heraldry

The art and science of devising, displaying, and granting armorial insignia and of tracing and recording genealogies is called heraldry. The use of heraldic symbols, or “coats of arms,” as a means of identification spread through European nobility in the 13th century. The main way to display the heraldic devices is on a shield. The crest, a secondary device that emerged in the 14th century, was modeled onto the helm (helmet). Pictorial representations show the shield with the helm and crest above. “Arms” are protected by law in European monarchies and are hereditary; all male descendants of the first person to whom they were granted bear the arms.