Martlet Landing On HMS Indomitable (92)
A martlet in English heraldry is a mythical bird without feet that never roosts from the moment of its drop-birth until its death fall; martlets are proposed to be continuously on the wing. It is a compelling allegory for continuous effort, expressed in charge (heraldry), heraldic charge depicting a Style (visual arts)#Stylization, stylised bird similar to a Swift (bird), swift or a house martin, without feet. It should be distinguished from the ''merlette'' of French heraldry, which is a duck-like bird with a swan-neck and chopped-off beak and legs. The common swift rarely lands outside breeding season, and sleeps while airborne. Etymology The word "martlet" is derived from the bird known as the common house martin, martin, with the addition of the diminutive suffix "-let"; thus martlet means "little martin". The origin of the name martin is obscure, though it may refer to the festival Martinmas, which occurs around the same time martins begin their migration from Europe to Af ...
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