Ged (heraldry) explained

A ged is a heraldic term for the fish known in English as a pike.[1] [2] It is often used in "canting" coats; that is, using coats of arms to make a pun on the last name of the bearer, one of his titles, a nickname, or the name of his estate. The word ged is derived from the Old Norse Norse, Old: gaddr (spike). The Norse word is the origin of the terms for pike in the modern North Germanic languages: Swedish: gädda, Danish: gedde, Norwegian: gjedde, and the Faroese and Icelandic: gedda.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles . 1909 . A Complete Guide to Heraldry . London: T.C. & E.C. Jack . 255. 09023803.
  2. Book: Woodward, John . 1892 . A treatise on heraldry, British and foreign . Edinburgh: W. & A.K. Johnston . 694 . 02020303 . 2014-01-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071102092851/http://www.openlibrary.org/details/treatiseonherald02wooduoft . 2007-11-02 . dead .