Fountain (heraldry)

A fountain is depicted like this in heraldry. A roundel barry wavy Argent and Azure.

This charge, seen in continental heraldry (above, used in a Portuguese communal coat of arms), must be called a naturalistic fountain in English blazons

Fountain or syke is in the terminology of heraldry a roundel depicted as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure, that is, containing alternating horizontal wavy bands of silver (or white) and blue.

Because the fountain consists equally of parts in a metal and a colour, its use is not limited by the rule of tincture as are the other roundels. The fountain may be made in any heraldic tinctures, but unless otherwise stated, it is silver/white and blue.

If the blazon of a coat of arms contains the word fountain, it is not a natural, water-gushing fountain which should be depicted but a roundel like this.

Syke, an alternative name for fountain, is a Northern English dialect word for "well"^[1] and features on the canting arms of the Sykes family.^[2]

Examples

• 
  The arms of former town of Anjalankoski, Finland
• 
  The canting arms of Fontenay-le-Fleury, France, displays a fountain in gold and red and fleurs-de-lis
• 
  The canting arms of Il-Fontana, Malta
• 
  Arms of County Leitrim, Ireland, with three fountains

References