What are the technical terms for the various elements of a coat of arms?
• What is the shield? The most significant element in a “coat of arms” is the shield, as the shield is the “canvas” upon which heralds and heraldic artists depict the symbols, emblems and colors specific to one’s coat of arms. In battle or in tournaments, the devices and symbols displayed on one’s shield were the means by which medieval knights, covered from head to toe in armor, could be identified by both their followers and their enemies. • What is a mantle? The mantle is an ornamental design, often depicted in armorials of coats of arms as draping the helmet to both sides of the shield. Originally, a lambrequin or textile covering was worn over the helmet and hung to below the shoulders to protect the knight and his armor from heat and moisture. When worn in battle, the lambrequin was subject to sword slashing and hacking and often ended up in tatters and literally “cut to ribbons”. In their renditions of coats of arms, heraldic artists would embellish this torn textile covering by
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