Holidays in Brittany

HERALDIC
TERMS

Gules

Azure

Vert

Argent

Sable

Ermine

Ermines

Argent, three boar's heads couped sable armed Or

Vair

Counter-vair

Vair-en-pointe

Potent

Ermine three bars wavy gules

Barry of six azure and argent

Vair of four

Gules, a bend sinister Or

Gules, per pile inverted ermine

Argent, a pale gules, overall a dragon passant vert, in chief an ancient crown Or within a laurel wreath proper

Argent, a bordure compony gules and sable

Argent, three Breton choughs proper two and one

Azure, a cross couped argent

Gules, two lions passant guardant with a baton sinister azure

Bendy lozengy sable and argent

Argent, on a chevron gules, three human skulls of the first

Illustrations in the two margins courtesy of Lord Kyl's beautiful heraldry web-site

HERE

BRETON HERALDRY

The black and white Breton flag (the Gwenn ha Du) is easily recognised, with its Ermines in the corner and its broad stripes. It isn't actually very old, having been designed as recently as 1925 by Morvan Marchal. The black stripes represent the Bishoprics of Upper Brittany (Rennes, Nantes, Dol, St-Malo & St-Brieuc), the white the bishoprics of Lower Brittany (Léon, Vannes, Tréguier & Cornouaille). The Ermines - furs, white with black "tails" - (called a "Field of Ermine") represent the ancient Dukedom of Brittany.

On the left is the armorial shield of the modern French region of Brittany. On the right is the armorial shield of Jean I de Bretagne (Duke John I of Brittany).

The arms of many modern Breton towns contain some element of the Field of Ermine, as illustrated below.

Here, first of all, are the Arms of the five Breton Departments:

Loire Atlantique	Ille-et-Vilaine	Finistère	Morbihan	Côtes d'Armor

A few of the Arms are more elaborate:

Vannes, with winged ermine	Lorient, with its naval history	Plounèvez & Bull rampant

Here are a few of the more attractive civic Coats of Arms from around Brittany:

Allaire	Arradon	Arzon	Auray	Baden	Batz-sur-Mer

Bignan	Bohal	Boussay	Brest	Bubry	Camors

Carentoir	Carnac	Chapelle Caro	Chapelle-Gaceline	Chapelle-Launay	Concoret

Crossac	Damgan	Elven	Erdeven	Fégréac	Les Fougerêts

La Gacilly	Gourin	Grdchamps-des-F	Groix	Guémené	Guémené-Pen.

Guénin	Guérande	Hennebont	Herbignac	Huelgoat	Inzinzac-Lochrist

Josselin	Kervignac	Landaul	Lizio	Locmaria	Locmaria-G-C

Locminé	Locmiquélic	Maël	Marzan	Massérac	Mauron

Melrand	Moreac	Morlaix	Muzillac	Nantes	Nivillac

Nort-sur-Erdre	Péaule	Penmarch	Pleugriffet	Pleuven	Ploermel

Plomelin	Plonéour-Lanvern	Ploudiry	Plougonvelin	Plouhinec	Plouigneau

Ploumoguer	Plounéventer	Plovan	Pornichet	Questembert	Plozévet

Radenac	Reguiny	Roche-Bernard	Roche-Bernard	Bain-de-Bretag.	La Turballe

St. Hilaire-de-C	St-Martin	St-Nazaire	Séné	Tredion	Theix

Breton Family Coats-of-Arms

Clerget	Boishardy	Fonteneau	Tregarantec	Coatgoureden	Drizit

Kerhelec	Le Goff	Lesgarz	Coatgourhant	de Bodélio	Bossant