Heraldry Society of Canada

HERALDRY SOCIETY OF CANADA

Official blazon

Arms: Quarterly per fess embattled Gules and Argent in the first quarter an inescutcheon Argent charged with a maple leaf Gules
Crest: Issuant from maple leaves Gules a demi lion Or holding a staff proper flying to the sinister therefrom a banner of the Arms fringed Or
Supporters: On the dexter side a beaver sejant Or collared and dependent by a ring therefrom Gules a representation of the badge and on the sinister side a narwhal (Monodon monoceros) haurient Argent armed Or charged on the shoulder with a representation of the badge the whole set upon a compartment per pale of a grassy mound and waves of the sea proper
Motto: ET PATRIBUS ET POSTERITATI

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on October 20, 1991.

Red and white are the colours of Canada and mark the Society as a national organization. The crenellated division line indicates its mandate to stand on guard for good heraldic practice in Canada. The small shield represents the subject of heraldry itself, and the maple leaf is the national emblem.

The lion is a quintessential heraldic emblem, and it appears both as a supporter and as a reference to the crest of the arms of Canada. Before the original grant of arms, the Society used a lion and a maple leaf, a combination that also appeared in the armorial bearings of the Society's founding president, Alan Beddoe. The banner of the arms shows another form of heraldic display and can also refer to the sister science of vexillology, the study of flags. The maple leaves further the national symbolism.

The supporters, each bearing the badge of the Society, are recognizably Canadian animals. The beaver indicates the fur trade, which was instrumental in the development of the country; as such, it has appeared in Canadian heraldry for over 300 years. The horn of the narwhal can allude to the unicorn, a famous heraldic beast.

The motto means "For ancestors and posterity".