Wyvern Wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary creature with a dragon's head and wings, a reptilian body, two legs, and a tail often ending in a diamond- or arrow-shaped tip. A sea-dwelling variant dubbed the sea-wyvern has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail. The wyvern in its various forms is important to heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada). It is a popular creature in European and British literature, video games, and modern fantasy. The wyvern in heraldry and
Lion (heraldry) to Heraldry" (1829): English heraldist Charles Boutell wrote in 1890 that the lions of England were generally termed "leopards" until the end of the 14th century, including in the roll of arms of Henry III of England, and in a statute of Edward I of England, dating to 1300, which made reference to ""signée de une teste de leopart"—marked with the King's lion." In "English Heraldry" (1867), Boutell explained: In "Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning" (1976), German heraldist Ottfried Neubecker explained: According to Neubecker, what in Old French is termed a "léopard" is always "guardant" (head turned toward the observer),