Coat of arms

In this assignment you are going to design your own coat of arms.
What is a Coat a Arms?
Examples
from the English Monarchy
Student
Coats of Arms
Coats of arms were first used about 600 years ago in Europe. Knights
originally used them to show what army they were loyal to. When a knight went into
battle, people would know who he was fighting for based on the coat of arms,
similar to wearing your country's flag emblem today. Kings, Queens and countries all had their own coat of
arms.
Recently, the coat of arms has spread more to families, corporations and
individuals. They are used now as symbols to represent the group or
individual. In other words, they are very elaborate logos.
Here are some examples of coats of arms.
Coat of arms for Alberta, Canada |
Coat of arms for British Colombia, Canada |
Coat of arms for Manitoba, Canada |
Coat of arms for Queen Elizabeth II |
Parts of a Coat of Arms
For this assignment, we are going to be concerned with only a few parts of a
coat of arms.

- Shield (Escutcheon). The shield is used to hold symbols or designs
relating to the person or organization. The shields come in many different
shapes and may have many different symbols, colors and designs in them. The
designs and symbols in the shields often represent certain aspects of the
group or individual. For example, an individual's shield may have symbols
relating to their parents, countries, jobs, education or hobbies..
- Supporters. The supporters usually consists of 2 different animals
which hold up and support the shield. These animals have some significance
or importance to the owner of the coat of arms.
- Helm, Crest and Mantle. These were originally the symbols worn on
the helmet of knights, but are now just symbols representing the
organization.
- Motto. The motto at the bottom is a saying or phrase with special
meaning or significance to the group or individual.
Your Assignment
For this assignment, you are going to design your own coat of arms for you
personally. Think of a coat of arms as an explanation of
who you are using pictures. Your coat of arms needs to include the following 4
parts.
- A shield (escutcheon) with 2 symbols. The
shied should have symbols which are significant to you. For example:
a symbol for your mother and father, a symbol for the Zia Pueblo and
the US, or symbols for your hobbies. Choose a shield and put at least
2 symbols inside the shield.
- 2 supporter animals holding up your shield. The two animals
should represent who you are or be significant to you. They do not have
to be real animals (you can choose dragons or unicorns). What is your
zodiac sign or what aminals represent your parents?
- A helm, crest and mantle. Create a design for your this area.
You only need to create one design, not 3. What type of hat do you wear?
- A motto. At the bottom of your coat of arms, you need to add
a saying or phrase which symbolizes you or has significance for you.
Put it inside of a banner.
Pictures taken from Microsoft Encarta and www.hereditarytitles.com.
Student
Coats of Arms
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