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
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.