A fish with a ring in its mouth occurs fairly often in heraldry, and owes its origin probably to the many old legends associating fish with coins, rings, gems, etc. The arms of the Bishopric of Glasgow, where a salmon and a ring are depicted, are said to allude to the fable of the distracted bride, who, having dropped her wedding ring into the River Clyde, besought St. Kentigern, Bishop of Glasgow, to help her to recover it. In answer to the Prelate's prayers, a salmon was taken in due time, with the lady's ring between his jaws.
And now at last we have reached those charges connected with that "most noble creature, man," who, as we are told, "is borne in heraldic achievements both limbwise and entire. And as a man should be represented in his greatest dignity, a king should be depicted on his throne, a bishop in his robes, a soldier in military habit, and so on."
In the royal arms of Seville, we find "a crowned and sceptered king on his seat royal," wearing his ermine cape, but as a matter of fact, the whole human figure occurs very rarely as a charge in a coat of arms.
"A wild man of the woods, with a garland round his head and waist and a club on his shoulder, standing between two forest trees," is charged on the shield of the Mayo family, and Basil Wood bears three demi-savages, each with a club. Human heads and limbs are more frequently used.
Sir Richard Griffith bore three Englishmen's heads "in profile, couped at the head and bearded"; the Tanners of Cornwall bear three Moors' heads couped. Three infants' heads are charged on the Fauntleroy shield "couped arg: crined or," crined being the heraldic word for blazoning hair. The Vaughans have a very odd coat of arms—viz., three children's heads "couped, each enwrapped about the neck with a serpent." (Ghastly as that arrangement sounds, the children look out at you with remarkably gleeful countenances!)
One Black bears three men's heads with black hair, and the De la Haye family has the rare charge of three eyes.
The human heart is much used in heraldry. Henry de Wingham bears a winged heart, and the shield of the Heart family is charged with three hearts.
The Cornhills bear a left hand and arm, whilst an arm grasping the stump of an uprooted tree is appropriately borne by Armstrong. Very literal arms are borne by the Tremaynes—viz., three right arms with clenched fists, forming a triangle.
A dexter hand is a fairly common charge. Two arms seizing the head, or pole, of a hart are borne by the Catchpoles, and three hands occur in the armorial bearings of the Maynards of Medstone and those of Wicklow, as also in the coat of arms of the Maynes of Bucks. The Quartermaynes bear four right hands (Fig. 51).
Amongst other families, the Haddens and Shrigleys bear a human leg.