I know Kvatch's was the wolf whats the reason?

Are the city symbols found on the guard uniforms/shields? Because there are a couple of guard uniforms that I don't recall seeing a symbol, just a pattern of some kind.

Anvil - N/A pattern
Bravil - Buck/Deer
Bruma - Bird of some kind, eagle or phoenix maybe
Cheydinhal - N/A pattern/weave
Chorrol - Tree
Leyawiin - Horse
Skingrad - Two facing crescent moons

EDIT: And of course, Kvatch is the wolf.


http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:City_Guard

True, quick answer: we don't know, make something up.

Completely off the wall reason: The Goldwine family was founded by General Ormellius Goldwine I when he was given a land-grant after his successful campaign in High Rock where he was nicknamed 'The Wolf of the South.'

Certainly Chorrol's sigil is a tree because of the Great Oak in the middle of the city.

Just a guess, but maybe Skingrad's moons were created by the Count to symbolize himself and his wife.

Maybe. That would mean the symbols are shortlived however if they are so personal to the current count(s).

But I think it just has to do with the two moons that we see at night. It might have some religious implications if that's the case.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the heraldry or coat of arms of whatever count/family is in power. Again, shortlived unless the count is hereditarily passed on for a while.

I thought that Skingrad's two moons were supposed to represent the two sides of the city itself.

Feudal society attached their coats of arms (the coats used by soldiers) to the lord in charge. Their coat of arms were determined usually by family/marriage but could also be determined by dramatic events in their lives.

I was thinking this too, those that aren't symbolic of the town itself (like Chorrol) are probably heraldic. The Leyawiin and Bravil ones especially.

The Valgas could also be attached to Chorrol and the tree is their connection to the city.

Or tradition dictates that her counts must take up the tree as their symbol. Heraldry is complicated and confusing and sometimes contradictory.

Or maybe the Count himself with his dual personality. His name Janus which means "Two-faced; hypocritical; two-sided."

Or maybe all of Skingrad is reflective of the two-faced god.

In other words. Janus. Which means what I said above. Which is also a god that is two-faced. Much like Janus whom poses as a human but is truly a vampire. The crescent moons holds meaning.

Yep, but I'd say that being two-sided/two-faced is just Skingrad's theme. Two sides of the city, crescent moons, two-faced count, two wineries. It's just the theme beth ran with.

I'm for this. Now, what the hell's with Anvil's crest? It looks like a line of cursors. <_<

The people of Anvil know they are just NPCs in a video game, of course!

Yeah, that one is, different. Maybe, uh, waves? Some weird ass depiction of a fleet? That thing just looks like the product of a bored employee.

Whatever it is, it's ass. No offense, if their flag is anyone's heraldry.

French Heraldry has a lot of specialized symbols in it. It's where we get the Fleur de Lis. A quick search http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:COA_fr_BRE.svg, the coat of arms for Brittany. Who knows what it actually means, but it does certainly look like an image rip off. Maybe it's proof that Anvil is based on French influences!

Good hunch! I never considered a french connection.

That's called "ermine". It's a representation of the fur of the stoat weasel, highly prized in the Middle Ages as an expensive symbol of the high nobility and royalty (who, of course, were the only ones able to afford clothing made from the fur of such a small animal). For the dukes of Bretagne, it was a symbol of their status as an independent duchy - thus rich and sovereign enough to wear ermine even though they were "only" dukes. One didn't generally use a charge like the Anvil coat-of-arms does, though, much less a charge of ermine which was usually used like the Bretagne coat of arms - not as a charge but as a part of the field.

I'm liking the heraldry/coat-of-arms explanation. At first I also thought it might have something to do with the particular God chosen in each city to devote the chapel to.