Y Draig Aur; A flag which was carried by Owain Glyndwr who most noticeably displayed it at Twt hill after his successes in reclaiming Welsh territory. The Wyvern is based on his privy seal.[1]
A golden wyvern is believed to have been the symbol of the medieval kingdom of Wessex
The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada). It is a popular creature in European literature, mythology, and folklore. Today, it is often used in fantasy literature and video games. The wyvern in heraldry and folklore is rarely fire-breathing, unlike four-legged dragons.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is a development of Middle Englishwyver (attested fourteenth century), from Anglo-Frenchwivre (cf. French guivre and vouivre), which originate from Latinvīpera, meaning "viper", "adder", or "asp".[3][4] The concluding "–n" had been added by the beginning of the 17th century, when John Guillim in 1610 describes the "wiverne" as a creature that "partake[s] of a Fowle in the Wings and Legs ... and doth resemble a Serpent in the Taile".[3]John Gibbon in 1682 emphasises that it "hath but two Legs".[3]
Conversely, medievalist William Sayers proposes a more complex origin for the term. He notes that the Anglo-French guivre and its Middle English derivative ceased to retain the original sense of "venomous snake" after the Latin term was re-introduced into medieval Latin, freeing them up to take an alternate meaning.[5]: 460 Adducing another meaning of wiver (this time Old English) and guivre, "light javelin",[5]: 461 and noting partial resemblances between the size and shape of javelins and snakes,[5]: 462 plus the later medieval era's increasing use of heavy armor and decreasing use of light javelins, he proposes that the concepts of "venomous snake" and "light javelin" were melded to produce a new term for a previously unimagined concept of flying snake, a kind of dragon.[5]: 463
History
A wyvern from a fourteenth-century manuscript in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth: this example has a second head at the end of its tail.
A carved wyvern on the choir stalls of Chester Cathedral in Cheshire, England, c. 1380
The concept of winged snakes, mythical creatures similar to wyverns, is common in cultures around the Mediterranean, with a notable example being the Egyptian goddess Wadjet.[6] The oldest creatures outright referred to as "winged dragons" are Helios's chariot steeds, which aid Medea.
Distinction from other dragons
Since the sixteenth century, in English, Scottish, and Irish heraldry, the key difference has been that a wyvern has two legs, whereas other dragons have four. This distinction is not commonly observed in the heraldry of other European countries, where two-legged dragon creatures are simply called dragons.[7]
In modern fiction
The wyvern frequently features in modern fantasy fiction, though its first literary appearances may have been in medieval bestiaries.[8]
A wyvern is typically depicted resting upon its legs and tail, but may be depicted with its claws in the air and only supported by its tail. On occasion, a wyvern may be depicted as wingless and with its tail nowed.[9]
A white (Argent) wyvern formed the crest of the Borough of Leicester as recorded at the heraldic visitation of Leicestershire in 1619: "A wyvern sans legs argent strewed with wounds gules, wings expanded ermine." The term "sans legs" may not imply that the wyvern was "without legs", rather than its legs are not depicted, being hidden or folded under.[10] This was adopted by the Midland Railway in 1845 when it became the crest of its unofficial coat of arms.[11] The company asserted that the "wyvern was the standard of the Kingdom of Mercia", and that it was "a quartering in the town arms of Leicester".[12] However, in 1897 the Railway Magazine noted that there appeared "to be no foundation that the wyvern was associated with the Kingdom of Mercia".[13] It has been associated with Leicester since the time of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester (c. 1278–1322), the most powerful lord in the Midlands, who used it as his personal crest.[14]
A green Wyvern stands in the emblem of the ancient and historical Umbrian city of Terni, the dragon is called by the citizens with the name of Thyrus. A sable wyvern on a white background with endorsed wings forms the coat of arms of the Tilley family.
^Hoad, T. F. (1993). English Etymology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 546. ISBN0-19-283098-8.
^ abcdSayers, William (2008). "The Wyvern". Neuphilologische Mitteilungen. 109 (4): 457–465.
^Rees, Valery (2013). From Gabriel to Lucifer: A Cultural History of Angels. London: I. B. Tauris. ISBN9780857721624.
^Dennys, Rodney (1975). The Heraldic Imagination. New York: Clarkson N. Potter. pp. 186–188. ISBN0517526298.
^A wyvern and an elephant may be found at Harley MS 3244 (dated 13th century, after c. 1236), f.39v.
^Fox-Davies, Charles (October 4, 2019). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. London: T.C. & E.C. Jack. ISBN9781858910796.
^Geoffrey Briggs, Civic & Corporate Heraldry, London 1971 C. W. Scot-Giles, Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition, London, 1953 A. C. Fox-Davies, The Book of Public Arms, London 1915
^Frederick Smeeton Williams, The Midland Railway: Its rise and progress: A narrative of modern enterprise, 1876 The Railway Magazine, Vol. 102, 1897 Dow, George (1973). Railway Heraldry: and other insignia. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN9780715358962. Clement Edwin Stretton, History of The Midland Railway, 1901
^"What is the Origin of the Leicester Wyvern?". Leicestershire History. 24 September 2012.
^"51ST OPERATIONS SUPPORT SQUADRON > Osan Air Base > Display". www.osan.af.mil.
External links
Look up wyvern in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
January 07, 2023
wyvern, other, uses, disambiguation, wyvern, vərn, sometimes, spelled, wivern, legendary, winged, dragon, that, legs, draig, flag, which, carried, owain, glyndwr, most, noticeably, displayed, hill, after, successes, reclaiming, welsh, territory, based, privy, . For other uses see Wyvern disambiguation A wyvern ˈ w aɪ v er n WY vern sometimes spelled wivern is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs 2 Y Draig Aur A flag which was carried by Owain Glyndwr who most noticeably displayed it at Twt hill after his successes in reclaiming Welsh territory The Wyvern is based on his privy seal 1 A golden wyvern is believed to have been the symbol of the medieval kingdom of Wessex The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams chiefly in the United States United Kingdom and Canada It is a popular creature in European literature mythology and folklore Today it is often used in fantasy literature and video games The wyvern in heraldry and folklore is rarely fire breathing unlike four legged dragons Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Distinction from other dragons 4 In modern fiction 5 In heraldry 6 As a logo or mascot 7 Examples 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksEtymology EditAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary the word is a development of Middle English wyver attested fourteenth century from Anglo French wivre cf French guivre and vouivre which originate from Latin vipera meaning viper adder or asp 3 4 The concluding n had been added by the beginning of the 17th century when John Guillim in 1610 describes the wiverne as a creature that partake s of a Fowle in the Wings and Legs and doth resemble a Serpent in the Taile 3 John Gibbon in 1682 emphasises that it hath but two Legs 3 Conversely medievalist William Sayers proposes a more complex origin for the term He notes that the Anglo French guivre and its Middle English derivative ceased to retain the original sense of venomous snake after the Latin term was re introduced into medieval Latin freeing them up to take an alternate meaning 5 460 Adducing another meaning of wiver this time Old English and guivre light javelin 5 461 and noting partial resemblances between the size and shape of javelins and snakes 5 462 plus the later medieval era s increasing use of heavy armor and decreasing use of light javelins he proposes that the concepts of venomous snake and light javelin were melded to produce a new term for a previously unimagined concept of flying snake a kind of dragon 5 463 History Edit A wyvern from a fourteenth century manuscript in the National Library of Wales Aberystwyth this example has a second head at the end of its tail A carved wyvern on the choir stalls of Chester Cathedral in Cheshire England c 1380 The concept of winged snakes mythical creatures similar to wyverns is common in cultures around the Mediterranean with a notable example being the Egyptian goddess Wadjet 6 The oldest creatures outright referred to as winged dragons are Helios s chariot steeds which aid Medea Distinction from other dragons EditSince the sixteenth century in English Scottish and Irish heraldry the key difference has been that a wyvern has two legs whereas other dragons have four This distinction is not commonly observed in the heraldry of other European countries where two legged dragon creatures are simply called dragons 7 In modern fiction EditThe wyvern frequently features in modern fantasy fiction though its first literary appearances may have been in medieval bestiaries 8 In heraldry Edit Wyverns supporting the arms of John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough The wyvern is a frequent charge in English heraldry and vexillology also occasionally appearing as a supporter or crest A wyvern is typically depicted resting upon its legs and tail but may be depicted with its claws in the air and only supported by its tail On occasion a wyvern may be depicted as wingless and with its tail nowed 9 A white Argent wyvern formed the crest of the Borough of Leicester as recorded at the heraldic visitation of Leicestershire in 1619 A wyvern sans legs argent strewed with wounds gules wings expanded ermine The term sans legs may not imply that the wyvern was without legs rather than its legs are not depicted being hidden or folded under 10 This was adopted by the Midland Railway in 1845 when it became the crest of its unofficial coat of arms 11 The company asserted that the wyvern was the standard of the Kingdom of Mercia and that it was a quartering in the town arms of Leicester 12 However in 1897 the Railway Magazine noted that there appeared to be no foundation that the wyvern was associated with the Kingdom of Mercia 13 It has been associated with Leicester since the time of Thomas 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester c 1278 1322 the most powerful lord in the Midlands who used it as his personal crest 14 A green Wyvern stands in the emblem of the ancient and historical Umbrian city of Terni the dragon is called by the citizens with the name of Thyrus A sable wyvern on a white background with endorsed wings forms the coat of arms of the Tilley family The arms of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries depict a wyvern symbolising disease being overcome by Apollo symbolising medicine Wyvern Zilant is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Kazan the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan As a logo or mascot EditThe wyvern is a popular commercial logo or mascot especially in Wales and what was once the West Country Kingdom of Wessex but also in Herefordshire and Worcestershire as the rivers Wye and Severn run through Hereford and Worcester respectively A local radio station was formerly called Wyvern FM Vauxhall Motors had a model in its range in the 1950s called the Wyvern The Westland Wyvern was a British single seat carrier based multi role strike aircraft built by Westland Aircraft that served in the 1950s seeing active service in the 1956 Suez Crisis The wyvern is a frequent mascot of athletic teams colleges and universities particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States and is the mascot of the Korea Baseball Organization team SK Wyverns established in 2000 King s College within the University of Queensland and the Japanese basketball team the Passlab Yamagata Wyverns of the Japanese B League The wyvern is also the mascot of the 51st Operations Support Squadron at Osan Air Base with the motto breathin fire 15 A wyvern is depicted on the unit crest of the USAF 31st Fighter Wing A wyvern is featured on the club crests of both Leyton Orient F C and Carlisle United F C A wyvern is featured as the team mascot for Woodbridge College in Woodbridge Ontario Canada A wyvern is the mascot of Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester Massachusetts A wyvern is the logo of LLVM the compiler infrastructure project A wyvern is the logo of the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt A wyvern is the emblem of East London Rugby Football Club Wyvern is the a nickname of a fictional aircraft in the Ace Combat series the X 02 Wyvern A Wyvern is the emblem of Old Wesley R F C Examples Edit Arms of Sophie Countess of Wessex A wyvern fighting with a wolf relief Trento Cathedral Italy Arms of Midland Railway at Derby station bearing in crest a wyvern sans legs Municipal arms of Terni Italy Wyverns as supporters in the coat of arms of the Portuguese House of Braganza 43rd Wessex Infantry Division insignia World War II US Army 3rd Infantry Division has a wyvern on its emblem The insignia is worn as a unit badge by members of the division s command The flag of the former Duchy of Masovia Wyvern atop the crest of Dr Thomas Kingsbury Fellow of the King and Queen s College of Physicians Ireland 1742 Flag of Tregor BrittanySee also Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wyverns Listen to this article 4 minutes source source This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 27 August 2005 2005 08 27 and does not reflect subsequent edits Audio help More spoken articles Basilisk Cockatrice European dragon Lindworm White dragonReferences Edit Seal impression Owain Glyn Dwr Privy seal Museum Wales Retrieved 2022 09 19 Wyvern Definition of Wyvern by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico com also meaning of Wyvern Lexico Dictionaries English Archived from the original on November 12 2020 a b c wyvern n Oxford English Dictionary Online ed Oxford University Press Subscription or participating institution membership required Hoad T F 1993 English Etymology Oxford Oxford University Press p 546 ISBN 0 19 283098 8 a b c d Sayers William 2008 The Wyvern Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 109 4 457 465 Rees Valery 2013 From Gabriel to Lucifer A Cultural History of Angels London I B Tauris ISBN 9780857721624 Dennys Rodney 1975 The Heraldic Imagination New York Clarkson N Potter pp 186 188 ISBN 0517526298 A wyvern and an elephant may be found at Harley MS 3244 dated 13th century after c 1236 f 39v Fox Davies Charles October 4 2019 A Complete Guide to Heraldry London T C amp E C Jack ISBN 9781858910796 Geoffrey Briggs Civic amp Corporate Heraldry London 1971C W Scot Giles Civic Heraldry of England and Wales 2nd edition London 1953A C Fox Davies The Book of Public Arms London 1915 Cuthbert Hamilton Ellis The Midland Railway 1953 Frederick Smeeton Williams The Midland Railway Its rise and progress A narrative of modern enterprise 1876The Railway Magazine Vol 102 1897Dow George 1973 Railway Heraldry and other insignia Newton Abbot David and Charles ISBN 9780715358962 Clement Edwin Stretton History of The Midland Railway 1901 The Railway Magazine Vol 102 1897 What is the Origin of the Leicester Wyvern Leicestershire History 24 September 2012 51ST OPERATIONS SUPPORT SQUADRON gt Osan Air Base gt Display www osan af mil External links Edit Look up wyvern in Wiktionary the free dictionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wyvern amp oldid 1129895702, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
