Heraldry (also known as armory) is a discipline relating to the design, display, study and transmission of armorial bearings. A full heraldic achievement may include a coat of arms on a shield, helmet and crest, together with accompanying devices, such as supporters, badges, heraldic banners and mottoes.[1] Heraldic achievements are formally described in a blazon.[2]
Although the use of various devices to signify individuals and groups goes back to antiquity, both the form and use of such devices varied widely, as the concept of regular, hereditary designs, constituting the distinguishing feature of heraldry, did not develop until the High Middle Ages.[3] It is often claimed that the use of helmets with face guards during this period made it difficult to recognise one's commanders in the field when large armies gathered together for extended periods, necessitating the development of heraldry as a symbolic language, but there is little support for this view.[3][4]
The perceived beauty and pageantry of heraldic designs allowed them to survive the gradual abandonment of armour on the battlefield during the seventeenth century. Heraldry has been described poetically as "the handmaid of history",[5] "the shorthand of history",[6] and "the floral border in the garden of history".[7][page needed] In modern times, individuals, public and private organizations, corporations, cities, towns, regions, and other entities use heraldry and its conventions to symbolise their heritage, achievements, and aspirations.
Heraldry has been influenced by allegorical and astrological views,[citation needed] including the idea of sympathies and antipathies among stars, minerals, animals, plants, and people.[citation needed] Some tinctures were considered to represent astrological symbols.[citation needed]