A Complete Guide to Heraldry Part 22

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 303.--Lion salient.]

_Lion statant guardant_ (Fig. 302).--This (crowned) is of course the Royal crest of England, and examples of it will be found in the arms of the Sovereign and other descendants, legitimate and illegitimate, of Sovereigns of this country. An exceptionally fine rendering of it occurs in the Windsor Castle Bookplates executed by Mr. G. W. Eve.

_Lion salient._--This, which is a very rare position for a lion, represents it in the act of springing, the _two_ hind legs being on the ground, the others in the air (Fig. 303). {184}

_Lion salient guardant._--There is no reason why the lion salient may not be guardant or regardant, though an instance of the use of either does not come readily to mind.

_Lion sejant._--Very great laxity is found in the terms applied to lions sejant, consequently care is necessary to distinguish the various forms.

The true lion sejant is represented in profile, seated on its haunches, with the forepaws resting on the ground (Fig. 304).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 304.--Lion sejant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 305.--Lion sejant guardant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 306.--Lion sejant regardant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 307.--Lion sejant erect.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 308.--Lion sejant guardant erect.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 309.--Lion sejant regardant erect.]

_Lion sejant guardant._--This is as the foregoing, but with the face (only) turned to the spectator (Fig. 305).

_Lion sejant regardant._--In this the head is turned right back to gaze behind (Fig. 306).

_Lion sejant erect_ (or, as it is sometimes not very happily termed, sejant-rampant).--In this position the lion is sitting upon its haunches, but the body is erect, and it has its forepaws raised in the air (Fig.

307).

_Lion sejant guardant erect_ is as the last figure, but the head faces the spectator (Fig. 308).

_Lion sejant regardant erect_ is as the foregoing, but with the head turned right round to look backwards (Fig. 309).

_Lion sejant affronte._--In this case the lion is seated on its haunches, {185} but _the whole body_ is turned to face the spectator, the forepaws resting upon the ground in front of its body. Ugly as this position is, and impossible as it might seem, it certainly is to be found in some of the early rolls.

_Lion sejant erect affronte_ (Fig. 294).--This position is by no means unusual in Scotland. A lion sejant erect and affronte, &c., is the Royal crest of Scotland, and it will also be found in the arms of Lyon Office.

A good representation of the lion sejant affronte and erect is shown in Fig. 310, which is taken from Jost Amman's _Wappen und Stammbuch_ (1589).

It represents the arms of the celebrated Lansquenet Captain Sebastian Schartlin (Schertel) von Burtenbach ["Gules, a lion sejant affronte erect, double-queued, holding in its dexter paw a key argent and in its sinister a fleur-de-lis"]. His victorious a.s.sault on Rome in 1527, and his striking successes against France in 1532, are strikingly typified in these arms, which were granted in 1534.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 310.--Arms of Sebastian Schartlin von Burtenbach.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 311.--Lion couchant.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 312.--Lion dormant.]

_Lion Couchant._--In this position the lion is represented lying down, but the head is erect and alert (Fig. 311).

_Lion dormant._--A lion dormant is in much the same position as a lion couchant, except that the eyes are closed, and the head rests upon the extended forepaws (Fig. 312). Lions dormant are seldom met with, but they occur in the arms of Lloyd, of Stockton Hall, near York.

_Lion morne._--This is a lion without teeth and claws, but no instance of the use of the term would appear to exist in British armory. Woodward mentions amongst other Continental examples the arms of the old French family of De Mornay ["Fasce d'argent et de gueules au lion morne de sable, couronne d'or brochant sur le tout"].

_Lions as supporters._--Refer to the chapter on Supporters.

_Winged lion._--The winged lion--usually known as the lion of St. Mark--is not infrequently met with. It will be found both pa.s.sant {186} and sejant, but more frequently the latter (Fig. 313). The true lion of St. Mark (that is, when used as a badge for sacred purposes to typify St. Mark) has a halo. Winged lions are the supporters of Lord Braye.

_Sea lion_ (or, to use another name for it, a _morse_) is the head, forepaws, and upper part of a lion conjoined to the tail of a fish. The most frequent form in which sea lions appear are as supporters, but they are also met with as crests and charges. When placed horizontally they are termed naiant. Sea lions, however, will also be found "sejant" and "sejant-erect" (Fig. 314). When issuing from waves of the sea they are termed "a.s.surgeant."

_Lion-dragon._--One hesitates to believe that this creature has any existence outside heraldry books, where it is stated to be of similar form and construction to the sea lion, the difference being that the lower half is the body and tail of a wyvern. I know of no actual arms or crest in which it figures.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 313.--Winged lion.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 314.--Sea lion.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 315.--Man-Lion.]

_Man-lion_ or _man-tiger_.--This is as a lion but with a human face. Two of these are the supporters of Lord Huntingdon, and one was granted to the late Lord Donington as a supporter, whilst as charges they also occur in the arms of Radford. This semi-human animal is sometimes termed a "lympago"

(Fig. 315).

_Other terms relating to lions_ occur in many heraldic works--both old and new--but their use is very limited, if indeed of some, any example at all could be found in British armory. In addition to this, whilst the fact may sometimes exist, the _term_ has never been adopted or officially recognised. Personally I believe most of the terms which follow may for all practical purposes be entirely disregarded. Amongst such terms are _contourne_, applied to a lion pa.s.sant or rampant to the sinister. It would, however, be found blazoned in these words and not as contourne.

"Dismembered," "Demembre," "Dechaussee," and "Trononnee" are all "heraldry-book" terms specified to mean the same as "couped in all its joints," but the uselessness and uncertainty concerning these terms is exemplified by the fact that the {187} same books state "dismembered" or "demembre" to mean (when applied to a lion) that the animal is shown without legs or tail. The term "embrued" is sometimes applied to a lion to signify that its mouth is b.l.o.o.d.y and dropping blood; and "vulned" signifies wounded, heraldically represented by a blotch of gules, from which drops of blood are falling. A lion "disarmed" is without teeth, tongue, or claws.

A term often found in relation to lions rampant, but by no means peculiar thereto, is "debruised." This is used when it is partly defaced by another charge (usually an ordinary) being placed over it.

Another of these guide-book terms is "decollated," which is said to be employed in the case of a lion which has its head cut off. A lion "defamed"

or "diffamed" is supposed to be rampant to the sinister but looking backwards, the supposition being that the animal is being (against his will) chased off the field with infamy. A lion "evire" is supposed to be emasculated and without signs of s.e.x. In this respect it is interesting to note that in earlier days, before mock modesty and prudery had become such prominent features of our national life, the genital organ was always represented of a p.r.o.nounced size in a prominent position, and it was as much a matter of course to paint it gules as it now is to depict the tongue of that colour. To prevent error I had better add that this is not now the usual practice.

Lions placed back to back are termed "endorsed" or "addorsed," but when two lions pa.s.sant in pale are represented, one pa.s.sing to the dexter and one to the sinister, they are termed "counter-pa.s.sant." This term is, however, also used sometimes when they are merely pa.s.sant towards each other. A more correct description in such cases would be pa.s.sant "respecting" or "regarding" each other.

The term _lionne_ is one stated to be used with animals other than lions when placed in a rampant position. Whilst doubtless of regular acceptation in French heraldry as applied to a leopard, it is unknown in English, and the term rampant is indifferently applied; _e.g._ in the case of a leopard, wolf, or tiger when in the rampant position.

_Lionced_ is a term seldom met with, but it is said to be applied (for example to a cross) when the arms end in lions' heads. I have yet to find an authentic example of the use of such a cross.

When a bend or other ordinary issues from the mouths of lions (or other animals), the heads issuing from the edges or angles of the escutcheon, the ordinary is said to be "engouled."

A curious term, of the use of which I know only one example, is "fleshed"

or "flayed." This, as doubtless will be readily surmised, means that the skin is removed, leaving the flesh gules. This was the method by which the supporters of Wurtemburg were "differenced" for the Duke of Teck, the forepaws being "fleshed." {188}

Woodward gives the following very curious instances of the lion in heraldry:--

"Only a single example of the use of the lioness as a heraldic charge is known to me. The family of COING, in Lorraine, bears: d'Azure, a une lionne arretee d'or.

"The following fourteenth-century examples of the use of the lion as a heraldic charge are taken from the oft-quoted _Wappenrolle von Zurich_, and should be of interest to the student of early armory:--

"51: END: Azure, a lion rampant-guardant argent, its feet or.

"305. WILDENVELS: Per pale argent and sable, in the first a demi-lion statant-guardant issuant from the dividing line.