Jew’s-harp

Jew’s-harp (Period)

A jew’s-harp is a musical instrument consisting of a simple frame with a vibrating central prong; it’s held against the teeth to play, using the mouth as a resonating cavity. It was also known as a “jew’s-trump” in period, and a “mouth harp” in modern times. The jew’s-harp is a period charge, found in the arms of Brenntl, 1548 [Vigil Raber’s Armorial of the Arlberg Brotherhood of St. Christopher, fo.120]; the instrument itself is illustrated in Virdung’s Musica Getutscht, 1511 [Montagu 91]. The jew’s-harp has its prong to chief by Society default.

Barak Raz bears: Per pale sable and azure, a jew’s-harp Or.

Torleif Sverkerssen Hvide bears: Gules, three jew’s-harps inverted Or.

Zoe Doukaina bears as a badge: Argent, a jew’s-harp purpure.

Jewelry

Hexagonal gemstone (Period); step-cut gemstone (Accepted)

Jewelry are items of personal adornment, usually made from precious metals or stones. While they are often shown worn on a human form, they are also used as charges in their own right. Examples from Society armory include cameo busts, wristlets and arm-rings, and necklaces.

Individual gemstones are also sometimes found as charges, as in the civic arms of Beihlstein, 1605 [Siebmacher 226]. Gemstones should be cut in a period style: for instance, the gem in the arms of Beihlstein is hexagonal. In Society armory the step-cut (or emerald-cut), as seen in Holbein’s portraits, is the most common. By default, gemstones are drawn as seen from above – gemstones in profile are considered a step from period practice – and should be solidly tinctured, not chased. Post-period gem cuts, such as the brilliant cut, may not be registered.

The illustration shows an hexagonal gemstone, as in the arms of Beihlstein, and a step-cut gemstone as frequently seen in Society armory. For specific entries, see: brooch, crown, paternoster, ring, torque.

The Order of the Gemme d’Or, of Gyldenholt, bears: Azure, a hexagonal gemstone Or.

Gerold Bright Angel bears: Gules, a double cameo bust within two wings conjoined Or.

Branwen of Cherry Bay bears: Gules, a boar’s-tooth necklace in orle throughout argent.

Lucia Greenstone bears: Argent, a step-cut emerald palewise vert.

Jerkin

Jerkin (Accepted)

A jerkin is a close-fitting jacket, generally sleeveless and hip-length, worn as an item of clothing from the early 16^th Century. Elizabethan jerkins were often richly decorated, but some jerkins (worn by soldiers rather than courtiers) were made of leather (a “buff jerkin”) or quilted cloth. Although a period artifact, we’ve no examples of the jerkin’s use in period heraldry per se. However, the “slashed doublet”, long-sleeved and buttoned down the front, is found in the canting arms (Italian giubbone, dial. zupone) of Zupponi, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 275:71].

A related charge, the “pelisson”, a fur-trimmed outer garment from the 12^th and 13^th Centuries, is found in the canting arms (Italian pelliccione) of de Pilizonis, mid-15^th C. [Triv 276].

The jerkin is affronty by Society default. See also cuirass.

Bébhinn le Cuilter bears: Vert, a sewing needle bendwise sinister, eye to base argent, overall a quilted jerkin Or, all within a bordure argent.

Elaine Howys of Morningthorpe bears as a badge: A jerkin per pale gules and Or.

Iris

Iris slipped and leaved (Accepted)

The iris is a flower with sword-shaped leaves and drooping petals. In heraldry texts [e.g., Woodward 333], it’s mentioned alongside the lily; but while the lily is often found in period heraldry, no examples have been found of the iris, so blazoned. As a consequence, the iris has no stylized heraldic form; Society examples are usually depicted as found in nature. The illustration shows an iris slipped and leaved. See also tulip.

Keridwen of Montrose bears: Per chevron counter-ermine and argent, in base an iris azure, slipped and leaved vert.

Rachel Ashton bears: Or, three irises one and two purpure, cupped vert.

Sionett Roberts bears: Vert, three irises one and two Or.

Insects

Butterfly (Period)

Spider (Period)

The term “insect”, as used here, refers to any “bug-type” creature: true insects, arachnids, and other arthropods. Examples found in period heraldry include the “ant”, also called an “emmet” for canting purposes [Guillim1 151]; the “beetle”, found in the arms of Teufel, 1605 [Siebmacher 42]; the “butterfly”, also called a “papillon”, found in the arms of Burnynghill, c.1410 [TJ 1447]; the “grasshopper”, in the arms of Woodward, c.1500 [DBA2 380]; the “spider” [Guillim1 151]; the “stag beetle”, whose pincers are drawn as actual stag’s attires, in the crest of Hartwell, early 16^th C. [Bedingfeld 104]; and the “fly”, sometimes specified as a “gad-fly”, “house-fly”, or “horse-fly”, in the arms of da Varexio, mid-15^th C. [Triv 364].

Scarab (Accepted)

Dragonfly (Accepted)

In Society armory, we have examples of the “cockroach”; the “dragonfly”; the “ladybug”; the “moth”; the “praying mantis”; the “caterpillar”, which is statant by Society default; and the “scarab”, usually stylized as in ancient Egyptian art. Smaller insects, such as the flea, have been deemed unsuitable for Society use.

All winged insects are volant en arrière by default; this posture may also be blazoned simply “volant”, and in the Society is sometimes misblazoned “displayed” as well. Unwinged insects are in general tergiant by default, with heads to chief; the exceptions are the grasshopper, which is statant, and the praying mantis, which must be explicitly blazoned. Their posture is sometimes qualified by such terms as “extended”, “displayed”, &c; such qualifiers are usually superfluous.

Permissible insect postures other than the defaults are limited. As of this writing, insects may not be rampant, but may be statant. Winged insects may not be rising; when winged insects are statant, Society convention has their wings addorsed. Those insects tergiant by default may be tergiant inverted, if their identifiability is not compromised, but this is usually considered a step from period practice.

Generally, insects do not have “proper” tinctures, but Society armory has a few cases. The “butterfly proper” is tinctured as found in nature; the breed of butterfly must then be specified. The “ladybug proper” is gules, spotted sable (with the legs and head usually sable as well).

The illustrations show a butterfly, a spider, a scarab, and a dragonfly; all are in their default postures. For specific entries, see bee, scorpion.

Elizabeth Papillon bears: Per bend purpure and Or, six butterflies counterchanged.

Daria Joan de Courtenay bears: Argent, a praying mantis rising, wings addorsed vert.

Adrianna de la Telaraña bears: Per pale sable and Or, a spider tergiant counterchanged.

Daffyd of Emmett bears: Gyronny of twelve gules and Or, an emmet sable.

Andrew of Seldom Rest bears: Or, a dragonfly displayed gules.

Laurent le Noir bears: Pean, a winged scarab within a bordure Or.

Duncan Prymrois bears: Azure, on a bend sinister cotised Or a stag beetle sable.

Johannes Gotzmann bears: Argent, a grasshopper contourny, a bordure vert.

Crónán Colach bears: Argent, on a four-leaved clover slipped bendwise vert a caterpillar argent, on a chief engrailed vert a sword argent.

Ink bottle

Inkbottle (Period)

Ink pot (Accepted)

An ink bottle is a short, squat vessel for holding a writer’s ink; it’s also called an “ink flask”, “ink horn”, or “ink well”, though the shape remains unchanged. It’s normally found as half of a penner and inkhorn, but we have at least one period example of its use as a separate charge: the arms of Abbot, d.1487 [DBA2 314].

There is also the “ink pot”, more ornate and less portable than a standard ink bottle; though a period artifact, its use as a charge seems unique to Society heraldry. See also bottle, flask.

The West Kingdom College of Scribes bears: Sable, an ink flask Or.

The College of Boethius bears as a badge: Or, on an open book azure, an ink pot Or.

Ingrid the Fair bears: Or, three inkwells gules, on a chief azure a drakkar without sail argent.

Icicle

Icicle (Period)

An icicle is a spike of ice, formed when water dripping from a roof freezes. The charge is period, found in the arms of Herbotell or Harbottle, c.1295 [ANA2 477], but the name “icicle” may not be: texts have suggested that they might be “hair bottles”, or possibly “gouts inverted”. In any event, the charge seems confined to the arms of this family. The icicle is palewise, point to base by default.

Carolina of Milan bears: Argent semy of icicles, a daffodil plant vert with two blossoms, bells fesswise addorsed Or.

Ibex

Ibex rampant (Period)

Natural ibex statant (Period)

The ibex is a monster similar to the antelope, but with forward-sweeping horns; it’s also called an “ebeck” in some period grants [Woodcock & Robinson pl.9]. The ibex was found in period armory as the badge of Audley, Lord Audley, d.1544 [Siddons I pl. 8; Woodcock & Robinson pl.19], and as the crest of Carill or Carrell, 1588 [Gwynn-Jones 104]. There doesn’t seem to be a default posture for the ibex; the illustration shows an ibex rampant.

When blazoned a “natural ibex”, the term refers to a beast, a species of mountain goat with distinctive circular horns. It too is found in period armory, most commonly in German armory, as in the arms of Windegg, c.1340 [Zurich 325]; the illustration shows a natural ibex statant. Since the two creatures have little in common but the name, Society heraldry grants difference between the ibex and the natural ibex.

Mary Taran of Glastonbury bears as a badge: An ibex rampant Or armed argent.

Cainder of Loch Suilli bears: Per pale ermine and sable, two natural ibexes rampant addorsed counterchanged.

Hyena

Hyena statant (Period)

The hyena is a beast known for its cruelty and madness. It is distinguished by the ridge of hair down its back, and its lion-like tail. The hyena is described in period heraldic tracts [Bossewell II.49], but no examples are known of its actual use in period heraldry. It doesn’t seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows a hyena statant.

Though not biologically a canine, the Society classes the hyena as a canine for conflict purposes. For related charges, see dog, fox, wolf.

Oriel Gibberish bears: Purpure, a hyena statant contourny argent semy of roundels purpure, a chief argent.

Andras le Lâche d’Armorique bears: Azure, a hyena salient to sinister ermine, charged on the shoulder with a heart sable.

Damian Mortmain bears: Per saltire azure and sable, a hyena passant argent marked sable maintaining in its mouth an arm proper, a bordure wavy argent.

Hurdy-gurdy

Hurdy-gurdy, crank to chief (Accepted)

A hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument, with a rounded wooden body and a keybox. The hurdy-gurdy is played by turning a rosined wheel with a crank; the wheel rubs the strings and acts like a violin’s bow. It’s a period instrument – the Sforza Book of Hours, c.1490, shows an angel playing a hurdy-gurdy – but no examples have been found in period armory.

The hurdy-gurdy has no defined default orientation, so it must be blazoned explicitly (e.g., “crank to chief”, as in the illustration).

Oscar Goerijs Goriszoon bears: Per bend Or and sable, a sword bendwise and a hurdy-gurdy bendwise, crank to base, counterchanged.

Gardner of Elyg bears: Argent, a skeleton statant affronty sable playing a hurdy-gurdy azure.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings

Archives