Fountain or syke is in the terminology of heraldry a roundel depicted as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure, that is, containing alternating horizontal wavy bands of silver (or white) and blue.Berry, William.
An Introduction to Heraldry: Containing the Rudiments of the Science in General, and Other Necessary Particulars Connected with the Subject
'. United Kingdom, T. Egerton, 1810. 62. Traditionally, there are six bands: three of each tincture. Because the fountain consists equally of parts in a metal and a colour, its use is not limited by the rule of tincture as are the other roundels. The fountain may be made in any heraldic tinctures, but unless otherwise stated, it is silver/white and blue. If the

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

of a coat of arms contains the word fountain, it is not a natural, water-gushing

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

which should be depicted but a roundel like this.

Examples

File:Anjalankoski.vaakuna.svg, The arms of former town of

Anjalankoski Anjalankoski is a former town and List of former municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It had 16 379 inhabitants in 2008. About 4/5 of the people live in the vicinity of the Kymi River. The most densely populated communities are My ...

, Finland File:Blason ville fr Fontenay-le-Fleury (Yvelines).svg, The

canting arms Canting arms are heraldry, heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. The expression derives from the latin ''cantare'' (to sing). French heralds used the term (), ...

of Fontenay-le-Fleury, France, displays a fountain in gold and red and fleurs-de-lis File:Fontana coa.svg, The

of Il-Fontana, Malta File:Leitrimcountylogo.png, Arms of

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

, Ireland, with three fountains File:Götene vapen.svg, Arms of Götene Municipality in Sweden File:Coat of Arms of Nairobi.svg, Arms of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

References

{{heraldry-stub Heraldic charges Fountains Visual motifs