Cross annulety (Period)
The “cross annulety” (or “annuletted”) may have been a Byzantine motif, later adapted to mundane armory. It’s found in the arms of Westle or Westley, c.1450 [DBA3 127].
Sophia de Leon bears: Per saltire azure and argent, in pale two crosses annulety, arms formy and voided, and in fess two lions combattant counterchanged.
Hadrian Black bears: Quarterly gules and Or, a cross annulety counterchanged.
Cross of annulets braced (Accepted)
The “cross of annulets braced” is negligibly different from a “cross of chain“. The latter is found in the canting arms of Chene, c.1395 [DBA3 111].
Aldric Greystone bears: Azure, a cross of annulets braced throughout Or.
Ankh (SFPP)
The “ankh” may also be blazoned a “crux ansata” (literally “a cross with a handle”). It was an ancient Egyptian symbol of life. No period heraldic examples of its use have been found; the use of the ankh is deemed a step from period practice.
Mary the Melodious Lady of Flanders bears: Gyronny ermine and vert, a crux ansata Or.
Anne the Merciful bears: Per chevron azure and vert, a crux ansata argent.
Katriona Silverswan bears: Per pale azure and argent, an ankh counterchanged.
Cross alisée (Disallowed)
The “cross alisée” (from the French for “reamed”) is found in the illustrated form only in Elvin [9:23]; this is the Society’s definition of the charge. No period heraldic examples of its use are known, and the cross has been disallowed for Society use.
Edward Anselm Bruinwood bears: Azure, on a bend gules fimbriated, between a bear rampant and a lute bendwise, three crosses alisée Or.
Cross (Period)
The cross is an heraldic ordinary, a vertical lath conjoined to a horizontal lath. As an ordinary, it is throughout by default, and subject to all the usual treatments – e.g., embattled, wavy, voided, cotised – but as the symbol of Christianity, it was elaborated and varied by the medievals more often than any other charge. Medieval heralds were familiar with roughly twenty types of cross, according to Brault [Coat of Arms, I(90), Summer 74, pp.54-64]; more than three hundred types may be found in Victorian heraldry books.
Of these latter, some were distinctions made only after period, which medievally were considered simple artistic variants (e.g., cross crosslet vs. cross bottony). Others were constructed of other charges, conjoined in the shape of a cross (e.g., cross of ermine spots); this was a period method of construction. Most of the crosses in Victorian texts, however, were never actually used in armory, but were the invention of heraldic writers.
The term “crusilly” refers to a field or charge semy of crosses crosslet. If another type of semy cross is desired, it must be specified, e.g., “crusilly couped” or “crusilly Maltese”.
The crosses illustrated in the following entries are all found in Society heraldry. Some were used medievally; some were constructed from four or five other charges; some were taken from Victorian texts, before those were deemed untrustworthy; some are taken from other contexts, such as jewelry; and some are Society inventions. Though the cross is normally throughout as an ordinary, most of its “discrete” forms are not throughout unless specifically blazoned so. Some variations can be combined in simple cases: e.g., a “cross flory nowy pierced” would combine those three treatments into a single cross.
Crosses that were found in period include:
cross of annulets braced, cross annulety, cross avellane, cross bottony, cross of Calatrava, cross of Calvary, cross clechy, cross couped, cross crescenty, cross crosslet, cross doubly pommeled, cross of ermine spots, cross fitchy, cross flory, cross formy, cross fouchetty, cross fourchy, cross of fusils, cross glandular, cross gringoly, cross of Jerusalem, key cross, Latin cross, Maltese cross, cross moline, cross parted and fretted, cross patonce, cross patriarchal, cross pomelly, cross portate, cross potent, cross quarter-pierced, cross rayonnant, cross of Santiago, cross swallowtailed, tau cross, cross of Toulouse, cross tripartite and fretted.
Crosses that are accepted in the Society, as of this writing:
Bowen cross, cross of Canterbury, Celtic cross, cross of Coldharbour, Coptic cross, cross estoile, cross humetty, cross of lozenges, cross of mascles, Norse sun cross, cross of pheons, cross pointed, cross quadrate, Russian Orthodox cross, cross of Samildanach, crux stellata.
Crosses which carry a step from period practice:
ankh, cross arrondi, cross nowy, cross of Saint Brigid.
Crosses which have been disallowed:
cross alisee, cross barby, cross of Cerdana, fillet cross, cross of flames, fylfot, cross gurgity, Non cross, Papal cross, star cross, Ukrainian sun cross.
For related charges, see chi-rho, crucifix, saltire. See also cypher charges, knot.
The King of Lochac bears: Quarterly azure and argent, on a cross gules a crown between four mullets of six points, in canton a laurel wreath argent.
Rulff Sørensøn bears: Gyronny azure and Or, a cross vert.
Elizabeth Feythe bears: Azure, a cross engrailed erminois.
Giovanni di Milano bears: Ermine, a cross cotised purpure.
Crook of Basel (Period)
The term “crook of Basel” refers to a specific stylization of a charge found in the arms of Basel. In its original form, it was drawn as a bishop’s crozier [Zurich ix], but by 1413 it had assumed its present, highly stylized form [Conz.Const. ccv], to the point where it may be considered a separate charge.
Alda Mauricia bears: Purpure, a crook of Basel argent.
Hieronymus van Gent and Annetje van Leuven bear jointly as a badge: A crook of Basel Or.
Decrescent (Period); increscent (Period)
Crescent (Period); crescent pendant (Period)
The crescent is an ancient charge, shaped like the quarter-moon just after new. It’s thought to have been intended originally as a horse-brass; but it quickly gained its present lunar interpretation. It’s found as early as c.1244, in the canting arms of de Cressy [Asp2 215].
The crescent has its horns to chief by default. If the horns point to base, it is blazoned a “crescent pendant (or pendu)” or “crescent inverted”; this form is seen in the arms of Pope Benedict XIII, 1394 [Conz.Const. lxxv]. If the horns point to sinister, it’s blazoned a “decrescent”; if to dexter, an “increscent”.
In Society heraldry, the use of a red descrescent on a white background, by itself or in combination with other motifs, has been restricted due to its use as the symbol of the International Red Crescent, which is protected by mundane international law.
In the English system of cadency, the crescent is the mark of the second son. In medieval times, it was sometimes used to represent the Turks or the Moslems. For related charges, see moon. See also heavenly bodies.
The King of Caid bears: Azure, a crown within a laurel wreath Or, between three crescents within a bordure embattled argent.
Saher de Wahull bears: Or, three crescents gules.
Sean Macarailt of Sandyhume bears: Sable, an increscent argent.
Arqai Ne’ürin bears: Gyronny sable and argent, a decrescent vert.
Fiona Ann the Fair bears: Ermine, three crescents inverted sable.
Créquier (Period)
The créquier is a highly stylized depiction of the wild cherry tree; unlike other trees, however, it is always depicted in this stylized form. It is found in the canting arms of Crequy as early as 1450 [GATD 74].
Because most trees (e.g., oak) were depicted in the style of the créquier in early period heraldry, no difference is granted between them.
Morberie of Tor Denly bears: Argent, a créquier plant azure.
Richenda du Jardin bears: Per pale azure and argent, a créquier counterchanged.
Orlando dei Medici bears: Or, a créquier vert.
Cranequin fesswise (Period)
A cranequin, or crannequin, is a portable rack-and-pinion winch, used to draw a crossbow; it was also called a “cranket”. As an artifact, it dates from c.1370 [Singer 723]; as a charge, it was used as a badge by John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (d.1513) [Siddons II.2 300].
The cranequin doesn’t seem to have a default orientation in Society armory: the illustration shows a cranequin fesswise.
Sylvia Schirenhoferin bears: Vert, a bison statant argent and on a chief doubly enarched Or a cranequin fesswise sable.
Crane in its vigilance (Period)
The crane is a long-legged aquatic bird with a long neck and bill. It was often depicted “in its vigilance”, standing on one foot and grasping a stone in the other. The medieval bestiaries held that the crane would stand this way; should it fall asleep, it would drop the stone and awaken. As an heraldic charge, the crane dates from c.1270, in the canting arms (French grue) of the Counts de Gruyere [ANA2 191].
Heron (Period)
Similar to the crane are the “heron”, the “stork”, the “egret”, and the “ibis”. The heron is distinguished by the long tuft on its head; it’s found in the canting arms of Heron, c.1255 [ANA2 192]. The stork is often depicted with a serpent or eel in its bill, even when this is not specifically blazoned; it is found in the arms of Egglescliffe, Bishop of Llandaff, 1323 [DBA2 151]. The ibis and egret appear to be Society innovations, and are generally drawn as found in nature. All of these birds are close by default; though frequently drawn with one leg raised, this is considered an artistic detail, usually left unblazoned.
Japanese crane displayed (SFPP)
A particular depiction of the crane is the “Japanese crane” (tsuru): legless, with its wings displayed in annulo, the whole forming almost a crescent. It was used in the Mon of Mori Nagayoshi, d.1585 [Hawley 48]. The Japanese crane is permitted in Society armory, but as a non-European charge, it carries a step from period practice.
Grimbold of Settmour bears: Ermine, a crane in its vigilance azure.
Brennan O Loughran bears: Azure, two herons addorsed argent.
Karl von Süssen bears: Vert, a stork passant, wings elevated and addorsed argent, grasping in its beak a fish Or, all within a bordure argent.
Sybilla Keisalovitch bears: Argent, an ibis close to sinister reguardant, dexter leg upraised gules, within a bordure compony gules and argent.
Kamiizumi Hirotarō bears: Argent, a Japanese crane displayed purpure.