Many characters in the Girl Genius comics wear or display badges. The badges are used as cloak clasps, lockets, or other clothing. Badges are also seen on machinery to identify the owner or owning House. The use of badges in these manners is an old heraldic practice, and many our-world examples can be found throughout history.
Note that the gas connector ring ✣ Gil slides onto Agatha's ring finger has the badge stamped into the band — as she looks at it, she remarks, "You guys really do sign everything, don't you?"
Many badges are seen with and without wings. The significance of the wings has been discussed, but no consensus has been reached.
| Description | Emblazon | Significance | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trilobite | 
|
House Heterodyne | First seen as worn ✣ by Agatha Clay/Heterodyne |
| Trilobite with wings | 
|
House Heterodyne | Worn ✣ by Agatha Heterodyne |
| Castle | 
|
House Wulfenbach | Seen on Schloss Wulfenbach ✣ in flashback. (See also: Comments on possible badge origin) |
| Castle with wings | 
|
House Wulfenbach | Worn ✣ by Klaus Wulfenbach and later by Gilgamesh Wulfenbach. |
| Castle with wings and upper triangle |   |
House Wulfenbach | Worn ✣ only by Klaus Wulfenbach, never worn by Gil, or staff for that matter. |
| Greek Key pattern | 
|
House as yet to be revealed. | Worn ✣ by Gilgamesh Wulfenbach who replaces it later with the House Wulfenbach sigil. |
| Sun with rays leading down, resembling an Egyptian 'Aten' |   |
Skiffandrian Royal House | On the throne ✣ of the Warrior Queen of Skifander, later also worn by Queen Albia of England when she changes into a Skifandrian Queen ✣ . |
| Triangular tower with eye (Eye of Providence) | 
|
On bridge ✣ leading to Passholdt. | |
| Triangular tower with eye with wings | 
|
Worn by Duke ✣ in the Refuge of Storms. | |
| Lightning Bolt | 
|
House of Blitzengaard | Worn by Martellus Von Blitzengaard ✣ as a circlet, also seen briefly on Vanamonde's nameless assistant ✣ |
| Beetle (Scarab) | 
|
House of Beetle | Worn ✣ by Tarsus Beetle |
| Sword through gear, (the sword may possibly represent Archimedes' Lever) | 
|
House Sturmvoraus | Worn by members of House Sturmvoraus ✣ |
| Sword through gear with wings, (the sword may possibly represent Archimedes' Lever) | 
|
House Sturmvoraus | Worn by Sturmhalten troops ✣ , Aaronev Sturmvoraus, Prince of Sturmhalten ✣ , Tarvek Sturmvoraus ✣ , Martellus and Xerxsephnia von Blitzengaard ✣ , Lady Margarella Selnikov ✣ . Also on a mirror ✣ in The Refuge of Storms. Anevka Sturmvoraus appears not to wear one. |
| A fess between three heraldic roses. The tinctures are unclear, but seem to be Tudor-style double roses with a 'metal' (white/silver or yellow/gold) horizontal stripe between. |
|
Von Bode | Plate ✣ taken from a Spider Clank |
| Two fish around a globe (naiant in annulo) |
|
House Mongfish | Fictional walking fish clank ✣ , Von Pinn's watch ✣ |
| Fleur-de-lis | 
|
House of the Storm King, Van Rijn's Muses | Knights of Jove ✣ , Fictional Storm King ✣ , Muses ✣ , Andronicus Valois ✣ , Van Rijn ✣ . |
| Union Flag on an oval. | 
|
House of Queen Albia of England | Seen worn by Ardsley Wooster post Time-skip, by Hippocrates Brunel, by Trelawney Thorpe, by various servants of Queen Albia and by the Queen ✣ herself. |
| Open hand with 'all seeing' eye in the centre. | 
|
House of Du Quay | Seen worn by Du Quay himself ✣ , and his very brief servant, Drusus Beausoleil. |
| An open book. | 
|
The Librarians of the The Incorruptible Republic of the Immortal Library of the Grand Architect | Worn by various Library staff including Aldin ✣ Hoffman. |
| Four spheres joined in a circle. | 
|
House of Voltaire, Master of Paris. | Worn by Simon Voltaire, his daughter Colette Voltaire, the servants of the Master of Paris, and members of his vast family. Also briefly on the head ✣ of Anevka Sturmvoraus (but they may be jewels). |
| Rising sun with stylised clouds set within solar rays. | 
|
House of the Queen of the Dawn | Worn by the Geister Madame Velix ✣ , seen all over the Queens' personal Dirigible ✣ and servants. |
