The "Meaning" of Coats of Arms

Generally speaking it is almost always impossible to accurately decipher the meaning of the symbolism on any personal coat of arms. Many of the arms in use today, or on which today's coats of arms are based, were granted hundreds of years ago and if there was ever a specific meaning to the symbols, then this is probably lost in history. Even in situations where there are records of the granting of arms, rarely, if ever, is the symbolic significance recorded.

There are of course exceptions. For example, in civic heraldry, coats of arms of towns, regions and countries often have clear symbolism. For example, the coat of arms of Cork shows a tall ship entering the harbour, clearly symbolising Cork history as an important sea-port. Rarely though are personal arms so easily deciphered, but sometimes it can be done.

Occupational names can often be reflected in their arms. Examples include the Catherine wheel on the Wheeler arms (the Catherine wheel is an instrument of torture, so I hesitate to guess what the Wheeler's original occupation was); the garbs (or sheaf) found on some Weaver arms; the wheel on the Cartwright arms and so on.

Other easily deciphered symbols are those of canting arms in which the arms represent a pun on the bearer's name. For example the arms of Calfe include a calf (the animal not the body part), those of Dove a dove and the Ahernes and Hearns proudly display a heron.

Some emigrant families added symbols relating to their homeland to their arms. It is not unusual to find arms of people of Irish origin living in England decorated with green trefoils (shamrocks). Similarly many French families living abroad added a fleur de lys.

Animals, real and mythical, are used frequently in heraldry and have some general significance. The lion is conventionally regal, the unicorn is a symbol of purity, the boar is a Celtic symbol of endurance and courage, and so on.

There are some symbols that have a specific significance in Irish Heraldry . . .

The severed red right hand (dexter hand couped at the wrist gules) is a feature of many coats of arms for families of the Uí Neill (i.e. descendants of Niall). This same symbol is associated with the province of Ulster and appears on the Arms of that province and on the modern flag of Northern Ireland. There are at least three explanations of its origins. The first relates to the name of the son of Bolg or Nuadu, the Sun God of the Celts, and by some accounts the divine progenitor of all Celts. This son was known as Labraid Lámhdhearg (Labraid of the Red Hand). The association of the symbolic red hand with the Sun God, therefore makes it an appropriate heraldic icon. The second relates to Nuada, king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who had his right hand severed by Sreng during a great battle with the Fomorians. No imperfect man being allowed to hold the throne, Nuada was forced to abdicate in favour of Bres. However, a silver hand was fashioned for him and the power of ancient magic was used to cause flesh and sinew to grow back around the prosthesis. When Bres died, Nuada again assumed his royal place. The third explanation is somewhat more fanciful. The story tells of a pact among the seven sons of Miledh of Esbain, the Celtic king who sons conquered Ireland that the ruler of the new land would be whosoever among them first touched the soil of the island. As the flotilla approached the shore, one of the sons took his sword, cut off his right hand and threw it to land, thus becoming the ruler. He must have been either left handed or pretty stupid (or both) otherwise it is unlikely that he could have thrown the severed hand well enough to accomplish his purpose. Certainly, he was left handed for the rest of his life. The story, if true, may relate to Erimhon who is reputed to have been the first Celtic ruler of the northern part of Ireland. His brother Ebher ruled the southern half. They were the only two of the seven brothers who survived the conquest.

The stag which appears in the arms of many Munster families - MacCarthy, O'Sullivan and many others - relates very clearly to the kingship myth of the Erainn peoples. In this myth, the legitimacy of the ruling house is confirmed when a stag enters; the animal is hunted, and the border of the territory is defined by the chase; the future ruler is the individual who eventually slays the stag. What the many families displaying the stag in their arms have in common is that they were originally part of the great Eoghanacht tribal grouping, which dominated Munster until the time of Brian Boru. The stag was self-evidently an appropriate choice of symbol.

As in Ulster and Munster, so in Connacht the arms of the ruling family, the O'Conors, and of a whole host of others connected with them - Flanagan, O'Beirne and many more - all display a common symbol, in this case the oak tree. Again, the reason lies in pre-Christian belief, in the old Celtic reverence for the oak, and its resulting association with kingship. Medieval sources record ruling families having at least one sacred tree outside the family's ring-fort.

Another peculiarly Irish heraldic symbol is the evett or lizard, which is almost always depicted green. I am unaware of its significance, but given Ireland's general lack of reptiles, it is a rather odd symbol to be almost exclusively Gaelic. Perhaps it is associated with St. Patrick's banishment of snakes, toads and other obnoxious reptiles.

The harp is the main heraldic symbol of Ireland and it appears on the coat of arms of the country. However, it rarely features on personal coats of arms.

There is a heraldic crown that is known as an "ancient Irish crown". This symbol features on the arms of Munster and also on several personal arms as an adornment on animals such as lions, either worn on the head or around the neck.

Apart from those mentioned above, it is just about impossible to know quite what the herald or bearer had in mind when a coat of arms was originally designed.

I hope in the above text I have given you some sense of the futility of trying to interpret the symbolism on a coat of arms. Having done that (and if I haven't please re-read the foregoing passages) I would now like to point out some general meanings that have been attached to heraldic symbols.

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