Helmet (heraldry)

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  Open or barred helmet, reserved for members of the nobility
• 
  Closed or tilting helm, used by medieval knights, also adopted by English esquires and gentlemen, as well as on burgher arms

The usage of heraldic helmets in Britain is as follows: gold helmet with bars for the royal family; silver helmet with gold bars for peers; steel helmet with gold bars for the non-peerage Scottish feudal baron; open steel helmet shown affronté for knights and baronets; steel tournament helm for Scottish clan chiefs; closed steel helmet for esquires and gentlemen.[11]

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  Monarch and family
• 
  Peer
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  Baronet or Knight
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  Esquire or Gentleman

The norms of Russian heraldry regarding helmets diverge greatly from the Western European tradition. Alongside the traditional Western open helmet (silver with gold details for titled nobility, steel with gold details for everyone else), as well as the closed helmet sometimes granted by the state, "ethnic" helmets were also in use, not found anywhere else. From the 19th century onwards, ancient Russian families began to use the yerikhonka, the "cap of Jericho", a medieval conical Slavic helmet similar to the Middle Eastern shishak. These followed their own color system, not corresponding with the use of tinctures for Western helmets: non-titled nobles would use a steel yerikhonka with silver details, barons and counts steel with golden details, knyaz families silver with golden details. The House of Romanov itself used a unique yerikhonka called the helmet of Alexander Nevsky, based on the royal helmet of Michael I (once mistakenly believed to have belonged to Alexander Nevsky, hence the name). Asian noble families non-Slavic origin who were integrated in the Empire were also allowed an ethnic helmet, usually a misyurka, similar to the yerikhonka in shape but rounder and with an obtuse tip. [12]

In the modern Russian Federation, the Russian Heraldic Council allows both Western and ethnic helmets (called sheloms in modern Russian heraldic language), but only in their simplest forms, and stripped of any details that may be perceived as symbols of nobility. For Western helmets, this means using commoner kettle hats as opposed to the more aristocratic open and close helmets, while sheloms are to be used without nasal bars, cheekpieces, or neck guards, which were sometimes found on older "ethnic" helmets. On the other hand, a commoner helmet may be complemented with a mail coif below. All colors except for steel are forbidden, with the exception of the lining, for which other tinctures may be used (purpure is recommended). However, none of these restrictions apply to direct descendants of old Russian aristocracy, who can use the same helmets as their ancestors alongside the rest of their family arms. [13]

Both in Imperial and republican Russian heraldry, the direction of the helmet plays no role: whether the helmet is portrayed affronty or turned to the right depends on the shape of the crest.

• 
  Open Western helmet: coat of arms of the Pushkin family.
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  Closed Western helmet: coat of arms of the Skornyakov family.
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  Aristocratic yerikhonka: lesser coat of arms of the Russian Empire.
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  Aristocratic misyurka: coat of arms of the Kazakh Chingis family.
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  Commoner ethnic helmet: coat of arms of Vladimir Kopelev, knight of the For Merit to the Fatherland order.
• 
  Commoner Western helmet: coat of arms of Nikolai Likhachev, citizen of Peterhof.

In Canadian heraldry, helmets play a little role and are not blazoned; therefore, the armiger can display their helm in whatever style they choose. One notable example of a non-traditional helmet used in Canadian heraldry is the arms of Julie Payette, a former governor general of Canada, which bears an astronaut's helmet as the helm.[14] Other examples include nasal helmets,[15] Corinthian helmets,[16] parka hoods,[17] and United Nations peacekeeping helmets.[18]

• 
  The armorial achievement of Julie Payette notably features an astronaut helmet, which would be considered nontraditional in most other heraldic traditions.

In Belgian heraldry, barred helms are most commonly used, and are not reserved for the nobility like in some jurisdictions. They most often have gold bars, as well as a gold collar and trim. They are often lined and attached.[19]

• 
  Barred helm with gold bars, collar, and trim.
• 
  All silver barred helm.
• 
  Jousting or tourney helms are sometimes also used, but are rarer. They are the only alternative accepted by the Council of Heraldry and Vexillology to the barred helmet.[20]

In the Roman Catholic Church, clerics entitled to a coat of arms use a galero instead of a helmet, which is considered too belligerent for men in holy orders.

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  Galero gules with fifteen tassels per side, used by cardinals in place of a helmet (and patriarchal cross)
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  Galero vert with ten tassels per side, used by archbishops in place of a helmet (and patriarchal cross)
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  Galero vert with six tassels per side, used by bishops in place of a helmet (and single-barred cross)
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  Galero sable with one tassel per side (and blank shield), used by armigerous priests in place of a helmet

In the same way, clerics of the Anglican Communion entitled to a coat of arms use a similar black hat in place of a helmet.

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  Hat sable with cords purpure and three tassels per side, used by Anglican archdeacons in place of a helmet
• 
  Hat sable with cords purpure and three tassels gules per side, used by Anglican deans in place of a helmet
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  Hat sable with three tassels gules per side, used by Anglican canons in place of a helmet
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  Hat sable with cords sable and argent and one tassel sable per side, used by Anglican priests in place of a helmet