MiSTings and More

Know Your [Lion] Rat

All content taken from The Handbook to English Heraldry by Charles Boutell, M.A. (11th edition, 1914).

Rampant: erect, one hind paw on the ground, the other three paws elevated, the animal looking forward and having his tail elevated.

drawing of Lion Rampant
 
No. 171. Rampant.

Rampant Guardant: as before, but looking out from the Shield.

Rampant Reguardant: as before, but looking backwards.

drawing of Lion Rampant Guardant
 
No. 172. Rampant Guardant.

Passant: walking, three paws on the ground, the dexter fore-paw being elevated, looking forward, the tail displayed over the back.

drawing of Lion Passant
 
No. 173. Passant.

Passant Guardant: as before, but looking out from the Shield.

Passant Reguardant: as before, but looking backwards.

drawing of Lion Passant Guardant
 
No. 174. Passant Guardant.

Statant: standing, his four paws on the ground, and looking before him.

drawing of Lion Statant
 
No. 175. Statant.

Statant Guardant: as before, but looking out from the Shield.

drawing of Lion Statant Guardant
 
No. 176. Statant Guardant.

Couchant: is at rest, the fore legs stretched on the ground.

drawing of Lion Couchant
 
No. 177. Couchant.

Sejant: sitting down with his head elevated. If he looks out from the Shield, the word Guardant is to be added.

drawing of Lion Sejant
 
No. 178. Sejant.

Dormant: asleep, head resting on fore paws.

drawing of Lion Dormant
 
No. 179. Dormant.

Salient: in the act of springing, the hind paws on the ground, both the fore paws elevated.

drawing of Lion Salient
 
No. 180. Salient.

Queue fourchée: having a forked tail.

Double-queued: two tails, as No. 181, which is a lion rampant double-queued.

drawing of Lion Double-queued
 
No. 181. Double-queued.

Coward: passant reguardant, his tail between his legs.

drawing of Lion Coward
 
No. 182. Coward.

Still with us? I can’t leave Boutell without quoting one of my favorite passages. The final chapter discusses Peerage Dignities, including this invaluable detail:

The daughter of a peer if married to another peer takes the precedence of her husband and relinquishes her own, but she retains it if she marries a commoner; and one of the anomalies of the English scale of precedence is to be found in the following circum­stances. If the two elder daughters of a Duke were to marry an Earl and a Baron respectively, whilst the youngest daughter were to run away with the footman, she would, nevertheless, rank as the daughter of a Duke above her sisters ranking as wives of an Earl and a Baron.

And similarly if the daughter of an Earl runs away with the chauffeur. Now you know.