Wyvern
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A wyvern (or wivern) (IPA:waɪvərn) is a winged reptilian legendary creature often found in medieval heraldry. Its usual blazon is statant (standing). The wyvern is a type of dragon with two legs and two wings. [1] The rest of its appearance can vary, such as appearing with a tail spade or with a serpent-like tail.
Variants of the wyvern include the sea-wyvern, which has a fish-like tail. The wyvern is similar to another mythical creature, the cockatrice, which is similar to the basilisk.[citation needed]
Wyverns have been described as the one of the larger forms of dragon, so large that they prey on such creatures as elephants and rhinocerosses.[citation needed] Stories about the wyvern are very similar to those about the legendary Arabian bird, the roc.[citation needed]
Cryptozoology
Some Cryptozoologists have therorized that Wyverns are evidence of surviving Pterosaurs, but like similar theories about dragons, there is no evidence aside from accounts of surviving pterosaurs in remote areas such as the Kongamato in Africa.[citation needed]
Wyvern and Symbolisms
In heraldry, the wyvern represents pestilence, conquest, or other such ideas.[citation needed] The wyvern also symbolises strength, power and endurance.
The portmanteau word "Wyvern" is associated with the area of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, as the rivers Wye and Severn run through Hereford and Worcester respectively. Therefore, the wyvern is often used as a mascot in that area. For example, one of the local radio stations is called Wyvern FM, and its first logo, in 1982, featured a wyvern dragon.
- Is on the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the U.S. 37th Armor Regiment.
- A golden wyvern was featured on the flag of Wessex and is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
- 43 'Wessex' brigade of the British Army have a golden wyvern as their symbol, worn on the left shoulder of the uniform.
- The wyvern was the emblem of the rulers of Mercia and was adopted by the Leicester and Swannington Railway and later by the Midland Railway, which ran in Great Britain until 1923. The Midland Railway Centre in Derbyshire, England, publishes a magazine for its members called The Wyvern.
- A pair of wyverns appear on the crest of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
- A wyvern appears on the crest of Queen's College (University of Melbourne).
- A pair of wyverns appear on the club crest of Leyton Orient Football Club (based in East London), who play in the Football League 1.
- A red wyvern rampant is the school mascot of Saint Francis High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
- A wyvern adorns the crest of Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity.
- The Wyvern is the mascot for Kingswood-Oxford School
- Wyvern is the name of the building that houses A Squadron (University of St. Andrews), Tayforth University Officers Training Corps.
Wyverns in popular culture
References
- ^ Pennick, Nigel (1997). Dragons of the West. Capall Bann Publishing
External links
