The emmet, also called the pismire, is an

heraldic 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 bran ...

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

in European heraldry, particularly in English and

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 ...

, representing historic names for the

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

Significance

The emmet might be understood as a symbol of hard work and of wisdom, although symbolism in heraldry always has to be approached with skepticism, as the arms might be

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 '' ...

, or the symbolism might not apply in a particular case. In his ''A Display of Heraldrie'' (1610),

John Guillim John Guillim (c. 1565 – 7 May 1621) of Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, was an antiquarian and officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is best remembered for his monumental work on heraldry, ''A Display of Heraldry'', first pub ...

of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

says:

Attitude

The emmet is often shown as

tergiant 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, t ...

, or with his back to the viewer, as seen from above.

Examples

*Massy: ''argent a bend azure between three emmets sable'' *Emmitt: ''sable two cross bones saltierwise between four emmets or on a chief engrailed erminois two bulls' heads azure'' William John Monson, ''Lincolnshire Church Notes 1828–1840'' (Lincoln Record Society, 1936)
p. 408
/ref>

Gallery

Ahja seal.svg, Arms of

Ahja Ahja is a small borough (') in Põlva Parish, Põlva County in southeastern Estonia. Named after the Ahja River, it is located 191 km southeast of Tallinn and about 16km north of Põlva. Ahja manor The earliest references to Ah ...

, in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Bjärtrå vapen.svg, Arms of Bjärtrå, in Sweden Wappen Brekendorf.png, Arms of

Brekendorf Brekendorf is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in E ...

, in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

, Germany Blason de la ville de Fulleren (68).svg, Arms of Fulleren, in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, France Blason St Maurice sur Moselle 88.svg, Arms of the commune of

Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle (, literally ''Saint-Maurice on Moselle'') is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Vosges department The following is a list of the 507 commun ...

, France File:Blason de la ville de Sewen (Haut-Rhin).svg, Arms of Sewen, France Wappen Marwitz.png, Arms of Marwice, Poland DEU Zeschdorf COA.svg, Arms of

Zeschdorf Zeschdorf is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Rus ...

, in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

, Germany

Notes

{{Heraldic creatures Heraldic beasts Ants Fictional insects Fictional ants Insects in art Insects in culture