In days of chivalry, knights in armour would wear their coats of arms on their shields and their family crests on their helmets in battle and in jousting contests. Sometimes, the crests would have a motto or inscription of some kind. Today, there is a lot of interest in genealogy and heraldry. It's of commercial value too as there are many companies that supply products with heraldic images.
Many homes have framed, embroidered family crests on the walls. Prints and parchment vellum certificates also display crests. Very often, the crest is hand painted and there is information on a family surname in hand written calligraphy. Gold, silver or colored silky material is woven against a black felt background. For commercial premises, there are large embroidered banners. Family owned businesses like to display their company logo alongside a family crest.
These items make good wedding or anniversary presents. Wedding day gifts can include the family information and the date of the wedding with the name of the church and town in which the ceremony takes place. Specialized items such as Scottish clan crests are very popular for people with Scottish ancestry. A set of whisky glasses with the crest and trimmed with tartan are ideal presents and clan badges are available too.
Other merchandise includes wall mounted plaques, flags, keepsake boxes and signet rings. T-Shirts and blazer jackets can also display family crests along with keyrings, watches and lighters. Decks of playing cards are imprinted with crests and golfers can have them inscribed on their equipment. Mugs and beer steins are popular too.
The symbolism of crests is very interesting to families who like to research. Animals are typical components and lions often feature, denoting courage. Bears represent protection, foxes equal wisdom and a horse indicates readiness for duty. Colors are symbolic too and gold and silver are often included, meaning generosity and peace respectively. Sable means constancy and maroon symbolizes victory.
Several companies supply information on the history of surnames and which family crests are attached to the names. They sell sets that include the date of the origin of the name and a timeline of how the name moved in recorded history up until modern day bearers of the name. In the case of the United States, the information will include details of the first generation of settlers. Tracing a family tree is very exciting and finding the appropriate family crest is a bonus.
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