Everything about Wyvern totally explained
A
wyvern (or
wivern) is a
legendary winged
reptilian creature often found in
medieval heraldry. Its usual
blazon is
statant (standing). Its origin is in Europe.
The name "wyvern" derived from the
Saxon word
Wivere, which means "serpent". The French wyvern is known as the Vouivre. Both words are etymologically related to
viper.
The wyvern is regarded as a type of
dragon. Depictions often include two legs and two wings. Sometimes there are eagle's claws on the wingtips. The rest of its appearance can vary, such as appearing with a tail spade or with a serpent-like tail.
Variants of the wyvern include the sea-wyvern, which has a fish-like tail. The wyvern has a similar appearance to another mythical creature, the
cockatrice.
Heraldry and symbolism
Wyverns can symbolise envy, war, pestilence, and viciousness.
However, they're common in
heraldry. The wyverns' symbolism is nobler in this aspect. Wyverns have been depicted in heraldry on shields and banners for hundreds of years. They are a sign of strength to those who bear the symbol. They also symbolise power and endurance.
Stephen Friar speculates that the wyvern entered British heraldry as the standard of the Roman cohort and later appeared as the "burning dragon" of
Cadwalladr (the origin of the red dragon of
Wales).
The wyvern was the
emblem of the rulers of
Wessex and the word "Wyvern" is associated with the many areas of
Wessex, reflected in many county and town heraldries of the South West and west of
England. It also has been used farther afield in
Herefordshire and
Worcestershire, as the rivers
Wye and
Severn run through
Hereford and
Worcester respectively. Therefore, the wyvern is often used as a mascot in the west and south west. For example, one of the local radio stations is called
Wyvern FM, and its first
logo, in 1982, featured a wyvern dragon.
Image:Midland_arms.jpg|Wyvern crest surmounting the arms of the Midland Railway at Derby Midland railway station (see text)
Image:Lofc crest.gif|Wyverns in the emblem of Leyton Orient F.C., (based in East London)
Image:Dragon logo wikipedia.gif|The "dragon" in the logo of the Dragon School, Oxford, is what would now be described as a wyvern
Other British
- A golden wyvern was featured on the flag of King Harold Godwinson of England and is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
- The 43 (Wessex) Division in WW1 and WW2 and latterly the 43 (Wessex) Brigade of the British Army have a golden wyvern as their symbol, worn on the left shoulder of the uniform.
- Vauxhall had a model in its range in the 1950s called the Wyvern.
- The logo of Hummersknott School in Darlington, County Durham has this on it
- The wyvern also appears in the crest of Kingswood School, Lansdown, Bath.
Commonwealth
A wyvern appears on the crest of Queen's College (University of Melbourne).
The Wyvern sits upon the crest of King's College, University of Queensland. The all male college embraces it and each student is taught to embody the spirit of the Wyvern. This is often exampled with a cry of "All Hail the Great Wyvern". The word "Wyvern" is also used as a euphemism in many social situations.
The Wyvern also sits upon the crest of Wesley College Dublin, Ireland, and also on the shield of Wesley College, Perth (upper right-hand quarter).
The Wyvern is part of the crest of Newington College, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the preparatory schools is named Wyvern House.
United States of America
A red wyvern rampant is the school mascot of Saint Francis High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Distinctive Unit Insignia and arms of the U.S. 37th Armor Regiment are charged with a legless wyvern.
The Wyvern is the mascot for Kingswood-Oxford School.
The Wyvern Club was a club founded by several New Orleans men, which met at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans.
Cryptozoology
Some cryptozoologists have theorized that wyverns are evidence of surviving pterosaurs, a large flying reptile thought to have gone extinct around 65 million years ago. There are alleged sightings of pterosaurs in remote areas such as the Kongamato in Africa. There is no evidence to prove these hypotheses or sightings. More probable is that the discovery of fossilized skeletons of long extinct species led people to reconstruct those creatures' appearances, and prehistoric and ancient peoples wouldn't have had any reason to believe the creatures represented by the fossils were all dead.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wyvern'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://wyvern.totallyexplained.com">Wyvern Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
