Balfour of Balfour and Trenabie

Argent, on a chevron sable, an otter's head erased of the first. 

MANTLING - gules, doubled argent.

CREST - upon a wreath of liveries, a dexter arm in armour erect proper, the hand holding a baton in bend gules, tipped argent.

SUPPORTERS - two otters proper

MOTTO - "Fordward"

This, the original coat of arms, was almost certainly adopted by Siwarth II "cui dat Edgar rex vallem de Or at Maey pro capite Ottar Dani". Translated it means that King Edgar of Scotland gives to Siwarth the Or valley and the Isle of May in return for the head of Ottar, the Dane. It seems likely that Ottar was one of the Scandanavian allies who supported the usurper Donald Bane against his nephew,  Edgar. King Edgar, obviously a man of his time, put out his uncle's eyes and left him to rot in prison.

The otter's head has ever since appeared in the Arms of all Siwarth's legitimate descendants.

The Isle of May was in the possession of the Balfours of Monquhanny for many generations and its position guarding the entrance of the Firth of Forth probably suggested the family motto "Fordward" (in Saxon "Forthward").