Portal:Heraldry/Intro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heraldry encompasses all of the duties of a herald. More technically, it is the science and art of designing, displaying, describing and recording coats of arms and badges, as well as the formal ceremonies and laws that regulate the use and inheritance of arms. The origins of heraldry lie in the medieval need to distinguish participants in battles or jousts, whose faces were hidden by steel helmets.

The word "crest" is commonly used to refer to a coat-of-arms. However, in heraldry, a crest is just one component of a complete achievement of arms. The crest sits atop a helmet, which itself sits on the main and most recognizable part of the arms, the shield or escutcheon. Other elements may include supporters holding up the shield and a motto beneath.

Vexillology (from the Latin vexillum, a flag or banner) is the scholarly study of flags. More technically, it is the creation and development of a body of knowledge about flags of all types, their forms and functions, and of scientific theories and principles based on that knowledge. Flags were originally used to assist military coordination on the battlefield, and have evolved into a general tool for signalling and identification, particularly identification of countries.