hauriant
The term `hauriant' refers to a sea creature or a fish which is depicted with its head up and emblazoned vertically on a shield. It signifies strength and majesty.
GLOSSARY
helm
The helmet is displayed on top of shield (the chief), and is a mark of the bearer's official rank or status. From it hangs the mantling - a stylized type of cloak which was originally worn at the back of the helmet in order to prevent sunburn.
heron
The heron is represented in heraldry in a similar manner to the crane and the stork. It is usually depicted standing and only rarely volant, or flying. Its medieval connotations were ambivalent, but it was generally seen to represent wisdom, piety (closely associated to the pelican) and prudence.
holly leaf
The holly leaf, deriving its name from the term `holy', is an emblem of immortality due to its perpetual bloom. It also stands for purity and virtue.
horse
The horse is one of the most common charges in modern heraldry - unsurprising, considering the animal's primary importance to knightly identity and warfare going back thousands of years. A medieval knight without a horse was no knight. It appears as a charge, crest or supporter. The horse takes a variety of positions, such as rampant, passant, trotting, forcene, salient, or spancelled (i.e., fettered, but only in English heraldry). It appears alone or with a rider. It can also appear as a hybrid, the sea-horse or Pegasus being common (though not as a charge). It can even appear as only a horse head or a horseshoe. There is also the unicorn, but the unicorn has different attributes and representation than the horse. An Asian type of Pegasus, the Wind Horse, appears on the coat of arms for Mongolia. The arms for the French commune of Hiermont show a knight on a horse. St. George is also always portrayed riding a horse. The horse's attributes mirror those desired by a knight: courage, devotion and a warrior spirit.
horse brays (barnacles)
This instrument was mainly used as a means to slow down or even stop a horse in its tracks. Its depiction in heraldry varies, but it is a frequent bearing. It symbolizes strength and prudence.
human or humanlike figures
While more common as supporters of a shield within a coat of arms, human or humanlike figures (such as the siren, centaur, etc.) can also appear as charges. In this case, they are always represented affronté, or facing forward towards the viewer.
human parts
Human parts also occur as charges, more frequently than entire characters. The hands, legs and arms as well as the heart (or the flaming heart, which is reminiscent of the medieval mystical conceptions advanced by St. Augustine) can appear either singularly or in pairs on shields.
hunting horn
One of the inanimate charges which are reminiscent of the medieval pastime of hunting, the depiction of the bugle horn or the hunting horn is usually suspended by strings on a shield. This object symbolizes enthusiasm and warrior spirit.