Embowed
Encyclopedia
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
which means:
- curved like a bow (when applied to fish, animals or heraldic charges)
- bent (when applied to the human arm or leg), or
- having an arch or arches but, in the Anglophone heraldries, concave ones, not bulging out convex ones.
Examples
The heraldic examples illustrated show the pile embowed inverted throughout azure of the Coat of arms of the Western Cape, and the three legs embowed conjoined in the fesse points in armour proper spurred and garnished or of the TriskelionTriskelion
A triskelion or triskele is a motif consisting of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry. Both words are from Greek or , "three-legged", from prefix "τρι-" , "three times" + "σκέλος" , "leg"...
on the Flag of the Isle of Man
Flag of the Isle of Man
The flag of the Isle of Man, or flag of Mann , is a triskelion, composed of three armoured legs with golden spurs, upon a red background. It has been the official flag of Mann since 1931 and is based on the Manx coat of arms, which dates to the 13th century. The three legs are known in Manx as ny...
and its coat of arms
Coat of arms of the Isle of Man
The coat of arms of the Isle of Man dates from 12 July 1996. As the Isle of Man is a Crown dependency, the arms are more accurately described as The Arms of Her Majesty in right of the Isle of Man.-History:...
. Fish embowed can be seen in the crest of Thompson Rivers University.