Foi

Foi cuffed (Period)

A foi is a pair of hands clasped in friendship. It’s been found in period Italian armory, in the arms of di Amadi, mid-15^th C. [Triv 50]; the Italian term, fede, has the same meaning as the French foi (“faith”). Given its mention in Woodward [205], the Society uses the French term. The foi has its hands in fess by default; the illustration has the hands wearing cuffs.

Brandrick Slaywrock bears: Vert, a foi bendwise couped Or.

Azalais de Dia bears: Azure, a foi within an orle argent.

Guillaume de Saint Michel bears: Azure, an armored foi in chevron issuant from the flanks, on a chief embattled argent three roses proper.

Flute

Flute fesswise (Accepted)

A flute is a musical instrument consisting of a long slender tube with a mouth hole and six finger holes. It’s played by blowing transversely across the mouth hole; it is thus also blazoned a “transverse flute”.

This type of flute was popularized in 16^th Century German texts, notably Agricola’s Musica instrumentalis deudsch, 1528, and is sometimes called a “German flute” for that reason; but the type was common throughout period Europe and Asia. The flute was mentioned as an heraldic charge by Guillim, 1610 [225], though unattributed.

There were other types of flutes which, instead of transverse blowing holes, had fipple mouthpieces (as did the recorder), but the unqualified term “flute” is a transverse flute by Society default. The flute is shown affronty by default, with the finger holes towards the viewer; it does not seem to have a default orientation. The illustration shows a flute fesswise.

Yrmegard Pfeyfferin bears: Azure, a flute fesswise argent.

Valia the Goth bears: Sable, three flutes palewise argent.

Rodolphus Amadeus Gilberti bears: Argent, a wooden flute bendwise proper garnished Or.

Flower

Flowers are plants’ organs of reproduction, valued for their ornamental beauty or fragrance. In heraldry, flowers are generally shown affronty by default. The exceptions include such cup-shaped blossoms as the lily, such trumpet-shaped blossoms as the daffodil, and such prickly flowers as the thistle; all these are shown in profile by default. Trumpet-shaped blossoms like the daffodil must have their postures explicitly blazoned, e.g., “bell to chief”. Other exceptions are noted in the individual entries for those flowers.

For conflict purposes, the Society defines four broad categories for flowers: “few-petaled” flowers (normally shown affronty), such as the rose and the cherry blossom; “multipetaled” flowers (also normally affronty), such as the daisy and the gillyflower; “trumpet-shaped” flowers (normally shown in profile), such as the lily and the columbine; and “others”, to cover such cases as the thistle. The Society grants substantial difference between categories of flowers; within each category, no difference is granted for type of flower. (Although trumpet-shaped flowers can be granted difference for orientation.)

Any flower known to period Europeans may be used in the Society – though, if the flower is not itself European, its use may be considered a step from period practice, as with the New World dogwood. (An exception would be made for non-European flowers actually used in period European armory, but no examples have been adduced.)

Flowers may be slipped and leaved; such cases are almost always explicitly blazoned. Some flowers occur in “clusters”, with several small blossoms issuant from a single slip; these are usually so blazoned, since the individual blossoms might also be charges. A “bouquet” is a set of slipped flowers, tied or conjoined at the stems’ centers: the number of flowers is frequently specified.

For specific entries, see: columbine, daisy, edelweiss, foil, Gendy flower, gillyflower, iris, lily, lotus, rose, teazel, thistle, trillium, tulip. For related charges, see fleur-de-lys, slip, wreath.

Karol Johanna Gartenheit bears: Azure, in fess four jonquil blossoms, bells to chief Or.

Emma Dandelion bears: Vert, a dandelion slipped and leaved and a bordure argent.

Margaret Obrolchan bears: Or, three lilies of the valley vert flowered argent.

Rachel of Bon Repos bears: Argent, a hyacinth azure slipped and leaved proper.

Franca Donato bears: Argent fretty azure, on a chief sable three hibiscus blossoms argent.

Ygraine o Gaerllion Fawr bears: Purpure, a bouquet of three daffodils slipped, the centermost affronty and the outermost addorsed Or, within a bordure nebuly argent.

Float

Bowyer’s float (Period)

A float, or flote, is a bowyer’s tool, a multi-bladed wood shave used to shape the bow. It’s a period charge, used as a badge by Oldhalle, 1457 [Hope2 182], and in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Bowyers, 1488 [Bromley & Child 25]. The float has its handle to chief by default. See also plane.

Domhnall Ó Catháin bears: Per pale azure and sable, a griffin segreant and on a chief dovetailed argent two floats gules.

Fleur-de-lys

Fleur-de-lys (Period)

The fleur-de-lys is one of the most ancient of charges, dating from 1244 in the arms of the Kings of France [Asp2 218]. It has been said to represent a lance-head, or a symbol of the Trinity, but is usually described as a stylized form of iris or lily flower. The fleur-de-lys has been used throughout England and the Continent, but is most strongly associated with France. In England, it was also used as the brisure of the sixth son.

A semy field of fleurs-de-lys is termed “semy-de-lys”; the terms “floretty” or “fleury” are sometimes used for this, but these should be reserved for charges (e.g., the cross) decorated with fleurs-de-lys.

The arms of France were anciently “Azure semy-de-lys Or,” and changed c.1365 to “Azure, three fleurs-de-lys Or.” So strong is the association of French royalty (or augmentations therefrom) with gold fleurs-de-lys on a blue background, that the use of France Ancient or France Modern – effectively, three or more gold fleurs-de-lys on a blue background – is disallowed in Society heraldry: either on any part of the field, or on a charge.

There were many styles of fleur-de-lys used in period; the illustration shows a representative medieval form, from the arms of France c.1460 [GATD 47v, also Friar 100]. See also lily.

The Order of the Calon Lily bears: Per pale purpure and Or, a fleur-de-lys within a bordure counterchanged.

Stefan de Lorraine bears: Argent, a fleur-de-lys gules.

Nikolas de Mont Nord bears: Sable, a fleur-de-lys ermine.

Christopher Calhoune bears: Or, three fleurs-de-lys gules.

Fleece

Fleece (Period)

A fleece is a sheepskin, hung by a band around its waist. It was a period charge: a fleece Or was, unsurprisingly, the badge of Burgundy’s Order of the Golden Fleece, c.1430 [Guide 170]. For related charges, see pelt, sheep.

Robert Longshanks of Canterbury bears: Gules, three fleeces argent.

Gwendolyn Anne the Obscure bears: Erminois, a fleece sable.

Gillian de Chyviot bears: Argent, a fleece purpure and a chief rayonny sable.

Fleam

Fleam (Period)

A fleam is a surgeon’s lancet, drawn in a highly stylized manner; it’s found in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Barbers, 1451 [Bromley & Child 14]. The blade is to chief by default. The fleam is used as a symbol by the Society’s chirurgeons (and by some Kingdoms’ chirurgeon groups as well), but it is not considered a restricted charge in Society heraldry.

The Chirurgeonate bears: Gules, on a goutte argent a fleam gules.

Danyel Leech bears: Vert, three fleams Or.

Jeanne d’Aussay bears: Per chevron azure crusilly Or, and argent, in base a fleam gules.

Flaunches

Flaunches (Period)

Flaunches (singular “flank”) are heraldic ordinaries, issuing from the corners of the chief, and proceeding in circular arcs to base. Their origin is obscure: they’re said to represent the gaps in a lady’s sideless surcoat.

Flaunches always occur in pairs; there are no single flaunches. They were sometimes charged in period, the earliest instances dating to c.1460, with the arms of Greyby [Hope 62]. Flaunches may therefore be charged in Society heraldry.

Some texts consider flaunches to be sub-ordinaries, but Society heraldry doesn’t recognize that distinction. Flaunches do share the restrictions on other single-sided ordinaries, however: they may not be voided, cotised, or fimbriated. There are no diminutives of flaunches in Society heraldry, nor may they be borne enhanced.

Karen de Wyvern bears: Erminois, a pair of flaunches purpure.

Chad MacBean bears: Sable, flaunches argent.

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

Flask

Flask (Period)

Phial (Period)

A flask is a vessel, usually of glass or ceramic, with a constricted neck and a broad base. Generally, the term implies a laboratory vessel, used for chemical or alchemical procedures: the illustration is taken from de Bara, 1581 [132], who blazons it as un thalame philosophal. The flask is a period charge, found in the canting arms (Italian fiasco) of Fiaschi, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 278:305].

There is also the “phial”, intended to hold small amounts of fluid (frequently for medicinal use). Phials are found in the arms of Adam de Rous, surgeon, 1379 [DBA3 42], and cited in Bossewell, 1572 [II.117]. The Society also has a similar charge, the “ampulla”, a small two-handled bottle used for relics, holy oil, &c. It’s smaller and more spherical.

Alembic flask (Accepted)

One specific type of flask is the “alembic flask”: used for distillation, it has a long sloping spout. It should not be confused with an “alembick”, which a post-period term for another charge altogether; for this reason, Society heraldry explicitly blazons it an “alembic flask“. It’s also frequently blazoned a “retort”, especially when drawn with a smooth, unbroken surface. As a charge, the alembic flask/retort seems to be unique to Society armory; its spout is to dexter by Society default. For related charges, see bottle, urinal.

The Alchemy Guild of the Barony of Rivenstar bears: Quarterly gules, azure, vert and sable, a retort reversed purpure fimbriated Or.

Vasco Pereira de Faria bears: Per bend Or and argent, an alembic flask vert.

Robert of the Angels bears: Azure, on a bend cotised between two flasks argent, a recorder, bell to chief sable.

Lorenzo Alhambra bears: Vert, on a chevron between three flasks argent, two salamanders combattant vert enflamed gules.

Michael Tryggve bears: Purpure, an ampulla Or, billety vert.

Flame

Flame (Period)

A flame is the area of combustion which gives off heat and light in a fire. It may also, more fully, be termed “flames of fire”. A single flame is drawn rather as a gout or ball, with several tongues to chief. Flames are found in the canting arms of de la Fiama, mid-15^th C. [Triv 194], and in the arms of Wells, c.1525 [DBA2 338].

Flame “proper” is red and gold; its exact depiction in Society armory has changed over the years. At first, a “flame proper” was drawn as a “flame gules voided Or” on a light-tinctured field, and as a “flame Or voided gules” on a dark-tinctured field. Currently, flame proper is drawn with alternating tongues of red and gold, which is more in keeping with period depictions of the charge.

Anvil enflamed (Accepted)

The Society’s depiction of a “[charge] enflamed” has also changed over the years. Originally, a “[charge] enflamed” was equivalent to “on a flame a [charge]” – with the exception of candles, lamps, torches, and the like, where “enflamed” simply means “lit”. Currently, a “[charge] enflamed” is drawn as it would be in medieval armory: with spurts of flame issuant from and surrounding the charge. The illustration shows an anvil enflamed.

Charges have also been constructed of flame in the Society: e.g., the “bordure of flame”, “cross of flame”, “sword bladed of flame”, &c. This usage is no longer permissible, not only for lack of period examples, but because such charges’ identifiability is greatly reduced.

For specific charges which involve flame, see: altar, beacon, brazier, fireball, fireplace, phoenix, salamander, torch.

The Baron of Starkhafn bears: Per bend sable and checky argent and azure, in sinister chief a flame of fire proper within a laurel wreath argent.

William of Sark bears: Sable, a flame proper.

Jumana al-Zarqa’ bears: Argent, three flames sable.

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