Sun

Sun

Sun, (fr. soleil): this luminary is usually borne in his glory, or splendour, that is to say, with a human countenance(fr. figuré), and rays(sixteen or more), alternately straight and waves. When depicted without a face, the French blazon it ombre de soleil.

Rays of the sun, or beams, are occasionally borne singly, and so in the ancient rolls, but more frequently they are represented issuant from charges, when the term radiant, rayonné, or rayonnant is used. (See under Ray.) It is not improbable that some families have adopted it on account of the play on the name, e.g. THOMPSON, JOHNSON, &c.

Gules, the sun in his glory argent--RICHMOND.

Argent, the sun in splendour or--DELAHAY.

Or, on a pile azure, between two lions rampant combatant in base gules, the sun in splendour proper--PEARSON, co. Lincoln.

Azure, a sun in splendour or--Town of BANBURY.

Gules, two bars ermine in chief three suns in glory or--NICHOLSON, co. Down.

Azure, the sun rising from behind a bill or--HILL, Edinburgh.

Gules, an eagle displayed or looking against the sun in its splendour placed toward the dexter chief--The feudal coat of the lordship of CARDROSS.

Or, a sun gules[otherwise radiated gules]--HAYS, co. Dorset.

Per pale or and azure, sun counterchanged--ST.CLERE, Tidwell, co. Devon.

Azure, seven suns or, three, three and one--ELHAM.

Azure, on a fesse, between three goat's heads couped argent collared gules, the sun radiated or between two mascles sable--GASON, Kent[temp. Hen. VIII.].

D'or, à l'ombre de soleil d'azur--DUPONT, Languedoc.

Sun Eclipsed: the sun or moon when borne eclipsed is drawn exactly as when in his glory, or her complement, but sable.

Argent, a sun eclipsed issuing out of the dexter chief, the beams or--WELDAY, Wheelhurst.

Azure, the sun half-eclipsed[i.e. per pale, sable and or]--DYSON, co. Worcester.

See also the curious example in the insignia of the DISTILLERS' COMPANY under Distillatory.