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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 ...
, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the
shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...
and depicted holding it up. Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coronet or helmet and
crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
, supporters were not part of early medieval heraldry. As part of the heraldic
achievement Achievement may refer to: *Achievement (heraldry) *Achievement (horse), a racehorse *Achievement (video gaming), a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters See also * Achievement test for student assessment * Achiever, a personality type ...
, they first become fashionable towards the end of the 15th century, but even in the 17th century were not necessarily part of the full heraldic achievement (being absent, for example, in '' Siebmachers Wappenbuch'' of 1605). The figures used as supporters may be based on real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or other inanimate objects, such as the pillars of Hercules of the coat of arms of Spain. Often, as in other elements of heraldry, these can have local significance, such as the fisherman and the tin miner granted to Cornwall County Council, or a historical link; such as the lion of England and unicorn of Scotland in the two variations of the
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, or the royal arms for short, is the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently King Charles III. These arms are used by the King in his official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom. Varian ...
. The arms of nutritionist
John Boyd-Orr John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, (23 September 1880 – 25 June 1971), styled Sir John Boyd Orr from 1935 to 1949, was a Scottish teacher, medical doctor, biologist, nutritional physiologist, politician, businessman and farmer who was awarde ...
use two 'garbs' ( wheat sheaves) as supporters; the arms of , missiles; the arms of the state of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil, trees. Letters of the alphabet are used as supporters in the arms of Valencia, Spain. Human supporters can also be allegorical figures, or, more rarely, specifically named individuals. There is usually one supporter on each side of the shield, though there are some examples of single supporters placed behind the shield, such as the
imperial eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of the ...
of the
coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire Over its long history, the Holy Roman Empire used many different heraldic forms, representing its numerous internal divisions. Imperial coat of arms Coats of arms of Holy Roman Emperors The ''Reichsadler'' ("Imperial Eagle") was the hera ...
. The
coat of arms of the Republic of the Congo The coat of arms of the Republic of the Congo has a shield with a rampant red lion holding a torch. The background color of the shield is gold with a green, wavy, horizontal stripe along the middle. A golden crown sits above the shield. Two large ...
provide an extremely unusual example of two supporters issuing from behind the shield. While such single supporters are generally eagles with one or two heads, there are other examples, including the
cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...
in the case of some Canadian cathedrals. At the other extreme and even rarer, the Scottish chief Dundas of that Ilk had three supporters: two conventional red lions and the whole supported by a salamander. The coat of arms of Iceland even has four supporters. The context of the application of supporters may vary, although entitlement may be considered conditioned by grant of a type of augmentation of honour by admission in
orders of chivalry An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concep ...
or by heraldic authorities, such as in the case of traditional
British 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 ...
.


Attitude

Animal supporters are, by default, as close to
rampant In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a charge, a supporter, or as a crest. The attitude of an heraldic figure always precedes any reference to the tincture of the figure ...
as possible, if the nature of the supporter allows it (this does not need to be mentioned in the blazon), though there are some blazoned exceptions. An example of whales 'non-rampant' is the arms of the Dutch municipality of Zaanstad.


Regional development and entitlement

Older writers trace origins of supporters to their usages in tournaments, where the shields of the combatants were exposed for inspection, and guarded by their servants or pages disguised in fanciful attire. However, medieval Scottish seals afford numerous examples in which the 13th and 14th century shields were placed between two creatures resembling lizards or dragons. Also, the seal of
John, Duke of Normandy John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed ...
, eldest son of the
King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...
, before 1316 bears his arms as; France ancient, a bordure ''gules'', between two lions rampant away from the shield, and an eagle with expanded wings standing above it.


Australia

In
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, Knights or Dames of the Order of Australia may be granted supporters. It is unclear whether supporters may only be used on arms granted by
Garter Principal King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...
, or whether other heraldic authority suffices. Further, as arms may be legitimately adopted upon an armiger's whim, there may be nothing limiting the adoption of supporters by any person, should they so choose.


Canada

In Canada, Companions of the Order of Canada,
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
s of the Order of Military Merit, Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order, people granted the style the Right Honourable, and corporations are granted the use of supporters on their coats of arms. Further, on his retirement from office as Chief Herald, Robert Watt was granted supporters as an honour.


France

In France, writers made a distinctive difference on the subject of supporters, giving the name of ''Supports'' to animals, real or imaginary, thus employed; while human figures or angels similarly used are called ''Tenants'' (i.e. 'holders'). Trees and other inanimate objects which are sometimes used are called ''Soutiens''.


New Zealand

Knights Grand Companion and Principal Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit are granted the use of heraldic supporters.


United Kingdom

Originally, in England, supporters were regarded as little more than mere decorative and artistic appendages. In the United Kingdom, supporters are typically an example of special royal favour, granted at the behest of the sovereign. Hereditary supporters are normally limited to
hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsid ...
s, certain members of the
Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
, and to some chiefs of Scottish clans. Non-hereditary supporters are granted to
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
s, Knights and Ladies of the
Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
and
Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order. The ...
, Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath,
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...
, Royal Victorian Order and Order of the British Empire, and Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St John. Knights banneret were also granted non-hereditary supporters, but no such knight has been created since the time of Charles I. Supporters may also be granted to corporations which have a royal charter.


Examples

File:Brasão do Rio Grande do Norte.svg, Two trees in the coat of arms of Rio Grande do Norte. File:Escut de València.svg, The two Ls in the coat of arms of
Valencia (city) Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area also ...
mark it as 'doubly loyal'. File:Kraków - Kościół św. Barbary - Wspornik.JPG, An angel is the single supporter of this Kraków sculpture of the arms of Poland. File:Zaanstad.svg, 'Falling' whales support 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 ...
of Zaanstad File:Greater coat of arms of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (1982–1999).svg, Flags are the supporters in the arms of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe File:Nałęcz Kaziemierza Raczyńskiego.JPG, Flags and cannons are the supporters in the arms of
Kazimierz Raczyński Kazimierz (; la, Casimiria; yi, קוזמיר, Kuzimyr) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the Cr ...
File:Escudo de España (mazonado).svg, The coat of arms of Spain is supported by columns representing the Pillars of Hercules. File:Coat of arms of Austria.svg, The coat of arms of Austria has one supporter, an eagle, which bears the escutcheon on its breast. This arrangement is common where eagles and other birds are used as supporters, as in the Great Seal of the United States and the
coat of arms of Russia The coat of arms of Russia derives from the earlier coat of arms of the Russian Empire which was abolished with the Russian Revolution in 1917. Though modified more than once since the reign of Ivan III (1462–1505), the current coat of arms i ...
. File:State Arms of New York.svg, The allegorical figures Liberty and blindfolded Justice support a shield on the
flag of the State of New York The coat of arms of the state of New York was formally adopted in 1778, and appears as a component of the state's flag and seal. The shield displays a masted ship and a sloop on the Hudson River (symbols of inland and foreign commerce), bor ...
File:COA Novi Beograd (big).jpeg, The coat of arms of the Municipality of New Belgrade is supported by two
swallows The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
. File:Ferm arms.png, Badgers on the arms of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. File:Coat of arms of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.svg, The arms of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands feature a fur seal and macaroni penguin as supporters. File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg, Royal arms of the United Kingdom (as used in England, Northern Ireland and Wales) has lion supporter (for England) in the dexter and unicorn supporter (for Scotland) in the sinister. File:Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg, Coat of Arms of Malaysia which has two tigers as the supporters. File:Coat of Arms of Margaret Thatcher, The Baroness Thatcher (1995–2013).svg, Arms of Margaret Thatcher, with Isaac Newton and a Royal Navy
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
as supporters. File:Coat of arms of Iceland.svg, The coat of arms of Iceland is the only Nation to feature 4 supporters. Each supporter represents a protector and intercardinal direction. The bull is the protector of northwestern Iceland. The eagle or griffin is the protector of northeastern Iceland. The dragon is the protector of southeastern Iceland. The rock-giant is the protector of southwestern Iceland.


See also

*
Confronted animals Confronted animals, or confronted-animal as an adjective, where two animals face each other in a symmetrical pose, is an ancient bilateral motif in art and artifacts studied in archaeology and art history. The "anti-confronted animals" is the op ...


References

{{Authority control External devices in achievements