Cimier
The cimier is an ornament which surmounts a Casque, (Heaume). It is particularly convoluted in Héraldique, when the helmet which it embellishes is part itself of the Ornements external of the ecu. When a figure of the weapons lends itself to it, it is frequently taken again by the cimier.
The helmet at pointed top can be decorated with a plume. The helmet at flat top can be decorated in a more elaborate way, by heads and collars of animals (unicorn), or busts or members issuant, wings (wing or flight), horns, small banners,…
Initially, the cimier has a military function: he is used to grow the silhouette of his carrier for better impressing his adversary. He becomes then an ornament of parade, intended to strike imaginations of the spectators before the entry in tournament, but not to resist the test. As a military part, the cimier was abandoned after the 16th century, but survived like decorative element of the armorial bearings.
External bonds
- Definition on the heraldic site Glossary and peerage-book
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