Heraldic Templates -- Beasts, Monsters, Human Figures

The following links are to pages that contain images that you can use to help design your armory -- this set of images are for heraldic beasts and monsters - these are the 'natural' beasts and the monsters either from mythology or otherwise created for use in heraldry. You will see that some of the 'natural' beasts are not depicted in heraldry as they are in nature.

Instructions (please read):
If you want to use this for your heraldic submission, or print it for any reason, click on the 'PDF File' link -- a new browser window will open, and you can print from there.

Note that printing the GIF Files may not provide images that are the correct size for the heraldic submission forms.

Other Notes:

Note: These are not done yet -- the links are here to make it easier to design the website, rather than having to keep adding them ... this is a work in progress.

Beasts and Monsters
NOTES: if you click on the link for an individual creature you will be taken to a new page that shows that creature in as many different heraldic positions as the artists could manage and several sizes.

Also please understand that if a creature is not shown in a specific posture, it does not necessarily mean that this is not legal, but that it may be considered either poor heraldic design (ex., a turtle rampant is pretty silly, if you think of it ...), or just too much work for the poor over-worked artists who have volunteered for this project. If you wish to extrapolate a beast or monster's posture to one that is not shown based on postures of other creatures that are, you are welcome to try. There are some postures that may not be considered legal by the SCA College of Arms for specific beasts/monsters.

In addition, some beasts and/or monsters that are found in many heraldic texts are not given here, due to again not wishing to overwork the artists more than they already are being worked. Once the original "wishlist" is completed, if they are still speaking to me, we can consider coming back in and inserting "missing" items.

The descriptions of the beasts and monsters below are all taken from The Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry ...1, and rather than having a 'footnote' for each, we have one. Note that not all of the detail in the Pictorial Dictionary has been included in the text given ...

Beasts in Society heraldry tend to follow the same conventions as those in mundane heraldry. Any special SCA usages for a given beast will be found in the entry for that beast.

Chimerical Monsters -- this is a class of monsters which, like the chimera, are composed of parts from other beasts or monsters. A great many of the monsters of heraldry may be described in this manner: e.g. the griffin, with the forequarters of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion. but the term usually denotes those monsters with no independent history -- SCA inventions, for the most part. They are thus usually blazoned by parts, e.g., a monster with the head of a dragon, body of a lion.

As used in heraldry, the term monster describes any creature not found in nature: a fabulous beastie, a product of the imagination. Some heraldic monsters were thought to represent actual beasts (e.g. the antelope), but their forms differ som widely from the natural beasts that they are considered separate and imaginary creatures. In such cases, if the natural beast is intended, the term natural must be included in the blazon; otherwise the heraldic monster is used.

The term reptile here applies to all large, scaled, cold-blooded creatures, not just true reptiles, but amphibians as well.

Sea-Monster - This class of monster is characterized by a demi-beast conjoined to a fish's tail. Virtually any beast may be so treated: Society armory records examples of sea-stags, sea-bears, sea-otters, and sea-urchins among others. Even monsters may be made into sea-monsters, following the same pattern ... Sea-monsters are usually erect by default.
     When the unmodified term sea-[beast] is used, the heraldic monster is always meant; if the term may also apply to a natural creature (e.g. the sea-otter), the modified term natural sea-[beast] must be used for those cases. (The exception is the sea-gull, which is always shown as the natural bird.)
     There are some monsters whose names begin with the prefix sea-, and yet are not fish-tailed demi-beasts. These include the sea-dog, a talbot with webbed feet and tail; and the sea-loat, unique to SCA heraldry.

Winged Monsters -- This class of monster consists of beasts with wings grafted to the shoulder. Almost any beast may be so treated; even other monsters, if normally wingless, may have wings added. The wings are eagle's wings by default; other types of wings, such as bat's wings, may also be used, but such cases must be specified. (This does not apply to those monsters whose definitions include wings, such as the dragon.)
     There are special terms for some winged monsters: a haloed winged lion may be blazoned a lion of St. Mark; it is found in the civic arms of Venice, 1413. (St. Mark was the patron saint of the city.) A haloed winged ox may be blazoned an ox of St. Luke; it is also found in the arms of Caravello, 1413.
Rampant winged monsters may be blazoned segreant, since that term may be applied to any monster "half-bird, half-beast"; in that case the posture of the wings is defined by the term. Winged monsters statant or couchant do not need their wings' posture blazoned, either: they will be addorsed by default, that being their most distinguishable posture. The term volant, however, is ill-defined for non-birds, and should not be used for winged monsters; instead, the posture of the body should be blazoned in a standard way, with the wings' position made explicit (e.g., a winged lion courant, wings elevated and addorsed).

Alphyn     The alphyn is an heraldic monster with a body similar to that of a tyger; its other characteristics vary, but it is most commonly shown with eagle's forelegs and a knotted tail. It was used as a badge by the Lords de la Warre.
     The alphyn does not seem to have a default posture.
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Amphisbaena     This monster is a dragon with bird's wings, and a head at either end -- rather like the "pushme-pullyu" of the Dr. Dolittle stories. The name comes from the Greek, "to go both ways": in classic Greek myth, it's a serpent with a head at either end. The heraldic form of the amphisbaena dates from the Elizabethan times (Bossewell's Armorie, 1572). Despite its being mentioned by heraldic writers, Brooke-Little has shown that it was never actually used in mundane armory.
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Antelope     The antelope is an heraldic monster with a body like a deer's, but with tusks, a lion's tail, and serrated horns. The creature was described in medieval bestiaries as remarkably fierce, with horns to cut down trees; its use as a heraldic monster dates from Henry IV. If the natural beast of the family is intended, it must be blazoned as a natural antelope.
     The antelope does not seem to have a default position.
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Ape     The ape is a simian beast, which the medievals considered a mockery of man. It is a period charge, found in the arms of von Prag, c.1600. Mundane blazonry doesn't distinguish between an ape (which has no tail) and a monkey (which does); SCA blazonry only makes the distinction for the sake of the artist.
     If an ape is collared, the collar goes around its waist, not its neck; if in its vanity, it's looking into a hand mirror that it is grasping in its hand. When statant or passant, the ape is on all fours, in the manner of beasts (unlike humans, who are statant or passant on two feet).
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Badger (Brock)     The badger is a carnivorous burrowing beast with a reputation for stubborness. It is also called a brock, bauson, or grey, especially for canting purposes. Badgers are statant by default.
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Bagwyn     This monster is similar to the antelope, but with a busy tail, fringes of fur on th elegs, and long swept-back attires. It is period, dating from 1539.
     The bagwyn does not seem to have a default posture.
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Bear     The bear is a large and rather ponderous beast, whose medieval reputation is mostly one of greediness. It appears in armory as early as 1280, in the canting arms of Urs.
     Bears may be drawn muzzled in mundane armory, even when not specifically blazoned so. The mundane default position for bears seems to be sejant erect; there does not seem to be an SCA default.
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Beaver     The beaver is a wise and gentle beast, whose medieval reputation was of industry, and strangely enough, chastity; because its testicles were held to have medicinal value, it was said the beaver would bite them off when hunted, and thus escape its hunters. It is found in period armory as early as 1413, in the canting arms of the city of Biberach.
     The beaver is drawn in heraldic art with a broad, flat tail, as seen in nature; but there is little further resemblence betwen the herald's depiction and the naturalist's. (The exception is when the beaver is blazoned proper; it is then colored brown, and more likely to be drawn naturalistically.) There does not seem to be a default posture.
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Boar     The boar is a porcine beast noted for its belligerence. It was used early on as an heraldic charge, as in the canting arms of Swynhowe, c.1410. It may also be called a sanglier, or, for the sake of a cant, a grice.
     The boar is depicted with a double set of tusks, and a razor back of bristles down its spine. It doesn't seem to have a default position.
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Bull     This beast is the male bovine, noted for its size, strength, and temper. The term here includes such bovines as the "ox", the "steer", and the "bison" or "buffalo"; the exact term is often chosen for the sake of a cant. As a charge, the bull dates from at least 1295; in mundane armory, it is often drawn with a ring through its nose, even when this is not specifically blazoned.
     There is also the cow, the female bovine, drawn with prominent udders; and the calf, the young bovine, drawn without horns (as in the canting arms of Vele, 1275). Finally, Society armory includes the yak, the hairy wild bull of Asia.
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Calygreyhound     This monster has a cat's face, a tufted body and tail, eagle's forelegs, and frond-like horns. It is period, dating from the mid-15th Century.
     The calygreyhound does not appear to have a default posture.
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Camelopard     The camelopard was the medieval name for the beast we call a giraffe. It was considered a monster, a hybrid of a camel and a leopard. The creature was also called a camelopardel in medieval times; 18th Century writers considered the camelopardel a distinct creature, a camelopard with swept-back horns. No such distinction was made in period, however; and no difference is granted in Society heraldry.
     The camelopard does not appear to have a default posture.
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Cat     The cat is a beast of the feline family, famed for its deceitfulness. In mundane blazons, the simple term "cat" refers to the wild cat of Scots heraldry; but in SCA blazons, "Cat" refers to the domestic cat. It is sometimes specified as a domestic cat, to avoid confusion.
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Centaur     A centaur is a monster from Greek myth, with the body and legs of a horse and the torso, arms and head of a human. Male and female centaurs are found in Society heraldry; blazons of posture (e.g., passant) refer to the equine portion, not the human.
     Of the special terms for this monster: A sagittary is a centaur drawing a bow and arrow. A leonine-centaur has the body of a lion, instead of a horse; if is found in the attributed arms of King Stephen of England, c.1097.
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Chimera     A chimera is a monster from Greek myth combining parts of a lion, a goat, and a dragon. No two authorities agree, however, in exactly which parts go where. One form, cited in Bossewell's Armorie of 1572, is of a lion's body, a dragon's tail, and the heads of a lion, a goat, and a dragon sprouting from the shoulders ... (Sometimes the dragon's head was shown at the end of the tail, instead of the shoulders.)
     A more classical form, depicted on ancient Greek urns, has a lion's head and body, dragon's tail, and a goat's head grafted to the small of the back; if this explicit form is intended, it can be blazoned by parts.
     Another form, more common in German heraldry, is a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail; this form may be shown with the face and breast of a woman.
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Cockatrice     ... an heraldic monster, generally depicted as a wyvern with the head of a cock. The default posture for a cockatrice is statant, with wings addorsed.
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Deer     The deer is a hooved, antlered beast famed for its speed; it was medievally considered the embodiment of purity and nobility among the beasts. The term deer is the generic term; more specific terms are used in blazons, the exact term often chosen for canting purposes. These include stag, hart and buck for the male; doe or hind for the female; and fawn or yearling for the young. The male is shown with antlers (called his attires), while the female and young are antlerless. Both bucks and hinds are found in period armory c.1275, in the arms of Halyton and the Counts von Tierstein, respectively.
     Other beasts of the deer category include the reindeer and the moose (called an "elk" in Europe). These are distinguished from stags by the shape of their attires: the moose is shown as in nature, while the reindeer has a heraldic stylization of two horns up, two down. (Some texts claim that a buck's attires are also distinct from those of a stag; emblazons do not consistently follow this, however.)
     There are some special terms used to blazon deer. A deer at gaze is statant guardant; a deer lodged is couchant; a deer trippant is passant.
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Dog     The dog is a domesticated beast bred for herding, hunting and guard duty; it was the medieval archetype of loyalty and fidelity. The most common breed of dog found in period heraldry, dating from 1285, is the talbot, a floppy-eared hunting hound. Another period breed is the greyhound or levrier, a fast slender breed ...; as a charge, it dates from c.1300, in the canting arms of Maleverer. There is also the alaunt, a short-eared mastiff. Any demonstrably period breed of dog may be used in Society heraldry; beagles and salukis, for instance, have been registered.
     The terms kennet (a small hunting dog), hound and cur may also be used, to refer to a generic dog; such terms are often for the sake of a cant.
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Dragon and Wyvern     The dragon is a great reptilian monster with spikes, barbs, bat-wings, and taloned feet. It is sometimes blazoned a wyrm, especially for the sake of a cant. A dragon segreant is rampant; this is the default posture.
     The dragon's depiction differs over the centuries, or between countries. The tail, for example, was blunt throughout the SCA period; the barbs at the end were not added until the 18th century. (This is considered artistic license, and many SCA dragons have barbed tails.) More important is the number of legs. The Society defines a dragon with four legs; this follows a default dating from Tudor times, and currently in use in England. The older form, dating back to at least 1300, had only two legs; this is now blazoned a wyvern, and is considered a variant of type. The wyvern is statant by default. (In Germany, the distinction is considered to be purely artistic, and no difference at all is counted. The four-footed type is sometimes called a lindwurm there.)
     There are other variations of dragon. The hydra is a multi-headed dragon; classically shown with nine heads, the heraldic form has as few as three. (The number of heads should be blazoned.) The Oriental dragon is wingless, and drawn in a Chinese or Japanese stylization. Those used in the SCA should have at most three toes on each foot, as four toes were reserved for the King of Korea and five toes to the Emporer of China. Finally, the Dûn dragon is an SCA invention, with no wings, two horns, long spindly limbs, and a dopy grin ...
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Elephant     The elephant is a gigantic beast characterized by its tusks, ears, and prehensile trunk; some early emblazons show it with cloven hooves as well. It was considered a symbol of modesty and chastity by the medievals. As an heraldic charge, the elephant dates from the 14th Century, in the canting arms of the Grafs von Helffenstein.
     The elephant is statant by default. It is often shown with a castle or tower on its back, which fact must be explicitly blazoned; this recalls the war elephants with howdahs, described by Alexander the Great when he tried to conquer India.
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Enfield     The enfield is a classic chimerical monster, with the body of a greyhound, the head of a fox, the forelimbs of an eagle, and the hindquarters of a wolf. It doesn't seem to have a default posture.
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Ermine     The ermine is a skinny beast of the rodent family. It is technically a stoat or weasel; and it is sometimes so blazoned, as in the arms of Islip, 1349. In heraldry, the term ermine refers to the stoat in its winter coloration, white with a black-tipped tail.
     The ermine was valued for its silky white fur, which in time became the ermine furs of heraldry. It was also one of the symbols of the Virgin, not only because of its pure white fur, but because of a medieval legend that the ermine conceived through its ear.
     Similar in form to the ermine are beasts such as the ferret, the mink, the otter, and the polecat. Though zoologically distinct, they are heraldically equivalent to the ermine. All ermine-like beasts seem to be statant by default; this is uncertain, so it's best to blazon the posture explicitly.
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Fox     The fox is a canine beast with a narrow snout and bushy tail; its reputation is one of slyness and craft. It is found in the canting arms of Fuchs, c.1450. The fox seems to have no default posture.
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Frog     The frog is a four-legged aquatic creature, whose strong hindlegs make it a renowned jumper; it's classed as a reptile by heralds. It is found in the canting arms of Fröschl, c.1450.
     The catgegory includes toad, which is heraldically indistinguishable from the frog. Both frogs and toads are tergiant by default; the most popular SCA posture is sejant or sejant affronty.
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Goat     The goat is a horned, hooved beast famed for its lasciviousness (and, strangely enough, its eyesight). The most common depiction is long-horned, long-haired, and bearded. It is found in the canting arms of Buckton as early as 1410.
     Special terms applied to goats include clymant, meaning rampant. The goat doesn't seem to have any default posture.
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Griffin (Gryphon)     A griffin or gryphon, is a classical monster, with the head, wings and forefeet of an eagle, the hindquarters of a lion, and mammalian ears; period emblazons sometimes show it bearded as well. Its default posture is rampant, which when applied to griffins is termed segreant. As an heraldic charge, the griffin dates from c.1280.
     The griffin has several variant forms, as might be expected for a monster of such antiquity. The form found in ancient Assyria, for example, has a lion's forelegs instead of an eagle's forelegs; no heraldic difference is granted for this artistic variation.
     There is also what later texts call the male griffin: this differs from the standard griffin by a lack of wings, and by sharp spikes radiating from its body. (The term male griffin is a misnomer: both forms with shown with male members in period art.) This same creature was termed a keythong in a roll of badges, 1475; there is some evidence it developed from the German form of the heraldic panther, with the spikes meant as the panther's flames. Male griffin is the more common term for this monster, but keythong is coming into use as well.
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Hedgehog     The hedgehog is a small insect-eating beast, also called an urchin or herrison. When faced with danger it would roll itself into a ball, exposing only its spines; so it came to be a symbol of caution. It is a period charge, found in the canting arms of Herries, c.1275. The hedgehog is statant by default.
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Hippogriff     This chimerical monster is considered a variant of the griffin, with the griffin's head, wings and foreparts, and the hindquarters of a horse. It doesn't seem to share the griffin's defaults; its posture must be specified.
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Horse     A horse is a large, strong equine beast used for riding, drawing loads, and other burdens. As the chivalry's special beast, it was considered among the noblest of animals; it was also the medieval archetype of virility and passion. The horse is an ancient charge, found (bridled and saddled) in the arms of an early King of Norway, c.1275.
     The horse is sometimes blazoned forceny, literally enraged: the term denotes a posture halfway between rampant and salient. Since the posture is too easily confused with rampant and salient, and since the term seems to have been first used in the 18th Century, forceny currently is not used in SCA blazons. (Some early SCA blazons use the term.) There does not seem to be a default posture for the horse.
     Horses may be shown bearing a rider, as in the arms of Lithuania, c.1413; saddled and bridled, or caparisoned, i.e., wearing barding and fully equipped. These circumstances must be blazoned.
     Similar to the horse are the donkey, the (jack)ass, and the onager or wild ass; these are heraldically indistinguishable. Instances are found in the SCA of the Trojan horse, a horse statant upon a wheeled platform; and of the eight-legged horse, a monster representing Odin's horse Sleipner. The latter is not encouraged for SCA use, because of the visual confusion from its limbs.
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Human Figure     Full human figures began to appear to be used as charges in Continental armory in the 14th Century: e.g. the monk in the canting arms of Munich. The usage quickly spread.
     Humans seem to be statant affronty by default; when in some other posture (e.g. rampant), they face dexter. The type of human, and the vesting (or lack of same), should be explicitly blazoned.
     Examples of human types include children, maidens, and old men. Many human figures are defined by their professions, e.g. a pilgrim or a bearded sapper; these are then appropriately garbed.
     Other specific variants include the Saracen, dark, bearded and turbaned, with flowing silk clothes; the savage, a hairy bearded man girded with leaves, often carrying a club, found in period as the supporters of the Earls of Errol; the Saxon, unbearded and blond, garbed appropriately; the Turk, bald save for a long topknot of hair, with huge moustaches, clothed similar to the Saracen; the woodhouse or wildman, a hairy bearded man completely covered with leaves; and the Moor or blackamoor, a negroid human with a torse on his head. (The Saracen also is sometimes shown with a torse, instead of a turban.)
     ... a nude maiden, with her arm hiding her bosom, may be termed a maiden in her modesty. A man armed cap-a-pie is fully armored in plate, from head to foot.

The category of [human] monsters consists of those whose forms are basically human, but with additions or mutations. There does not seem to be a default posture common to all of them. When blazoned proper, the human parts are Caucasian (pink).
     The angel is a human with a pair of wings on his back; it is a period charge, found as supporters of the Kings of France c.1450. A variant is the standing seraph, with six wings; two with tips up, two with tips down, and two covering the body. Both are statant affronty by default. (These are not to be confused with the cherub and the seraph, which are winged heads; these may be found under Human Head.)
     The fury is a creature from Greek myth, a winged woman with serpents for hair.
     The satyr or pan is also from Greek myth; it combines the torso of a human with the hindquarters of a goat. It is horned, and may be shown playing a panpipe. The satyr is found as an heraldic charge in 1552. Similar to it is the demon or gargoyle, to which ahve been added bat-wings, a barbed tail, and sometimes talons; it is found in the arms of the City of Brussels.

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Lion     The lion is a feline beast whose pride and strength have made it the King of Beasts and the noblest of animals. It is thus a frequent charge in medieval armory, dating from the earliest heraldic records, c.1244.
     The lion is rampant by default. When depicted passant guardant, as in the arms of England, medieval heralds blazoned him a leopard To avoid confusion, SCA blazonry doesn't use the unmodified term leopard; instead the term natural leopard denotes the beast found in nature, and lions passant guardant are explicitly blazoned as such.
     Period emblazoned showed a stylized depiction of the lion, with pinched waist and exaggerated tufts and tail. Society heraldry also includes great cats, related to the lion, which tend to be drawn more naturalistically: the Bengal tiger, the cheetah, and the natural leopard. These cats differ trivially in outline; only their markings change.
     There is also the ounce, a generic maneless lion, which may also be blzoned a catamount, a cougar, a mountain lion, or a natural panther. All of these great cats, like the lion, are rampant by SCA default.
     Lionesses and lion cubs are occasionally found. Also found are the variant forms: the lion queue-forché or split-tailed; the double-headed lion; and lions tricorporate and bicorporate, with three or two bodies attached to a single head.
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Lion-Dragon     The lion-dragon is a chimerical monster with the forequarters of a lion and the body and tail of a wyvern. It is a period charge, found as the crest of Bunte in 1572. Like the wyvern, the lion-dragon is statant by default.
     There is also in the Society an instance of the ounce-dragon, which differs from the lion-dragon only in being maneless.
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Man-Serpent     The man-serpent is a monster, a snake with a human face or head. It's a period charge, dating from 1483; it was also found with a woman's head. While usually found guardant in mundane heraldry, it is nonetheless explicitly blazoned so.
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Manticore     The manticore is a monster, consisting of a lion's body with a human face (sometimes head), a scorpion's tail, and sometimes horns. It was described in medieval bestiaries as also having three rows of teeth, but that detail seldom appears in armory. The manticore is very similar to the man-tyger, and may be considered an artistic variant.
     The manticore doesn't seem to have a default posture, so this must be explicitly blazoned.
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Man-Tyger     The man-tyger is a monster, consisting of a lion with a human face; sometimes the front feet have been replaced by human hands. Dennys speculates that the monster is an heraldic representation of the baboon of nature; the cant with Babyngton, who used the man-tyger as a badge in 1529, supports this theory. The man-tyger is very similar to the manticore, and may be considered an artistic variant.
     The man-tyger doesn't seem to have a default posture, so this must be explicitly blazoned.
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Mermaid     The mermaid is a sea monster, with the body of a maiden conjoined to a fish's tail. It is usually depicted with a mirror and comb, which position is blazoned a mermaid in its vanity. The mermaid is found in armory in the early 14th Century.
     It can also be male, of course; the male form may be blazoned a merman or a triton. It too is found in period grants, dating from 1575. Both mermaid and merman are affronty by default; period heraldic art turns the figure ever so slightly to dexter, in an early attempt at perspective.
     A Continental version of the mermaid is the melusine, which has two fish's tails replacing the maiden's legs, instead of a single fish's tail; it is a period charge, found in the arms of Östermayr c.1600. The melusine's default posture is affronty, holding one tail in each hand.
     When blazoned proper, merfolk are tinctured with Caucasian (pink) human parts, and green fish's tails; the hair color is usually explicitly blazoned.
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Mouse (Rat)     The mouse is a tiny verminous beast, that gnaws in darkness; it was the medieval symbol of greed and female lasciviousness. Heraldically, the category includes the rat, a larger animal with much the same medieval reputation. The mouse is not much found in medieval armory, but there are a few instances of it in Society armory. It does not have a default posture.
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Opinicus     The opinicus is a chimerical monster with the head and wings of an eagle, the body and legs of alion, mammalian ears, and the tail of a camel or bear. It is very similar to the griffin, evidently a later variant form: ... from the grant to the Worshipful Company of Barbers, 1561.
     The opinicus does not seem to have a default posture.
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Pantheon     The pantheon is an heraldic monster with the body of a hind, the bushy tail of a fox, cloven hooves, and completely strewn with mullets or estoiles. It's a period charge, dating from 1531. One period manuscript gives its proper tinctures as gules with argent stars; but no proper tinctures are acknowledged for the pantheon in Society heraldry.
     The pantheon does not seem to have a default posture.
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Panther     The unmodified term panther refers to a kindly monster, described in medieval bestiaries as beautiful and amiable, whose sweet breath drives away evil. In English armory it is depicted as a maneless lion (the coat often charged with a semy of roundels), and with flames spewing from its mouth and ears (a corruption of its "sweet breath"). It is guardant by English default.
     There is also a Continental version of the panther, rarer than the English form, which is given the head and forelimbs of an eagle; sometimes the head has horns as well. As an heraldic charge, the Continental panther dates from c.1450, in the arms of Styria. It was the precusror of the monster now called a male griffin or keythong. This form of panther faces dexter by German default; the SCA follows German practice rather than English, since the English posture can easily be blazoned explicitly.
     When blazoned a natural panther, the term refers to the feline beast as found in nature; it may also be blazoned a catamount or ounce.
     [If you wish to use a natural panther use a lion without the mane, or ounce.]
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Pegasus     The pegasus is a winged monster, a horse with an eagle's wings grafted to its shoulders. Its association with the Muses of Greek myth make it a popular charge with poets. As an heraldic charge, it dates from at least 1544.
     The pegasus does not seem to have a default posture, so the posture must be blazoned. By SCA rulings, a rampant pegasus may also be blazoned segreant, like the dragon, griffin, and other four-legged monsters with wings.
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Pithon     A pithon is a reptilian monster, essentially a bat-winged snake. It is sometimes called an amphiptère, especially in French blazon. When leaping, it may also be called a jaculus; if the wings are feathered (bird's) wings rather than bat-wings, it should be blazoned a winged serpent.
     The pithon is a period charge, found in the arms of the Portuguese poet Camões (d.1580). Brook-Little has shown that the heraldic pithon is a variant of the wyvern, and in some cases was drawn as such; thus no difference is granted in the SCA between the two monsters.
     There does not seem to be an SCA default posture for the pithon; erect is most common, in which posture the wings are addorsed.
     When the natural constrictor-type serpent is meant, the term natural python is used.
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Rabbit     The rabbit is a pacifistic beast, the medieval symbol of both timidity and sexual appetite. Heraldically, the category includes the hare; while the hare is to be drawn with longer ears, the two terms are usually considered interchangeable. Other medieval terms for the beast include coney and levreret (as in the canting arms of Coningesby and Levyer, respectively). The rabbit is found in armory temp. Edward I.
     Rabbits and hares are sejant by default, though in period that posture was often drawn so low as to be indistinguishable from statant; they are often found in couchant or salient as well.
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Salamander     This term may refer to either an heraldic monster or a natural reptile. The unmodified term salamander refers to the monster, an elemental fire spirit, shown as a lizard enflamed ... taken from the badge of Francis I of France, c.1540. The modified phrase natural salamander refers to the lizard-like amphipian; this form is not enflamed. As a natural salamander is indistinguishable from a lizard, the latter is the preferred blazon.
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Sea Monster     [Sea-monsters shown, and descriptions given on the link for "Sea Monster" are: Sea-Horse, Hippocampus, Sea-Lion, Seal, Sea-Dog, Sea-Wolf and Sea-Serpent.]
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Serpent (Snake)     The serpent is a cunning reptile, the embodiment of sin to the early Christian fathers. It is also called simply a snake. It is found in the civic arms of Milan as early as 1413.
     The standard heraldic form is of a non-descript venomous serpent, but sometimes an exact species is mentioned: the adder and asp are specified in mundane armory, while the cobra, the rattlesnake, and the natural python (among others) are found in Society armory.
     Serpents are found nowed or knotted; glissant or wavy; involved, or in annulo, head biting the tail; and erect. There does not seem to be a default posture.
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Sheep     The sheep is a wooly, grazing beast famed for its placidity, yea, stupidity. The category includes the ram, the male sheep, distinguished by his spiral horns, a symbol of virility, and the lamb, the young sheep, a symbol of meek innocence, found in the canting arms of Lambton in 1314. None of the sheep family seems to have a default posture; they are often found statant or passant ...
     There is also the Paschal lamb, a reference to the Lamb of God: he bears a banner over his shoulder, and is passant by default. (He is usually shown reguardant as well, ... but that fact is always blazoned.) When blazoned proper the Paschal lamb is argent, haloed Or (sometimes with a red cross on the halo), and his banner is argent with a red cross. As an heraldic charge, the Paschal lamb dates from at least 1413, in the arms of the Bishops of Brixen.
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Sphinx     The sphinx is a monster from ancient myth, with a lion's body and a human head. There are two forms of this monster from classical myths, the Greek form and the Egyptian form. The Greek sphinx (the riddling monster slain by Oedipus) has a woman's head and breasts, and wings as well; it is the more common form, and is sometimes blazoned a winged or a gyno-sphinx ("gyno" meaning "woman"). The Egyptian sphinx is the monster whose statue is seen at Giza; it has a man's head, wearing a pharaonic headdress, and has no wings. It is sometimes blazoned an andro-sphinx. Both forms of sphinx were known in period, though not used in armory.
     Neither form of sphinx has a default posture in Society heraldry; sphinxes couchant and sejant are commonly found.
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Squirrel     The squirrel is a small tree-dwelling beast of the rodent family. It is a period charge, found in the grant of arms to the (now-defunct) Worshipful Company of Grey Tawyers, 1476.
     The squirrel is sejant erect by default. In that posture, it's often drawn holding a nut between its forepaws, even when not specifically blazoned.
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Turtle     The turtle is a slow-paced, armor-shelled reptile. It may also be blazoned a tortoise; though the two terms are zoologically distinct, they are heraldically synonymous. It is a period charge, found in the arms of Esslingen c.1600.
     The turtle tergiant fesswise by English default; the Continental and SCA default seems to be tergiant palewise.
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Tyger (Tiger)     The unmodified term tyger refers to an heraldic monster, described as incredibly swift and deceitful; its body is much like that of the wolf, but it has a crest of tufts on the back of its neck, and a tusk pointing down from its nose. Medieval legend asserts that to escape a pursuing tyger, one must throw a mirror before it, so that it will be entranced by its reflection; indeed, the tyger in the arms of Sybell, 1531, is in just such a pose.
     When blazoned a natural tiger or a Bengal tiger, the term denotes a natural beast, the great cat Felis tigris: like a maneless lion, but with stripes on its coat. When blazoned proper the coat is tawny, and the stripes black; they may be found blazoned in other tinctures as well.
     [If you wish to use a natural tiger, use a lion or ounce without the mane and add the tiger's stripes.]
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Unicorn     The unicorn is a fierce heraldic monster, named for the single horn growing from the center of its forehead; it was the medieval archetype of purity and chastity, and its horn was considered an antidote to poison. It is generally described as having a bearded chin, a horse's body, tufted cloven hooves, and the tail of a lion. As an heraldic charge, it is found as early as 1322, in the arms of FitzRichard. The unicorn is rampant by default.
     Modern fantasy art often depicts the unicorn as a horned horse, with long sweeping mane and tail; this is not the medieval concept of the unicorn, and it should not be so emblazoned in Society armory.
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Vegetable Lamb     A vegetable lamb is considered a monster in Society heraldry, a mythical plant bearing young sheep as its fruit. It was first mentioned in the Travels of Sir John Mandeville, c.1371, but does not appear in mundane armory.
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Wolf     The wolf is a predatory canine beast, whose medieval form and reputation was one of rapacity and strength. It was a common charge in medieval armory, dating frm 1275 in the canting arms of Lou; and is popular in Society armory as well. The wolf does not seem to have a default posture.
     A wolf ululant has its head raised, howling or baying. The term is unique to Society heraldry.
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Yale     The yale is an heraldic monster characterized by two long, mobile horns, which could be swivelled independently and at will; it also has a fierce set of tusks. The yale doesn't seem to have a default posture.
     Two forms of yale are found in mundane heraldry. The earlier form, the Bedford yale, was one of the Duke of Bedford's supporters c.1435, and closely resembles an antelope. The other form, the Beaufort yale, was used by his grandson Sir John Beaufort, c.1450; it is stockier, more like a goat, and is strewn with roundels. Both yales have the charactistic horns and tusks, however; either type may be used in Society heraldry, and the type should not be blazoned, but left to the artist.
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Footnotes:
1 The Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry as Used in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., 2nd Edition, Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme and Akagawa Yoshio, 1992, self-published.

Disclaimer: All of these drawings are intended for use in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., specifically for heraldic purposes. However, these pages do not delineate SCA College of Arms or West Kingdom College of Heralds policy. All attempts are made when describing or portraying the elements of armory used in these pages to be as accurate to both medieval and SCA usage as possible, but if you are not sure, you should check with the College of Arms or the College of Heralds. You may use these drawings "as is" for the purpose of designing heraldry for use within the SCA with this understanding. All decisions by the West Kingdom College of Heraldry and/or the SCA's College of Arms regarding the depictions used on your submission forms supercedes anything found here.

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