Beginning in the twelfth century European lords and knights adopted heraldry symbols to adorn their shields with from. These were a way in which to represent themselves and for others to be able to identify them too. Throughout the course of time these heraldry symbols grew increasingly complex.
There are a lot of different things that go into making up heraldry symbols. This includes things like animals, objects, places and other things too. Even the colors and the lines that are used on a shield have special meaning. It is actually rather interesting to take a look at some of these things. For instance, animals are used to indicate something about the person’s character that was also shared with the animal’s character. An example of this would be a dog indicating loyalty and duty, bears representing ferocity and doves symbolizing both peace and love. On the other hand, weapons were commonly used to suggest warlike abilities. For instance, a bow and arrows symbolizes a readiness for battle, while a dagger or a sword stands for military honor and a sense of justice. Then there were places that indicate where the person came from and objects that would typically be used to indicate the type of work the person did there. Of course, colors were allocated specific meanings too and even lines were a significant indication about something the person did or even their status.
Today, heraldry symbols can be seen in the family symbols that are used on a family crest. Now that you know what the family crest symbols meanings are, you may wish to have a custom crest made for you and your family if you don’t already have one. This is something that you’d then be able to pass down from one generation to the next and be proud in doing so.