Search Results for: shield

Shield

Kite shield (Accepted); round shield (Period)

Escutcheon (Period)

A shield is a piece of defensive armor, generally carried in one hand, freeing the other hand for a sword. As an heraldic charge, the most common form of shield is the escutcheon or heater shield.

Another type is the “buckler” or round shield; also called a “targe” or “target”, it’s found as an heraldic charge as early as 1312, in the arms of Bosun [ANA2 359].

Madu (Probable SFPP)

Other types of shield found in Society heraldry include the “madu” or “madhu”, an Indian shield with horns projecting from either side [Stone 423]; the “kite shield”, depicted in this form in the Bayeux Tapestry, c.1070; and the “shield of David”, another name for the star of David. See also roundel.

Edwin Bersark bears: Gules, a roundel so drawn as to represent a round shield battered in long and honorable service argent.

Umbar in Harchiral Dandachi bears: Argent, chaussé ployé cotised and in chief a kindjal dagger palewise inverted sable surmounted by a madu shield fesswise gules.

Vêtu

Vêtu (Period)

Vêtu ployé (Accepted)

Vêtu (French for “vested”) is a Continental partition of the field, formed by two lines from center chief and two lines from the base point, connecting at the sides of the shield. The partition thus strongly resembles a lozenge throughout; and it will conflict with a lozenge, all other things being the same. But the vêtu field differs from a lozenge in one respect: In normal usage, only the central part of the field is charged; the vested portions of the field remain uncharged. (Despite this, there are still a number of vêtu fields in Society heraldry with charges in the corner portions.)

The standard vêtu field uses straight lines; there is also a variant, “vêtu ployé”, with arched lines. For related entries, see chapé, chaussé.

Cealmhain Realt Dubh bears as a badge: Argent vêtu ployé sable.

Damon Kirby bears: Argent vêtu gules, four lozenges in cross gules.

Kareina Talventytär bears: Azure vêtu, a long-haired domestic cat dormant argent.

Vair

Vair, ancient (Period)

Vair, later period (Period)

Vair is one of the principal furs in heraldry, consisting of a series of panes, alternately white and blue, completely tiling the field. It was originally meant to represent squirrel-skins, sewn together with the back-fur and belly-fur alternating. There are several varieties of vair, all of which are considered mere artistic variations of one another.

The earliest depiction of vair, dating from the Matthew Paris shields c.1244, had rounded edges. Originally, the peaks didn’t touch the straight edges of the rows; by c.1400, the peaks might extend to the rows’ edges. These depictions are sometimes termed “vair ancient” in modern heraldry texts; the stylization is not blazoned in Society armory, being left to the artist. By the end of period, a more angular form of vair was used, tessellated with vair-bells; this form is the modern standard depiction. Period heraldic tracts also gave names to different patterns of arranging the panes: e.g., “counter-vair”, with the panes set base-to-base, and not alternating colors; and “vair en pointe”, with the panes staggered. There are other forms as well, some of which came to be used in post-period armory.

Potent (Period)

One style of depicting vair came to be called “potent”, because the panes resembled potents or crutches. Again, no difference is counted between vair and potent.

Vair furs may use other tinctures besides white and blue. Such cases must be explicitly blazoned: e.g., “Vairy Or and gules”, the canting arms of Ferrers, c.1244 [Asp2 222]. See also papellony, plumetty.

Kat’ryna Neblaga Volchkova bears: Vair, flaunches gules.

Gauvain Eisenbein bears: Vairy en point erminois and azure, a bordure gules.

Steven MacEanruig bears: Potent, on a pile sable a cross crosslet argent.

Tooth

Molar, or fanged tooth (Period)

A tooth is a bone-like structure set in the jaws of most vertebrates, used for biting and crushing food, displaying threats, and smiling. In mundane heraldry, the tooth is normally depicted as a human molar, with the roots extending to base; it is also blazoned (somewhat confusingly) as a “fanged tooth” [Franklyn 130]. It’s found in the canting arms (Dutch kies, “molar”) of Kies or Kees, as seen in a stained glass window dated c.1594, in the Sint-Janskirk (Church of St. John Baptist) in Gouda, Netherlands.

Fang (Disallowed)

Elephant’s tusk (Disallowed)

A tooth that comes to a point may also be called a “fang”; such fangs have their points to base by Society default. The fang is visually equivalent to a drinking horn; it has been disallowed for Society heraldry, due to its lack of ready identifiability.

A similar charge, which seems to be unique to the Society, is the “tusk”: an elephant’s tooth, couped and with point to chief by default. The tusk is no longer permitted to be registered.

Wolves’ teeth issuant from sinister (Period)

“Wolves’ teeth” are a highly stylized German charge, consisting of three or four curved points issuant from the edge of the shield. They usually issue from the flanks, as in the arms of Keudel, 1605; we’ve an example of them issuant from base, in the arms of Schinsky, 1605 [Siebmacher 135, 28]. Having wolves’ teeth issue from other points, such as from chief, is treated as a step from period practice, as is inverting them. The point at which the teeth enter the shield, as well as the number of teeth, are always blazoned; the teeth should be drawn touching, or nearly so, at their bases. The illustration shows three wolves’ teeth issuant from sinister.

Margery Kent of York bears: Purpure, three teeth argent. [Drawn as molars]

Octa Bluetooth bears: Gyronny gules and argent, a bear’s tooth azure.

Cahan Kyle bears: Azure, two tusks, tips crossed in saltire Or.

Duncan Bruce of Logan bears: Or, three wolves’ teeth issuant from sinister sable.

Tierce

Tierce (Accepted)

The tierce is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical band issuant from the dexter side of the shield. As the name implies, it is usually drawn one-third the width of the shield; this proportion may vary, depending on the presence of other charges, or on complex lines of division. The tierce may also be called a “side”; it has no diminutives in Society heraldry.

The tierce may also issue from the sinister, which case is always specified. (Indeed, the dexter tierce is often explicitly blazoned, as well.) The tierce is subject to the normal treatments – embattled, wavy, &c – but like the chief and other single-sided ordinaries, the tierce may not be cotised, voided, dancetty or fimbriated.

Because charging a plain tierce can result in the appearance of impaled armory, plain tierces may not be charged in Society heraldry. Tierces with complex lines may be charged, though the usage is deemed a step from period practice. Tierces, both plain and complex, may be used with other charges on the field with no penalty.

The King of Ansteorra bears as his battle flag: Or, a sinister tierce embattled gules, in canton a mullet of five greater and five lesser points sable.

Charles the Grey of Mooneschadowe bears: Or, a tierce gules.

Diarmait mac Domnaill bears: Bendy sinister azure and argent, a tierce azure.

Sword

Sword, or broadsword (Period)

A sword is a hand weapon with a long pointed blade, which may be single or double-edged, set in a hilt. It was the primary hand weapon of the Middle Ages; as an heraldic charge it dates from c.1275, in the canting arms of Marmion [ANA2 550]. The default orientation is palewise, point to chief; if the sword is single-edged, the edge is to dexter by default. When blazoned “proper”, the sword has an argent blade and Or quillons and hilt.

There are a great many variant forms of sword, depending on the shape of the blade; many strange forms are blazoned simply as a “sword”. No difference is therefore counted between the variants. The most common form is the “broadsword” or “arming sword”: straight-bladed, double-edged, straight-quilloned. Any sword whose form is unspecified may be safely drawn in this form.

Sword curtana (Period)

$Broken sword (Period); sword fracted (Period)$

Broken sword (Period); sword fracted (Period)

The sword’s blade may be altered in some manner. The oldest such alteration is the “curtana”, or more fully, the “sword curtana”: a sword with its point blunted. The curtana, though not a charge on shields, was part of the English coronation ceremony, where it is also known as the Sword of Mercy. It was certainly in use temp. Richard III, 1483 [OED], and is described by Archbishop Cranmer as used in Edward VI’s coronation, 1547 [Pemberton, The Coronation Service, 1901, p.23].

A more severe alteration is the “broken sword”, with the blade snapped away halfway down its length [Franklyn 321]; it’s found in the crest of Ryvet or Rivett, c.1528 [Woodcock & Robinson pl.13]. This should not be confused with the “sword fracted”, which is a complete sword separated into two fragments, as seen in the arms of Kemp of Thomastoun, 1582 [Dunvegan Armorial, fo.429].

Of swords peculiar to the Society, there are the “sword of Damocles”, a broadsword hanging, point down, from a thread tied to the hilt; and the “sword of Hoflichskeit”, an obsolete Society term for a mullet of four points elongated to base, gyronny Or and sable.

The Society’s other sword variants may be classed according to blade shape: straight-bladed or curved-bladed. The Society permits many variants which, while found as artifacts or weapons in period, were not period heraldic charges.

The straight-bladed swords found in period heraldry (in addition to the standard broadsword) include:

The estoc
The rapier

The curved-bladed swords found in period heraldry include:

The cutlass
The falchion
The flamberge
The scimitar
The seax

The straight-bladed swords found as artifacts in period include:

The claymore
The gladius
The great sword

The curved-bladed swords found as artifacts in period include:

The dussack
The katana (SFPP)
The ken blade (probable SFPP)
The shamshir (SFPP)

Swords which are disallowed in the Society include:

The saber (modern cavalry saber)

For related charges, see knife, zulfikar. See also scabbard.

The Marshallate bears: Sable, two swords in saltire Or.

Peter of Stratford bears: Or, chapé checky argent and sable, a sword sable.

Donnabhán O Rothláin bears: Vert, three pairs of swords in saltire Or.

El of the Two Knives bears: Sable, two swords Curtana inverted and conjoined at the quillons within a bordure Or.

Ivan Piotrovic Pevcov bears: Per fess indented argent and gules, a broken sword bendwise proper.

Lothar of Rothenborg bears: Or, a sword fracted sable hilted gules, between two flaunches azure.

Roger von Allenstein bears: Gules, on a pile sable fimbriated argent the sword of Damocles pendant Or.

Sun

Sun in his splendor (Period)

The sun is a heavenly body, the day star around which the planets revolve. It began to be used as an heraldic charge early, in the arms of de la Hay, c.1255 [ANA2 550]. The sun is most commonly drawn as a disk with multiple rays emanating from the edge; these rays are normally drawn as alternating straight and wavy rays. However, many period depictions (especially in early period) made all the rays straight, and showed no disk; other depictions (especially on the Continent) showed only wavy rays. A sun is thus negligibly different from a mullet or estoile of many points.

A sun “in his splendor” or “in his glory” is depicted with a human face; this artistic nuance seems to have begun in the early 15^th Century and had come into common use by Tudor times. A “sun eclipsed” in mundane blazonry is simply a sun sable; in Society blazonry, a “sun eclipsed” is one whose center disk is another tincture than the rays, or whose center disk is obscured by a roundel. In early Society usage, the eclipsed disk was sable by definition; current practice is to explicitly blazon the tincture of the eclipsing. The eclipsing may be of any tincture, but eclipsing of a divided tincture is deemed a step from period practice.

Ray of the sun issuant from dexter chief (Period)

A “ray of the sun” is a demi-sun issuant from the edge of the shield, with one ray elongated to cross the field. The arms of Aldam, 1632 [Guillim2 120] explicitly state the ray’s direction, and this must be done in Society armory as well; the illustration shows a ray of the sun issuant from dexter chief (and therefore bendwise).

The King of Atenveldt bears: Azure, a sun in his splendour Or within a laurel wreath argent, in chief a crown of three greater and two lesser points Or.

The Prince of Insula Draconis bears: Per fess sable and azure, a demi-sun in splendour issuant from the line of division within a laurel wreath, in chief a crescent Or.

Wendryn Townsend bears: Azure, a sun in glory Or.

Esteban San Buenaventura bears: Or, three suns in splendor sable.

Kourost Bernard of the East Woods bears: Sable, a sun eclipsed Or [i.e., a sun Or eclipsed sable].

Gairovald Eburhard bears: Sable, issuant from dexter chief a demi-sun argent.

Pascal Brendan Merredy bears: Vert, a ray of the sun bendwise Or, in sinister chief a chalice argent.

Star of David

Star of David (Period)

The star of David is a geometric figure, comprising two equilateral triangles, voided and braced. Alternatively, it may be described as a mullet of six points voided and interlaced. It’s also called a “shield of David”, a “Mogen David”, or a “seal of Solomon”.

The star of David appears in Jewish texts as early as the 11^th Century (in the Leningrad Codex), and as a decoration on gravestones and synagogues; in modern times, it has been adopted as a universal symbol of Judaism. As an heraldic charge, it’s found in the arms of Compan, 1548 [Vigil Raber’s Armorial of the Arlberg Brotherhood of St. Christopher, fo.740]. For related charges, see knot, polygon, shield.

Judith bat Avram of York bears: Quarterly azure and purpure, in the second quarter a shield of David argent and Or.

Israel ibn Jacob bears: Paly wavy of twelve sable and argent, a star of David Or.

Moshe Mashughannah bears: Or, a star of David azure within and interlaced with another vert.

Semy

Semy of roundels (Period)

A semy field is one strewn or powdered with many small, identical charges. In medieval usage, any number greater than six could be blazoned “semy”. (Strictly speaking, “semy” is an adjective, not a noun: it’s from the French semée, “strewn”.)

Semy charges on the field may be drawn as whole charges, placed to fit as best they can; or as an orderly array of charges, cut off by the edges of the shield. Both depictions are period, and either may be used. While semy charges are not a field treatment, in many ways they act as though they were: e.g., semy charges on a field are always blazoned immediately after the field tincture.

Charges may themselves be charged with semy charges (e.g., a bordure mullety). In those cases, the semy charges are not cut off at the edges, but are always whole.

Semy charges may only themselves be charged if the tertiary charges remain identifiable; even then, the usage is deemed a step from period practice.

The illustration is semy of roundels. Semy fields may always simply be blazoned “semy of [charges]”, but some charges have special terms when semy. “Crusilly” is semy of crosses crosslet; “semy-de-lys” is semy of fleurs-de-lys; “goutty” is semy of gouts. In like manner, “bezanty” is semy of bezants, “billety” is of billets, “mullety” is of mullets, &c.

Astra Christiana Benedict bears: Per fess azure mullety of eight points Or and purpure crusilly Or.

Gwenlliana Clutterbooke bears: Gules semy of open books Or.

Marie de Lyon bears: Or semy of suns azure.

Kosa Korotkaia bears: Argent semy of fish gules.

Nicolas de Beaumont bears: Azure semy of garbs Or.

Schnecke

Schnecke issuant from base (Period)

A schnecke is a highly stylized charge from German heraldry, consisting of a tapering line spiraling inward from a point on the shield’s edge to its center. The term literally translates as “snail”, as its curve resembles that of the snail’s shell; in French blazon, it’s termed un gyron gironnant, “a spiraling gyron”.

The schnecke is a period charge, found in the arms of von Rordorf, 1605 [Siebmacher 198]. We have no period examples of its being charged, or used with other charges on the field; therefore, the use of a schnecke with secondary charges is considered a step from period practice, as is its use with tertiary charges.

The point at which the schnecke enters the shield should be blazoned; whether it spirals deasil or widdershins is left to the artist. The illustration shows a schnecke issuant from base.

Schnecke issuant from base maintaining on its outer swirl three schneckes (Period)

An early-period variation on the schnecke depicts it with three smaller schneckes issuant from its outer curve. This form is found in the arms of Casteleynsche or Kestelinge, c.1370 [Gelre 110v], and appears to be unique to those arms.

For related charges, see gurges.

Peter Schneck bears: Sable, a schnecke issuant from dexter chief argent.

Leocadia de Bilbao bears: Argent, issuant from base a schnecke azure.

Marie de Blois bears as a badge: Or, a schnecke issuant from sinister base maintaining on the outer swirl three schneckes sable.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings