Search Results for: branch

Wreath

Torse in annulo (Period)

Laurel wreath (Period/Reserved)

A wreath is a circlet worn on the head. In mundane heraldry, the term refers to the twisted band of cloth holding a fighter’s mantling onto his helmet. Such a charge is called a “torse” in Society heraldry, and is normally shown as a full circle (i.e., in annulo), as found in the arms of de Torquato, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 270:823].

The term “wreath” in Society heraldry refers to a circlet of foliage, usually with leaves alone, but sometimes with flowers. (This would be termed a “chaplet” in mundane blazonry, more on which below.) Laurel wreaths are the most common form in Society heraldry, being required in (and reserved to) the arms of each territorial branch. They are also a period charge, found in the arms of von Lenberg, 1605 [Siebmacher 90]. In mundane armory, laurel wreaths were almost always drawn in an annular form (full circle), but we also find examples drawn in a penannular form (with a small opening to chief); Society armory typically uses the penannular form.

Other foliage may likewise be used to make wreaths, so long as they can be distinguished from the reserved laurel wreath. The oak wreath is found in the canting arms of Schöneiche, 1605 [Siebmacher 50]; Society armory also has examples of holly wreaths and rosemary wreaths.

Chaplets of roses (German and English) (Period/Reserved)

Mundane blazon uses the term “chaplet” to denote a circle of foliage; when the unmodified term “chaplet” is used, it refers to a closed annular wreath of flowers (typically roses). The classic heraldic chaplet dates from 1298, in the arms of FitzWilliam [ANA2 230]; it has four flowers in cross. Four is the usual number of flowers for the heraldic chaplet in England; chaplets with six flowers are found in German heraldry, such as in the canting arms of Rossenhart, c.1450 [Ingeram 24; also the arms of Thastner, mid-16th C., NW 45]. These chaplets were drawn with no foliage, being essentially annulets overlain with roses, but there are period examples of chaplets with both roses and leaves, as in the arms of von Houwald, early 16th C. [BSB Cod.Icon 392d:624]. The illustrations show a chaplet of roses in the German style and in the English style.

The chaplet may also be called a “garland” for canting purposes, as in the arms of Garlond, 1347 [DBA4 459]. In the early days of the Society, a “garland” would have many flowers conjoined in annulo with little or no foliage; a “rose chaplet” would have four roses in cross; a “rose wreath” would have multiple roses, separated by rose leaves. This distinction (such as it was) between chaplets, garlands, and flowered wreaths is granted no heraldic difference, and indeed is often ignored by artists.

Chaplet of thorn (Period)

Joscelyn (Period)

There are special terms for some types of wreaths and chaplets. A “chaplet graminy” is made of grass, with no flowers; it’s found in the arms of Goodall, 1612 [Parker 102]. A “chaplet of thorn” is woven of thorny branches, as shown on the head of Christ crucified; it’s found in the canting arms of Thornton, c.1525 [DBA2 486]. A “joscelyn” is a torse with four hawk’s bells, radiating from the outer edge; some sources [e.g., Franklyn 188] say the bells are in cross by default, but period examples of its use show the bells in saltire, as in the canting arms of Thomas Joselyn, mid-16th C. [BSB Cod.Icon 291:102. Cf. also Josellyn, of Essex, c.1520; DBA4 458].

In Society armory, rose wreaths (chaplets, garlands, &c) are reserved to the arms of Queens, Princesses, and Royal Peers. Tradition grants rose wreaths (many flowers) to Queens, and rose chaplets (four flowers) to Princesses; but this is not mandatory, has never been strictly adhered to, and is left to the bearer’s discretion.

For related charges, see crown, slip.

The Society for Creative Anachronism bears: Or, a laurel wreath vert.

The Order of the Rose bears: A wreath of roses.

The Order of the Laurel bears: A laurel wreath.

The Baron of South Downs bears: Per pale sable and azure, a laurel wreath argent.

Noe College bears: Sable, three laurel wreaths Or.

The Order of the Coill’s Bells, of the Barony of Nottinghill Coill, bears: A joscelyn wreathed Or and vert with six bells Or.

Rosemary of Talmont bears: Azure, a rosemary wreath proper between three mullets of six points argent.

Corwin Blackthorn bears: Or, a chaplet of thorns sable.

Diana Wynn bears: Vert, an oak wreath fructed argent.

Ismenia Joslyn Wyndameer bears: Azure, on a pile bendwise inverted throughout argent a torse in annulo azure and Or.

Tree

A tree is a large plant, with a main wooden trunk branching into foliage at the top. Its “proper” coloration is with green leaves and brown trunk. A tree “fructed” is bearing fruit, whose color may be specified; the fructing may also be considered artistic license, and added to a tree whether blazoned so or not.

Oak tree (Period)

Pine tree couped (Period)

In heraldic art, the tree’s leaves and fruit may be drawn much larger than in naturalistic art. Early examples, such as the canting arms (German Eich, “oak”) of von Eyck, c.1360 [Gelre 32v] show a very simplified and stylized form of tree. Later depictions, such as the oak tree in the allusive arms (Italian bosco, “wood”) of dal Bosco, mid-15^th C. [Triv 78], are closer to natural art but still exaggerate the size of the leaves and fruit [see also de Bara 75-77]. (Swedish heraldic art in particular is noted for this.) Finally, by the end of period, trees were drawn very naturalistically, as with the oak tree in the arms of Eychhauser, 1605 [Siebmacher 63], to the point that the type of tree becomes difficult to tell. The exaggerated style is therefore encouraged in the Society; a tree whose type cannot be determined is likely to be blazoned simply as a “tree”.

Orange tree fructed and eradicated (Period)

Palm tree couped (Period)

Many types of tree are found in heraldry. The oldest and most common type is the oak tree, found in the canting arms of Okestead, 1275 [ANA2 551]. (Indeed, if no specific type of tree is blazoned, the oak may always be used.) Many other types of tree are also found in period: the pear tree in the canting arms of Piriton, c.1285 [ANA2 551], the walnut tree in the canting arms (Latin nux) of de Noxigiis, mid-15^th C. [Triv 247], the olive tree in the canting arms of Oliveira, c.1540 [Nobreza xxxv], the beech tree in the canting arms (German Buche) of Bucher, 1605 [Siebmacher 64], the rowan tree in the canting arms (Italian sorbo) of Sorballi, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 273:239]. (It should be obvious by now that cant was the primary reason in period for choosing a type of tree.) Society armory has instances of the pine, the linden, the ash, the yew, and the palm, among many others.

Willow tree (Period)

Poplar tree (Period)

For conflict purposes, the Society defines two broad categories for trees: coniferous trees, which are typically drawn with triangular foliage, and so-called “generic” trees, which are typically drawn with rounded or shapeless foliage. Pine trees and fir trees are examples of coniferous trees; oak trees and orange trees are examples of generic trees. Difference is granted between categories of tree; no difference is granted for type of tree within the same category.

Of special note are the willow and poplar trees. The willow tree is found in period armory in the canting arms (Latin salix) of von Salis, 1605 [Siebmacher 204]. The form used in period armory is the white willow; if the “weeping willow tree” is intended, it must be specified in blazon. No difference is granted between these variants.

The poplar tree had been ruled a step from period practice, based on the lack of period examples – particularly as it’s usually depicted, as the elongated “Lombardy poplar” [Fox-Davies, The Art of Heraldry, p.65]. However, the poplar tree in this form has since been documented, in the arms of Cardinal Dominic de Capranica, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 267:179]. The Lombardy poplar, as it’s modernly known, is the default heraldic poplar tree for Society use.

Tree blasted and eradicated (Period)

Tree stump eradicated (Period)

Both the top and the base of a tree are subject to variation. At the base, the Society default is with a small upper portion of the roots showing, as might be seen in nature. The roots may also be “eradicated”, with the entire root system showing, as if forcibly uprooted from the ground; or “couped”, with the trunk cut cleanly, and no roots shown at all. The illustrations show an oak tree (with default roots), a pine tree couped, and an orange tree eradicated (and fructed as well).

At the top, the default is with leaves or foliage; but it also may be “blasted” or leafless, showing only the bare branches. This variant is found in de Bara, 1581 [77], who terms it un arbre sec (“a dry tree”). The illustration shows a tree blasted and eradicated.

A “stump” or “stock” is the bottom part of the tree, left after the tree has been felled; it was the canting badge of Zouche, c.1510 [HB 162]. The stump’s top edge is usually couped, but is sometimes found “snagged”, with the rough top surface tilted to the viewer. In Society blazonry, a “trunk” is a somewhat longer form of stump, while a “log” is simply a cleanly lopped form of a ragged staff. The illustration shows a stump eradicated.

Hurst of trees couped (Period)

A group of trees with their foliage conjoined may be called a “hurst”. When thus conjoined, the number of trees, even when blazoned, counts for no difference. Hursts are often issuant from a mount in mundane heraldry, but this fact is always specifically blazoned in Society heraldry. The illustration shows a hurst of trees couped.

For related charges, see: bush, créquier, slip, staff (ragged). See also fruit, leaf.

The King of Drachenwald bears: Or, in fess three pine trees eradicated gules, overall a dragon passant coward, all within a laurel wreath, in chief an ancient crown sable.

The Baron of Gyldenholt bears: Azure, on a hurst Or a laurel wreath vert, a bordure Or.

The Order of the Willow, of the Middle, bears: Purpure, a weeping willow tree eradicated Or.

Ioseph of Locksley, the Rhymer, bears: Vert, a tree eradicated argent.

Melodia of Okhurste bears: Per bend Or and argent, a tree blasted and eradicated azure.

Christian of Orange bears: Argent, an orange tree fructed proper issuant from a mount vert.

Catalina Estevez de Teixeira bears: Quarterly Or and gules, a yew tree eradicated proper.

Mustafa al-Jabal Tariqi bears: Argent, a palm tree couped gules within a bordure sable.

Allendale of the Evergreens bears: Argent, a pine tree proper.

Tala al-Zahra bears: Argent, an olive tree fructed and eradicated and a bordure gules.

Toly Woodsman bears: Per chevron argent and azure, three tree stumps counterchanged.

Staff

Bourdon, or pilgrim’s staff (Period)

Ragged staff (Period)

A staff is a wooden pole, which might be used as a support or a weapon. The unmodified term is rendered in Society armory as a simple, smooth pole, also known as a “rod”; but two other forms of staff are more prevalent in period armory.

The “bourdon” or “walking staff” is drawn with a handhold on its tip. It was frequently drawn with a hook as well, for carrying a bag of belongings, and might then be blazoned a “pilgrim’s staff” or “palmer’s staff”; the terms are essentially synonyms. The bourdon is found in the canting arms of Burdon, c.1285 [ANA2 221].

The “ragged staff” is a thick staff with raguly sides, like a tree trunk with the side-limbs lopped off. This form dates from c.1360, in the arms of von Lipe or Leipa [Gelre 33v], but is most famous as an element in the badge of the Earls of Warwick, 15^th C. [HB 155].

Club (Period); crutch (Period)

Ambassador’s staff (Accepted); belaying pin (Accepted)

Other types of staff in period armory include the “club” (also called a “shillelagh” in the Society), a length of wood with a burl at the top, used as a cudgel; it’s found in the arms of von Keul, 1605 [Siebmacher 72]. There’s the “crutch” or “crutchstaff” (also, poetically, called a “potent”), found in the arms of di Scanci, mid-15^th C. [Triv 331]; it comes in varying forms depending on era, with the illustration being typical.

Of the staves unique to Society armory, there are the “herald’s staff” or “ambassadorial staff”, a short staff with ribbons; the “belaying pin”, used on sailing ships to secure lines and quell mutinies; the “jester’s bauble”, a short stick with a miniature jester’s cap on its end; and the “wand”, a term implying a more naturalistic drawing, perhaps with a leaf or two.

Jester’s bauble (Accepted); wand (Accepted)

All staves are palewise by default. Their “proper” coloration is brown, the color of wood. (The exception is the jester’s bauble: when blazoned “proper”, it’s shown with a Caucasian face and a brown wooden handle; the colors of the cap must be explicitly blazoned.) For related charges, see bend (baton), caduceus, crozier, distaff, juggler’s clubs, mace, scepter, slip (branch), thyrsus, torch (firebrand). See also golf club, pole-arm, spear.

The Ambassador of Atenveldt bears: Per pale azure and argent, in canton a sun in his splendour Or, in sinister base two ambassadorial staves in saltire azure.

Ivan Dragonstone bears: Purpure, on a chief erminois a rod fesswise argent.

Addison the Wanderer bears: Potent, two palmer’s staves in saltire Or.

Bertrade Deslapins bears: Or, two ragged staves in saltire sable.

Georgis Ker bears: Or, a wooden club bendwise proper.

Catriona the Lame bears: Argent, a crutch sable within a bordure azure.

Dianna Wyndalan of Kidwelly bears: Barry wavy sable and gules, in saltire a belaying pin and a sword argent.

Quin of the Eastern Harhar bears: Argent, a jester’s bauble gules and in chief four golpes in arc.

Slip

Slip, or branch, with leaves (Period)

A slip is a stem of a plant, with leaves, fruit, and flowers attached. The term is often used in blazons such as “a rose, slipped and leaved”, or “an apple slipped”; in such cases the slip is subordinate in importance to the flower or fruit. However, slips may be used in their own right, as in the arms of Goldast, c.1340 [Zurich 441].

In general, a slip is blazoned a “sprig” to indicate a long stem, with many leaves and several blossoms or fruits; in that case, the flowers are subordinate to the slip. There is also the “branch”, denoting a woodier slip (typically from a tree) with fewer leaves, or none; the bare wood is clearly visible. Branches are found in the arms of Schönbühl, c.1340 [Zurich 294].

Linden branch twined on itself (Period)

Slips, sprigs and branches are palewise and couped by default. A specific depiction of slips and branches in period has them “twined on themselves”, or twisted about in a stylized, symmetric manner. This depiction is found in the arms of von Seckendorff or Säggendorff, c.1450 [Ingeram152]; the number of twists seems to have been artistic license.

For related charges, see broom, bush, leaf, tree, vine.

Lavendar of Lorne bears: Per bend sinister argent and azure, six sprigs of lavender in annulo counterchanged.

Melucine de Ronceverte bears: Vert, on a pale argent a greenbriar slip vert.

Alice of Kent bears: Vert, a sprig of elder bendwise sinister argent.

Enid de Bohun bears: Per bend sinister Or and vert, a hawthorne sprig gules.

Yorath of Delvingrim bears: Gules, in pale three oak branches fesswise leaved and fructed Or.

Alessandra de Messina bears: Per chevron gules and argent, three linden branches twined on themselves counterchanged.

Rose

Rose (Period)

The rose is a beautiful flower, the most frequently used flower in heraldry. It is also one of the oldest, dating from the earliest heraldry in the arms of Darcy, c.1255 [Asp2 137]. Its standard heraldic form is somewhat stylized: shown affronty, with five petals separated by barbs, and central seeds. The barbing and seeding may be of a different tincture than the rest of the rose; when blazoned “barbed and seeded proper”, the barbs are green, the seeds gold. In Society heraldry, a “rose proper” is gules, barbed vert, seeded Or.

Early heralds made no distinction between heraldic roses and cinquefoils, considering both the blazons and emblazons interchangeable (as in the cadet arms of the Darcy family through the 14^th Century). They are thus negligibly different in Society armory. Period heraldry has rare instances of four-petaled or six-petaled roses (e.g., the arms of Rosenberger, 1605 [Siebmacher 215]); these variants are likewise negligibly different in Society armory, and indeed are often left unblazoned.

Roses may be slipped and leaved; the serrated leaves and thorny stems of nature are here employed. Examples of roses slipped and leaved are more prevalent on the Continent than in England: e.g., the arms of Güttingen, c.1340 [Zurich 55]. Note that “roses slipped and leaved” are distinguished, by blazon and heraldic difference, from “rose branches flowered”.

“Garden rose” slipped and leaved (SFPP); garden rosebud slipped and leaved (Disallowed)

For several years, Society blazons distinguished between the stylized rose of heraldry and the “garden rose”, depicted as found in nature: seen in side view, the petals overlapping and slightly spread. (The illustration shows a garden rose slipped and leaved.) This distinction is no longer made: all roses, be they heraldic or natural, are now blazoned simply as “roses” – with the understanding that they may all be legitimately drawn in the heraldic form. If the emblazon is submitted with a garden rose, however – seen from the side – it’s considered a step from period practice. Moreover, a naturalistic rose may not be blazoned “proper”, as roses in nature come in many colors. (The exception had been the “Damask rose proper”, which was treated as pink. This variant is no longer permitted, as being too naturalistic for medieval heraldry.)

A more specific variant of the garden rose was the “garden rosebud”, depicted with the petals closed, before the flower has fully bloomed. (The illustration shows a garden rosebud slipped and leaved.) This rose variant is no longer permitted in Society armory.

A “double rose” is an heraldic rose charged with another. When the inner petals are the same tincture as the outer petals, the double rose is treated as an artistic variation of the standard heraldic rose (indeed, the fact that the rose is doubled is currently left unblazoned), with no difference granted. When the inner and outer petals are of different tinctures, the outer petals are blazoned first: i.e., “a double rose gules and argent” and “a rose gules charged with a rose argent” are equivalent blazons.

A “rose en soleil” is shown with solar rays, alternating straight and wavy, issuant from its edges; this was a badge of Edward IV, d.1483 [HB 97].

In English cadency, the rose is the brisure of the seventh son. In the War of the Roses, the white rose was the badge of the House of York, and the red rose the badge of the House of Lancaster; roses of those tinctures may not be used in Society armory when the submitter’s name includes “of York” or “of Lancaster”, respectively. The Tudor rose, combining the York and Lancaster roses (in any of several specific ways, such as impaled), is prohibited from Society use. Likewise, the crowned rose is an English Royal badge, and so not registerable in the Society.

Kendall flower (Disallowed)

Mamluk rosette (Disallowed)

Of rose variants unique to the Society, the most common is the “Kendal flower proper”: a simplified rose of six petals, alternately argent and gules, barbed Or, seeded vert. This form was once disallowed, as being a variant of the Tudor rose; while the motif is now registerable, it’s no longer blazoned by the Society-specific term. There is also the “Mamluk rosette”, a motif found in Arabic art, which is essentially a stylized sexfoil; it likewise has been disallowed, as having been too uncommon in period to be compatible with Society armory.

For related charges, see foil.

The Legion of Courtesy, of Caid, bears: A rose Or barbed and seeded vert.

Alys of the Midnight Rose bears: Or, a rose slipped and leaved azure.

Jonas Aquilian bears: Azure, three roses argent.

Sonja of Atenveldt bears: Per chevron azure and sable, a rose gules en soleil argent.

Aurelia of Ashton bears: Azure fretty argent, on an open book Or a damask rosebud slipped and leaved proper.

Kaidu ibn Yesugai bears: Azure, on a bend sinister Or between two Mamluk rosettes argent, an arrow inverted sable fletched gules.

Gerhard Kendal of Westmoreland bears: Or, a lizard tergiant displayed vert between in fess two Kendal flowers proper.

Pole-arm

Berdiche (Period); billhook (Period)

Halberd (Period); pole-axe (Period)

This class of weapon is characterized by the long shaft by which damage may be inflicted at a safer distance. Usually a sharp implement is attached to the pole’s end, and it is by this head (to chief by default) that most pole-weapons are identified.

Examples of pole-arms found in period armory include the “berdiche”, whose backswept blade is fastened to the haft at its center and bottom points, found in the arms of Kürnburg, 1548 (Vigil Raber’s Armorial of the Arlberg Brotherhood of St. Christopher, fo.48); the “billhook”, a spear with a hooked blade, found in the canting arms (Italian roncola) of Roncha or Runche, c.1555 [BSB Cod.Icon 275:119 and 276:205]; the “halberd”, with an upswept blade, and a spike on the end of the haft, as in the arms of von Griffenstein, c.1515 [BSB Cod.Icon 308:391; also von Schella, 1605, Siebmacher 43]; and the “pole-axe”, with a standard battle-axe head and a long haft, as in the canting arms of Mordaxt, 1548 (Vigil Raber’s Armorial of the Arlberg Brotherhood of St. Christopher, fo.133). Strictly speaking, any axe on a long pole is a “pole-axe”: the pole-axes in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, granted 1540, have been depicted both as battle-axes and as nondescript “chopping” axes [Bromley & Child 34].

Bec de corbin (Accepted); corsica (Accepted); fauchard (Accepted)

Glaive (Accepted); naginata (probable SFPP); partisan (Accepted)

Other pole-arms, used as weapons and accepted for Society armory, include the “bec de corbin”, a long-handled war-hammer c.1400, with a curved point like a raven’s beak, from which it takes its name [Stone 109]; the “corsica” or “corsèque”, 15th and 16th C., with broad, branched blades joined to the main blade [Stone 374, s.v. korseke]; the “fauchard”, 16th C., with a falchion-shaped blade [Stone 226]; the “glaive”, 12th and 13th C., whose single-edged blade has a backwards-curving tip [Stone 248]; the “naginata”, a Japanese spear with a back-curving blade [Stone 463]; the “partizan” or “partisan”, 16th C., a double-edged spear with short, hooked blades at the base of the head, very like a corsica [Stone 484]; the “war-scythe”, 16th C., essentially a scythe blade mounted on a long, straight shaft [Stone 545]; and the “Swiss voulge” or “vouge”, 14th C., favored by the infantry of that tiny nation [Stone 654].

War-scythe (Accepted); Swiss voulge (Accepted)

For related charges, see hammer, mancatcher, spear, trident.

The Baron of Bjornsborg bears: Azure, two bears rampant addorsed regardant argent, each sustaining a berdiche proper, in base a laurel wreath Or.

Andrew Mariner bears: Argent, two billhooks addorsed in saltire sable, a chief doubly enarched vert.

Shandon Yar Mohamed Gehazi Memo Hazara Khan-ad-Din bears: Per bend sinister raguly sable and Or, a sun of six greater and six lesser points and a naginata bendwise sinster counterchanged.

Christopher of Eoforwic bears: Per pale Or and sable, three glaives fesswise in pale, blades to chief, the first and third reversed, between two goblets in bend counterchanged.

Lucas Otto Gustav Oswald Stefan bears: Checky vert and argent, a partisan bendwise surmounted by a snail shell reversed Or.

Aldwin Yale of York bears as a badge: Per bend sinister sable and Or, a compass star and a corsica bendwise sinister counterchanged, within a bordure embattled gules.

Charles Greenlimb bears: Per bend embattled gules and azure, two war-scythe heads bendwise, issuant from chief the point to sinister and issuant from dexter the point in base, argent.

Johannes Kaspar Zurfluh bears: Per fess embattled argent and gules, an eagle displayed and a Swiss voulge bendwise sinister reversed counterchanged.

Alexia of Thessalonica bears: Per bend Or and purpure, a bec de corbin bendwise vert and a whelk bendwise Or.

Mongoose

Mouse of India statant (Period)

The mongoose is a swift beast, famed for its ability to kill venomous serpents. It’s described in Bossewell, 1572 [III:17v] under the names “ichneumon” and “mouse of Indie”; though no actual examples of its use have been adduced, it’s nonetheless acceptable for Society use. Strictly speaking, the ichneumon or mouse of India (also known by the charming colloquialism of “Pharaoh’s rat”) is an Egyptian beast, known to period Europeans, while the mongoose is from India, so would be a step from period practice; in practice, the two are similar enough that both are found in Society armory.

The mongoose has no default posture; the illustration shows a mongoose (or rather, a mouse of India) statant. For related charges, see ermine.

Ginevra da Sanfidelio bears: Quarterly sable and Or, in bend sinister a juniper branch bendwise fructed and a mongoose rampant to sinister maintaining in its mouth a serpent sable.

Abu Nur Rustam ibn Abdallah bears: Sable, a mongoose passant regardant Or maintaining a sword proper between three increscents argent.

Davud of the Middle bears: Per fess sable and gules, a mouse of India statant erect Or and in chief two scimitars addorsed argent.

Knot: Bourchier knot

Bourchier knot (Period)

The Bourchier knot was the badge of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Essex, d.1483 [HB 99]. The knot was used by subsequent members of the Bourchier family, sometimes substituting other items (thorn branches, garters) for the cords [Siddons II.2 94].

The modern term “granny knot” is drawn as a Bourchier knot. For heraldic purposes, the “square knot” and “reef knot” are equivalent to the Bourchier knot as well.

Kemrith Danil bears as a badge: Argent, a Bourchier knot vert.

Horn, helmet

Helmet horn (probable SFPP)

The helmet horn (kuwagata) is a Japanese helmet crest, borne by a branch of the Tokugawa c.1600 [Hawley 64].

Nakagawa no Ienobu bears: Sable, a kuwagata helm crest and in chief a fan inverted of five bamboo leaves within a hexagon voided argent.

Gauntlet; Glove

Gauntlet (Period)

A gauntlet is a piece of armor for the hand. It is a period charge, found in the arms of de Wauncy, c.1312 [ANA2 470]. The gauntlet may be of mail or plate, depending on the period and the artist’s discretion; it was frequently depicted without separated fingers (so-called “clamshell” gauntlets). In the Society, the default gauntlet is the dexter gauntlet, and its default posture is apaumy. Other postures are also found, though sometimes blazoned as, e.g., “a mailed fist” instead of “a gauntlet clenched”.

Glove (Period)

Mitten (Period)

Similar to the gauntlet is the “glove”: like the gauntlet, a covering for the hand, but an article of clothing instead of armor, made of leather or cloth instead of metal. It’s found in the canting arms (German Handschuh) of Handschuhsheim, c.1450 [Ingeram 268]. The glove follows the conventions and defaults of the gauntlet (indeed, one branch of the Wauncy family bears gloves), which are those of hands. In fact, both gauntlets and gloves are often assumed to have a hand inside them.

Finally, there is the “mitten”, a knitted (or nailbound) fingerless glove. The mitten is a period charge, used in the crest of von Lens, c.1370 [Gelre 82], and in the arms of Folderer, mid-16^th C. [NW 55]. It follows the same conventions and defaults as gloves and gauntlets.

Bumbas Curmudgeon bears: Per fess indented azure and vert, a clenched gauntlet argent.

Lisette la fauconniere d’Amboise bears: Plumetty Or and sable, a sinister glove fesswise reversed gules.

Sigrid Bríánsdotter bears as a badge: A sinister mitten vert.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings