Search Results for: hammer

Pick

Pick (Period)

A pick is a mining tool for breaking up rock, soil, &c. It is found in the canting arms of Pycot, 1357 [DBA2 483]; it may also be termed a “pick-axe” or “miner’s pick”. The pick’s head was usually shown single-pointed in period emblazons; the point faced dexter by default, as in the illustration. Double-pointed picks were seldom found in period armory, but an example is seen in the canting arms (dial. Italian ponzón, “spike”) of di Ponzo, mid-15^th C. [Triv 283]; this variation of form is left unblazoned in the Society. For related charges, see axe, hammer.

Gerwald of Devon the Miner bears: Per chevron inverted azure and argent, in chief a pickaxe bendwise argent, a base embattled vert.

Francisco Sanchez Pancho bears: Sable, two pickaxes in saltire argent.

James Odo bears as a badge: A pickaxe Or.

Nail

Passion nail (Period); tiler’s nail (Period)

A nail is a sharpened metal spike, driven with a hammer, used for holding together or anchoring pieces of stiff material (such as wood). Nails are palewise, point to base, by default.

Heraldry doesn’t firmly define the different types of nails: some of the names below have all been applied to the same type of nail. The following definitions are in most general use:

In period armory, the most common form of nail has a square cross section (seen with one corner to the viewer, appearing triangular) and a pointed head. It has been blazoned simply as a “nail” (cloue in French), as in the canting arms of Clouvyle or Clonvile, c.1520 [DBA2 513, Guillim1 209; also de Bara 59]. The same form, however, is also sometimes termed a “passion nail”, symbol of Christ’s Passion [Parker 447], and it is so blazoned in Society armory. The passion nail is found in the civic arms of Nagolt, 1605 [Siebmacher 226].

The “tiler’s nail” is a builder’s implement, with a square cross section and a flat head; Parker [422] cites this form of nail in the canting arms of Tyler, which DBA1 [390] dates temp. Henry VII.

Horseshoe nail (Accepted); closing nail (Period)

Parker also cites the “horse nail” or “horseshoe nail”, though giving no illustration; however, by assigning it to the arms of Clouvile, he apparently equates it with the default nail (i.e., passion nail). In Society armory, the horseshoe nail is based on period artifacts.

Finally, there is the “closing nail”, used by glaziers to hold pieces of stained glass in place during leading. It too is a period charge, having been borne (without authority) by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers in 1588 [Bromley & Child 115].

The types of nail are not always distinguished in emblazons, and no heraldic difference is granted between them. For related charges, see rivet. See also staple.

The Order of the Silver Nail, of the Barony of Stargate, bears: Per chevron inverted sable and argent, a horseshoe nail and a horseshoe counterchanged.

Guy Nagel bears: Or, two passion nails in saltire sable.

Padruig Maclennan bears: Argent, a chevron gules between two crosses crosslet fitchy and in pile three tilers’ nails points conjoined all within a bordure embattled sable.

Christopher Starling bears: Per bend sable and argent, a closing nail bendwise sinister argent.

Sigurðr inn danski bears as a badge: A tiler’s nail Or.

Mace

Spiked mace (Period); flanged mace (Period)

Morningstar (Accepted); civic mace (Accepted)

A mace is a heavy club-like weapon; the metal head is often spiked, knobbed, flanged or otherwise shaped to best penetrate armor. In heraldry, if a specific shape of head is desired, it must be blazoned: e.g., the “spiked mace”, or the “flanged mace”. The spiked mace seems the more common form in heraldry; in German armory, it dates to c.1340, in the arms of Wurmlingen [Zurich 439]. The flanged mace is found in the arms of di Veccii, mid-15^th C. [Triv 362].

The mace was also a symbol of secular authority in mundane heraldry. In this form, it is termed a “civic mace”, and is so highly decorative as to be unsuitable as a weapon.

Similar to the mace is the “morningstar” or “morgenstern”, which has a spiked mace’s head attached by a chain to a handle. None of these variants carry any heraldic difference. For related charges, see flail, hammer, staff.

The Constable of the West bears: Azure, a flanged mace Or.

Heather MacTeague bears: Quarterly sable and gules, four maces argent.

Regina Gunnvor Morningstar bears: Argent ermined gules, a morningstar bendwise sinister within a bordure sable.

Grindstone

Grindstone (Period)

A grindstone is a stone disc mounted on an axle, with a crank for turning; it’s used for sharpening knives and other blades. The grindstone is a period charge, found in the canting arms (Italian mola) of da Molla, mid-15^th C. [Triv 227].

The term “grinding wheel” is a Society blazon for a grindstone mounted in a wooden frame for use, as seen in an image in the Romance of Alexander, c.1340. As a charge, it appears to be unique to the Society. For related charges, see mill. See also rock (millstone), wheel.

Wolfric Hammerfestning bears: Azure, a grinding wheel between three axes reversed 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.

Drumstick

Drumstick (Period)

A drumstick, as the name implies, is used to strike a drum to obtain its note. Guillim, 1610 [224], describes its use as a charge, and it is therefore accepted for Society use. The striking end of the drumstick, a knob which may be padded, is to chief by default. For related charges, see dulcimer hammer.

The Musicians’ Guild of Gwyntarian bears: Per pale dovetailed gules and azure, a set of panpipes, a rebec affronty and a bow in saltire, and a tabor and drumstick Or.

Church

Church (Period)

A church is an edifice wherein organized worship services are held. It’s a period charge, found in the canting arms (Italian chiesa) of dala Giexia, mid-15^th C. [Triv 161]. There is wide variation in the depiction of churches, as with all edifices in heraldry, but most seem to be drawn with steeples (or bell towers), with the length of the church fesswise.

Mosque (Accepted)

Grecian temple (Accepted)

Related to the church is the “mosque”, dedicated to Moslem worship. It’s characterized by its domed prayer hall and at least one minaret (which, for heraldic purposes, may be said to be its defining feature). Though no examples have been found in medieval armory, the mosque is accepted for Society use.

Finally, there is the “temple”, more fully blazoned a “Grecian temple”: a pillared edifice with steps and a triangular roof, rather like a simplified rendering of the Parthenon. It too, though yet unattested in medieval armory, is accepted for Society use.

Piers Blackmonster bears: Per chevron argent and sable, two griffins sejant respectant and a church counterchanged.

‘Afra’ bint Tamir al-Sahrahwayyiah bears: Vert, a fess sable fimbriated surmounted by a domed mosque of one minaret, in canton a decrescent Or.

Arenvald Kief av Kiersted bears as a badge: On a temple Or a Thor’s hammer gules.

Brewer’s scoop

Brewer’s scoop (Period)

A brewer’s scoop is a tool used by beer brewers for sampling the mash, consisting of a bucket at the end of a long pole. The brewer’s scoop is a period charge, dating to 1548 in Vigil Raber’s Armorial of the Arlberg Brotherhood of St. Christopher, fo.91; it’s also in the episcopal arms of Peugelberg, late 16^th C. [BSB Cod.Icon 333:76].

The brewer’s scoop is palewise by default, with the bucket in chief. See also hammer.

Philip de Greylonde bears: Per pale sable and Or, in saltire two brewer’s scoops counterchanged.

Anvil

Armorer’s anvil (Period); square anvil (Accepted)

Double-horned anvil (Acceptable); default anvil (Period)

An anvil is an iron block on which metalware is hammered into shape. It’s a period charge, found in the arms of Wolstone, temp. Henry VI [DBA1 9]. In English heraldry, the unmodified term “anvil” refers to the armorer’s anvil [Franklyn 12]: portable, with a spike on the bottom for fixing it in place during use. If this form is intended in the Society, it must be explicitly blazoned.

In Society heraldry, the unmodified term “anvil” usually refers to the blacksmith’s anvil. The number of horns, unless specified, is left to the artist; both double-horned anvils (also called “bickerns”) and single-horned anvils are documented period artifacts. A “square anvil” is one with no horns.

The Armorer’s Guild of Østgarðr bears: Gules, a bend Or between a hammer bendwise and a bickern argent.

George Edward Archer bears: Argent, three anvils sable.

Balin the Fairhaired bears: Sable, a square anvil within an annulet Or.

Sven Gunnarsson of Fjathrundaland bears: Argent, an armorer’s anvil sable and a chief embattled gules.

Andirons, pair of

Pair of dog-headed andirons (Period)

A pair of andirons are a metal stand, used for holding logs in a fireplace; they are modernly also known as “firedogs”. Andirons are found in period rolls, in the attributed arms of the King of Ethiopia, mid-16^th C. [NW 92].

Period heraldic examples show andirons conjoined in pairs, stylized and frequently decorated with animal or human heads; the type of heads should be specified in the blazon. The illustration shows a pair of dog-headed andirons. Single andirons, stylized but not conjoined as part of a pair, are a step from period practice.

Diterich Schwarcz bears: Sable, a pair of dog-headed andirons conjoined respectant and on a chief argent a rose gules.

Galfryd Yrinmonger bears: Argent, a pair of dog-headed andirons conjoined respectant and on a chief purpure a smith’s hammer argent.

Pádraig Lowther bears as a badge: A pair of swan-headed andirons conjoined respectant argent.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings