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Scabbard

Scabbard (Period)

A scabbard is a sheath for a sword or other bladed weapon. In period armory, it is usually found enclosing the sword; in Society armory, it is occasionally found as a separate charge in its own right.

The scabbard is point to base by default when empty, or when worn on the belt (empty or not), or when the sword is being drawn. When the sword is sheathed within it (the two forming a single visual unit), the scabbard is point up by Society and English default, following the sword’s default (as in the arms of Gelibrand or Jelibrand, temp. Henry VIII [Parker 566], or of the City of Gloucester, 1536 [Hope 71]), while the point is down by Continental default (as in the arms of Pot, d.1430) [GATD 150].

The Windmaster’s Hill Guild for the Appreciation of the Opposite Sex bears: Per chevron azure and vert, in dexter a claymore proper, in sinister a scabbard argent mounted Or.

Saw

Frame saw (Period)

Goldsmith’s framesaw (Period)

A saw is a carpenter’s tool, used mostly for cutting wood; it has a large thin blade with a toothed edge. The most common form of heraldic saw is more fully termed a “frame saw” or a “bow saw”. The artifact dates from at least the 12^th Century [Singer 392], but the earliest heraldic example dates from c.1550, in the canting arms (Italian sega) of Seghi [BSB Cod.Icon 278:333]. The frame saw is fesswise, cutting edge to base, by default [Parker 520].

Other saws found in Society armory were first taken from period artifacts; in many cases, they’ve since been documented as charges. For example, the saw blazoned in the Society as a “goldsmith’s framesaw” has the shape of a modern coping saw; however, much the same form is found in period armory, in the arms of Malkas or Malckab, c.1450 [Ingeram 172]. It doesn’t seem to have a default orientation, but when fesswise, the handle is to sinister; when palewise, the handle is to base. The illustration shows a goldsmith’s framesaw fesswise.

Two-man cross-cut saw (Period)

Handsaw (Accepted)

Likewise, the “two-man cross-cut saw”, a much larger tool used for large timbers, was originally documented from Jost Amman’s Book of Trades, 1568 [95]. It was then discovered in period armory as well, in the arms of Mistelbeckten, c.1560 [BSB Cod.Icon 390:749]. This form of saw is fesswise by default.

We also have the “handsaw”, simply a serrated blade with a handgrip. This form, though not yet found in period armory, is found in the Bedford Book of Hours, early-15^th C. [Singer plate 30]; it has been accepted for Society use. It has the same default, or lack thereof, as the goldsmith’s framesaw; the illustration shows a handsaw palewise.

Stephen Treebane bears: Argent, a frame saw palewise azure.

Giles of Gamph bears: Per chevron azure and Or, an oak tree eradicated between two bearded axes and a frame saw fesswise, all counterchanged.

Konrad Lockner of Idelberg bears: Counter-ermine, a scarpe gules, overall a wyvern displayed argent maintaining in the dexter claw a bow saw and in the sinister claw a mallet proper.

Tancred of Tangewood bears: Argent, in pale a two-man cross-cut saw and two hammers in saltire sable all within a bordure sable semy of maple leaves argent.

Pearce Redsmythe bears: Purpure semy of rivets Or, a goldsmith’s framesaw bendwise argent, on a chief Or three Bowen crosses sable.

Tomas y Saer bears: Per pale gules and sable, in saltire a Lochaber axe and a handsaw both argent hafted Or, within an orle Or.

Roundel

Roundel (Period)

A roundel is an ancient heraldic charge, consisting of a simple circular shape. Its use dates from the earliest heraldic records: bezants are found in the canting arms of Biset, c.1244 [Asp2 222].

Roundels of different tinctures have special names in blazon: A roundel Or may be termed a “bezant”; a roundel argent, a “plate”; gules, a “torteau”; vert, a “pomme”; sable, a “gunstone”, “pellet”, or “ogress”; azure, a “hurt”; purpure, a “golpe”. The use of these special names is discretionary. Note that only “bezant”, “plate”, “torteau” and “pellet” have been found in period blazons.

Also included in the roundel family is the “fountain“, a roundel barry wavy azure and argent. A Society-specific variant is the “t’ai-ch’i”, a roundel per fess embowed-counterembowed argent and sable, charged with two counterchanged roundels. As a non-European artistic motif, the t’ai-ch’i is not currently registerable; those already registered are deemed a step from period practice.

T’ai-ch’i (Disallowed)

Roundel echancré (Disallowed)

Roundels with complex edges (e.g., the “roundel echancré”, with three semi-circular notches; the “roundel embattled”; &c) have been registered in the past; but their use has been disallowed, pending evidence of period use.

The roundel is considered a shape upon which arms may be borne; thus, like the lozenge and escutcheon, when used as a fieldless badge it must not itself be charged. See also astrolabe, bowl (dish), egg, labyrinth, moon, shield, sphere, yarn.

The Exchequer bears: Azure, a pale checky gules and argent between six bezants in pale three and three.

Alewijn van Zeebrouck bears: Sable, three roundels argent.

Nigel the Byzantine bears: Purpure bezanty and a bordure Or.

Duncan of Blackrock bears: Per fess and per bend sinister argent and vert, two pellets in bend.

Marius del Raut bears: Per chevron ermine and sable, three roundels counterchanged.

Ynir Cadwallen bears: Azure, a roundel echancré and in base a bar Or.

Morgan ap Llewellan Peregrine bears: Sable, a t’ai-ch’i, the line of division forming a hawk’s head erect, voided, orbed argent.

Rose

Rose (Period)

The rose is a beautiful flower, the most frequently used flower in heraldry. It is also one of the oldest, dating from the earliest heraldry in the arms of Darcy, c.1255 [Asp2 137]. Its standard heraldic form is somewhat stylized: shown affronty, with five petals separated by barbs, and central seeds. The barbing and seeding may be of a different tincture than the rest of the rose; when blazoned “barbed and seeded proper”, the barbs are green, the seeds gold. In Society heraldry, a “rose proper” is gules, barbed vert, seeded Or.

Early heralds made no distinction between heraldic roses and cinquefoils, considering both the blazons and emblazons interchangeable (as in the cadet arms of the Darcy family through the 14^th Century). They are thus negligibly different in Society armory. Period heraldry has rare instances of four-petaled or six-petaled roses (e.g., the arms of Rosenberger, 1605 [Siebmacher 215]); these variants are likewise negligibly different in Society armory, and indeed are often left unblazoned.

Roses may be slipped and leaved; the serrated leaves and thorny stems of nature are here employed. Examples of roses slipped and leaved are more prevalent on the Continent than in England: e.g., the arms of Güttingen, c.1340 [Zurich 55]. Note that “roses slipped and leaved” are distinguished, by blazon and heraldic difference, from “rose branches flowered”.

“Garden rose” slipped and leaved (SFPP); garden rosebud slipped and leaved (Disallowed)

For several years, Society blazons distinguished between the stylized rose of heraldry and the “garden rose”, depicted as found in nature: seen in side view, the petals overlapping and slightly spread. (The illustration shows a garden rose slipped and leaved.) This distinction is no longer made: all roses, be they heraldic or natural, are now blazoned simply as “roses” – with the understanding that they may all be legitimately drawn in the heraldic form. If the emblazon is submitted with a garden rose, however – seen from the side – it’s considered a step from period practice. Moreover, a naturalistic rose may not be blazoned “proper”, as roses in nature come in many colors. (The exception had been the “Damask rose proper”, which was treated as pink. This variant is no longer permitted, as being too naturalistic for medieval heraldry.)

A more specific variant of the garden rose was the “garden rosebud”, depicted with the petals closed, before the flower has fully bloomed. (The illustration shows a garden rosebud slipped and leaved.) This rose variant is no longer permitted in Society armory.

A “double rose” is an heraldic rose charged with another. When the inner petals are the same tincture as the outer petals, the double rose is treated as an artistic variation of the standard heraldic rose (indeed, the fact that the rose is doubled is currently left unblazoned), with no difference granted. When the inner and outer petals are of different tinctures, the outer petals are blazoned first: i.e., “a double rose gules and argent” and “a rose gules charged with a rose argent” are equivalent blazons.

A “rose en soleil” is shown with solar rays, alternating straight and wavy, issuant from its edges; this was a badge of Edward IV, d.1483 [HB 97].

In English cadency, the rose is the brisure of the seventh son. In the War of the Roses, the white rose was the badge of the House of York, and the red rose the badge of the House of Lancaster; roses of those tinctures may not be used in Society armory when the submitter’s name includes “of York” or “of Lancaster”, respectively. The Tudor rose, combining the York and Lancaster roses (in any of several specific ways, such as impaled), is prohibited from Society use. Likewise, the crowned rose is an English Royal badge, and so not registerable in the Society.

Kendall flower (Disallowed)

Mamluk rosette (Disallowed)

Of rose variants unique to the Society, the most common is the “Kendal flower proper”: a simplified rose of six petals, alternately argent and gules, barbed Or, seeded vert. This form was once disallowed, as being a variant of the Tudor rose; while the motif is now registerable, it’s no longer blazoned by the Society-specific term. There is also the “Mamluk rosette”, a motif found in Arabic art, which is essentially a stylized sexfoil; it likewise has been disallowed, as having been too uncommon in period to be compatible with Society armory.

For related charges, see foil.

The Legion of Courtesy, of Caid, bears: A rose Or barbed and seeded vert.

Alys of the Midnight Rose bears: Or, a rose slipped and leaved azure.

Jonas Aquilian bears: Azure, three roses argent.

Sonja of Atenveldt bears: Per chevron azure and sable, a rose gules en soleil argent.

Aurelia of Ashton bears: Azure fretty argent, on an open book Or a damask rosebud slipped and leaved proper.

Kaidu ibn Yesugai bears: Azure, on a bend sinister Or between two Mamluk rosettes argent, an arrow inverted sable fletched gules.

Gerhard Kendal of Westmoreland bears: Or, a lizard tergiant displayed vert between in fess two Kendal flowers proper.

Roc

Roc volant, wings addorsed, maintaining an elephant (Accepted)

The roc, or rukh, is an immense bird from Persian legend. Tales gave its home to be Madagascar; Marco Polo, in his Travels (III:33) describes the giant roc feather presented to the Great Khan, which modern writers guess was an exotic palm frond [EB XXIII:424]. The roc’s heraldic use appears to be unique to the Society, where it’s drawn essentially as an eagle; it is frequently depicted with an elephant in its talons, to show how large it is. The term is used mostly for canting purposes. The illustration shows a roc volant, wings addorsed. See also simurgh.

Justin du Roc bears: Per bend sinister azure and counter-ermine, in dexter chief an Arabian roc volant to sinister, wings addorsed argent, maintaining in its talons an elephant proper.

Roque Cartelle de Leon bears: Per chevron gules and sable, two lion’s heads cabossed and a roc rising, wings displayed and inverted, bearing in its sinister talon an elephant, all argent.

Rivet

Rivet (Disallowed)

A rivet is a metal bolt or pin, with a head shaped like a mushroom’s cap; it’s used to fasten together plates of hard material, and thus is familiar to armorers. It is shown in its “pre-flattened” state, with the head to chief by default, as in the illustration. Though the term itself is period, we’ve no explicit documentation of the form registered in the Society; certainly the rivet is not to be found in mundane heraldry. Pending documentation of this form, the rivet will not be accepted as a Society charge.

For related charges, see nail. See also punch.

William the Frogge bears: Per chevron purpure and argent, three rivets Or and a frog sejant affronty vert.

Quiver

Quiver with two arrows (Period)

A quiver is a container that allows for the protection of and easy access to arrows. It’s found in the arms of Loyd, 1632 [Guillim2 336]. The quiver is palewise by default. If the quiver contains arrows, the fact must be blazoned; the illustration shows a quiver with two arrows.

Tsunetomi Todomu bears: Sable, a Japanese quiver with two arrows within a bordure argent.

Elizabeth Wingfield bears: Per pale and per chevron gules and Or, a quiver holding two arrows sable.

Malcolm Hogg bears: Per chevron sable and vert, three quivers each with two arrows argent.

Printer’s ball

Printer’s ball (Accepted)

A printer’s ball is a tool for applying ink to the plate of a printing press. It is a period artifact, dating to at least 1568 [Amman 27], but the earliest example we have of its armorial use is 1657 [Volborth 189]. The printer’s ball has its handle to chief by Society default.

Bertram of Bearington bears: Gules, a printer’s ball argent inked sable.

Leonhard Schuwert bears: Per chevron azure and Or, two printer’s balls in saltire azure inked sable each sustained by a hand azure.

Fredeburg von Katzenellenbogen bears as a badge: A printer’s ball Or.

Popinjay

Popinjay (Period)

The popinjay is a brash and flashy bird, which the ancients knew could be taught to talk; it’s also termed a “parrot” in mundane blazons. As a charge, it dates from the earliest heraldry, as in the arms of Thwenge or Tuenge, 1255 [ANA2 401]. The popinjay is close by default, but period emblazons often showed it with one foot raised, even when not so blazoned (as in the illustration). When “proper”, its coloration is vert, beaked gules; frequently it is also drawn with a red ringed neck as well.

Parrot-like birds that were known to period Europeans (e.g., the cockatoo) may be registered in Society heraldry, but their use is considered a step from period practice.

Damian Papyngeye bears: Plumetty argent and vert, a popinjay purpure.

Leonor Alcon bears: Per chevron vert and argent, three popinjays counterchanged.

Rosamund von Schwyz bears: Argent, a popinjay vert within an orle of fleurs-de-lys purpure.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate slipped and leaved (Period)

The pomegranate is a fruit often found in Spanish armory, to mark a connection to Granada [Woodward 339]. To medieval theologians, it symbolized the rewards of heaven: for it was one of the fruits promised to the Chosen People.

The pomegranate is depicted with the bulb split open, revealing the interior and seeds; it may be “seeded” of a contrasting tincture. It’s usually found slipped and leaved, as in the illustration, but that fact is always blazoned. The pomegranate’s “proper” tincture has differed between times and countries, and even Society blazons have not been consistent (though “gules, slipped vert, seeded Or” seems to be the most common); the term is best avoided when possible.

Zahra bint Talib bears: Sable, three pomegranates slipped and leaved Or, seeded gules.

Julia des Grenades bears: Vert, in cross four pomegranates bendwise Or, seeded gules.

Rivka bat Efraim bears: Per chevron throughout wavy azure and argent, three pomegranates slipped and leaved counterchanged.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings