Tyger rampant (Period)

Bengal tiger rampant (SFPP)

The tyger is an heraldic monster, described as incredibly swift and deceitful; its body is much like that of the wolf, but it has a crest of tufts on the back of its neck, and a tusk pointing down from its nose.  Medieval legend asserts that to escape a pursuing tyger, one must throw a mirror before it, so that it will be entranced by its reflection; indeed, the tyger in the arms of Sybell, 1531, is in just such a pose [Dennys 144].  The illustration shows a tyger rampant.

When blazoned a “natural tiger” or “Bengal tiger”, the term denotes a natural beast, the great cat Felis tigris:  like a maneless lion, but with stripes on its coat.  When blazoned “proper”, its coat is tawny, and the stripes black; this naturalistic coloring is no longer permitted in Society armory, but standard heraldic tinctures (e.g., “a Bengal tiger Or marked sable”) may still be used.  The use of a Bengal tiger is considered a step from period practice.  The illustration shows a Bengal tiger rampant.

The King of the East bears as a badge:  A tyger passant azure.

Alia la rousse bears:  Gules, in pale two tygers passant argent.

Sean Fitzwallace bears:  Gules, a Bengal tiger rampant guardant proper within a bordure counter-compony argent and azure.