Flail

Flail (Period)

A flail is a weight, swung from a long handle by a joint or chain. Originally used to thresh grain, it had certainly been adapted as a weapon by the 13^th Century [Stone 230]. The flail is found as a period charge, in the canting arms (German Flegel) of Pflegelberg, c.1340 [Zurich 217], and again in the arms of Ungeraten, 1605 [Siebmacher 70].

Period depictions of the flail (as in the illustration) showed the weights to be clublike; the Society’s one example uses a spherical weight attached by a chain. For related charges, see mace (morningstar).

Rurik Petrovitch Stoianov bears: Gules, a saltire vairy Or and sable between three badger’s heads cabossed argent marked sable, one and two, and in base two flails in saltire surmounted by a sword Or.

Flag

Flag (Accepted)

A flag is a piece of cloth attached to a pole, allowed to fly in the breeze. Flags are normally found as artistic details on castles, ships, &c; they’re usually termed “pennons” in such cases. However, flags are sometimes found as charges in their own right. Flags typically stream to dexter (i.e., the pole is in sinister), but the detail is worth no difference and may safely be left unblazoned.

Banner bendwise (Period)

Gonfanon (Period)

There are some other special terms for different types of flags: A “banner” is a square or rectangular flag on a staff, as in the civic arms of Würtzburg, 1413 [Conz.Const. cvi]. A “gonfanon” is a rectangular or heater-shaped flag, hung from ropes at its top corners, as in the arms of the Counts of Auvergne, c.1275 [Asp2 220]. A “wyn” is a stiff triangular vane; it is mostly used for the sake of a cant.

Vexillum (Accepted)

In Society armory we find the “vexillum”, a standard borne by maniples of the Roman army; it denoted lesser rank than the aquila or eagle standard.

Flags are considered a medium for heraldic display. Thus when used as a charge in Society heraldry, the design on a flag is also checked for conflict. An uncharged flag is not considered presumptuous.

Fishhook

Fishhook (Period)

A fishhook is a metal wire, barbed and bent into a U, cast at the end of a line to catch fish. It is a period charge: an early version is found in the arms of von Born, c.1370 [Gelre 41v], and later in the arms of von Angelloch, 1605 [Siebmacher 125] and Medvile, 1610 [Guillim1 220].

The fishhook is palewise, couped end to chief and barb to dexter, by default. Some Society examples terminate in a ring, but the fact is considered an unblazoned artistic detail. See also hook.

Uilliam Ó Seaghdha bears: Sable, a fishhook Or.

Creature Twyne Dragon bears: Per pale argent and sable all semy of fishhooks bendwise counterchanged.

Drosten Sutherland bears: Gules, a fishhook reversed Or within a bordure per pale sable and argent.

Fish

Fish naiant (Period)

The term “fish”, as used in heraldry, refers to any marine creature not a monster. The category includes the generic “fish”, which is drawn more or less like a trout, and which will conflict with all other types of fish. More frequent in period heraldry are specific types of fish, such as the herring, the hake, the roach, and the salmon. The distinctions between these specific types were often blurred: the exact type of fish was frequently chosen for a cant, as in the arms of Herring, Hake, de la Roche, and the Grafs von Salmen, respectively.

Also included in this category are the cetaceans, e.g., the porpoise or natural dolphin, the orca or killer whale, the narwhal, and the natural whale; though now known to be mammals, they are considered fish for heraldic purposes.

Finally, there are the crustaceans, e.g., the crab, the lobster, and the prawn. These too are classed as fish in heraldry. Unlike most other fish, however, crustaceans are tergiant by default.

As may be seen, given the wide variety of types of fish found in period armory, any fish known to period Europeans may be used in Society armory – though, if the fish is not itself European, its use is considered a step from period practice. (An exception would be made for non-European fish actually used in period European armory, but no examples have been adduced.) The examples of fish peculiar to Society armory include the North American “catfish”, the “swordfish”, and the “zydrach” – the latter being a period term for the hammerhead shark.

Salmon haurient (Period); chabot tergiant (Period)

Three fish fretted in triangle (Period)

Fish are in general naiant by default. Other fish postures include “haurient” (head to chief) and “uriant” or “urinant” (head to base); the word “embowed” might be added to any of these, although it is usually unnecessary. Fish “fretted in triangle” are arranged as illustrated; the usage is described in Guillim, 1610 [170]. Non-crustacean fish tergiant are considered a step from period practice; an exception is made for flat fish such as the chabot, in the arms of Cabos or Cabot, c.1400 [Wapenboek Beyeren, fol.25v], where tergiant is their default posture.

In other respects, the fish of Society armory follow the same conventions as those of mundane armory. The illustration shows a salmon haurient and a chabot (tergiant). For specific entries, see: barbel, calamarie, crab, dolphin, eel, lucy, sea-horse (natural), whale.

The Baron of Jararvellir bears: Azure, on a fess between two catfish counternaiant Or, a laurel wreath vert.

The Shire of Frozen Mountain bears as a badge: Three fish fretted in triangle gules.

Margery Colvere bears: Azure, in pale two trout argent.

Ian O Kennavain bears: Vert, a sturgeon in annulo Or.

Sean of Elmhurst bears: Per bend azure and sable, a shark naiant to sinister argent.

Marina Jensdatter bears: Gules, a salmon embowed within a bordure Or.

Jarvis of Hakesleah bears: Purpure, three hakes haurient Or.

Brian of Stonemarche bears: Argent, a chevron inverted sable between a chabot gules and two chabots azure.

Fireplace

Fireplace with flames (Accepted)

A fireplace is an open place in a room’s wall, lined with brick, in which fires may be lit to warm the room. The fire is evidently blazoned explicitly. Though a period artifact, the fireplace has not been adduced in period armory. See also edifice.

Kalida Ivanovna bears: Sable, within a fireplace argent, masoned sable, flames of fire proper.

Willeam Rudhall bears: Quarterly azure and sable, within a fireplace Or a flame gules.

Firebird, Russian

Russian firebird volant bendwise (Disallowed)

The Russian firebird is a fabulous bird from Russian folklore, whose feathers shine with light even when plucked. It has strong parallels with the simurgh of Persian legend; indeed, given the similarities between the 19^th Century Russian story of the prince Ivan and the firebird, and the 13^th Century Persian story of the prince Isfandiyar and the simurgh, it would seem that the Russian firebird was a direct borrowing. Certainly we have no evidence of the firebird (even in legend) before the 18^th Century. For this reason, the Russian firebird is no longer permitted to be registered; those already registered are considered a step from period practice.

All the Society’s examples of firebirds have the wings spread: volant, displayed, &c. The illustration shows a Russian firebird volant bendwise. For related charges, see peacock, phoenix.

Tatiana Ivanovna bears: Azure, a Russian firebird displayed Or, crested and its six tail feathers each charged with a heart gules.

Krzysia Wanda Kazimira bears: Or, a Russian firebird volant gules, a bordure sable.

Giulietta da Venezia bears: Per saltire purpure and sable, a Russian firebird volant bendwise argent.

Fireball

Fireball (Period)

Grenade (Period)

A fireball is a metallic sphere, spewing flame; it was thrown at the enemy as an incendiary device. It is a period charge, found in the arms of Dancaster, 1556 [Parker 257]. When “proper”, the sphere is sable, and the flames gules and Or.

Society heraldry distinguishes between the fireball, which spews four flames in cross, and the “grenade” or “(fire)bomb”, which spews a single flame to chief. See also weapons.

The Prince of the Sun bears: Argent, a fireball proper within a laurel wreath, in chief an ancient crown azure.

Ian of Loch Naver bears: Argent chapé sable, a fireball gules enflamed proper.

Willoc of Evensong Forest bears: Sable, a grenade argent flamed Or.

Field treatment

A field treatment is a regular pattern, done in a contrasting tincture on a field, and considered part of the tincture. Unlike diapering, which is an artistic flourish, a field treatment adds heraldic difference. Treatments may also be applied to the tincture of a charge.

At one time, Society heraldry recognized several field treatments; many of these, as a result of later research, are no longer permitted. For specific entries, see honeycombed, maily, masoning, papellony, scaly. For related items, see fretty, grillage, plumetty, semy.

Fetterlock

Fetterlock (Period)

A fetterlock is a semi-circular manacle, put on a horse’s ankle to prevent it from running away. It is open (unlocked) by Society default. While the bolt mechanism may be either to chief or to base in mundane heraldry, the most common attitude is with bolt to base, as in the Yorkist badge of the fetterlock-and-falcon, used since Edward IV [Hope2 169, HB 97]; this is the Society default. For related charges, see padlock, shackle.

Mons von Goarshausen bears: Per pale gules and sable, three closed fetterlocks Or.

Nikolai Jagger bears: Per chevron gules and sable, a fetterlock within a bordure argent.

Marsle Lokart bears: Azure, a closed fetterlock argent and in chief three hearts Or.

Fess

Fess (Period)

Dance (Period)

The fess is an heraldic ordinary, a horizontal stripe across the center of the shield. Its diminutive is the “bar”, or in extreme cases the “barrulet”; Society blazonry does not recognize any other terms for the fess’s diminutives.

The “dance” is another name for the fess dancetty; some texts hold that it was an independent charge in medieval times. The term is authorized for use in Society blazonry, in the hope it will reinforce the medieval definition of “dancetty”.

Bar gemel (Period)

Humet (Period)

The “bar gemel” (literally “twinned bar”) is visually equivalent to a fess voided; medieval heralds also blazoned it simply a “gemel” or “gemelle”. Unlike the fess voided, it is considered an independent charge, and no other charges come between its two halves. (The spacing for “two bars gemel” will be uneven, unlike the spacing for “four bars”.)

In like manner, the “humet” is a medieval name for a fess humetty; the term is not much used today, since other ordinaries may also be humetty.

Fess nowy (Period)

Fess enarched (Accepted)

The “fess nowy” (literally “knotted”) doesn’t refer to a peculiar knotting or fretting, but is used in the sense of a knot of wood: a circular node or lump at the fess’s center. Examples have been found in 15^th C. heraldic texts; the treatment is permitted for Society use.

The “fess embattled” is embattled only on its upper edge, unless specifically blazoned “(embattled) counter-embattled” or “bretessed”. The “fess enarched” curves to chief unless otherwise specified; it was originally meant to depict the convexity of the shield, and consequently carries no heraldic difference from the plain fess. The “fess doubly-arched” is not permitted. See also wall.

The King of Atlantia bears: Per pale argent and azure, on a fess wavy cotised counterchanged a crown vallary Or, overall a laurel wreath vert.

Brunechilde de Ravenel bears: Azure, a fess Or cotised argent.

Robert Conyers bears: Per pale argent and azure, a fess counterchanged.

Gwen Hir bears: Azure, a fess fusilly argent.

Marcus Tullius Calvus Cambrensis bears: Or, a dance sable.

Cadan Sacart bears: Vert, two bars engrailed Or.

Duban O’Guinn Silverwolf bears: Vert, three bars gemelles argent within a bordure ermine.

Ruaidhrí Mac Diarmada bears: Argent, a fess nowy azure charged with a plate.

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heraldry, illumination, and random jottings

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