Wyvern folklore is rarely fire-breathing like the four-legged dragon. Sometimes modern fantasy book and media authors have wyverns that are frost-breathing or poison-breathing instead of fire-breathing. The current spelling "wyvern" is not attested before the seventeenth century as "winged two-footed dragon". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is an alteration of Middle English "wyver" (attested thirteenth century), from Anglo-French "wivre" (cf. French "guivre" and "vouivre"), which originate from Latin "vīpera", meaning "viper", "adder", or "asp". Conversely, medievalist William Sayers proposes a more complex origin for the term. He notes that the Anglo-French "guivre" and its Middle English derivative ceased to
Danish heraldry Danish heraldry Danish heraldry has its roots in medieval times when coats of arms first appeared in Europe. Danish heraldry is a branch of the German-Nordic heraldic tradition. The tinctures and metals used in Danish heraldry are the same as in other European heraldic traditions. The tinctures gules, azure and sable are most common with vert and purpure being less common and furs very rare. Danish heraldry use the same divisions as are common in other heraldic traditions. The most simple charge is the division of the field by a straight line. These divisions are called "skjolddelinger" (lit. divisions of