These were probably worn only in tournaments, not battle: not only did they add to the already considerable weight of the helm, they could also have been used by opponents as a handle to pull the wearer's head down. These were usually made of cloth, leather or paper over a wooden or wire framework, and were typically in the form of an animal also popular were wings, horns, human figures, and panaches of feathers. The fan crest was later developed by cutting out the figure displayed on it, to form a metal outline this evolved in the late 13th and early 14th centuries into a three-dimensional sculpture. These fans were generally of one colour, later evolving to repeat all or part of the arms displayed on the shield. These were primarily decorative, but may also have served a practical purpose by lessening or deflecting the blows of opponents' weapons (perhaps why their edges came to be serrated). They first appeared in a heraldic context in the form of the metal fans worn by knights in the 12th and 13th centuries. Crests had existed in various forms since ancient times: Roman officers wore fans of feathers or horsehair, which were placed longitudinally or transversely depending on the wearer's rank, and Viking helmets were often adorned with wings and animal heads.

The word 'crest' derives from the Latin crista, meaning 'tuft' or 'plume', perhaps related to crinis, 'hair'. Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, with fan crests displaying his arms on both his helmet and his horse's head.

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