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Organ pipe

Organ pipe (Period)

An organ pipe is a long metal cylinder, with a fipple (“whistle slot”) at the lower end; it’s the part of the organ from which the sound emerges. It’s a period charge, shown in Bossewell, 1572 [III.13º], and found in the arms of Williams, c.1520 [Walden 296; also Guillim1 199].

The organ pipe can be found alone (as in the illustration), or in a “range” of several pipes mounted together [Franklyn 246]; the number of pipes is then specified. The organ pipe is palewise, conical end to base by default. See also portative organ.

Melodia Beaupel bears as a badge: An organ pipe argent.

Elfrida Scholastica Eliensis bears: Per bend azure and Or, a range of three organ pipes and a Wake knot counterchanged.

Net

Net (Accepted)

Herring net (Accepted)

A net is an openwork pattern of cords, loosely woven and knotted, and used to catch fish and game. In medieval heraldry, “net” is also a canting term for a fret, or a fretty field. In Society heraldry, the typical net seems to be a fisherman’s net, as in the illustration.

There is also a Society example of a “herring net”, mounted on a long handle; the illustration is based on a woodcut in Olaus Magnus’ History of the Nordic People, 1555. Though both of these nets are period artifacts, we’ve no examples of either as a charge in period armory. See also spiderweb.

The Order of the Golden Seine, of the Barony of Illiton, bears: Azure, a rectangular net Or, in its dexter chief corner a plate.

Kwellend-Njal Kolskeggsson bears as a badge: A net Or.

Ailikn Olafsdottir bears: Vert, a hare rampant maintaining a herring net and a chief wavy argent.

Mongoose

Mouse of India statant (Period)

The mongoose is a swift beast, famed for its ability to kill venomous serpents. It’s described in Bossewell, 1572 [III:17v] under the names “ichneumon” and “mouse of Indie”; though no actual examples of its use have been adduced, it’s nonetheless acceptable for Society use. Strictly speaking, the ichneumon or mouse of India (also known by the charming colloquialism of “Pharaoh’s rat”) is an Egyptian beast, known to period Europeans, while the mongoose is from India, so would be a step from period practice; in practice, the two are similar enough that both are found in Society armory.

The mongoose has no default posture; the illustration shows a mongoose (or rather, a mouse of India) statant. For related charges, see ermine.

Ginevra da Sanfidelio bears: Quarterly sable and Or, in bend sinister a juniper branch bendwise fructed and a mongoose rampant to sinister maintaining in its mouth a serpent sable.

Abu Nur Rustam ibn Abdallah bears: Sable, a mongoose passant regardant Or maintaining a sword proper between three increscents argent.

Davud of the Middle bears: Per fess sable and gules, a mouse of India statant erect Or and in chief two scimitars addorsed argent.

Mash rake

Mash rake (Accepted)

A mash rake is a tool used by brewers, with a long handle and cross-barred tines. It was used to churn the mash and keep it well mixed while steeping. The mash rake was the attribute of St. Arnold of Soissons: the illustration was taken from a mid-15^th C. image of the saint, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent. A similar artifact, possibly a mash rake, is found in the arms of Meilenhofter, mid-16^th Century [NW 47]. For related charges, see fork.

The Baron of Mordenvale’s Company of Brewers bears: Per chevron vert and gules, two mash rakes in saltire Or.

Iago Cabrera de Cadiz bears: Sable, a mash rake Or.

Giles Ballard bears: Gules, a mash rake argent.

FAQ

As folks ask questions, I’ll try to answer them here, if they seem of general interest.

How are the example armories for each charge chosen?

It depends on the charge. If the charge is unique to Society heraldry, then the defining registration is one of the examples. If it’s a documented period charge, then I look for registrations using that charge — ideally, as the only type of charge in the design. Devices are preferred over badges; territorial arms get special consideration. Since I have to limit the number of examples, if I have a choice, I’ll use the most period designs (in my own opinion).

Why isn’t [fill-in-the-blank] included in the Pictorial Dictionary?

Well, has it been registered? By its definition, the Pictorial Dictionary focuses on charges which have been registered in the Society. That said, there are a lot of charges not included, mostly animals: it would be prohibitive to try to illustrate each and every beast that crawls and bird that flies. I chose the animals with heraldic interest. And that said, if you think I’ve accidentally forgotten to include a charge, please tell me. It may yet be added.

Do I have to draw my charge the same way it’s drawn in the Pictorial Dictionary? Is that the only acceptable depiction?

Mmmmaybe, for a few rare (and almost always Society-specific) charges. For the vast majority: no, of course not! There was tremendous variation in how charges were drawn in period: compare the earliest depictions of lions with the late-period, for instance. But on the other hand, I’ve done my best to assure that no one will be penalized by using the PicDic image: they may not be the only permitted forms, or necessarily the best available, but they should always be acceptable. (I will amend my drawings as new rulings are promulgated.)

Lily

Lily (Period)

The lily is a flower with a stylized heraldic form. It was the flower of the Virgin Mary and was a symbol of purity and virtue; in period heraldry, though not found as early as the rose, it was second only to the rose in popularity. Lilies are found in the arms of Mayo, 1504 [Parker 371].

Though possibly related in origin to the fleur-de-lys, the two were considered distinctly different charges by the end of period: the grant of arms to Eton College, 1449, has both lilies and a fleur-de-lys, so specified [Hope 67].

Society armory also includes examples of more naturalistic lilies, distinguished in blazon by their breed: e.g., “arum lily” or “tiger lily”. These are drawn as found in nature, but no heraldic difference is granted for them. See also iris, tulip.

Rothin in flamska bears: Or, a lily gules.

Alais Llewella du Bois bears: Per pale argent and vert, two lilies slipped and leaved counterchanged.

Leonora Monadh bears: Vert, three lilies and a bordure Or.

Susannah of York bears: Argent, a lily slipped and leaved purpure.

Letters

Gothic capital letter “M” (Period)

A letter is a single written glyph, symbolizing a phoneme of speech. By default, letters are taken from the Roman alphabet, with the case and script sometimes specified in the blazon; letters from other alphabets, such as Greek and Hebrew, are also permitted. The use of single letters as decorations on shields dates early, but as charges in actual armory, they came into use much later: e.g., the three letters “M” in the arms of Le Marchant, 1362 [DBA2 384], or the two letters “S” in the arms of Mendoça, c.1540 [Nobreza xii]. The illustration shows a Gothic letter “M”.

Full words are also found in period heraldry: the word “souvereyne” in the badge of Henry of Lancaster, 1385 [Hope2 167], and the word “lieb” as a charge in the arms of von Startzhausen, 1605 [Siebmacher 84]. Iberian heraldry, in particular, has examples of whole phrases used as charges: e.g., the arms of Velaz de Medrano, mid-16^th C., with a bordure charged with the opening words of the Ave Maria [Armeria 70].

In Society heraldry, the category of letters includes such other symbols as astronomical signs, Arabic script, Norse runes, and Japanese kanji. The use of these symbols is restricted in one way: since any person may use a common word – and certainly may use their own initials – no Society armory may consist solely of letters, words, or their equivalents. The armory must include some other charge as well.

Punctuation marks, being unattested in medieval armory, are not permitted in Society armory. See also chi-rho, cypher charges, musical note, nefr, rogacina.

Franchesca MacBeth bears: Vert, a Gothic capital letter “M” Or and a base embattled argent masoned sable.

Ottavio Corsi bears as a badge: Argent, on a fess cotised between the Arabic script “al-mulk” and “lillah” sable, the Arabic script “abd-al-Malik Husam ibn Khalid” argent.

Dulcinea Margarita Teresa Velàzquez di Ribera bears: Argent, three piles in point gules, overall an estoile, all within a bordure sable charged with the words “Dignidad, Vertud, Honestad” Or.

Julien Lapointe bears: Gules, three lowercase Greek letters pi within a bordure embattled Or.

Cadell ap Hubert bears: Argent, the astronomical sign of Sagittarius and a gore sinister azure.

Leg; Foot

Leg couped (Period)

Legs are the limbs used for locomotion. Any legged creature may contribute a leg to heraldry; legs from humans, eagles, lions, bears, deer and horses are found in period armory.

The default leg is the human leg. The human leg is severed well above the knee; it should be specified whether the leg is couped (as in the illustration) or erased. By default, the human leg is shown bare; if blazoned “proper”, it follows the same Society blazon conventions as full humans proper, as described under human figure. The human leg may also be clothed in men’s hosen, as in the canting arms of de la Hose c.1275 [ANA2 550], or be shod in sandals or shoes.

Lion’s jambe erased (Period)

Eagle’s leg couped à la quise (Period)

Some animals’ legs have special terms in blazonry. A lion’s leg may be called its “gambe” or “jambe”; as a charge, it dates from at least 1413, in the arms of von Litaw [Conz.Const. cliiii]. (A dragon’s leg may also be called its “jambe”.) Birds’ legs may be severed “à la quise”, at the thigh; this usage is found c.1480, in the arms of Lancaster [DBA2 383]. Lions’ and dragons’ jambes are erect by default, with their claws to chief; humans’ and birds’ legs are foot down by default. The illustrations show a lion’s jambe erased and an eagle’s leg couped à la quise.

Foot couped (Period)

Bird’s foot bendwise erased (Period)

A “foot” is the section of the leg below the knee. Human feet are found, dating from c.1295 in the arms of Shrigley [ANA2 453]; they are detached from their legs at the ankle, and have their toes to dexter by default.

Of animals’ feet, the most confusion has arisen with birds’ feet: a common mistake is to blazon the foot as a “claw” or “talon”, which properly refers only to the toenail. The bird’s foot is a period charge, as found in the arms of von Grünau, 1605 [Siebmacher 58]; it includes no part of the thigh, but only the unfeathered portion below the joint. The illustration shows a bird’s foot bendwise.

The majority of beasts’ and birds’ feet (as distinct from legs) are erect by default, with the claws to chief; only human feet seem to go downwards by default. For related charges, see claw (crab’s), sole, triskelion. See also ham.

The Order of the Jambe de Lion, of An Tir, bears: Checky Or and argent, a lion’s jambe bendwise inverted erased sable.

Pascal Foljambe bears: Azure, a leg couped Or.

Anlaug Dalesdotter bears: Or, three armored legs azure.

Emma Barfoot bears: Sable, a foot couped and in chief a bar argent.

Lothar von Katzenellenbogen bears: Or, in saltire five lion’s jambes couped at the shoulder gules.

Rauðbjorn Ágeirsson bears: Azure, three bear’s jambes erased Or.

Cett Donegal bears: Gules, three eagle’s jambes erased à la quise contourny argent.

Wulfwen atte Belle bears as a badge: In pale a tentacle vert issuant from a boot sable and maintaining a spoon fesswise reversed Or.

Leaf

Leaf (generic) (Period)

A leaf is that part of a plant which gathers light and provides shade. The default heraldic leaf seems to be a generic sort, with a simple elliptical shape; as heraldic charges, this sort dates from c.1300 [ANA2 249]. However, leaves of all shapes are found in period armory: elm leaves in the arms of Elmerugge or Elmridge, c.1285 [ANA2 289], oak leaves in the arms of Tregruthken, 1335 [DBA2 381], holly leaves in the arms of Eruyn or Irwin, 15^th C. [Scots 48v], linden leaves in the arms of von Lynden or Linden, c.1370 [Gelre 43v; also Siebmacher 141], ivy leaves in the arms of Yve, c.1470 [DBA2 43].

Linden leaf (Period); oak leaf (Period)

Ivy leaf (Period); holly leaf (Period)

As may be seen, the type of leaf was frequently chosen for the sake of a cant – Yue had yew leaves, Hesilrigg had hazel leaves, Malherbe had nettle leaves, &c – and without the cant, it is often difficult to determine the type of leaf being used. Period rolls show the same arms drawn with different types of leaves. The Society grants difference between some types of leaf, but not others.

Leaves have their stems to base by default, but there are frequent period examples of leaves inverted as well. For related charges, see card-pique, foil, nesselblatt, seeblatt, slip, vine. See also feather.

Ann of the Tall Trees bears: Vert, an oak leaf fesswise argent.

Avisa of Rideja bears: Per saltire Or and argent, a maple leaf vert.

Tamara iz Kiev bears: Argent, three birch leaves vert.

Seved Ribbing bears: Per fess azure and Or, three linden leaves counterchanged.

Lamp

Lamp, lit (Period)

A lamp is a source of light, consisting of a container of oil with an emerging wick. The earliest form, dating from at least Roman times, was simply a shallow bowl bearing a wick; the most usual medieval form had a conical base, which could be held in the hand or mounted on a fixture. This is the default heraldic form of lamp, found in period armory in the arms of Wetewang, c.1410 [TJ 1555; see also Bedingfeld 90].

Arabian lamp, lit (Accepted)

However, the most commonly found lamp in Society armory is the “Arabian lamp”, with a handle at one end and the wick in a spout at the other; it’s also been blazoned a “Greek lamp”, though the shape is unchanged. It’s frequently drawn as the “Aladdin’s lamp” of modern imagery; we’ve no period examples of lamps in that form, neither as a charge nor as an artifact. However, a basic boat-shaped form of lamp was used in period, as terra cotta artifacts: the illustration is based on an 11^th C. terra cotta lamp found in Sicily. Based on that example, the Arabian lamp is still permitted for Society use as of this writing. The Arabian lamp has its handle to sinister by default.

Hanging oil lamp, lit (Accepted)

Society armory also has the “hanging oil lamp”, with a shallow flat bowl of oil fastened to a vertical handle: the handle can be hung from a hook over a drawing table. Like the Arabian lamp, it isn’t found in period armory; however, the hanging oil lamp is a period artifact, as seen in the Opera of Bartoloneo Scappi, 1570, on which the illustration is based [Peter Thornton, The Italian Renaissance Interior, 1400-1600, plate 347; cf. also plates 23, 294]. Unlike the Arabian lamp, the hanging oil lamp doesn’t have a default orientation; it is left as an unblazoned detail. (There’s also one instance in Society armory blazoned simply an “oil lamp”, with no handles; it’s the exception.)

Any form of lamp, if blazoned “flammant” or “enflamed”, is shown with the wick lit. “Lit”, of course, works as well. The lamps in the illustrations are all lit.

For related charges, see candle, lantern, torch. See also pitcher.

The Royal University of Ithra bears: Gules, on a sun Or eclipsed gules, an Arabian lamp flammant Or.

The Order of the Golden Beacon, of the Barony of Ynys Fawr, bears: Per bend sinister azure and Or, a lamp argent enflamed Or.

Tiffanie du Claire bears: Purpure, a [square] oil lamp enflamed between three stars of David one and two Or.

Arthur Lemner of Wesley bears: Azure, in pale a drawing compass and a two-spouted oil lamp argent, enflamed Or.

Brigid Duncan bears: Per bend vert and gules, a bend between a hanging oil lamp argent lit Or and a boar sejant Or.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings