Heraldic Beasts?

[Bugbear]

The Scottish Register of arms act of 1672 came up as I got entangled in the discussion about ten threads back, so I'm posting this link.

The Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland - UK Heraldry

,I can see, according to cajunscot's link, we have a long history of heraldry over here in the now U.S., along with some of our own distinct traditions.
I will keep in mind that we have our own heraldic customs and traditions over here when reading about armorial related issues in the U.S; it didn't sound that way in some of what I have read on the forum.

My interest in this is as an artist, JerseyLawyer, I wouldn't want to cross any lines, so thanks.

* I'm trying to remember exactly what my parents bought, but it was supposed to represent all people with that last name. It had a red shield, so I guess it was arms.

[MacLowlife]

Thanks for dragging this over to the proper area, Bugbear. Here is an interesting phenomenon about arms and their corporeal manifestations. Even though primogeniture doesn't exist in the US, in many cases, the eldest son does inherit many of the father's effects, and, in the case of unmarried uncles, a namesake may be the one to get the loot. And let's face it, other than the bucket shop plaques, the most prevalent armoreal items are seals, either as rings or fobs or on writing paper, maybe followed by bookplates, items of silver, and blazer patches. What this means is, in the case of American armigers, the seal frequently lands in the hands of the rightful heir. In many more cases, it lands in the hands of the person most interested in claiming arms, while some other (less interested party) party might be more entitled, but disinclined to claim.

Of course, this idea doesn't always work, particularly in larger families, or in families that departed from heraldic rules early on and created multiple rings years or generations ago.

Totem animals probably overlap heraldic ones, depending on your definition of totem, I suppose. Thanks for explaining about the Griffon's ears.