Drakkar prow (Disallowed)

Gondola prow (Accepted)

A prow is the bow or front of a ship.  As artifacts, medieval prows were frequently ornate, made of carved wood; they don’t seem to have been used in period heraldry.  In Society heraldry, the most common prow is the “drakkar prow”, the figurehead of a Viking longship; this charge is sometimes blazoned as a “dragon’s head couped”, from which it is negligibly different.  Though we have period examples of Norse ships with beast’s heads as prows – e.g., the Norse ship on the town seal of Bergen, c.1300 [Gwyn Jones, A History of the Vikings, 1984, p.227], from which the illustration is taken – the lack of standardization makes the drakkar prow no longer registerable, barring evidence.

There is also the “gondola prow”, the traditional carved bow of the gondolas of Venice.  Both sorts of prow are couped and face dexter (as would their ships), by default.  For related charges, see head (monster).

Thorfinn Rognvald Hundr bears:  Per pale argent and sable, in fess two drakkar prows addorsed counterchanged.

Marina Foscari bears:  Quarterly sable and gules, a cross between in bend two gondola prows reversed, all within a bordure argent.