Odrowąż is a Polish coat of arms of probably Moravian origin. It was used by many noble families known as szlachta in Polish in medieval Poland and later under the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, branches of the original medieval Odrowążowie family as well as families connected with the Clan by adoption. History Okolski tells that the progenitor of this clan cut off both halves of the moustache of an adversary at a jousting match, and the flesh with it, with the arrow. Bogdan Balbin in notes to Epitome "Rerum Bohemicarum" [Summary of Bohemian Affairs], chapter 15, calls the arms of the Odrowaz family Sagitta circumflexa ["bent arrow"], and adds that some of the earliest houses in Bohemia bore these arms, of whom Tobias was Bishop of Prague, during the times of Premysl Otakar II. In German the arms are known as a "Bartausreisser" Blazon Arms: Gules, an arrow in pale point to chief, the base double sarcelled and counter embowed, Argent. Out of a crest coronet a panache of peacock plumes proper, charged with the arms in fess. The shield is red, upon which is a silver arrow pointing upward, and the bottom is divided and curved on both ends. Out of a helmeted crown is a display of peacock plumes, upon which can be seen lying on its side the device as pictured on the shield. The tinctures (colors) are: azure = blue; gules = red; sable = black; or = gold; argent = silver; vert = green. In heraldry all charges (pictures) on a shield are assumed to be facing dexter (right side). Notable bearers Notable bearers of this coat of arms include: House of Odrowąż Jacek Odrowąż Czesław Odrowąż Iwo Odrowąż Jan Odrowąż from Sprowa Zofia Odrowąż Stanisław Odrowąż Andrzej Odrowąż Joachim Chreptowicz Eugen Ritter von Sypniewski-Odrowaz Sypniewski Bonifacius Sypniewski Stanisław Sypniewski Feliks Sypniewski Felicjan Sypniewski Jan Chryzostom Pieniążek House of Szydłowiecki Jakub Szydłowiecki Elżbieta Szydłowiecka Krzysztof Szydłowiecki Zofia Szydłowiecka Piotr Wysocki Maciej Szukiewicz Wojciech Szukiewicz Władysław Starewicz Zygmunt Pacanowski Gallery See also Polish heraldry Heraldic family List of Polish nobility coats of arms Bibliography Tadeusz Gajl: Herbarz polski od średniowiecza do XX wieku : ponad 4500 herbów szlacheckich 37 tysięcy nazwisk 55 tysięcy rodów. L&L, 2007. . External links Odrowaz Coat of Arms and the bearers References Polish coats of arms