Heraldic art has for centuries been an important part of culture, historically helping to represent the identity and values of families, lineages and kingdoms around the world. The discipline itself dates back to the Early Middle Ages and its main purpose is to recognize others.
These signs were born in the midst of a bloodthirsty time and great wars, so they should be simple enough to be easily interpreted. Simplicity and large size are some of the most important requirements when designing it, because a wrong interpretation can cost you your life.
Over time, this art evolved, until it became a complex system of symbols, colors and patterns that represented entire families and generations. Heraldry is a visual language that allows guilds and kingdoms to convey a wealth of information about their history and values, as well as other characteristics such as professions and occupations.
The various designs presented on these shields also have symbolic meaning. An example of this is flowers, which represent hope and happiness. On the other hand, fruit signifies generosity and peace and animals emphasize qualities such as wisdom and loyalty.
Europe map with all designs
A user of the Twitter social network, @yunacell (Jekyll), created from scratch a map of Europe that illustrates and finds all the designs of coats of arms that were once used by families and continental line. “Of course, the main reason I want to make this map is my love for heraldry,” said the designer.
“I noticed that there is no big map that describes all the shields. And I want to do something where I am the first person to do it,” he said. In addition, he added that the documentation and research part is the one that took him the most time. Among all the details, we can see how the cross is a very popular design that symbolizes the Christian faith, used by the crusades and the Knights Templar.
Another common symbol is animals, as many of the shields have birds like eagles, which are very popular in national symbols. The lion, for example, represents courage and strength.
Finally, parts of the body are also often visible, such as feet, hands and heads (they appear separately from the rest of the body). There is also no shortage of weapons such as swords, axes and shields.
