head

The heads of humans and other animals are frequently occurring charges in heraldry. The blazon, or heraldic description, usually states whether an animal's head is couped (as if cut off cleanly at the neck), erased (as if forcibly ripped from the body), or cabossed (turned affronté without any of the neck showing). Human heads are often described in much greater detail, though some of these are identified by name with little or no further description. Forms of display Heads may appear: cabossed (also caboshed or caboched): with the head cleanly separated from the neck so that only the face shows couped: with the neck cleanly separated from the body so that the whole head and neck are present erased: with the neck showing a ragged edge as if forcibly torn from the body. Heads that are couped or erased face dexter unless otherwise specified for differencing. Heads of horned beasts are often shown cabossed to display the horns, but instances can be found in any of these circumstances. Cabossed