Martlet

It is a compelling allegory for continuous effort, expressed in heraldic charge depicting a stylised bird similar to a swift or a house martin, without feet.

[4] English heraldry uses the terms "armed" and "langued" for the teeth, claws and tongue of heraldic beasts, thus mornée might be translated as "dis-armed".

Their arms were orled (bordered) with martlets, as can be seen on the enamelled shield of the effigy of William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d.1296) in Westminster Abbey.

The French word for swallow is hirondelle, from Latin hirundo,[3] and therefore martlets have appeared in the canting arms of the ancient family of de Arundel of Lanherne, Cornwall and later of Wardour Castle.

It seems likely this bore a canting connection to the title of the Earls of Arundel (the French word for swallow is hirondelle), who were the leading county family for many centuries, or the name of their castle.

This explanation seems implausible, as the 5th and 6th sons were equally "restless", yet no apparent reference is made to this in their proper cadence mark (an annulet and fleur-de-lys respectively).

Louise Penny makes reference to the martlet in A Rule Against Murder, the fourth book in her Inspector Gamache series (see chapter 27).

Gamache discusses the four adult Morrow children with their stepfather, Bert Finney, while overlooking Lake Massawippi at the fictional Manoir Bellechasse, the site of the murder.

The fangame Undertale Yellow features an avian character named Martlet, whose strong moral code during the game's events reflect the allegorical meaning of the creature.

[10] In Wong Kar-wai's 1990 movie, Days of Being Wild, the character played by Leslie Cheung uses "the bird with no feet that flies forever and lands when it dies" as a narcissistic and romanticized analogy of his unrestrained, footloose life.