Topór coat of arms
Topór (Polish for "axe") is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several "szlachta" (noble) families in medieval Poland and under the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. History. The topór coat of arms is said to be one of the oldest Polish szlachta emblems, if not the oldest. Its use dates back to at least as far as a seal of the late 13th century. Before the Union of Horodło (1413) approximately 220 Polish szlachta families - mostly in and around Kraków, Lublin and Sandomierz - used this symbol. Under the Union the coat of arms was represented  by Maciej z Wąsocza, the Voivod of Kraków, and by Jan Butrym, a Lithuanian boyar who represented Lithuanian noble families. After the union another 150 families in Lithuania adopted the topór coat of arms. Due to its antiquity it was sometimes referred to as ""Starża"", an Old-Polish word denoting great age. Blazon. Gules, axe argent. The crest is in the form of an axe embedded in the helm, argent. In Latin: "(Topor). Thopor siue Bipennis alba in campo rubeo (...)" Notable bearers. Notable bearers of this coat of arms have included: Gallery. Aristocratic variations Standard variations Coat of arms of  cities and gminas Coat of arms with the topór symbol Paintings with the coat of arms topór Other