Zulfikar (probable SFPP)
The Society’s default for the zulfikar is that of the sword: palewise, hilt to base.
Gürcü İskender bears: Azure crescenty argent, a zulfikar inverted Or and a gore sinister argent.
Jethro Stille bears as a badge: Gules, between the blades of a zulfikar inverted a mullet of six points Or.
Zule (Period)
The illustration is taken from the canting arms of van Zuylen, c.1370 [Gelre 88v].
The Orde van de Zuil, of the Barony of Red Spears, bears: Per pale purpure and argent, a zule counterchanged.
Jorgen Gruuendale bears: Per pale Or and gules, a zule counterchanged.
Lemoine de Gascony bears as a badge: A zule sable.
Zither (Accepted)
Hammered dulcimer (Accepted)
One form of zither (in a sense, the generic zither) is a long slender soundbox with three or four strings; it’s found in a fresco in the church of Rynkeby, Denmark, c.1560 [Grove 27:858]. This form evolved into the Swiss “scheitholt”, described in Praetorius’ Syntagma Musica, 1619, and the more ornate “epinette des Vosges” of France, post-period – and eventually to the modern “Appalachian dulcimer”, so-called though not actually a dulcimer. The modern forms are no longer registerable, pending documentation.
The “dulcimer”, in its true sense, is a specific form of zither, a broad box with many strings. It’s a period instrument, shown in a Flemish painting Mary Queen of Heaven c.1485 [Remnant 117]. In period, the dulcimer was always played by hammering; in modern parlance, it’s best to blazon it fully as a “hammered dulcimer”.
All zithers are shown with the strings facing the viewer by default; when blazoned “proper”, they are of brown wood. No heraldic difference is granted between the various kinds of medieval zither.
Miriel d’Estoile bears: Per bend argent and azure, a compass star azure and in bend a feather argent and a fretted zither Or.
Cadwan Galwiddoe of Redmarch bears: Gules, on a bend between two mullets of eight points argent, a ram’s-headed scheitholt sable, detailed gules.
Dulcinea Margarita Teresa Velasquez de Ribera bears as a badge: A hammered dulcimer Or.
Pair of zils (questionable)
When borne in pairs, by Society convention, zils are arranged as worn on the dancer’s fingers: in pale, the lower one inverted. For related charges, see bell, musical instrument.
Stevanna of Houghton bears: Vert, an arm embowed with hand to sinister argent, holding zils, with four armbands and entwined by a double-headed serpent, all Or.
Baraka bint Hasan al-Fahim bears: Azure, a pair of zils between two scimitars addorsed crossed at the hilts argent.
Bahita of Abu Simbel bears: Azure, a bend sinister Or between a zil bendwise and another bendwise inverted, all within a bordure argent.
Ypotryll passant (Period)
The Canton of Attilium bears as a badge: An ypotryll passant Or.
Edelgard Erzsébet von Württemberg bears: Purpure, an ypotryll dormant Or.
Nina of Bright Hills bears: Or, a pale azure and overall an ypotryll rampant gules.
Yoke, British style (Period)
Yoke, German style (Period)
The yoke is fesswise by default. The British form, when “proper”, is colored brown, as with all wooden charges.
The Shire of Belle Rive bears as a badge: An ox yoke, beamed vert, bowed argent.
Henricus Guotman bears: Per fess wavy vert and purpure, in chief an ox yoke Or.
Clew of yarn (Period)
Hank of yarn (Period)
There is also the “hank of yarn (or cotton)”, a skein of yarn wound and bound, as in the canting arms of Cotton, 1335 [DBA2 381; Parker 306]. The hank of yarn is palewise by default. See also knot.
Elena Carlisle bears: Per pall inverted Or, azure and argent, two domestic cats sejant guardant respectant counterchanged sable and argent and a ball of yarn azure.
Effie Scarlet bears: Gules, three clews of yarn each transfixed by two double-pointed knitting needles in saltire argent.
Isabel Moundoghter bears as a badge: A clew of yarn pendant from a hank of cotton fesswise argent.
Bedford yale rampant (Period)
Beaufort yale rampant (Period)
Two forms of yale are found in period heraldry [Dennys 165]. The earlier form, the “Bedford yale”, was one of the Duke of Bedford’s supporters c.1435, and resembles an antelope. The other form, the “Beaufort yale”, was used by his grandson Sir John Beaufort, c.1450; it is stockier, more like a goat, and is usually strewn with roundels. However, both yales have the characteristic horns and tusks; either type may be used in Society heraldry (and specified in blazon, if the submitter insists), but no difference is granted between them.
Jacinth Aldith de Warwick bears: Argent, a yale rampant sable, armed and attired Or, within a bordure compony erminois and vert.
Styrkárr Bjarnarson bears: Or, a yale rampant guardant vert bezanty armed gules.
Tristan le Chantecler de Champaigne bears: Barry azure and argent, two yales combatant Or.
Xonecuilli (Disallowed)
John the Idiota bears: Or, a xonecuilli azure.
Wristguard (Accepted)
In period armory, there is also the “coudière” or “elbow guard”, to protect the elbow; it was the badge of Ratcliffe (Radeclyff), Lord Fitzwalter, 1513 [Walden 212; HB 136]. There was also the full arm armor, from shoulder to fingertips, including the gauntlet; this was the badge of Bourgh (Bourght, Borough) de Gaynsbourght, c.1510 [Walden 251; HB 79]. This is correctly termed a “garbralle” or “garde-bras”, though the term was also used in period for the coudière; technically, any protection for the arm could be considered a garde-bras, that being the literal meaning of the term.
The Order of the Silver Guard, of Drachenwald, bears: A silver wristguard bearing a dragon passant coward, wings addorsed, maintaining in dexter forepaw a sword erect.