Search Results for: eye

Peacock

Peacock (Period)

Peacock in his pride (Period)

The peacock is a colorful bird, the medieval archetype of vanity. Its wings are close by default; it is much more important to blazon his tail. By default, the peacock’s tail extends behind him, close and sweeping the ground, as in the arms of the Princes of Wiedt, 1605 [Siebmacher 16]. At one point in the Society’s history, this posture was blazoned as “pavonated [to base]”; but the term is no longer used, the posture being recognized as the default for the bird.

Perhaps the best-known posture for the peacock is “in his pride”: affronty (or turned slightly), head facing dexter, and the tail expanded to display its colors. The peacock in his pride is found in period armory, in the arms of Halle, c.1340 [Zurich 476].

A peacock’s “proper” coloration is a blend of blue and green, which will conflict with either tincture. For related charges, see firebird, simurgh.

The Baron of One Thousand Eyes bears: Or, a peacock in his pride, head to sinister, within a laurel wreath azure.

Eleanor de la Mare bears: Erminois, a peacock proper within a bordure wavy azure.

Eleonora di Gerardo bears: Vert, three peacocks in their pride argent.

Ceallach mac Domhnaill bears: Argent, three peacocks in their pride proper.

Mask

Mask of comedy (Accepted); mask of tragedy (Accepted)

Commedia dell’arte mask (Accepted)

A mask is an item of clothing that covers the face, usually to hide the wearer’s identity. Though period artifacts, masks don’t seem to have been known to period armory.

In Society armory, common forms of mask include the “masks of comedy and tragedy” or “Thespian masks”, from ancient Greek theatre; the “domino mask” from the Italian Renaissance; and the “half-face mask” or “commedia dell’arte mask”, worn by commedia players in the late 16^th Century.

Domino mask (Accepted); Pierrot mask (Disallowed)

The Society also has examples of the full-face “Pierrot mask”. However, the character of Pierrot didn’t exist until the late 17^th Century, and no examples of his mask have been found from before the 19^th Century. The Pierrot mask is thus no longer registerable as a charge.

Masks in general are guardant by Society default; the exception is the commedia dell’arte mask, which is shown in profile by default, the better to show its grotesque features.

For related charges, see eyeglasses, head (human’s), hood.

Marc Phillippe bears: Or chapé gules, a domino mask pean.

Hal of the Mask bears: Sable, a tragic mask Or, featured sable.

Gino di Palcoscenico bears: Or, a commedia dell’arte mask in profile reversed sable, hatted and plumed gules.

Edwyn the Player bears: Per pale gules and azure, a partisan spear Or, overall a Pierrot mask argent, orbed and capped sable, with lips gules.

Laurentina of Atenveldt bears: Per bend sinister wavy azure and argent, a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy within a bordure invected all counterchanged.

Lips

Pair of lips (Accepted)

Lips are the folds of flesh surrounding the mouth, essential for speech and useful for evoking emotion. They were originally justified for Society armory by the use of other body parts in period armory (eyes, heads, feet, &c). However, the open mouth – including lips and teeth – is a period charge, found in the canting arms (Italian bocca) of di Bocardi, mid-15^th C. [Triv 79].

Saundra the Incorrigible bears: Per bend sinister argent and azure, a pair of lips gules and three increscents argent.

Keystone

Keystone (Accepted)

A keystone is the central stone found at the top of an arch, which has the job of keeping the two halves of the arch from collapsing. Though the term was used in period, the keystone does not seem to have been a period heraldic charge. In Society armory, the keystone is defined to be trapezoidal, with the wide edge to chief; this appears to have been a common form in period architecture. This form is similar in shape (though inverted) to the “quoin”, a wedge-shaped cornerstone, as found in the canting arms (Portuguese cunha) of Cunha, c.1540 [Nobreza x].

A form of keystone frequently used in Society armory is a stylized modern form, one of the symbols of the state of Pennsylvania: a trapezoid with two notches in the upper corners. This form is considered a step from period practice.

The Order of the Keystone, of Æthelmearc, bears: Or, on a keystone gules an escarbuncle argent.

Jon Trimara bears: Per chevron vert and gules, in saltire an arrow inverted and a sword Or and in chief a dovetailed keystone gules, fimbriated Or.

Lysken die Waeyer bears: Vert, three keystones argent.

Key

Key (Period)

A key is a metal implement for opening a lock by moving its bolt; it’s found as early as c.1275, in the allusive arms of Chamberlain [ANA2 477]. As the attribute of St. Peter, keys are frequently found in episcopal and papal armory.

The key is palewise, wards to chief, by mundane and Society default. (For many years, the Society had no default for palewise keys, so the orientation was explicitly blazoned.) When the key is fesswise, its wards are to dexter, again by both mundane and Society default.

A pair of keys, bows linked (Period)

Ring of three keys (Period)

The handle of the key may be termed its “bow” [Parker 343]. A “pair of keys” has two keys palewise, their wards outward (the pair is sometimes explicitly blazoned “addorsed” for this reason); the bows are drawn touching, either linked or conjoined (as in the arms of Siganer, 1605 [Siebmacher 34]). A “ring of keys” is a set of keys (usually three) joined by a large ring or annulet. In this case, the keys’ wards are certainly to base by Society default, although period examples (e.g., the arms of Beheim, 1605 [Siebmacher 66]) can also have the keys in pall.

The Seneschalate bears: Gules, a key fesswise Or.

The Chastellany bears: Vert, a key palewise wards to sinister base Or.

Avelina Keyes bears: Per pale Or and sable, in pale three keys fesswise counterchanged.

Hélène de Lyon bears: Gules, a pair of keys addorsed with wards to chief and bows interlaced Or.

Ysabeau Boucher bears: Azure, a ring of four keys in saltire argent.

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.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird hovering (SFPP)

The hummingbird is a tiny bird from the New World, whose wings beat so rapidly as to be almost invisible to the unaided eye. Though known to period Europeans, it was not used in period armory; its use in Society armory is considered a step from period practice.

While the hummingbird may be found rising or volant, in Society practice it also has its own unique posture, “hovering”: body upright but embowed, wings addorsed, tail tucked forward under its body, as in the illustration. Hovering is considered equivalent to “rising” for conflict purposes.

Alacya Daveraugh bears: Argent, a bend azure between a ruby-throated hummingbird volant to sinister, wings addorsed proper, and a sprig of three cherries gules, slipped and leaved vert.

Alan of Ockham bears: Gules, on a pile bendwise inverted throughout Or a hummingbird hovering palewise vert, throated gules, tailed sable.

Diane of Carmarthen bears: Purpure, a hummingbird rising to sinister, wings elevated and addorsed, a bordure argent.

Hood, hawk’s

Hawk’s hood facing dexter (Period)

A hawk’s hood is a covering for the head of a hawk or falcon, used as a blindfold to keep the bird tranquil. It has no eyeholes, and is usually more decorative than a normal human hood.

Though a period artifact, the hawk’s hood was evidently not an independent charge in period armory. Period heraldic examples show it worn by a hawk, as in the crest of von Waldecker, c.1450 [Ingeram 191]. It doesn’t seem to have a default orientation; the illustration shows a hawk’s hood facing to dexter.

Arik Alton bears as a badge: A hawk’s hood affronty argent.

Helm

Helm (Period)

A helm is a piece of armor designed to enclose and protect the head; its use as an heraldic charge dates from c.1285, in the arms of Daubeney [ANA2 475]. Throughout period, the type of helm would change, from the great helm in the canting arms of Helmshoven or Helmishofen, c.1340 [Zurich 358] to the barred tournament helm in the arms of Schaden, 1605 [Siebmacher 188]; but in each case, the charge was a “helm”, drawn according to the style of the time.

In Society armory, the “great helm” or “barrel helm” has been ruled the default, though it is sometimes explicitly blazoned. This is the form in the illustration. Other types of full helm (e.g., “sallet”, “spangenhelm”, “barbute”, &c) must be specified; the type carries no heraldic difference. If such a helm is blazoned “plumed”, it carries a single feather as a crest and favor; period helms, when used as charges, sometimes had other crests as well, as in the arms of Schaden, above.

Morion (Period); kettle helm (Period)

There are also helms that do not enclose the head, but sit atop it. Of these, the “kettle helm” (also called a “chapel-de-fer” or “eisenhut”) is the most common: a broad-brimmed metal hat, more in use by the infantry than the chivalry. It’s a period charge, found in the arms of Sowys, c.1460 [RH] and of Spiegel, 1605 [Siebmacher 179].

There is also the “morion”, which in some texts is used as another term for the chapel-de-fer; it’s now accepted to mean a Spanish style of iron hat, with turned-up brim and a ridge-crest. This form of morion came into armorial use in the late 16^th Century, as in the crest of Ramburgh, 1583 [Gwynn-Jones 104].

Roman helm (Accepted); Norman helmet (Accepted)

Winged helm affronty (Accepted); horned helm affronty (Disallowed)

Winged helmet affronty (Accepted); horned helmet affronty (Disallowed)

Of the helm variants unique to the Society, those blazoned a “winged helm” or “horned helm” are usually considered Viking helmets; these are metal caps with wings or horns, rather than full helms, though they may have eye-guards. (They have more in common with Victorian idealization than anything the Vikings actually wore. The horned helm, at least, is not permitted at this writing, pending period documentation.) The “Norman helm” is essentially a steel cap with a nasal. The “full-faced Saxon helmet” is the famous helm of Sutton Hoo. Helms of antiquity are not uncommon: Greek, Roman, and horned Corinthian helms have been registered.

The “Viking” helms, the Sutton Hoo helm, and the kettle helm are affronty by default; all other helms face dexter by default. For related charges, see hat, head (human’s), hood, skold.

The Shire of the Freelords of Stone Keep bears: Sable, a Greek helmet Or within a laurel wreath argent.

The Order of the Silver Morion of Mons Tonitrus bears: Sable, a morion and a bordure denticulada argent.

The Order of the Sable Helm, of the Barony of Bronzehelm, bears: A helm sable.

Mikhail Karten bears: Quarterly gules and checky azure and Or, a plumed great helm facing to sinister argent.

Olaf of Axar bears: Vert, three horned helmets argent.

Wilhelm von dem Bajwarishen Berg bears: Purpure, in pale two chapels de fer between as many flaunches Or, each flank charged with a spear purpure.

Gina Dragoni bears: Or, a full-faced Saxon helmet crested of a dragon purpure.

Goose

Goose (Period)

The goose is a water bird, noted for its foolishness and credulity; oddly, it was also a symbol of vigilance, due to the legend of the Capitoline geese saving Rome. It’s a period charge, found in the canting coats of Barnak (“barnacle geese”) c.1410 [TJ 1312] and of von Ganse (German Gans), 1605 [Siebmacher 182].

The goose is close by default, as in the illustration. When blazoned “enraged”, its wings are elevated and addorsed, its head is extended for a hiss: functionally equivalent to rising.

The “duck”, a smaller relative of the goose, is also found in period armory: the canting arms (Italian anatra) of di Anedre, mid-15^th C. [Triv 50]. It shares the same defaults as the goose. For related charges, see swan.

The Baron of An Dubhaigeainn bears: Azure, a duck naiant to sinister argent, billed, within a laurel wreath Or.

Mathilde Meyer bears: Per pale azure and argent, two geese respectant enraged counterchanged.

Emma of Wolvercote bears: Argent, three geese naiant azure.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings