Heraldry

From PathfinderWiki
(Redirected from Crest)

Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol.1 It might involve discussion of crests or coats of arms. Heraldry is employed on Golarion to distinguish amongst other things nations and regions; noble houses and royalty; military and other organizations and chivalric orders.2

National heraldry

A captain of the Imperial Army presenting the arms of Molthune on his armour.

Cheliax, Taldor

The chimera was often used in Taldor by the nobility as an heraldic device; in later times these same families became Chelaxian.3

Molthune

The national coat of arms of Molthune—also displayed on the national flag—consists of a crossed sword and hammer.4

Heraldry of Regions and Cities

Isarn, Galt

The heraldic crest of the Galtan capital city of Isarn is the iris, known as the flower of Isarn.5

Royal and noble heraldry

Lord Suvarian's gerfalcon rampant motif on tabard

In the River Kingdoms, 'nobles' come and go. Some use heraldry to gain an air of superiority or credibility. One such is Lord Suvarian; his men wear tabards, shields or armour emblazoned with a silver gerfalcon rampant on a blue background.67

In Galt, "the arms of the late Duke of Dabril were properly termed vert, a cockatrice in his majesty displayed and inverted tergant regardant or issuant a fountain and transfixed by a unicorn incensant argent. Or, more prosaically: a green field with a crowned golden cockatrice flying out of a pool, only to get stabbed in the back by an angry white unicorn."8

Military heraldry

Imperial Army

Soldiers of the Molthuni Imperial Army display the heraldry of the army: a small, red dragon holding a larger, purple-coloured sword.4

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.