Beaver rampant (Period)

The beaver is a wise and gentle beast, whose medieval reputation was of industry and, strangely enough, chastity:  because its testicles were held to have medicinal value, it was said the beaver would bite them off when hunted, and thus escape its hunters.  It is found in period armory in the canting arms (German Biber) of Biber, c.1340 [Zurich 212], and of von Bibra, 1605 [Siebmacher 100].

The beaver is drawn in heraldic art with a broad, flat tail, as seen in nature – the tail is the beaver’s defining trait – but there’s little further resemblance between the herald’s depiction and the naturalist’s.  (The Society makes an exception when the beaver is blazoned “proper”; it’s then colored brown, and is more likely to be drawn naturalistically.)  There doesn’t seem to be a default posture; the illustration, from the arms of Bibrach or Biberach, 1413 [Conz.Const. ccviii, also Siebmacher 196], shows a beaver rampant.

Esteban Castore bears:  Vert, a beaver sejant erect gnawing on a silver birch tree proper.

Dauidh Fullam bears:  Per bend sinister gules and Or, a beaver sejant erect counterchanged.

Issabella Oger of Buckie bears:  Argent, a beaver rampant azure.

Beasts in Society heraldry tend to follow the same conventions as those in mundane heraldry.  Any special Society usages for a given beast will be found in the entry for that beast.

Any beast known to period Europeans may be used in Society armory – though, if the beast is not itself European, its use may be considered a step from period practice.  (An exception is made for non-European beasts actually used in period European armory:  the elephant is probably the best-known example.)

For specific beasts, see:  antelope (natural), ape, badger, bat, bear, beaver, boar, bull, camel, cat, deer, dog, elephant, ermine, fox, goat, hedgehog, horse, hyena, ibex (natural), lion, mole, mongoose, mouse, panther (natural), rabbit, rhinoceros, sea-lion (natural), sheep, squirrel, tyger (natural), wolf.  See also demi-beast.

Gareth the Russel bears:  Azure, a skunk statant proper.

David of Staffa bears:  Or, a hippopotamus statant azure, a base engrailed vert.

Sven Örfhendur bears:  Argent, a sloth pendant contourny vert from a rod fesswise sable.

Rosatrude the Shrew bears:  Or, a water shrew statant to sinister sable marked argent.

Bear sejant erect (Period)

The bear is a large and rather ponderous beast, whose medieval reputation is mostly one of greediness.  It appears in armory as early as 1280, in the canting arms (Latin ursus) of Urs [ANA2 56].

Bears may be drawn muzzled in mundane armory, even when not specifically blazoned so.  Society armory also allows the “polar bear”, with a longer neck and wedge-shaped body; no difference is granted for this, and indeed, the distinction is frequently left unblazoned.

There doesn’t seem to be a default posture for bears; the illustration shows a bear sejant erect.

Morven of Carrick bears:  Checky gules and Or, a bear statant erect sable.

Sigismund Greussen bears:  Gules, a bear rampant ermine.

Hannah bat Aharon bears:  Or, in pale three bears passant gules.

Alan Silverbear bears:  Sable, in base a polar bear statant argent.

Bat (Period)

The bat is a winged mouse-like beast; it’s also called a “reremouse”, “flittermouse” or “chausoriz”.  12^th-Century bestiaries treated it as a bird, but with membranous wings rather than feathered; medieval thought considered the bat an embodiment of darkness (and dark emotions such as melancholy).  The bat is found as an heraldic charge in the arms of Burnynghill, c.1410 [DBA1 289].  It is displayed and guardant by default; indeed, so common was that posture for the bat that using any other posture is deemed a step from period practice; inverting the bat (in any posture) is disallowed altogether.

Elynor O’Brian bears:  Argent, three bats sable.

Thomas the Diaemus bears:  Vairy vert and argent, a bat displayed sable.

Antoine d’Aubry bears:  Quarterly ermine and gules, two reremice ermine.