	ULUANT You may find a wolf or dog uluant listed as a posture if you browse the SCA Ordinary & Armorial. It is an invented posture, indicating a canine baying or howling. It is primarily a modification of the head position, and the body posture would be the source of any conflict.

Serpents and Eels

GLISSANT Silthering along usually fesswise or to chief. The body is almost straight (some "wiggle" is suggested)	ONDOYANT / UNDOYANT More applicable to sea-serpents and eels. The curves in the body are prominent.	NOWED Knotted in a loose knot that is typically like an overhand knot. The type of knot can be specified, but may lead to visual confusion with a charge that is an actual knot.	INVOLVED Coiled in a spiral. The coil may be tight or loose, but should have at least a full "revolution".
IN ANNULO VORANT OF ITS TAIL Typically an ouroborus--a serpent positioned in a circle, biting its own tail.	ERECT The snake is in a vertical position, with prominent curves.	COILED ERECT The serpent is depicted in a spring shape. This is questionable whether it can still be registered as the posture is post-period.	❌ ERECT TAIL COILED The tail portion is coiled, the head is up and ready to strike. This is an SCA-invented posture and no longer registerable.

Insects, Tortoises, and Amphibians
Amphibians (toads & frogs), tortoises, and most insects are most easily identified from the top, and are, by default, blazoned as tergiant. Crickets, mantises, and grasshoppers are more easily identifed from the side and could be blazoned as statant. Spiders are depictedtergiant by default. Some people in the SCA have successfully registered spiders as being rampant, but don't count on being able to continue doing that.
TERGIANT An overhead view of the beast as it crawls along.	VOLANT/VOLANT-EN-ARRIERE An overhead view of the insect as it is in flight.	DISPLAYED Insects that are mostly wing will typically be displayed.

Humans and Humanoids

The default posture for humans is statant affronty. Anything else is almost never met with in Period heraldry. Sometimes if a human being is better described in a different position the posture will be changed accordingly. An archer statant maintaining and drawing a bow would naturally be seen in profile, as would a knight armed cap-a-pie brandishing a sword upon a horse courant caparisoned....

Because humans are normally depicted in an upright position, it is hard to distinguish between them at a distance, regardless of what they are wearing. For instance, a human archer drawing a bow would be distinguishable from a wodehouse (wildman) because their postures are distinguishable.

STATANT AFFRONTY
Standing, facing the viewer. It is the default posture and is assumed if not actually written otherwise.

ARMED AND MOUNTED
Knight on horseback.

STATANT AFFRONTY WINGS DISPLAYED AND INVERTED
Standing, facing the viewer. The wings are open with the tips pointing downward.

Modifiers for Humanoids
An armored human is armed. If the armor covers all of the body they is armed cap-a-pie (literally "head to toe"). Clothing is blazoned as vested. Hair is described as crined. If only the skin is defined, the hair defaults to sable. These details are optional and give no difference in SCA heraldry but are neat to know.
ARMED This is not a posture by itself, but a modifier. The figure is wearing armor. Whether the figure has a weapon or not and what type it is is up to the artist.	ARMED CAP-A-PIE Literally armed "head-to-foot". This would be a fully armored human, with a helm.	VESTED Refers to the color of the clothing. If only the skin is defined, the hair defaults to sable.	CRINED Refers to the color of the hair. If only the skin is defined, the hair defaults to sable.

Beasts of the Air -- Things with Mostly Wings

Bird Postures
RISING / ROUSANT Wings are open, as if the bird is taking off. There are a variety of postures and wing positions associated with rising. In some cases the bird is seen from the side. In other cases it is seen from the front. The phoenix is always blazoned as *rising* and always seems to be displayed *affronty*. The head could be up or down.	ADDORSED The term refers to the position of the wings. Both wings are behind the bird's head in a natural posture. In the case of the above illustration, the bird is most accurately blazoned as rousant, wings addorsed. See displayed for additional modifiers.	DISPLAYED / MIGRANT Wings outstretched to either side of the avian. When the wings are displayed or addorsed, there are two ways that they may be shown: elevated--with the wing tips up (typical of Continental armory); inverted--with wing tips down (typical of English armory). Within the SCA, there is no difference given between elevated and inverted wings. Migrant indicates a bird in flight (palewise by default) as if viewed from above. This appears to be an SCA invention, and is not distinguishable from a bird displayed.	CLOSE Wings are closed. A peacock close is blazoned pavonated. Close is a common attitude for "lesser" birds. Note: any raptor close will probably be blazoned as a falcon. A bat close will be depicted affronty, and an owl close is usually depicted guardant.
STRIKING / TRUSSING Raptor in flight with head down and talons out stretched to grasp. In period armory, this was blazoned as trussing. May be enhanced with another bird (usually lying close fesswise) as "preying upon an X".	GUARDANT / AFFRONTY Most birds are not identifiable from the front other than certain species of owl (e.g. horned owl) Most of the time they will be close guardant	STATANT This posture is normally reserved for long-legged avians such as the heron and the crane. The crane is typically holding a rock in one talon and is blazoned as in its vigilance	NAINT This is reserved for aquatic birds such as ducks and swans to describe a waterfowl that is swimming on the surface of the water. As far as I am aware, this is an SCA-invented posture visually equivalent to close
Specialized Bird Postures
<PELICAN> IN ITS PIETY / VULNING Only pelicans are shown in this posture. The pelican is shown with beak to breast, with blood drops falling to pelican chicks	<CRANE> IN ITS VIGILANCE Reserved for cranes. It is shown with head up and one leg raised, grasping a rock.	<PEACOCK> IN HIS PRIDE Reserved for peacocks. It is show statant affronty with the tail feather spread.	VOLANT A bird in flight. This hasn't been found in an actual period blazon, but is often associated with martlets. The feet are not visible.

Neither Fish Nor Fowl

What is Logical?

Creatures that do not show a lot of movement or which don't really have a logical posture don't have their posture blazoned. For example, a snail or an octopus is just going to be blazoned as such but without a posture. There is no logical view of a snail except the side view. There is no logical view for an octopus or kraken (squid) except for head in the middle with the tentacles sort of fanning out from the center.

So what about heraldic monsters? Since many heraldic monsters are combinations of heraldic beasts, and combine two or more different types of beasts, how are they drawn? The answer is "Use your own judgement." A dragon may be blazoned using any land or air beast attitudes, yet a wyvern cannot as it only has two legs.

Some of the more unusual animals in the heraldic zoo have multiple heads or bodies. The hydra is a "standard" multi-headed monster, but since it is defined as having multiple heads, there is not a special term for it. However, for those animals, that would not normally have more than one head (or body) special terms exist such as bicapitated

CELAPODS

Creatures with lots of arms/legs are simply shown in a view that best displays them. No special terminology.

SNAILS

Snails only have one logical posture. The side view, so no special terminology.

BI- / TRICORPORATE

Having multiple bodies. Postures for multi-corporate creatures is problematic, but the usual assumption is rampant for land animals, and erect for sea-monsters. As a note, it is unlikely that any animal with more than three bodies will be registered due to complexity of the shape and the lack of evidence for them in period heraldry.

WINGED

Any animal can be blazoned as winged to create a chimerical monster. If it has wings, it may be blazoned with the modifiers and postures of a winged animal--if it makes logical sense.

SEA-<animal of choice>

A sea-monster is normally blazoned erect--the forepaws are as if the beast is rampant and the tail is looped. If the monster has legs, it can be blazoned using some if not all of the land attitudes.

Attitude Adjustments

Major Adjustments
In addition to the normal postures, there are a few other postures that involve multiple beasts or a beast and another object. Creatures that don't really have a front or a back when viewed in a heraldic position aren't blazoned in this fashion. For example, you wouldn't have "two snakes glissant respectant" or "two fish hauriant addorsed"--such a blazon would not have much meaning. One thing to note is that positions such as combattant and addorsed may fit our modern notions of symmetry by being mirror images. However, to the people of the Middle Ages, two beasts of the same type facing the same direction would have constituted symmetry. This doesn't preclude the use of such postures, but it provides something to think about when designing armory.
COMBATTANT Any two carnivorous beasts facing one another across the center line of division. They are either rampant or erect.	RESPECTANT Any two peaceful beasts facing one another across the center line of division.	ADDORSED Any two beasts back to back. Yes, it is the same word used to describe wings on birds, and it means the same type of thing--whatever is depicted is "back-to-back".	COUNTER-PASSANT Any two beasts that are passant in opposite directions, both facing away from the center line of division.	COUNTER-SALIENT Any two beasts that are salient in opposite directions, both facing away from the center line of division. Very rare in period heraldry.
SUSTAINING A <object> A beast may hold a large object in two paws/talons. The object must be large enough that it could be used as a separate charge group.	CAPARISONED/BARDED Refers to the barding on a horse when bridled, saddled, and armored.	PINIONED/WINGED Refers to the tincture of the wings of an animal. When the wings are a major portion of the beast (such as when displayed) changing the tinctures of the wings can be a point of difference.	MEMBERED Refers to the tincture of the legs of a beast.	IN ANNULO When multiple beasts (normally the same type of beasts) are depicted, they are arranged in standard arrangements based on logical positioning on the sheild according to field divisions and charge groups. Beasts can be depicted in annulo where they are arranged in a circle head to tail, typically posed in a style that gives makes the circle obvious (i.e., fish are embowed, serpents are segments of the curve). Rare.
Minor Adjustments
Minor changes to a beast include the position of the head or the tail, tinctures of minor details such as eyes, claws. Also, any aspect of a beast can have a tincture different from the remainder of its body. These minor differences do not count towards heraldic differences as these adjustments may not be obvious from a distance.
REGARDANT Looking back over its shoulder. Common.	GUARDANT Looking out towards viewer (*at gaze* for stags that are statant) Common.	COWARD Wth tail between legs (for tailed beasts and monsters).	MAINTAINING AN <object> A beast may hold a small object in a single paw/mouth/beak/talon/etc. Very common.	BRANDISHING AN <object> Applies primarily to humanoids. The figure is holding the object in a threatening way. Very similar to *maintaining. Normally, we see an arm brandishing* an object as part of a crest rather than actual heraldry.
TAIL NOWED Just as with serpents, but applied to the tail being in a loop or knot. This does not make a significant difference in conflict checking unless the animal is mosly tail.	VULNING Any animal wounding itself (Pelicans are the classic example).	VORANT An animal devouring another smaller animal.

Cosmetic Changes or Additions

Beware! By detailing every aspect of a beast, one begins to move away from period practice and good heraldic style. Remember, the fewer tinctures the eyes must distinguish between, the better the armorial style! By attempting too much detail, one ends up with "pictorial heraldry"! None of these changes will count as a difference between two beasts in SCA armory. Such details are usually too small to be noticed at a distance. What follows is not a comprehensive list, but covers a fair number of small changes that can be made to enhance an emblazon. Often, such details that are a standard part of the beast are regarded as artistic license. Additions to a beast, such as gorged and vorant are explicitly blazoned when the armory is being registered.

alerion:: without legs or beak. Rare.
armed:: refers to the tincture of the claws, teeth and horns (and beak of a bird or monster)
attired:: refers to the tincture of the horns of a deer or other beast with antlers
barbed:: although commonly used to reference arrowheads, barbed also refers to a tail that ends in a spearhead-like point. Typical of dragons and wyverns.
combed/crested:: refers to the tincture of a bird with a crest
crined:: refers to the tincture of the hair of humanoids
dented:: refers to the tincture of the teeth
disarmed:: a creature without its offensive weapons
double-queued:: a creature that has two tails
finned:: refers to the tincture of a fish's or sea monster's fins
flammant/enflamed:: for traditionally fire-breathing beasts, flames issue from the mouth
gorged of <item> / engorged:: refers to a collar or other object encircling the neck of a beast. Quite often period armory will depict an animal engorged of a coronet.
hooded:: refers to the tincture of a hood on a hawk
horned:: refers to the tincture of the horns of an animal
incensed:: spouting flames from the mouth and ears (typical of panthers from the 16^th century onwards). Earlier examples of the panther lack this type of detail and the flames issue only from the mouth.
jelloped:: refers to the tincture of a bird's wattles
langued:: refers to the tincture of the tongue.
maned:: refers to the tincture of an animal's mane
orbed:: refers to the tincture of the eyes
queued:: refers to the tincture of the tail
queue-forche:: used to describe a tail that is split in two
sexed/pizzled/coded:: refers to the tincture of the sexual organs of a beast. Rare
tufted:: refers to the tincture of the tufts of hair on animal's limbs and tails. Rare.
unguled/hoofed:: refers to the tincture of the hooves. Rare.

How does one deal with just the head of an animal? There are four basic positions for an animal's head, plus one modifier.
COUPED a side view of the head with the neck shown. The neck ends in a simple horizontal line. Coupe means "cut" in French, so this depiction of an animal's head with smooth "cut" at the neck makes logical sense.	COUPED CLOSE A profile view of the head only--no neck.	ERASED Similar to couped, but the neck ends in a ragged edge. To put it grossly, the head was ripped off.	CABOSSED Simply a frontal view of the animalÆs face. The neck is not shown in this depiction. Note: for foxes, this is referred to a fox's mask, and for lions and leopards, it is referred to as a lion's (or leopard's) face.	JESSANT-DE-LYS The head is shown as cabossed with a fleur-de-ls issuing from the mouth as if the head had been speared through.

Blazoning of Creatures

Basic Premise: Identifiabilty

Under the Sea (Fish, Sea creatures, Sea Monsters)

On the Land (Lions, Tygers, and Bears, Oh My!)

Beasts of the Air -- Things with Mostly Wings

Neither Fish Nor Fowl

Animal Heads

Attitude Adjustments

Cosmetic Changes or Additions

Bibliography

Books and Publications

Computer Resources

Art Credits