LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Heraldry: Middle Ages
built 182 days ago
Heraldry is the medieval art and science that deals with the creation, use, and recognition of visual displays that identify an individual person, guild, town, office or other entity. This was typically done through much of the Middle Ages using a painted shield which bore a (largely) unique arrangement of division lines, and objects known as "charges". Early in the Medieval period, this "coat of arms" was unique to an individual, only becoming associated with a family in the late Renaissance.
Source:
Heraldry in Canada ... includes symbols of Aboriginal peoples. Native images or artistic depictions of animals are shown in coats of arms to honour their traditions and contributions. As well, a number of Aboriginal groups have asked the Authority to record their symbols, which recognizes the value of such symbols and protects them against commercial misuse.
Source:
A casual observer might think that the practice of Heraldry deals solely with Armorial Achievements, but the closer it is studied, the more awesome the scope of the art and science of heraldry becomes. One of the duties of a Pursuivant is to educate the populace in the proper devising and display of armorial devices, and the proper use of names and titles. It is not by accident that the Clerk of Precedence and the Minister of Protocol in the Middle Kingdom fall under the auspices of the Office of the Dragon Herald, the Principal Herald of the Midrealm.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Middle Ages