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The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally
symbolizes bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since
traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts. The
lion's head is normally seen in profile. If he faces the
viewer he is gardant (or guardant), and if he looks back
over his shoulder he is regardant. These adjectives follow
any other adjectives of position.. |
The lions in the coat of arms of England are passant gardant.
In French blazon this charge is called a léopard; a lion
rampant gardant is a léopard lionné; and a lion passant with
his head in profile is a lion léopardé. The position of the
head, in this case, determines the species. This practice
leads some people to insist bitterly that the beasts in the
royal arms of England are leopards, not lions.
A lion (or other beast) coward carries the tail between the
legs. The tail also may be forked (queue fourchée) or doubled
(double-queued); in the arms of the kingdom of Bohemia, the
forked tail originally was an artist's flourish, but later
became a distinctive and essential detail of the coat of arms.
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