An animal’s horn is a hard, pointed projection that grows from certain animals’ heads.  The type of animal must be specified in the blazon.  The most common forms in medieval armory are deer’s horns, ram’s and goat’s horns, and bull’s horns, each discussed below.

Deer’s attire (Period)

Deer’s massacre (Period)

Deer’s horns, or antlers, have special terms to describe them.  A single deer’s antler is termed its “attire”, and is found in German heraldry as early as c.1275, in the arms of the Counts of Württemberg [ANA2 476].  Its default orientation is fesswise, with the stump to dexter, but there are numerous period examples of a deer’s attire in other orientations, or even bent in a circle.  The deer’s full rack of antlers may be termed a “deer’s attires”, or a “massacre”; if joined to a scrap of flesh, these may also be called a “deer’s scalp”.  The set of attires is shown as found on a deer guardant:  spread symmetrically with points to chief.  The exact number of points is not blazoned, but left to the artist.

Ram’s horn (Period)

Pair of ram’s horns (Period)

Ram’s horns are found in German armory as early as c.1340, in the arms of Frowenvelt or Frauenfeld [Zurich 136].  They could be depicted singly, or in pairs; when in pairs, they tended to be shown curving away from one another.  A single ram’s horn could be oriented in one of several ways; the illustration is taken from the arms of von Widerspach, 1605 [Siebmacher 82].  Goat’s horns were drawn very similar to ram’s horns, but tended to have less curl, as in the arms of Kotwitz von Aulenbach [Siebmacher 107].

Pair of buffalo’s horns (Period)

Unicorn’s horn (Accepted)

Bull’s horns, or buffalo’s horns, are found in German crests as early as the 14^th Century [Gelre], and as charges in the arms of von Pfiltz, 1605 [Siebmacher 51].  They are drawn in a highly stylized manner; indeed, the German stylization sometimes caused the charge to be blazoned by French and English heralds as “elephant’s trunks”!  Horns that are intended to be drawn more naturalistically would be better blazoned “cow horns”, the English practice.  Society armory also has an example of a “bison’s massacre”, two short horns issuant from a scalp, as seen in the arms of von Sachsennhein, 1415 [Conz.Const. clxxx].

Of horns unique to the Society, the most common is the “unicorn’s horn” or “alicorn” (also sometimes blazoned a “narwhal’s horn” or “narwhal’s tooth”).  No period examples have been found of it as a separate, independent charge.  The unicorn’s horn is palewise, point to chief, by Society default.

Andreas Lucernensis bears:  Per pale argent and sable, in pale three stag’s attires reversed gules.

Guinevere Whitehorn bears:  Per bend azure and sable, a stag’s attires argent.

Hafr-Tóki bears:  Sable, a stag’s antler in annulo conjoined to itself Or.

Ellen of Two Lines bears:  Vert, a ram’s horn Or.

Angelica de Boullanger bears:  Vert, a unicorn’s horn couped bendwise argent.

Otmar von Erhingen bears:  Quarterly argent and sable, a pair of bull’s horns counterchanged.

Boar’s head couped (Period); boar’s head couped close (Period)

Fox’s mask (Period)

Animal’s heads are an ancient heraldic motif, dating from at least 1255:  the boars’ heads in the canting arms of Swinburne [Asp2 220].  Almost any beast found in heraldry may have its head used as a separate charge; indeed, in several cases (e.g., the boar), the use of the head predates the use of the whole animal.

Most animal’s heads face dexter by default; the exception is the owl’s head, which is guardant by default.  The line of division is specified, i.e., whether the head be couped or erased; the head is usually severed where the neck meets the shoulders.  A head “couped close” is severed just behind the ears, with no neck included; the illustration compares a boar’s head couped with a boar’s head couped close.  The exact manner of severance is worth no heraldic difference.

A head “cabossed” or “caboshed” is guardant, with no neck showing.  Some animals have special terminology for this posture:  Fox’s heads cabossed are called “fox’s masks”, cat’s heads cabossed are “cat’s faces” (ditto leopards).

Pelican’s head erased (Period)

Lion’s head jessant-de-lys (Period)

A pelican’s head includes its neck and part of its breast, distilling blood.  A lion’s head “jessant-de-lys” is a lion’s head cabossed, with a fleur-de-lys issuant from the mouth and back of the head; this is an ancient usage, found in the arms of Cantelupe c.1298 [ANA2 473].  Other beasts’ heads jessant-de-lys are found in Society armory, but such usage is considered a step from period practice.

In other respects, the characteristics of any animal’s head are those of the animal, and may be found under the entry for that animal.

The Baron of Coeur d’Ennui bears:  Argent, a laurel wreath vert within eight boar’s heads couped in annulo gules.

The Order of the Lions of Atenveldt bears:  Per pale azure and argent, a lion’s head cabossed and a bordure Or.

Sabina de Lyons bears:  Gules, three lion’s heads cabossed argent.

Adelaide Walcheman bears:  Azure, a peacock’s head couped Or.

Malak Boga bears:  Quarterly Or and ermine, four bull’s heads cabossed sable.

Aénor d’Anjou bears:  Purpure, a lion’s head jessant-de-lys Or.

Sabina Heidwolf bears:  Or, three wolf’s heads cabossed azure.

Ursula Messerschmitt bears:  Vert, a bear’s head cabossed argent.

Fandral Silverfox bears:  Sable, a fox’s mask argent.

Lianor de Matos bears:  Or, three stag’s heads erased gules.