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What does guardant mean when used in a heraldic blazon?
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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 context of heraldry, the term guardant describes the orientation of an animalās head within a coat of arms. Specifically, it indicates that the animal is depicted with its head turned to face the spectator, even though its body is shown in profile.12
This term is often used in conjunction with other descriptors to define an animal's posture. For example, while rampant describes an animal standing on its hind legs with its head in profile, rampant guardant denotes the same posture but with the animal looking full-faced toward the viewer.2