A helmet (a 15th century loan from Middle French, a diminutive of Frankish helm, from Proto-Germanic *khelmaz, PIE *kelmo- "a cover") is a form of protective clothing worn on the head and usually made of metal or some other hard substance, typically for protection of the head from falling objects or high-speed collisions.
Helmets are common in the military, construction, mining and some sports, including American football, baseball, ice hockey and rock climbing. Motorcycle helmets and bicycle helmets are co ...
As the coat of arms was originally designed to distinguish combatants on the battlefield or in a tournament, even while covered in armour, it is not surprising that heraldic elements were often also used for the decoration of knightly helmets, while it was also possible to use different elements then on the shield, but equally standardized.
Furthermore, it became common to use a helmet (or some other headgear, e.g. a crown) as part of the coat of arms, above the shield, a practice maintained long after her use in reality was ended by ...
