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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;chrisild, post: 3139600, member: 39&quot;]That hen can still be found in the CoA of <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Wappen_Henneberg.png/211px-Wappen_Henneberg.png" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Wappen_Henneberg.png/211px-Wappen_Henneberg.png" rel="nofollow">Henneberg</a>, a small town in the German state of Thuringia. But the territory which got that name in the Middle Ages - the &quot;Grafschaft Henneberg&quot; within the Holy Roman Empire, roughly between 1100 and 1700 - was quite a bit larger of course. In fact, a few other cities or counties also have such a hen.</p><p><br /></p><p>The CoA is what in heraldry is called canting arms (armes parlantes): Henne = hen, Berg = mountain. So you see a hen on a mountain. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> Whether the &quot;Henne&quot; part is actually derived from that bird ... well, this is probably popular etymology. Might have something to do with the old word &quot;hagan&quot;, &quot;haen&quot; etc. which means something like &quot;grove&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Henneburg (&quot;hen castle&quot;) near Henneberg, the origin of that territory, is now mostly a ruin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Christian[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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