Torse
Encyclopedia
In heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helm and the base of the crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....

, from which the mantling
Mantling
In heraldry, mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of...

 hangs.

It was originally a protective pad worn under a knight's coif and helmet, covered by a pair of ribbons, of the principal tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...

s of the shield, twisted together and extended far enough down the back to be seen beneath the helmet from the rear.
The torse is sometimes mistakenly said to be the token, such as a handkerchief or sleeve, which the crusader’s lady-love gave him when he left for the wars, and which he twisted round the top of his helmet, masking the join where the crest was fixed to it. This is due greatly to its original use being lost in history as the heraldic crest became more and more stylized rather than representative of actual use.

The torse is blazoned as part of the crest. For example, the crest of the Coat of Arms of Canada
Coat of arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada is, since 1921, the official coat of arms of the Canadian monarch, and thus also of Canada...

 is blazoned On a wreath of the colours Argent and Gules, a lion passant guardant Or. Like the mantling
Mantling
In heraldry, mantling or lambrequin is drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of...

, it must be of a metal and a colour; usually the torse and the mantling are the same tinctures. In British heraldry, the torse is always of six twists of material with the metal being the first tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...

 displayed on the dexter
Dexter and sinister
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...

side, then alternating with a colour or stain.

The torse is also often used as a decoration on a heraldic animal, either wreathed across the brow (as a form of circlet), or as a wreath around the neck.
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