Armorer’s anvil (Period); square anvil (Accepted)

Double-horned anvil (Acceptable); default anvil (Period)

An anvil is an iron block on which metalware is hammered into shape.  It’s a period charge, found in the arms of Wolstone, temp. Henry VI [DBA1 9].  In English heraldry, the unmodified term “anvil” refers to the armorer’s anvil [Franklyn 12]:  portable, with a spike on the bottom for fixing it in place during use.  If this form is intended in the Society, it must be explicitly blazoned.

In Society heraldry, the unmodified term “anvil” usually refers to the blacksmith’s anvil.  The number of horns, unless specified, is left to the artist; both double-horned anvils (also called “bickerns”) and single-horned anvils are documented period artifacts.  A “square anvil” is one with no horns. 

The Armorer’s Guild of Østgarðr bears:  Gules, a bend Or between a hammer bendwise and a bickern argent.

George Edward Archer bears:  Argent, three anvils sable.

Balin the Fairhaired bears:  Sable, a square anvil within an annulet Or.

Sven Gunnarsson of Fjathrundaland bears:  Argent, an armorer’s anvil sable and a chief embattled gules.

Tools are implements to help in building or making.  The term can be applied very broadly, but is usually understood to refer to the hand tools employed in industry or artisanry.

For woodworking tools, see:  adze, awl, axe, chisel, drawknife, float, gimlet, hammer, knife, plane, saw.  See also nail, square.

For metalworking tools, see:  anvil, graver, hammer, punch, tongs.

For tools involving cloth, clothing, or thread, see:  broach, drop-spindle, hempbreak, knife, loom, shears, spinning wheel.  See also comb (wool), needle, quill of yarn, shuttle, spool of thread.

For gardening or agricultural tools, see:  adze, axe, fork, harrow, hoe, plough, pruning hook, rake, scythe, sickle, spade, trowel.

For tools related to food and drink preparation, see:  brewer’s scoop, fork, frying pan, knife, mash rake, pot, spoon, strainer.  See also cleaver, oven, sieve.

For building or stoneworking tools, see:  axe, chisel, hammer, knife, level, pick, saw, trowel.  See also ladder.

For other entries, see:  brush, grozing iron, press, shave.

Smith’s tongs (Period)

Tongs are a tool for handling hot objects, having two long arms pivoted or hinged together.  They are sometimes explicitly blazoned as “smith’s tongs”; in mundane heraldry, they are also called “pincers”.  One Society example blazons them as “a pair of pliers”, but the charge is drawn the same.

Tongs are found in the canting arms (German Zange, “tongs”) of Tsenger or Zenger, c.1360 [Gelre 34].  They have their handles to base by default.

Gene the Black bears:  Bendy of eight Or and sable, a pair of tongs gules.

Gerbert Faber de Rouen bears:  Argent, in saltire a smith’s hammer and a pair of tongs, in base a square anvil sable.

John Trevor of Chinon bears:  Per chevron vert and argent, two pincers argent and a sea lion sable.

Janusch Vladescu bears:  Per bend sinister argent and gules, a pair of pliers bendwise sinister sable and an annulet argent.