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The
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
has been widely used in many forms in
heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. Though commonly reviled as a livestock predator and
man-eater
A man-eater is an animal that preys on humans as a pattern of hunting behavior. This does not include the scavenging of corpses, a single attack born of opportunity or desperate hunger, or the incidental eating of a human that the animal has kil ...
, the wolf was also considered a noble and courageous animal, and frequently appeared on the
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
and
crests of numerous noble families. It typically symbolised the rewards of perseverance in long sieges or hard industry.
History
British Isles and other Anglophone heraldries
Wolves appear frequently in
English heraldry
English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the so-called Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the English kings ...
, and is found as both a charge and a
supporter
In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up.
Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coro ...
. Wolves' heads, without the rest of the body being depicted, are particularly common in
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
heraldry.
Arthur Fox-Davies
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (28 February 1871 – 19 May 1928) was a British expert on heraldry. His ''Complete Guide to Heraldry'', published in 1909, has become a standard work on heraldry in England. A barrister by profession, Fox-Davies worke ...
, ''A Complete Guide to Heraldry'', T.C. and E.C. Jack, London, 1909, 196-197, https://archive.org/details/completeguidetoh00foxduoft.
Early depictions of wolves in heraldry tend to be somewhat ambiguous in appearance, and can be confused with other heraldic creatures such as
lynx
A lynx is a type of wild cat.
Lynx may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Lynx (constellation)
* Lynx (Chinese astronomy)
* Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory
Places Canada
* Lynx, Ontar ...
es and
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
es.
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
(1442–83) used a white wolf for one of his badges, along with a white
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
, denoting his descent from the House of Mortimer.
The wolf or his head is often used for
canting
' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely '' batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional ''T ...
on names such as Videlou, de Lou (both recorded in the anonymous ''Great Roll'' of 1308–14), Lupus (in the reign of
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
), Wolferston (in the ''Henry VI Roll'', circa 1422–61),
Wolseley, Lovett, Low, Lovell,
Lupton and of course Wolfe.
Wolves are to be found
* rampant in th
coatof
Louth Town Council (England)
* demi in the crest o
Peter John Crabtree(Canada)
* demi and winged in the crest o
Walter William Roy Bradford(Canada)
* heads only in the coat o
James Thomas Flood(Canada)
* as supporters in th
bearingsof the Corporation of the Municipality of
Greenstone, Ontario
Greenstone is an amalgamated town in the Canadian province of Ontario with a population of 4,636 according to the 2016 Canadian Census. It stretches along Highway 11 from Lake Nipigon to Longlac and covers .
The town was formed in 2001, as part ...
* in the Salish style in th
coatof the Village of
Belcarra
Belcarra is a village on the shore of Indian Arm, a side inlet of Burrard Inlet, and is part of Metro Vancouver. It lies northwest of Port Moody and immediately east of the Deep Cove area of North Vancouver, across the waters of Indian Arm. Is ...
, British Columbia
The "
Enfield beast
The enfield is a fictitious creature sometimes used in heraldry.
Description
The enfield has the head of a fox, forelegs like an eagle's talons, the chest of a greyhound, the body of a lion, and the hindquarters and tail of a wolf. It is occasiona ...
", an imaginary creature with the combined head of a fox, front talons of an eagle and legs and tail of a wolf, appears as the crest of the Irish family of Kelly
and is also used in the coat and as a supporter for the forme
Enfield Borough Counciland its successor the
London Borough of Enfield
(England).
Continental Europe
The wolf is also featured in the heraldry of continental European nations. Wolves feature very commonly in
Spanish heraldry
The tradition and art of heraldry first appeared in Spain at about the beginning of the eleventh century AD and its origin was similar to other European countries: the need for knights and nobles to distinguish themselves from one another on t ...
, where they are often represented wolves carrying the bodies of lambs in their mouths or across their backs. When in such a pose, wolves are referred to as being ''ravissant''.
Wolves are also common in
German heraldry
German heraldry is the tradition and style of heraldic achievements in Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, including national and civic arms, noble and burgher arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays and heraldic descriptions. German her ...
. The town of
Passau
Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
Passau's popu ...
(Bavaria) bears a red wolf rampant on a white shield. In
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, a black wolf rampant on a yellow shield features on the crest of von Wolfersdorf family. A green wolf grasping a dead swan in its jaws on a yellow shield is depicted on the crest and Arms of the Counts von Brandenstein-Zeppelin.
In
Italian heraldry
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, the
attributed arms
Attributed arms are Western European coats of arms given retrospectively to persons real or fictitious who died before the start of the age of heraldry in the latter half of the 12th century. Arms were assigned to the knights of the Round Table ...
of
Romulus and Remus
In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the ...
were said to depict the
Capitoline Wolf
The Capitoline Wolf (Italian: ''Lupa Capitolina'') is a bronze sculpture depicting a scene from the legend of the founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. According to the ...
. An undated Milanese badge allegedly in the Biblioteca Trivulziana, Milan, shows a lamb lying on its back with a wolf standing over it.
In
French heraldry
French heraldry is the use of heraldic symbols in France. Although it had a considerable history, existing from the 11th century, such formality has largely died out in France, as far as regulated personal heraldry is concerned. Civic heraldry on ...
, the
Wolfcatcher Royal
The Wolfcatcher Royal (french: louvetier royal), a position also known historically as the Grand Wolfcatcher (french: grand louvetier) which is now known as , was established as a prestigious office in the House of the King during the Ancien R ...
had as his official insignia two wolf heads facing frontally.
A horned, wolf-like creature called the
Calopus
''Platypterna'' is an ichnogenus of dinosaur footprint.
See also
* List of dinosaur ichnogenera
References
*
Dinosaur trace fossils
{{dinosaur-stub ...
or Chatloup was at one time connected with the Foljambe and Cathome family.
Modernly, the coat of arms of the secular separatists in Chechnya bore the wolf, because the wolf (
borz
The name Borz ( Chechen: Борз, "wolf") is an umbrella term applied to all improvised submachine guns produced during the years of independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. It was produced in small numbers from 1992 to 1999. The initial ...
) is the Chechen (or Ichkerian) nation's national embodiment. The Islamists later removed it, and the Russian-sponsored ruling regime removed it entirely, but the secular government in exile still uses. In addition, many other insignia of the Chechen nation (of all three governments) use the wolf as a heraldic symbol. Not only is it the national animal, but the Chechen people are symbolically said to be variously related to wolves (not in a serious way, but in an either symbolic or joking manner), and there are legends of their ancestors being raised by a "wolf mother". Characteristics of the wolf are also frequently compared to the Chechen people in a poetic sense, including the most famous line that members of the Chechen nation are "free and equal like wolves".
Examples of wolves in heraldry
File:Escudo del valle de Salazar.svg, A common Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
depiction of a heraldic wolf ( Salazar, Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
).
File:Sipoo.vaakuna.svg, A coat of arms of the Sipoo municipality (Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
)
File:Valtimo.vaakuna.svg, A coat of arms of the Valtimo municipality (Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
)
File:Busturiako_armarria.png, A coat of arms of the town of Busturia (Basque Country
Basque Country may refer to:
* Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map)
* French Basque Country o ...
, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
)
File:CoatOfArmsOfTheBalsics.png, Sigil of the noble house Balšić.
File:Coat of Arms of the 1st NBC-Defense Regiment Valencia.svg, Emblem of the 1st CBRN
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN defence) are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare (including terrorism) hazards may be present. CBRN defence consis ...
Regiment 'Valencia' (Spanish Army).
File:Coat of arms of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.svg, Chechen (Ichkerian) seal bearing a wolf, the nation's symbolic embodiment.
References
''The Use of the Wolf as an Emblem of Heraldry'', WolfSongAlaska.org
Further reading
* Boutell, Charles (1890).
Heraldry, Ancient and Modern: Including Boutell's Heraldry'. London: Frederick Warne.
*Brooke-Little, J P, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, ''An heraldic alphabet'' (new and revisded edition), Robson Books, London, 1985 (first edition 1975); very few illustrations
* Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, fully searchable with illustrations, http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk
* Clark, Hugh (1892).
An Introduction to Heraldry, 18th ed.' (Revised by J. R. Planché). London: George Bell & Sons. First published 1775. .
* Canadian Heraldic Authority, Public Register, with many useful official versions of modern coats of arms, searchable online http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/main.asp?lang=e
*
Cussans, John E. (2003).
Handbook of Heraldry'.
Kessinger Publishing
Kessinger Publishing LLC is an American print-on-demand
Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology and business process in which book copies (or other documents, packaging or materials) are not printed until the company receives an orde ...
. .
* Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1909).
A Complete Guide to Heraldry'. New York: Dodge Pub. Co. .
*Friar, Stephen (ed) ''A New Dictionary of Heraldry'' Alphabooks, Sherborne, 1987; with very few illustration of attitudes* Greaves, Kevin, ''A Canadian Heraldic Primer'', Heraldry Society of Canada, Ottawa, 2000, lots but not enough illustrations
* Heraldry Society (England), members' arms, with illustrations of bearings, only accessible by armiger's name (though a Google site search would provide full searchability), http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/resources/members.htm
* Heraldry Society of Scotland, members' arms, fully searchable with illustrations of bearings, http://heraldry-scotland.com/copgal/thumbnails.php?album=7
* Innes of Learney, Sir Thomas, Lord Lyon King of Arms ''Scots Heraldry'' (second edition)Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, 1956
* Moncreiffe of Easter Moncreiffe, Iain, Kintyre Pursuivant of Arms, and Pottinger, Don, Herald Painter Extraordinary to the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms ''Simple Heraldry'', Thomas Nelson and Sons, London andf Edinburgh, 1953; splendidly illustrated
* Neubecker, Ottfried (1976). ''Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning''. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill. .
* Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, ''Members' Roll of Arms'', with illustrations of bearings, only accessible by armiger's name (though a Google site search would provide full searchability), http://www.heraldry.ca/main.php?pg=l1
* South African Bureau of Heraldry, data on registered heraldic representations (part of National Archives of South Africa); searchable online (but no illustration), http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm300dl
* Volborth, Carl-Alexander von (1981). ''Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles''. Poole, England: Blandford Press. .
* Woodcock, Thomas and John Martin Robinson (1988). ''The Oxford Guide to Heraldry''. Oxford: University Press. .
* Woodward, John and George Burnett (1969).
Woodward's a treatise on heraldry, British and foreign'. Originally published 1892, Edinburgh: W. & A. B. Johnson. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolves In Heraldry
Heraldic beasts
Medieval culture
Heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
Wolves in art
Mythological canines