Martlet

Martlet’s inability to sit down on earth was often seen as a symbol of a constant pursuit of learning and knowledge: for example, martlet is in the arms of University College and Worcester College in Oxford, Pembroke College in Cambridge , McGill University (where women's sports teams were called martlets), University of Houston and of his , Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut (the store with it is called Martlet’s Nest), University of Victoria (where the student newspaper is also called Mar smolders ).

It is believed that, due to such a lack of land under the feet, a martlet (swallow) was used in English heraldry as a sign of the fourth son : the first son inherited the fortune, the second and third went to church and army, and the fourth did not have a specific place. Since he was supposed to achieve prosperity with his labor, the swallow was also a symbol of hard work, perseverance and inconstancy of shelter.

Edward the Confessor was credited with a coat of arms containing five golden martlets. The English king Richard II combined this coat of arms with the attributes of his house (Plantagenets), which later formed the basis for the coat of arms of Westminster Abbey and Westminster School.

The coat of arms of the Waleses, counts of Pembroke , was edged by the martlets. Subsequently, they ended up in the coat of arms of Pembroke College in Cambridge.

In French, the swallow is hirondelle , and therefore martlets are found on the edging of the arms under the name Arundel .

The coat of arms of the English county of Sussex contains six martlets, which symbolizes the traditional six parts into which the county was divided.

Six red martlets, separated by a band, are also on the coat of arms of Dundalk , in Ireland. They come from the coat of arms of Thomas de Furnival , who received a lot of land in these parts around 1319 through marriage with Joan, daughter of Theobald De Verdon. ^[one]

In Russian heraldry: Merletta is a bird without a beak and paws (sometimes mistakenly called a “thrush” by translators). Depicted in profile, symbolizes selfless chivalry ministry away from his home; Canetta is a heraldic duck (usually without a beak and legs).

According to Lakier , ducks on the arms are depicted in profile ( fr. Canettes ), and without a beak and legs (especially wild ducks) are called fr. merlettes Martlet ^[2] .

Monte Cristo stopped in front of the shield and examined it carefully.
- Across the azure field, seven gold merlets located in a sheaf ^[3] . Is this, of course, your family coat of arms, Viscount? - he asked.
...
- the family of Morseurs is French and, as I heard, one of the oldest in the south of France.
“Yes,” said Monte Cristo, “this is what the merlot shows.” Almost all armed pilgrims who went to conquer the Holy Land chose either the cross - the sign of their mission, or the migratory birds - the sign of the long journey that they had to come and which they hoped to make on the wings of faith as their emblem. Some of your paternal ancestors probably participated in one of the Crusades; even if it was the campaign of Saint Louis , then we will come to the thirteenth century, which is not bad at all.

- Dumas A. Chapter 3. First meeting // Count of Monte Cristo . - M .: Publishing House of Fiction, 1977. - T. 1.

• The British version of the F4F Wildcat was originally called Martlet .

• Arthur Charles Fox Davies (2004), A Complete Guide to Heraldry , Kessinger Publishing   ISBN 1-4179-0630-8 (English)

• Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places: Martlet
• Heraldica: Martlet