Monsters’ heads follow the same conventions as animals’ heads. There are some special items of note: for example, the dragon’s head is severed at the shoulders unless otherwise specified; the term is sometimes used to denote the prow of a Viking drakkar. The male griffin or keythong’s head is shown with rays and spikes issuant, to distinguish it from a standard griffin’s head.
Most of the other characteristics of any monster’s head may be found in the entry for that monster.
Musimon’s head couped (Period)
The illustrations show a dragon’s head couped, a keythong’s head erased, and a musimon’s head couped.
Zenobia Naphtali bears: Per chevron Or and sable, three griffin’s heads erased and sinister facing counterchanged.
Erik Wulfriksson bears: Azure, a dragon’s head issuant from base argent.
Carol Stewart of Horsehill bears: Vert, a musimon’s head erased argent, horns wreathed Or and sable.
Isabella d’Hiver bears: Azure, a unicorn’s head couped argent collared gules.
Any beast can be cut in half to become a demi-beast, and used as a charge. The treatment is found in period armory: demi-lions are found in the arms of Hamme, c.1312 [ANA2 243]. While demi-beasts may, of course, be issuant – e.g., from base, from a fess, or from a line of division – they are frequently found as discrete charges.
A demi-beast is erect by default, even when this is not the default posture of the full beast. The severed part is couped by default; if the demi-beast is erased, the fact must be blazoned. The couping is roughly fesswise, and frequently includes a snippet of the tail as well. The illustration shows a demi-lion.
Katherine Brianna Coldrake Kyven bears: Argent, three demi-horses rampant to sinister purpure.
Rhianwen ni Dhiarmada bears: Sable, a demi-unicorn rampant Or crined and horned argent.
Brian mac Tomáis Uí Fhoghladha bears: Argent, a demi-goat erased gules.
