Supporter (animal)

Key Characteristics in Castilian Heraldry

Some of the main characteristics of the heraldry of Castile are:

• the rounded shapes, with a semicircle at the base,
• the importance of bordures,
• the inclusion of words and also letters in the coat of arms,
• the 2^nd most common animal, after the lion, is the wolf [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2010], and, of course,
• our castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, masoned Sable [Valero de Bernabé, L.; 2009a].

The following image shows 4 examples of coats of arms, each of which has some of these characteristics, including one Castilian castle.

Comparing Castilian and English Heraldry

In the United Kingdom, there are several heraldic traditions, one of them being English heraldry.

In the Kingdom of Spain, there are several heraldic traditions, for example, the Castilian tradition.

In my humble opinion, we should compare at the same level, English heraldry with, for example, Castilian heraldry, but not with all Spanish heraldry. We shouldn't do it for the same reason we don't mix Scottish heraldic tradition with English, as they are so different.

In the case of Castilian heraldry, the 8 main differences with English heraldry are:

• The rounded shapes, with a semicircle at the base.
• The importance of bordures and the existence of the diminished bordure, called in Castilian «filiera».
• The inclusion of words and also letters in the coats of arms.
• The wolf is the 2^nd most common animal, after the lion.
• The castle, triple-towered, which is different from the English and French types of castles.
• We can inherit arms from our mother and/or father; for example, the castle in the 1^st quarter of the coat of arms of Castile and the coat of arms of Spain comes from a mother, Queen Berenguela of Castile, mother of King Fernando III, the Saint.
• There are 3 kinds of supporters with their owns heraldic names: «tenantes», human forms; «soportes», animals; and «sostenes», plants and things.
• Our quarterings do not necessarily mean that the arms are marshalled by inheritance. [Williams, N.; 2017; page 135, paragraph 26.02] describing the arms of Éamon de Valera, 1882-1975, President of Ireland, writes «Those arms are Spanish in appearance. The quartering without functions as a means of marshalling, is distinctively Iberian».

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Categories: Criterion, Semi-circular, Bordure, Letter, Lion, Wolf, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Or, Azure, Sable, Diminished bordure, Quarterly, Supporter (human form), Supporter (animal) and Supporter (thing).

Party per fess: 1 Argent, a rose Gules, barbed and seeded proper; 2 Gules, two swords in saltire Argent, hilted Or. Supporters: Two bears Sable, the eyes, pizzled, langued, armed and gorged Gules. Motto: «Ingenuus et fortis» Sable over a scroll Argent doubled Gules.

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Blazon keywords: Party per fess, Argent, One, Rose, Gules, Leaved, Seeded, Two, Sword, In saltire, Hilted, Or, Proper, Supporter (animal), Bear, Sable, The eyes, Pizzled, Langued, Armed, Collared, Motto and Scroll.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Leather.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Coat of arms and Latin language.

Bearer: Breu, Stephan Urs.

Party per fess: 1 Argent, a rose Gules, barbed and seeded proper; 2 Gules, two swords in saltire Argent, hilted Or. Supporters: Two bears Sable, the eyes, pizzled, langued, armed and gorged Gules, terraced Vert. Motto: «Ingenuus et fortis» Sable over a scroll Argent doubled Gules.

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Blazon keywords: Party per fess, Argent, One, Rose, Gules, Leaved, Seeded, Two, Sword, In saltire, Hilted, Or, Proper, Terrace in base, Supporter (animal), Bear, Sable, The eyes, Pizzled, Langued, Armed, Collared, Motto and Scroll.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Leather.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Coat of arms and Latin language.

Bearer: Breu, Stephan Urs.

Or, on a chevron, between three crosses flory Gules, three crescents Argent. Supporters: Two Lions rampant Or, langued and armed Gules.

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Blazon keywords: Or, One, Chevron, Gules, Charged, Three, Crescent, Argent, Between, Cross, Flory, Supporter (animal), Two, Lion, Rampant, Langued and Armed.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Pointed, Illuminated and Rough.

Classification: Personal, Created and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Rica II, Nick Allen.

Or, on a chevron, between three crosses flory Gules, three crescents Argent. Crest: Upon a helm, with a wreath Or and Gules, a pomegranate Proper, seeded Gules, slipped and leaved Vert. Mantling: Gules doubled Or. Supporters: Two Lions rampant Or, langued and armed Gules. Motto: «Fides et pietas».

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Blazon keywords: Or, One, Chevron, Gules, Charged, Three, Crescent, Argent, Between, Cross, Flory, Crest and mantling, Helm, Mantling, Wreath, Crest, Pomegranate, Proper, Slipped, Leaved, Vert, Supporter (animal), Two, Lion, Rampant, Langued, Armed and Motto.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Pointed, Illuminated and Rough.

Classification: Personal, Created, Coat of arms and Latin language.

Bearer: Rica II, Nick Allen.

Azure, a cross ermine fimbriated Or, between four fleurs de lis Argent, each enfiled in a crown Or. Crest: Upon a helm befitting his degree, issuant from a crown of Baron, with a wreath Or and Azure, a falcon displayed, belled Azure, crowned Or, holding in its dexter talon an hourglass Or and in its sinister talon a fleur de lis Argent. Mantling: Azure doubled Or. Motto: «Per Crucem Triumphans» Sable, over a scroll Argent, doubled Gules. Supporters: Two lions rampant Or, langued Gules.

Coat of arms depicted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a pointed outer contour and with a freehand finish.

G0128, Chief Herald of Arms of Malta's grant for the arms of Jean-Yves, de Sainte Croix de la Sabliere, UK. These arms have been emblazoned by me for such grant.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Or, Argent, Gules, One, Four, Cross, Ermine, Fimbriated, Between, Fleur de lis, Enfiled, Crown, Crest, Upon (wreath), Helm, Issuant, Crown of Baron, Above the shield, Wreath, Falcon, Belled, Crowned, Dexter, Talon, Hourglass, Sinister, Mantling, Doubled, Motto, Scroll, Supporter (animal), Lion, Rampant and Langued.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Pointed and Freehand.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Sainte Croix de la Sabliere, Jean-Yves de.

Party per fess dancetty of three points Gules and Argent, in chief a winnowing fan reversed Or between two fleams addorsed Argent. Crest: Upon a helm befitting his degree issuant from a crown of Baron above the shield, with a wreath Argent and Gules, two arms embowed proper, vested Sable, cuffed Or, holding aloft a winnowing fan reversed Or. Mantling: Gules doubled Argent. Motto: «Ora et Labora». Supporters: Two lions passant, tails addorsed Sable, armed and langued Gules.

Coat of arms depicted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a freehand finishing.

G0129, Chief Herald of Arms of Malta's grant for the arms of Markus Hermann Frank, USA. These arms have been emblazoned by me for such grant.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Argent, Or, Sable, One, Two, Three, Party per fess, Dancetty, In chief, Winnowing fan, Reversed, Between, Fleam, Addorsed, Crest, Upon (wreath), Helm, Issuant, Crown of Baron, Crown, Above the shield, Wreath, Arm, Embowed, Proper, Vested, Cuffed, Grasping, Mantling, Doubled, Motto, Supporter (animal), Lion, Passant, Tail addorsed, Armed and Langued.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Personal, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Frank, Markus Hermann.

Registered by The International Register of Arms, 1^st of December of 2022, Registration number 0690, Volume 4.

In Spanish heraldry, there are three terms for supporters: «sostenes» for objects or plants, «tenantes» for human figures, and «soportes» for animal forms. The following applies to sostenes, tenantes, and soportes. Unlike other heraldic traditions such as English heraldry, in Spanish heraldry there are no rules for the use of supporters; their use is at the armiger's discretion, without specific restrictions. Supporters are not reserved only for nobility; their use is free for all.

In the words of [Cadenas y Vicent, V. de; 1975; page 173] «there is no rule that determines the use of tenantes, soportes, and sostenes».

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Categories: Armorial roll, Party per fess, Azure, One, Book, Open, Or, Leaved, Argent, Charged, Mullet, Gules, Tree, Erased, Between, Two, Apple, Diminished bordure, Embattled, Crest and mantling, Helm, Fimbriated, Wreath, Mantling, Dexter, Sinister, Crest, Pegasus, Rampant, Nascent, Flame, Supporter (animal), Lion, Langued, Quill, Claw, Parchment (scroll), Rolled, Seal, Letter, War cry and Motto.

External resource:

• Fernando Marán Bié at The Armorial Register.

Root: The Armorial Register.