Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How would a herald describe a blue shield with a gold horizontal band and three gold stags?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
heraldry
Cylinder seal impression from the Akkadian period with a combat scene between a bearded hero and a bull-man and various beasts.
In the language of heraldry, a formal description of a coat of arms is called a blazon.1
A herald would describe a blue shield with a gold horizontal band and three gold stags as:
Azure a fess between three stags trippant or2
In this blazon:
* Azure identifies the blue field (background) of the shield.23
* A fess is the heraldic term for a horizontal band.2
* Trippant describes the posture of the stags, meaning they are depicted walking with one foot raised.1
* Or is the heraldic term for gold, indicating that both the fess and the stags are gold.23
When three such charges are depicted, they are typically arranged with two in the upper part of the shield and one below.2