Meaning of Blazon

Meaning of Blazon

The term blazon, which derives from the French blason, refers to a coat of arms. Another interesting aspect of the etymological origin of this term is that this French word, in turn, derives from a Latin one. We are referring to “Blesum”, which was the name of an ancient Roman city, which today is Blois and which is located in the Gallic country.

The coats of arms, therefore, are the shields themselves or the symbols that appear on them. The discipline that is dedicated to analyzing and detailing the characteristics of the various coats of arms is even called blazon.

The divisions, shapes, figures and various accessories define the blazons. It is possible to differentiate between simple coats of arms (representing a single individual or entity) and composite coats of arms (responsible for representing different subjects or organizations, which can be united or combined).

A person can receive a coat of arms by succession (inheritance), by surcharge and commemoration (adding elements to the inherited coat of arms), by substitution (a contract causes one coat of arms to be exchanged for another) or by alliance (by means of an agreement).

As for the categories of escutcheons, it can distinguish between national coats of arms, the arms of the province, the escutcheons city, the escutcheons community, the blazons of dignity, the escutcheons of patronage and escutcheons of sovereignty, among others.

It is important to note that each detail of the blazon has some meaning. Among them the colors, which in this context are known as enamels. Also the figures, which can be natural (such as the rose, the fleur-de-lis and the star), simple (the cross, the sun), weapons (arrows, swords), buildings (towers, castles) or animals (eagles, lions), among others.

In order to better understand the blazons, it is necessary to know some aspects of the elements that appear in them. Thus, for example, each color is associated with certain values:
-Yellow comes to signify chivalry, generosity, nobility and even what wealth is.
-Red, known in heraldry as gules, is one of the most common in coats of arms. It must be established that it is used as a synonym for courage, strength and daring. It is considered that those who have it in their coat of arms should do what is in their power to avoid injustices.
-The green that is in the blazons, for its part, comes to represent respect, honor or service as well as courtesy.
-White, on the other hand, is used in coats of arms to show values ​​such as beauty, integrity or frankness, for example.
-Black is also common in the elements that concern us. Specifically, it is associated with wisdom, secrecy or simplicity.
-Blue, which is called azure in heraldry, is used to act as a synonym of sweetness, perseverance or even praise.

Finally, the notion of blazon can refer to an honor, an achievement or a medal. For example: “The club brought out its emblems at the end of the tournament”, “The boxer will put his emblems into play tonight”, “I think I have enough emblems to aspire to the award”.

Blazon

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