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falcon

The falcon or hawk signifies someone who is hot or eager in the pursuit of an object much desired. It is frequently found in the coats of arms of nobility from the time when the falcon played an important social role in the sport of kings and nobles. It is found as a heraldic bearing as early as the reign of King Edward II of England. The falcon was also the badge of one of King Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyn, and was later adopted by her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. The falcon is frequently found ‘belled,’ with bells on one or both of its legs. It may also be ‘jessed and belled’ meaning that the jess, the leather thong that ties the bell to the leg, is shown with the ends flying loose; or it may be hooded, which is how falcons were carried on the wrist until flown. The falcon is indistinguishable, in heraldry, from the sparrow-hawk, goshawk, kite, or merlin, though they may be described that way in blazon. The falcon’s head is a common symbol on a crest; it can also be found, though, preying on something, which is termed trussing, rising or close.

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