Heraldry in Westarctica

A developing Westarctican tradition

Westarctican heraldry began with a strong British influence, reflecting the model used for the peerage. It also welcomed features from other heraldic traditions. Antarctic animals, ice, snow, and the nation’s honors gradually gave the designs a more distinctive local vocabulary.

The early work of Ellsworth King of Arms included the production of letters patent for peerage titles. Under the second King of Arms, the Baron of Abele, the development of personal arms and institutional heraldry became a more explicit focus. The College formally launched in 2020 and reopened under the Count of Krigsvold in 2025.

The published heraldic guidelines mix requirements for approval with conventions for design. Their historical account should be read alongside the later succession of the office.

Approval & entitlement

Arms must be approved by the Sovereign or a designated representative before entry in the register. The published guidelines extend entitlement to arms to members of the peerage and Westarctican orders.

Other Westarcticans may request new arms or registration of an independently created design. These requests are considered individually, and amendments to the design or its components may be required before approval. Entitlement to a coat of arms does not by itself settle entitlement to every external ornament.

For a new grant, consult Obtaining arms. The armorial identifies the recorded act for each entry, including confirmations and the confirmation of inherited quarterings.

The rule of tincture

The conventional preference for color on metal and metal on color remains useful for contrast and legibility. Westarctican practice treats it as a guideline, allowing designs that depart from it.

A design’s use of a particular combination of tinctures should therefore be assessed in the context of its approved blazon. Applying another tradition’s rules mechanically can misread the design choices recorded here.

Supporters

The published guidelines provide supporters for princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses, marquises, and counts and countesses. They also recognize entitlement for knights and dames of the Orca and of Westarctica, with further cases left to the Sovereign.

Supporters often contribute strongly to an achievement’s identity. In the register, the Duke of Waite’s polar bear and Adélie penguin accompany a tree-bearing shield; the Duke of Gierloff’s two elephants frame an iceberg and palm tree. Each is described in the record.

Examine the Waite Achievement →

Helms, crests & mantling

Westarctica does not prescribe a fixed system of helmet styles. English conventions are sometimes followed, while the choice of helm is generally treated as a matter of preference.

Crests are described separately from the shield. A crest may echo a charge on the shield or introduce another idea. The wreath, chapeau, or other mount beneath it is recorded where specified.

Mantling is optional and common. It usually reflects prominent tinctures in the arms, while remaining an area for artistic treatment. The national guidelines distinguish that treatment from the formal particulars that must be recorded.

Local identity in the achievement

Blue caps within coronets, an order’s encircling device, and blue sashes on supporters are among the features associated with Westarctican rank and honors. Their use is explained in Coronets & orders.

Penguins, orcas, krill, icebergs, and snowflakes offer a wider visual vocabulary. The symbolism reference distinguishes the published associations from what can actually be established about a particular bearer’s design.