Abraham Menahem debuted his coat of arms—topless ladies and all—in his 1594 treatise, a Torah gloss titled Minha B’lulah. Without someone to do the honors, he had taken initiative.

The "lesser" national coat of arms known as the nationalvåben, depicts the lions, lily pads and crown only. Both depict sovereignty in Denmark, but they have different uses.

The coats of arms were displayed on knights’ armor, which made forming alliances and recognizing allies easier on the battlefield. Some crests were bestowed only to the soldier and others passed ...