BEND (HERALDRY)

In heraldry, a 'bend' is a colored band that runs from the upper right (from the point of view of a person bearing the shield) corner of the shield to the lower left. Writers differ in how much of the field they say it covers; most say approximately one-fifth, but some say it covers one-third if itself charged. Although the theory that the bend may occupy one-third of the field is usually seen as excluding the possibility of three bends (though this is often ignored on the Continent), there are contrary examples.[1]
A 'bend sinister' is a bend which runs in the other direction to a bend. As the shield would have been carried with the design facing outwards from the bearer, the bend sinister would slant in the same direction a sash worn diagonally on the left shoulder; ''sinister'' coming from the Latin and meaning ''left''.
The diminutives (the name of the charge if it is smaller) of the bend are (in descending order) the bendlet, the garter (which if charged can only be charged with flowers or foils), the cottice (which can only be borne on either side of a bend), and the ribband. The diminutive of the bend sinister (in England) is the ''skarpe'' or ''skarfe''.
'In bend' refers to the appearance of several items on the shield being lined up in the direction of a bend.
A charge ''bendwise'' is slanted like a bend. (When a charge is placed on a bend, by default it is bendwise.)
A shield 'party per bend' is divided into two parts by a single line which runs in the direction of a bend.
The equivalent terms can be constructed for bends sinister.