Encyclopedia > Crest

Article Content

Crest

In heraldry, a crest is a component of a coat of arms. It is a figure, often but not always a beast of some kind, depicted atop the helmet placed above the shield.

Some armigers used their crest as a personal badge, which led to the inaccurate use of the word "crest" to describe a shield or full coat of arms.

See also Shield -- Mantling -- Supporters -- Compartment -- Motto

All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!

Featured Article

Thomas a Kempis

... a selfish monkish type. It was written by a monk and intended for the convent; it lays stress on the passive qualities and does not touch with firmness the string of ...