A Study on the Symbolical Charactor of Western Heraldry

서양 문장의 상징성에 관한 연구

The western heraldry influenced by the style of periodic art, the lion and the eagle charges were expressed simply and laconically in Romanesque period, laconically but forcibly in Gothic period, and elegantly and elaborately in the period of the Renaissance. The symbolical character of each charge expressed in the heraldry in the process of the changes of the times can be summarized as follows: 1) The ferocious beast like the eagle or the lion in the heraldry is symbolic of a majestic appearance of sovereign's. 2) The legendary or mythical monster in the heraldry is the symbol of holding sacred the heraldry owner endowed superhuman ability from him, or the symbol of coercion or menace to the other party on the appearance of being sized with fear. 3) The domestic animals or the poultry in the heraldry are chiefly symbolic of intrepidity, bravery, sacrifice, or faithfulness, which can be supposed a subject's loyalty to his sovereign. 4) The lamb or the cross in the heraldry is the charge concerned with Christ who brought a fundamantal thought in the middles ages. So they can be said the symbol of Christianity.