A Complete Guide to Heraldry Part 29

_The c.o.c.katrice._--The next variety is the c.o.c.katrice (Fig. 431), which is, however, comparatively rare. Two c.o.c.katrices are the supporters to the arms of the Earl of Westmeath, and also to the arms of Sir Edmund Charles Nugent, Bart. But the animal is not common as a charge. The difference between a wyvern and a c.o.c.katrice is that the latter has the head of a c.o.c.k subst.i.tuted for the dragon's head with which the wyvern is decorated. Like the c.o.c.k, the beak, comb, and wattles are often of another tincture, and the animal is then termed armed, combed, and wattled.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 431.--c.o.c.katrice.]

The c.o.c.katrice is sometimes termed a _basilisk_, and according to ancient writers the basilisk is produced from an egg laid by a nine-year-old c.o.c.k and hatched by a toad on a dunghill. Probably this is merely the expression of the intensified loathing which it was desired to typify. But the heraldic basilisk is stated to have its tail terminating in a dragon's head. In English heraldry, at any rate, I know of no such example.

_The Hydra_, or _Seven-headed Dragon_, as the crest, is ascribed to the families of Barret, Crespine, and Lownes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 432.--Camelopard.]

_The Camelopard_ (Fig. 432), which is nothing more or less than an ordinary giraffe, must be properly included amongst mythical animals, because the form and semblance of the giraffe was used to represent a mythical hybrid creation which the ancients believed to be begotten between a leopard and a camel. Possibly they represented the real giraffe (which they may have known), taking that to be a hybrid between the two animals stated. It occurs as the crest of several coats of arms for the name of Crisp.

_The Camelopardel_, which is another mythical animal fathered upon armory, is stated to be the same as the camelopard, but with the addition of two long horns curved backwards. I know of no instance in which it occurs.

The human face or figure conjoined to some other animal's body gives us a number of heraldic creatures, some of which play no inconsiderable part in armory.

The human figure (male) conjoined to the tail of a fish is known as the _Triton_ or _Merman_ (Fig. 433). Though there are some number of instances in which it occurs as a supporter, it is seldom met with as {228} a charge upon a s.h.i.+eld. It is, however, to be found in the arms of Otway, and is a.s.signed as a crest to the family of Tregent, and a family of Robertson, of London.

_The Mermaid_ (Fig. 434), is much more frequently met with. It is generally represented with the traditional mirror and comb in the hands. It will be found appearing, for example, in the arms of Ellis, of Glasfryn, co.

Monmouth. The crest of Mason, used without authority by the founder of Mason's College, led to its inclusion in the arms of the University of Birmingham. It will also be found as the crest of Rutherford and many other families.

_The Melusine, i.e._ a mermaid with two tails disposed on either side, though not unknown in British heraldry, is more frequent in German.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 433.--Merman.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 434.--Mermaid.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 435.--Sphinx.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 436.--Centaur.]

_The Sphinx_, of course originally derived from the Egyptian figure, has the body, legs, and tail of a lion conjoined to the b.r.e.a.s.t.s, head, and face of a woman (Fig. 435). As a charge it occurs in the arms of Cochrane and Cameron of Fa.s.siefern. This last-mentioned coat affords a striking example of the over-elaboration to be found in so many of the grants which owe their origin to the Peninsular War and the other "fightings" in which England was engaged at the period. A winged sphinx is the crest of a family of the name of Asgile. Two sphinxes were granted as supporters to the late Sir Edward Malet, G.C.B.

_The Centaur_ (Fig. 436)--the familiar fabulous animal, half man, half horse--is sometimes represented carrying a bow and arrow, when it is called a "sagittarius." It is not infrequently met with in heraldry, though it is to be found more often in Continental than in English blazonry. In its "sagittarius" form it is sculptured on a column in the Romanesque cloister of St. Aubin at Angers. It will be found as the crest of most families named Lambert, and it was one of the supporters of {229} Lord Hood of Avelon. It is also the crest of a family of Fletcher. A very curious crest was borne by a family of Lambert, and is to be seen on their monuments.

They could establish no official authority for their arms as used, and consequently obtained official authorisation in the early part of the eighteenth century, when the crest then granted was a regulation sagittarius, but up to that time, however, they had always used a "female centaur" holding a rose in its dexter hand.

_Chimera._--This legendary animal happily does not figure in English heraldry, and but rarely abroad. It is described as having the head and breast of a woman, the forepaws of a lion, the body of a goat, the hind-legs of a griffin, and the tail of a dragon, and would be about as ugly and misbegotten a creature as can readily be imagined.

_The Man-Lion_ will be found referred to under the heading of lions, and Elvin mentions in addition the _Weir-Wolf, i.e._ the wolf with a human face and horns. Probably this creature has strayed into heraldic company by mistake. I know of no armorial use of it.

_The Satyr_, which has a well-established existence in other than heraldic sources of imagination, is composed of a demi-savage united to the hind-legs of a goat.

_The Satyral_ is a hybrid animal having the body of a lion and the face of an old man, with the horns of an antelope. I know of no instance of its use.

_The Harpy_--which is a curious creature consisting of the head, neck, and b.r.e.a.s.t.s of a woman conjoined to the wings and body of a vulture--is peculiarly German, though it does exist in the heraldry of this country.

The German name for it is the _Jungfraunadler_. The s.h.i.+eld of the Rietbergs, Princes of Ost-Friesland, is: "Sable, a harpy crowned, and with wings displayed all proper, between four stars, two in chief and as many in base or." The harpy will be found as a crest in this country.

_The Devil_ is not, as may be imagined, a favourite heraldic charge. The arms of Sissinks of Groningen, however, are: "Or, a horned devil having six paws, the body terminating in the tail of a fish all gules." The family of Bawde have for a crest: "A satyr's head in profile sable, with wings to the side of the head or, the tongue hanging out of his mouth gules." Though so blazoned, I feel sure it is really intended to represent a fiend. On the Garter Hall-plate of John de Grailly, Captal de Buch, the crest is a man's head with a.s.s's ears. This is, however, usually termed a Midas' head. A certain coat of arms which is given in the "General Armory" under the name of Dannecourt, and also under the name of Morfyn or Murfyn, has for a crest: "A blackamoor's head couped at the shoulders, habited paly of six ermine and ermines, pendents in his ears or, wreathed about the {230} forehead, with bat's wings to the head sable, expanded on each side."

Many mythical animals can be more conveniently considered under their natural counterparts. Of these the notes upon the heraldic antelope and the heraldic ibex accompany those upon the natural antelope, and the heraldic panther is included with the real animal. The heraldic tiger, likewise, is referred to concurrently with the Bengal or natural tiger. The pegasus, the sea-horse, and the winged sea-horse are mentioned with other examples of the horse, and the sea-dog is included with other breeds and varieties of that useful animal. The winged bull, of which only one instance is known to me, occurs as the supporters of the Butchers' Livery Company, and has been already alluded to, as also the winged stag. The sea-stag is referred to under the sub-heading of stags. The two-headed lion, the double-queued lion, the lion queue-fourche, the sea-lion (which is sometimes found winged) are all included in the chapter upon lions, as are also the winged lion and the lion-dragon. The winged ape was mentioned when considering the natural animal, and perhaps it may be as well to allude to the a.s.serted heraldic existence of the sea-monkey, though I am not aware of any instance in which it is borne.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 437.--Salamander.]

The arms of Challoner afford an instance of the _Sea-Wolf_, the crest of that family being: "A demi-sea-wolf rampant or." Guillim, however (p. 271), in quoting the arms of Fennor, would seem to a.s.sert the sea-wolf and sea-dog to be one and the same. They certainly look rather like each other.

_The Phoenix_ and the _Double-headed Eagle_ will naturally be more conveniently dealt with in the chapter upon the eagle.

_The Salamander_ has been represented in various ways, and is usually described as a dragon in flames of fire. It is sometimes so represented but without wings, though it more usually follows the shape of a lizard.

The salamander is, however, best known as the personal device of Francis I., King of France. It is to this origin that the arms of the city of Paris can be traced.

The remainder of the list of heraldic monsters can be very briefly dismissed. In many cases a good deal of research has failed to discover an instance of their use, and one is almost inclined to believe that they were invented by those mediaeval writers of prolific imagination for their treatises, without ever having been borne or emblazoned upon helmet or s.h.i.+eld.

_The Allocamelus_ is supposed to have the head of an a.s.s conjoined {231} to the body of a camel. I cannot call to mind any British instance of its use.

_The Amphiptere_ is the term applied to a "winged serpent," a charge of but rare occurrence in either English or foreign heraldry. It is found in the arms of the French family of Potier, viz.: "Azure, a bendlet purpure between two amphipteres or," while they figure as supporters also in that family, and in those of the Ducs de Tresmes and De Gevres.

_The Apres_ is an animal with the body similar to that of a bull, but with a bear's tail. It is seldom met with outside heraldic text-books.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 438.--Enfield.]

_The Amphisboena_ is usually described as a winged serpent (with two legs) having a head at each end of its body, but in the crest of Gwilt ["On a saltire or, interlaced by two amphisboenae azure, langued gules, a rose of the last, barbed and seeded proper"] the creatures certainly do not answer to the foregoing description. They must be seen to be duly appreciated.

_The c.o.c.kfish_ is a very unusual charge, but it is to be met with in the arms of the family of Geyss, in Bavaria, _i.e._: "Or, a c.o.c.k sable, beaked of the first, crested and armed gules, its body ending in that of a fish curved upwards, proper."

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 439.--Opinicus.]

_The Enfield_ (Fig. 438) is a purely fanciful animal, having the head of a fox, chest of a greyhound, talons of an eagle, body of a lion, and hind legs and tail of a wolf. It occurs as the crest of most Irish families of the name of Kelly.

_The Bagwyn_ is an imaginary animal with the head of and much like the heraldic antelope, but with the body and tail of a horse, and the horns long and curved backwards. It is difficult to say what it is intended to represent, and I can give no instance in which it occurs.

_The Musimon_ is a fabulous animal with the body and feet of a goat and the head of a ram, with four horns. It is supposed to be the hybrid between the ram and the goat, the four horns being the two straight ones of the goat and the two curled ones of the ram. Though no heraldic instance is known to me, one cannot definitely say such an animal never existed. Another name for it is the t.i.tyron.

_The Opinicus_ (Fig. 439) is another monster seldom met with in armory.

When it does occur it is represented as a winged gryphon, with a lion's legs and short tail. Another description of it gives it the {232} body and forelegs of a lion, the head, neck, and wings of an eagle, and the tail of a camel. It is the crest of the Livery Company of Barbers in London, which doubtless gives us the origin of it in the recent grant of arms to Sir Frederick Treves, Bart. Sometimes the wings are omitted.

_The Manticora_, _Mantegre_, or _Man-Tiger_ is the same as the man-lion, but has horns attached to its forehead.

_The Hippogriff_ has the head, wings and foreclaws of the griffin united to the hinder part of the body of a horse.

_The Calopus_ or _Chatloup_ is a curious horned animal difficult to describe, but which appears to have been at one time the badge of the Foljambe family. No doubt, as the name would seem to indicate, it is a variant of the wolf.

Many of the foregoing animals, particularly those which are or are supposed to be hybrids, are, however well they may be depicted, ugly, inartistic, and unnecessary. Their representation leaves one with a disappointed feeling of crudity of draughtmans.h.i.+p. No such objection applies to the pegasus, the griffin, the sea-horse, the dragon, or the unicorn, and in these modern days, when the differentiation of well-worn animals is producing singularly inept results, one would urge that the sea-griffin, the sea-stag, the winged bull, the winged stag, the winged lion, and winged heraldic antelope might produce (if the necessity of differentiation continue) very much happier results. {233}

CHAPTER XIV

BIRDS