The Compendium of Symbolism of Sigils

[The WolfSpider]

The title is a bit grand but I liked it. I know I'll get flamed fur this post but there are some opinions I want to read on this. I'll post more examples but I think you will see, as I have, the patterns.

Stark-grey is the color of suffering, who has suffered more both currently and historically. White the color of purity, even GRRM has said they are the good guys. Direwolves:wolves are the soldiers of animal kingdom. The Starks are clearly soldiers. Wolves hunt in packs and because of this are able to maintain their strength by feeding through the winter and thus in effect are the kings of winter. 

Hightower-white and grey again. Suffering and purity both of which they exhibit more than most though we don't know near as much of them as many other houses. Helicent seems to be an exception but then again it could be said that she most likely felt her motives to be pure. Towers don't move they serve whomever. 

Baratheon-black is again unknown which is easy I admit there are TONS of unknowns in ASOIAF. Gold in Westeros symbolizes greed. Robert sought a kingdom. So does Stannis. Stannis also begrudges Renly getting the Stormlands despite it being clear that Robert made the right move and Stannis being the strategic genius he is. The stag symbolizes fertility which we surely see in Robert. Renly is exempt of course. Stannis....well.....she has a mustache! Deer are one of the most popular animals to hunt, much sought. Robert and Renly are both quite popular. Stannis is.....well...Stannis.

Lannister- gold means greedy and yes obviously. It's also bright and they don't seem dumb as rule. Red in this case probably means blood. The lion...they are a pack animal and there sure are a lot of Lannisters. The males do the fighting and well that's about it. The females are the territorial ones. They also do the hunting. They can be quite cruel biting through the sides of hyenas and then carrying the screeching animal around to warn the rest of the hyena pack. 

Greyjoy-gold kraken....well you can't get much more grasping than that. That fits Euron, Theon and Balon pretty well. Black symbolizing the unknown and yes the inky depths of the ocean. 

Tyrell-green field symbolizing fertility and the Reach is the most fertile region of Westeros. Golden roses. Again, grasping albeit slower, less violent and all the while smelling like roses. What happens if the gardener isn't around to cut back the roses? They take over. 

Martell-Red is harder to quantify I guess I would call it robustness when the device is red such as the Martell sun. It's different when it's the field. Orange symbolizes creativity and endurance. The Martells resisted the dragons longer than anyone. The Sun...patient, slow to move, all-seeing, enduring...just like Doran Martell the perfect scion of this house. Oh and then there is the whole sun poisoning thing i.e. Oberyn or Tyene. 

Tarly-green field symbolizing the fertility of their lands. The Red Huntsman being very robust. Randyll seems to be hunting down people at every turn. Savage Sam hunted the Vulture King. Samwell was hunting for something in the scrolls at the wall even if subconsciously.

Bolton-red for robust and pink for healthy, doubling down. Ramsay is big and fleshy or...healthy.  Roose seems health conscious. A flayed man...well...dogs are man's best friend. Horses, Roose's favorite, aren't far behind. A lot, or maybe all idk, work on multiple levels. I believe this this one also represents flaying  someone outside, blood on the snow.

Strong-white field for purity I can't attest to this but maybe by and large. Red, green and blue. Robust, fertile lands and intelligent. Appropriately strong of mind, body and lordly power. And yes the colors also indicate the three forks of the Trident

[The WolfSpider]

Tully-a silver trout meaning altruistic, popular (much sought after by fishermen) and hard to catch. They are more suited to rebellion and insurrection than straight on battle, generally. Consider that the fertility of the Whent women, or at least the more recent generations, is in question. Possibly owing to the curse of Harrenhal. But Minisa who married a Tully had three children. The trout is a symbol of fertility. 

Silver seems to symbolize nobility similar to purity. Frankly I can't differentiate them. But if you look at what we know of the houses Velaryon, Manderly, Hasty, Mallister and Tully you can see what I'm talking about. They just seem to be good people or at least not villainous or grasping. There are things that can augment the symbolism of the colors of course. Personal nicknames and bastardy come to mind.

The way I see it going down is GRRM making all these sigils. We know he's into heraldry. So he makes them for fun then later goess back to define these houses and uses the symbolism of the colors and device. Possibly then makes a list of words associated with those things and incorporates that into the house.

Lannister-gold(color), red, lions=roar, pride, gold(metal), bright, soft, den. With obvious results.

Tyrell-green, gold, roses. Thorn, gardener, grasping, fertile, garden, beautiful.

Arryn-blue, white, falcon, moon=high, pure, intelligent, vision, nest(aerie). 

[WhitewolfStark]

I have a book on heraldic imagery I'll pull out to compare and contrast with real life.

[The WolfSpider]

13 minutes ago, WhitewolfStark said:

I have a book on heraldic imagery I'll pull out to compare and contrast with real life.

I'd love to read what you find out. I'm not sure how much of what he does is by the book or his own thoughts. For example the Apple of  Fossoway doesn't seem to symbolize knowledge like I would have expected but rather a more Christian theme; temptation. Given GRRM's history that makes sense though.

[WhitewolfStark]

8 minutes ago, The WolfSpider said:

I'd love to read what you find out. I'm not sure how much of what he does is by the book or his own thoughts. For example the Apple of  Fossoway doesn't seem to symbolize knowledge like I would have expected but rather a more Christian theme; temptation. Given GRRM's history that makes sense though.

Heraldry is often a mishmash of meanings. Sometimes the heraldry holds personal meaning to its holder, other times it's Christian meaning, and still other times it's a reference to family history or even a kind of rude "map" of the family estate. Often times expect for there to be canting involved (i.e. for example the royal arms of Castile is a castle, and the royal arms of Leon is a lion). So often times heraldry will often be a pun on the bearer's last name.

[The WolfSpider]

Oh yeah plenty of that in ASOIAF. 

[WhitewolfStark]

To begin general colors, metals, and furs of heraldry:

"To begin the "blazoning", or description in heraldic terms, of any shield of arms, it is necessary to deal with color, since the very first word used in the description refers to the color of the background or "field" of the shield. There are five main colors in heraldry (although this differs slightly from nation to nation): red, blue, black, green, and purple. Some mixed colors, known as stains, are also sometimes used. The two metals--gold and silver--are usually depicted as yellow and white. In British heraldry Norman French names are used for colors and metals, though gold and silver are also sometimes used in blazonry instead of "Or" and "Argent".

...

An important heraldic principle governs the use of colors and metals: "Never place a color on a color or a metal on a metal". It is a very sensible rule, remembering that the original purpose of heraldry was quick and ready identification on the battlefield. Life could depend upon it. A blue charge on a black field for example, or gold on silver, would be difficult to distinguish in the melee of medieval warfare. However, as long as the charge lies partly on an opposite--such as a red lion on a field of gold and blue--this does not constitute a breaking of the rule.

The rule is not strictly observed in some countries, and Archbishop Bruno Heim in his book, Or and Argent (1994) gives many examples of gold charges on a white field, the most famous being the arms of Jerusalem.

...

In addition to the colors and metals, heraldry makes use of "furs" -- patterns that suggest the costly furs worn by the medieval nobility. The two main furs are "ermine" and "vair", and each has several derivatives. Fur, just like a colored field can have any variety of charges placed upon it and can take the place of either a metal or a color. Ermine is the highly prized winter fur of the common stoat. The animal's coat changes color from chestnut brown to white except for the tip of its tail, which remains black. In heraldry, ermine is shown as a white field strewn with little black tail tips, usually accompanied by three black dots, which represent the fastenings by which the pelts were sewn into a robe.

...

Vair is indicated by a white and blue pattern said to represent the pelts of a species of squirrel, the blue-grey fur from its back arranged alternately with the paler fur from its underbelly."

Slater, Stephen. The Complete Book of Heraldry. Hermes House: London. 2003.

[LadyoftheNorth72]

Heraldry is something you could study for years and still have tons to learn, and that's just our world (in which the "rules" and traditions have changed drastically over the centuries as more and more arms were registered, and therefore more distinctions required).

One thing that seems to have remained the same in *some* cases is the bar or bend sinister denoting bastardy (sinister in this usage simply means down from the wearer's left, as opposed to a bend dexter descending from his right). Walder Rivers' arms are the same as the Freys, except the colors of field and castle are reversed, and over this a red bend sinister; it comes across rather as if he's throwing his illegitimacy in your face. 

Blazon, the language and symbolism, can be a lifetime of study. I know a bit from my participation in the SCA when I was younger. It's fascinating really, but can also be blasted confusing.

[LadyoftheNorth72]

Just adding, Westeros heraldry differs enormously from ours in one major way: the use of symbols which were either a play upon the name of the family, or part of a story from the family's history. For example, the Spicers using actual pepperpots, and the Boltons using the flayed man. Heraldry in our world generally contains only a few animals which are drawn in traditional ways (rampant, combatant, etc) and are usually restricted to royalty or high nobility.

Frankly their way probably made it easier to keep clear who were your enemies and who were friends... that's a lot harder to do when multiple companies on the field have red, yellow, or blue quartered arms bearing some complicated drawing. But, of course, eventually houses will split off enough that the complications creep in. I believe that until he renounced his marriage, Lancel had quartered the plowman of Darry on a brown field with the Lannister lion on red. For Westeros, that would have been odd looking. 

[Floki of the Ironborn]

If we're talking about symbolism in the sigils, we can't forget the most obvious one. House Umber's colour is red, depicting either bloodshed, bloodlust, violence, or hot temperedness, all of which suit the Umbers. And there's the angry giant wearing broken chains, which we can all assume is foreshadowing for Greatjon's role in the last two books.

[The WolfSpider]

Yes hopefully the Greatjon does play a huge part in the rest of the series. Love that guy! 

Applying the symbolism of the colors to Littlefinger yields an interesting tidbit. Silver mockingbirds indicating altruism and the ability to sing whatever song is needed to accomplish his goals. Could that be how he turns out?

Of course that sigil could just be a cover up itself.

[Floki of the Ironborn]

12 minutes ago, The WolfSpider said:

Yes hopefully the Greatjon does play a huge part in the rest of the series. Love that guy! 

Applying the symbolism of the colors to Littlefinger yields an interesting tidbit. Silver mockingbirds indicating altruism and the ability to sing whatever song is needed to accomplish his goals. Could that be how he turns out?

Of course that sigil could just be a cover up itself.

It most certainly is a cover up given that House Baelish's traditional sigil is much different.

[The WolfSpider]

That or a departure from his forebears, yes. I'd like to believe the latter in all honesty but it's hard.

[Grissom]

10 hours ago, WhitewolfStark said:

Heraldry is often a mishmash of meanings. Sometimes the heraldry holds personal meaning to its holder, other times it's Christian meaning, and still other times it's a reference to family history or even a kind of rude "map" of the family estate. Often times expect for there to be canting involved (i.e. for example the royal arms of Castile is a castle, and the royal arms of Leon is a lion). So often times heraldry will often be a pun on the bearer's last name.

Those aren't puns.

 

nvm I misread

[OuttaOldtown]

Carved weirwood face, sigil worn by Val upon her return to Castle Black, she states they were Dalla's clothes. Matches the one used by the Mystery Knight in the story of TKatLT. 

[The WolfSpider]

Do you think that signifies something more than the old gods?

[OuttaOldtown]

41 minutes ago, The WolfSpider said:

Do you think that signifies something more than the old gods?

Yes, the idea of a forgotten thought-to-be-extinct royal house is a possibility. Hints like this one suggest Val is a sort of wildling highborn:

Val stood beside him, tall and fair. They had crowned her with a simple circlet of dark bronze, yet she looked more regal in bronze than Stannis did in gold.

Interestingly that description is very similar to the crown made for Robb, bronze is the metal of the FM. There's a noticeable difference in Val & Dalla speaking, they're clearly more refined than other wildlings. I think it will be revealed that there's more to royalty beyond-the-wall than we've been led to believe.. 

[Damp Hair - The Prophet]

Looking at his sigil tells me EURON = SAURON.  Westeros beware.

[WhitewolfStark]

20 hours ago, LadyoftheNorth72 said:

Just adding, Westeros heraldry differs enormously from ours in one major way: the use of symbols which were either a play upon the name of the family, or part of a story from the family's history. For example, the Spicers using actual pepperpots, and the Boltons using the flayed man. Heraldry in our world generally contains only a few animals which are drawn in traditional ways (rampant, combatant, etc) and are usually restricted to royalty or high nobility.

Frankly their way probably made it easier to keep clear who were your enemies and who were friends... that's a lot harder to do when multiple companies on the field have red, yellow, or blue quartered arms bearing some complicated drawing. But, of course, eventually houses will split off enough that the complications creep in. I believe that until he renounced his marriage, Lancel had quartered the plowman of Darry on a brown field with the Lannister lion on red. For Westeros, that would have been odd looking. 

It's more like Martin is simply mishmashing a bunch of different real life heraldry techniques together from all different ages. For instance House Ryswell has a specific style of Bordure that's most commonly found in Scottish heraldry (which is distinct from English for those unaware--although I'm sure the person I'm quoting is aware of).

As for the play on last names and such, that's more common in the Germanic/Nordic heraldry:

Rotenhuet (Argent, a hat gules) of Silesia
Rosenparre (Azul, three roses gules upon a chevron argent) of Denmark
Swinhufvud (Azul, a swine's head nombril argent, a six-sided star middle chief Or) of Sweden

Though apparently Cornwall likes to have its own punning:

Trebarefoote (Sable, a chevron Or, three bear's paws two honor point dexter and sinister and one nombril Or)
Tremayne (Gules, three hands in a trefoil Or)

[The Fattest Leech]

6 hours ago, OuttaOldtown said:

Yes, the idea of a forgotten thought-to-be-extinct royal house is a possibility. Hints like this one suggest Val is a sort of wildling highborn:

 

Interestingly that description is very similar to the crown made for Robb, bronze is the metal of the FM. There's a noticeable difference in Val & Dalla speaking, they're clearly more refined than other wildlings. I think it will be revealed that there's more to royalty beyond-the-wall than we've been led to believe.. 

There definitely is something more to Val and Dalla. I think there is a link down in my signature that will take you to some good reading about them. To summarize a bit, there are plenty of signs they are woods witches, even in thier names. Val is probably my most favorite female character in the series and the fact that we don't know much about her or Dalla makes them more interesting. I believe she, maybe along with Mel- but not Mel solely, will be the one to bring Jon back... Probably at the ring of wierwoods where Jon took his Nights Watch vow... And then Bran can be there too. Stark family reunion in the middle of a resurrection! 

While I'm not sure if the pin she wore is her "sigil", it is definitely her link to the old gods. I think her new white wardrobe and pin may be more wedding garb attire (but that's another story).