[I found an image of it online](https://laaglandsinfo.jouwweb.be/upload/8/5/2/laaglandsinfo/boudewijn-i-de-ijzeren.large.jpg?0.38547480339184403).

The portraits were made in the 14th century, so the portrait of Baldwin I is a fantasy, but still this is the high middle ages, those portraits were expensive and full of symbolism.The painter must have had a reason to put this creature on this giant shield.

* Maybe it is a lion, but a very weird stylised one. And Baldwin 1 lived a long time before the “vlaamse leeuw” became a thing.
* It reminds me of the dragons/wyverns used by Normans or English on the Bayeux tapestry: [Snake like body, single wing, single arm curly tail.](https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-image?piurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthumbs.dreamstime.com%2Fb%2Fbattle-hastings-bayeux-tapestry-normandy-france-colorful-medieval-created-th-century-right-ad-showing-norman-conquest-238914554.jpg&sp=1647379813T9f391d02bd82e5eafedad3802a52f86055261b461544c9232ea0d8b60e161c11)
* Looking at wikipedia, it looks like a [wyvern](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyvern) but that seems to be mostly an English thing
* It also kind of looks more like a [lindworm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindworm), especially considering the high position of the arm and the lack of wings (at least they are not well defined), but lindworms are more a Scandinavian thing.

​

Anyone with knowledge about heraldry who can explain?

3 comments

  1. Okay, so it’s not much, but it’s something.

    Baldwin I was married to Judith, daughter of the king of West Francia. Judith had been married to 2 kings of Wessex before her marriage to Baldwin. Wessex is in what would be England in the 14th century, and the wyvern is an English symbol.

    Maybe it was a dig at Wessex/England. Or maybe it represented Judith in some way?

    It could be the lindworm theory as well. As a margrave, Baldwin was held responsible for keeping away Vikings. Vikings came from Scandinavia, a shield is used in battle so maybe it symbolizes the role he was given? Apparently, he did his job well and was remembered for it.

    Honestly, I’m not an expert, just an interested history student. There is a book I can access via my university if you want more info. I could go look at it and see if there’s something useful?

    Edit: I found the difference between a wyvern and a lindwurm. A wyvern walks on two limbs, while a lindwurm uses its arms to crawl forward. Now, it really looks to me like that is what the dragon-like creature on the shield is doing.

  3. According to Ferdinand van de Putte, *La chapelle des comtes de Flandre à Courtrai*:

    >La targe de bois, peinte en noir avec bordures brunes, servait à se mettre à l’abri des flèches, l’écusson représente un griffon. C’est une imitation de pareil bouclier, fesant partie de la collection de boucliers, au Musée de la Porte de Hal, à Bruxelles.

    So according to him the creature is a griffin and is just directly copied from another shield (which was not an uncommon practice back then).

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