Heralds. (Anglo-Saxon here (2 syl.),

an army, and ealdor, a governor or official.

The coat of arms represents the knight himself from whom the bearer is descended.

The shield represents his body, and the helmet his head.

The flourish is his mantle.

The motto is the ground or moral pretension on which he stands.

The supporters are the pages, designated by the emblems of bears, lions, and so on.

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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