Search Results for: shoe

Shoe

Slipper (Period)

Boot (Period)

A shoe is an item of clothing covering the human foot, to protect it or keep it warm. The generic shoe has the upper portion end at the ankle; it may be tied or buttoned in place. If without tie or button, it may also be termed a “slipper”, as in the canting arms (from Latin caliga, “footwear”) of di Calegari, mid-15^th C. [Triv 121].

Frequently, the specific type of shoe is blazoned, e.g., the “boot”, blazoned as “botys” in the arms of Byllyngedon, c.1460 [RH], where they are drawn as long boots; the “Irish broge”, a pointed-toed shoe found in the arms of Arthure, 1632 [Guillim2 299]; or the “sandal”, open footwear held in place with straps, which as a charge appears to be unique to the Society. All shoes have their toes to dexter by Society default; if blazoned “proper”, they are of brown leather.

Irish brogue (Period); sandal (Accepted)

Irish broge (Period); sandal (Accepted)

Despite Society precedent, boots in late period did have heels; and dexter and sinister boots were distinguished in period, though not in armory. For related charges, see hose, leg, sole.

Elizabeth Ryan of Rosewood bears: Lozengy sable and argent, a boot gules.

Alessandra Beatrice Desiderio bears: Per bend sinister argent and azure, two slippers counterchanged.

Christian de Guerre bears: Argent, three shoes and in chief a pearled coronet azure.

Horseshoe

Horseshoe (Period)

A horseshoe is a U-shaped metal plate, nailed to a horse’s hoof for its protection. It’s an ancient heraldic charge, dating from c.1280, in the canting arms of Ferrers [ANA2 216]. The horseshoe has its opening to base by default; it is conventionally drawn with seven nail-holes. See also axle bracket.

Caitilín Mhór bears: Per pale azure and Or, a horseshoe inverted counterchanged.

Joanna of the Plains bears: Sable, four horseshoes openings to dexter two and two Or.

Selfran the Singer bears: Azure, in cross five horseshoes inverted Or.

Winged charges

Winged tower (Period)

Occasionally, inanimate charges may be shown with a pair of wings attached. Period examples include the winged column in the arms of von Oberndorff, c.1560 [BSB Cod.Icon 390:772]; the winged mount of six hillocks, in the arms of Lugarini, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 278:423]; and the winged arrow in the arms of Zinngall or Zingel, c.1600 [BSB Cod.Icon 307:536]. By default, the wings will be eagle’s wings displayed, of comparable size to the charge. The wings are attached to the charge on its dexter and sinister sides; the exception seems to be for winged shoes, feet, &c, where the wings are addorsed and attached near the heel. The illustration shows a winged tower, as in the arms of Baldovini, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 274:339]. See also winged monsters.

Uther vom Schwartzwald bears: Sable, a winged chalice Or.

Denys Calais bears: Gules, a key Or winged argent.

Bronwyn Schutelisworth bears: Or, a weaver’s shuttle palewise vert winged sable.

Sole

Shoe sole (Period)

Sole of a human foot (Accepted)

The sole is the underlying part of a foot or shoe, that portion touching the ground. The type of sole found in period armory is the shoe sole, which has its toe to chief by default; it’s found in the canting arms (dial. Italian söra) of de Sori, mid-15^th C. [Triv 325], and illustrated in Bossewell, 1572 [III.17].

In Society armory, we find an example of the sole of a human foot. While this charge is found in mundane armory in the arms of Voet [Woodward 207], it has not been dated to period. Like the shoe sole, the human foot sole has its toes to chief by default.

For related charges, see prints. See also leg, shoe.

Percival de la Rocque bears as a badge: A shoe sole per pale purpure and gules.

Mat of Forth Castle bears as a badge: The sole of a human foot vert.

Scrip; Purse

Pilgrim’s scrip, or purse (Period)

Belt pouch, or saddlebag (Period)

A scrip is a leather satchel or large pouch, worn on a strap. Since it was frequently borne by pilgrims, it’s more fully blazoned a “pilgrim’s scrip” or “palmer’s scrip”; it might also be termed a “pilgrim’s pouch” or “purse”. It’s a period charge, found in the allusive arms of Palmer, late-15^th C. [DBA2 395]. The scrip is frequently depicted with its carrying strap.

Related to the scrip is the “belt pouch”, sometimes called a “kidney pouch” because of its shape; it’s also called a “saddlebag” in modern heraldry. The belt pouch is a period charge, found in the canting arms (German Täsche) of Täschinger, mid-16^th C. [NW 46]. For related charges, see bag.

Maria Taresa Ospital bears: Sable, a cross Or goutty de sang between four pilgrim’s scrips Or.

Lucia Traveler bears: Purpure, a palmer’s scrip and on a chief embattled Or three shoes bendwise sinister purpure.

Sáerlaith ingen mic Néill bears as a badge: A belt pouch argent.

Ostrich

Ostrich maintaining in its mouth a horseshoe (Period)

The ostrich is a gawky, flightless bird, famed for its ability to digest the non-digestible. For that reason, it’s frequently depicted with a bit of iron in its mouth (usually a horseshoe, sometimes a key), even when not so blazoned. The ostrich is a period charge, found in the arms of Robard of Kyrton, c.1460 [RH]. The ostrich is statant and close by default.

Creppin a l’Ostriche bears: Gules, an ostrich statant wings elevated and addorsed Or.

William Crome bears: Argent, an ostrich and on a chief azure, a feather fesswise argent.

Vladislav the Purple bears: Purpure, on a bend sinister between a harp and an ostrich close Or, a decrescent palewise purpure.

Nail

Passion nail (Period); tiler’s nail (Period)

A nail is a sharpened metal spike, driven with a hammer, used for holding together or anchoring pieces of stiff material (such as wood). Nails are palewise, point to base, by default.

Heraldry doesn’t firmly define the different types of nails: some of the names below have all been applied to the same type of nail. The following definitions are in most general use:

In period armory, the most common form of nail has a square cross section (seen with one corner to the viewer, appearing triangular) and a pointed head. It has been blazoned simply as a “nail” (cloue in French), as in the canting arms of Clouvyle or Clonvile, c.1520 [DBA2 513, Guillim1 209; also de Bara 59]. The same form, however, is also sometimes termed a “passion nail”, symbol of Christ’s Passion [Parker 447], and it is so blazoned in Society armory. The passion nail is found in the civic arms of Nagolt, 1605 [Siebmacher 226].

The “tiler’s nail” is a builder’s implement, with a square cross section and a flat head; Parker [422] cites this form of nail in the canting arms of Tyler, which DBA1 [390] dates temp. Henry VII.

Horseshoe nail (Accepted); closing nail (Period)

Parker also cites the “horse nail” or “horseshoe nail”, though giving no illustration; however, by assigning it to the arms of Clouvile, he apparently equates it with the default nail (i.e., passion nail). In Society armory, the horseshoe nail is based on period artifacts.

Finally, there is the “closing nail”, used by glaziers to hold pieces of stained glass in place during leading. It too is a period charge, having been borne (without authority) by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers in 1588 [Bromley & Child 115].

The types of nail are not always distinguished in emblazons, and no heraldic difference is granted between them. For related charges, see rivet. See also staple.

The Order of the Silver Nail, of the Barony of Stargate, bears: Per chevron inverted sable and argent, a horseshoe nail and a horseshoe counterchanged.

Guy Nagel bears: Or, two passion nails in saltire sable.

Padruig Maclennan bears: Argent, a chevron gules between two crosses crosslet fitchy and in pile three tilers’ nails points conjoined all within a bordure embattled sable.

Christopher Starling bears: Per bend sable and argent, a closing nail bendwise sinister argent.

Sigurðr inn danski bears as a badge: A tiler’s nail Or.

Leg; Foot

Leg couped (Period)

Legs are the limbs used for locomotion. Any legged creature may contribute a leg to heraldry; legs from humans, eagles, lions, bears, deer and horses are found in period armory.

The default leg is the human leg. The human leg is severed well above the knee; it should be specified whether the leg is couped (as in the illustration) or erased. By default, the human leg is shown bare; if blazoned “proper”, it follows the same Society blazon conventions as full humans proper, as described under human figure. The human leg may also be clothed in men’s hosen, as in the canting arms of de la Hose c.1275 [ANA2 550], or be shod in sandals or shoes.

Lion’s jambe erased (Period)

Eagle’s leg couped à la quise (Period)

Some animals’ legs have special terms in blazonry. A lion’s leg may be called its “gambe” or “jambe”; as a charge, it dates from at least 1413, in the arms of von Litaw [Conz.Const. cliiii]. (A dragon’s leg may also be called its “jambe”.) Birds’ legs may be severed “à la quise”, at the thigh; this usage is found c.1480, in the arms of Lancaster [DBA2 383]. Lions’ and dragons’ jambes are erect by default, with their claws to chief; humans’ and birds’ legs are foot down by default. The illustrations show a lion’s jambe erased and an eagle’s leg couped à la quise.

Foot couped (Period)

Bird’s foot bendwise erased (Period)

A “foot” is the section of the leg below the knee. Human feet are found, dating from c.1295 in the arms of Shrigley [ANA2 453]; they are detached from their legs at the ankle, and have their toes to dexter by default.

Of animals’ feet, the most confusion has arisen with birds’ feet: a common mistake is to blazon the foot as a “claw” or “talon”, which properly refers only to the toenail. The bird’s foot is a period charge, as found in the arms of von Grünau, 1605 [Siebmacher 58]; it includes no part of the thigh, but only the unfeathered portion below the joint. The illustration shows a bird’s foot bendwise.

The majority of beasts’ and birds’ feet (as distinct from legs) are erect by default, with the claws to chief; only human feet seem to go downwards by default. For related charges, see claw (crab’s), sole, triskelion. See also ham.

The Order of the Jambe de Lion, of An Tir, bears: Checky Or and argent, a lion’s jambe bendwise inverted erased sable.

Pascal Foljambe bears: Azure, a leg couped Or.

Anlaug Dalesdotter bears: Or, three armored legs azure.

Emma Barfoot bears: Sable, a foot couped and in chief a bar argent.

Lothar von Katzenellenbogen bears: Or, in saltire five lion’s jambes couped at the shoulder gules.

Rauðbjorn Ágeirsson bears: Azure, three bear’s jambes erased Or.

Cett Donegal bears: Gules, three eagle’s jambes erased à la quise contourny argent.

Wulfwen atte Belle bears as a badge: In pale a tentacle vert issuant from a boot sable and maintaining a spoon fesswise reversed Or.

Hose

Hose (Period)

A hose (plural “hosen”) is a close-fitting piece of clothing, covering the leg from the thigh to the sole. It’s a period charge, both when worn on a leg or in its own right; an example of the latter is found in the canting arms of Hose or Hoese, c.1275 [ANA2 550].

Society armory also has examples of the “sock”, intended to cover only the foot no highter than mid-calf. Though a period article of clothing, we have no examples of socks in period armory. Hosen and socks have their openings to chief by default. See also shoe.

Michael Oldcastle of Ravenspur bears as a badge: Argent, a pair of hosen inverted and addorsed palewise vert.

Alane O’Maoilriain bears as a badge: Per chevron vert and argent, two lyres argent and a pair of hosen gules.

Johanna Katrin Strickenfaden bears: Argent, in fess two socks, on a chief azure three sheep passant argent.

Cypher charges

Cypher charges are peculiar abstract designs, runic rather than pictorial in nature. They were most frequently found in Polish armory, where they date from at least the 14^th Century [Gelre 54], and in German hausmarken. In many cases, they were not (and are not) blazonable in standard Western European heraldic terminology, but may still be blazonable by their parts, conjoined: cypher charges which can be so blazoned are permitted in Society armory.

For specific entries, see chi-rho, rogacina. See also cross, letters.

Antek Ignatovich bears: Azure, a cross couped of three crossbars, missing the dexter base arm, a bordure embattled argent.

Aron Niedźwiedź bears as a badge: In pale a cross couped between and conjoined to two chevronels couped sable.

Jan Janowicz Bogdanski bears as a badge: A horseshoe ensigned with a cross couped fitchy azure.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings