A Complete Guide to HeraldryFox-Davies, Arthur Charles
History
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles
Heraldry -- Great Britain
_Lion salient._--This, which is a very rare position for a lion, represents
it in the act of springing, the _two_ hind legs being on the ground, the
others in the air (Fig. 303). {184}
_Lion salient guardant._--There is no reason why the lion salient may not
be guardant or regardant, though an instance of the use of either does not
come readily to mind.
_Lion sejant._--Very great laxity is found in the terms applied to lions
sejant, consequently care is necessary to distinguish the various forms.
The true lion sejant is represented in profile, seated on its haunches,
with the forepaws resting on the ground (Fig. 304).
[Illustration: FIG. 304.--Lion sejant.]
[Illustration: FIG. 305.--Lion sejant guardant.]
[Illustration: FIG. 306.--Lion sejant regardant.]
[Illustration: FIG. 307.--Lion sejant erect.]
[Illustration: FIG. 308.--Lion sejant guardant erect.]
[Illustration: FIG. 309.--Lion sejant regardant erect.]
_Lion sejant guardant._--This is as the foregoing, but with the face (only)
turned to the spectator (Fig. 305).
_Lion sejant regardant._--In this the head is turned right back to gaze
behind (Fig. 306).
_Lion sejant erect_ (or, as it is sometimes not very happily termed,
sejant-rampant).--In this position the lion is sitting upon its haunches,
but the body is erect, and it has its forepaws raised in the air (Fig.
307).
_Lion sejant guardant erect_ is as the last figure, but the head faces the
spectator (Fig. 308).
_Lion sejant regardant erect_ is as the foregoing, but with the head turned
right round to look backwards (Fig. 309).
_Lion sejant affronté._--In this case the lion is seated on its haunches,
{185} but _the whole body_ is turned to face the spectator, the forepaws
resting upon the ground in front of its body. Ugly as this position is, and
impossible as it might seem, it certainly is to be found in some of the
early rolls.
_Lion sejant erect affronté_ (Fig. 294).--This position is by no means
unusual in Scotland. A lion sejant erect and affronté, &c., is the Royal
crest of Scotland, and it will also be found in the arms of Lyon Office.
A good representation of the lion sejant affronté and erect is shown in
Fig. 310, which is taken from Jost Amman's _Wappen und Stammbuch_ (1589).
It represents the arms of the celebrated Lansquenet Captain Sebastian
Schärtlin (Schertel) von Burtenbach ["Gules, a lion sejant affronté erect,
double-queued, holding in its dexter paw a key argent and in its sinister a
fleur-de-lis"]. His victorious assault on Rome in 1527, and his striking
successes against France in 1532, are strikingly typified in these arms,
which were granted in 1534.
[Illustration: FIG. 310.--Arms of Sebastian Schärtlin von Burtenbach.]
[Illustration: FIG. 311.--Lion couchant.]
[Illustration: FIG. 312.--Lion dormant.]
_Lion Couchant._--In this position the lion is represented lying down, but
the head is erect and alert (Fig. 311).
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