The calamarie is a water-dwelling mollusc, its body pointed at one end and with multiple tentacles (usually ten) at the other end. In period, it was also called a “cuttle-fish”; its modern name is the squid. Though known in period, no examples of the calamarie have been found in period armory. The calamarie has its tentacles to chief by Society default.
The calamarie has been used as the modern interpretation of a sea monster from Norse legend, known as the “kraken”, which would grab passing ships and break them apart. At one point in the Society’s history, the calamarie was blazoned as a “kraken”. However, given the lack of evidence that the mythical kraken was ever depicted as a giant squid in any art predating the 18th Century, the term is no longer used. (There are a handful of Society blazons still using the term, mostly for canting purposes.)
Similar to the calamarie is the “polypus”, distinguished by its rounded head and eight tentacles; it’s known modernly as the octopus. Again, though known in period, no examples of the polypus have been found in period armory. The polypus has its tentacles to base by Society default.
Both the calamarie and the polypus should be drawn so their tentacles may be clearly distinguished; they should mostly occupy the space opposite the head, with less than half recurving back to the midsection of the creature and none going past its head. See also fish.
The Order of the Kraken, of Atlantia, bears: A kraken Or.
Jon Searider bears: Barry wavy argent and azure, a calamarie sable.
Alphonse d’Ayr bears: Vert, a polypus argent orbed azure wearing a skull-cap gules, a chief invected ermine.
The boreyne is a monster vaguely similar to a bull, but with a horse’s mane, a lion’s forelegs and tail, an eagle’s hindlegs – to which are added curled horns, spear-headed tongue, and a fin spouting from its crupper. It was used as a canting badge by Borough (or Burgh) c.1466 [Dennys 152]. The boreyne does not seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows a boreyne passant.
Iago of Winged Hills bears as a badge: Or, a boreyne passant to sinister gules.
The bagwyn is a monster similar to an antelope, but with a bushy tail, fringes of fur on the legs, and long swept-back attires. It was used as a badge by the Earl of Arundel, c.1539 [Dennys 150].
The bagwyn does not seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows a bagwyn rampant.
Aureliane Rioghail bears: Argent, a bagwyn lodged to sinister pean, attired and unguled Or, gorged of a chaplet of gladiolus flowers Or slipped and leaved vert, and in base a pair of breys, all within a bordure azure.
Crisiant ferch Eirian bears: Per fess sable and argent, a pale counterchanged, overall a bagwyn rampant guardant gules.
The antelope is an heraldic monster with a body like a deer’s, but with tusks, a lion’s tail, and serrated horns. The creature was described in medieval bestiaries as remarkably fast and fierce, capable of cutting down trees with its horns. The antelope was one of the Royal badges of Henry IV, d.1413 [Dennys 147; HB 109].
The unmodified term “antelope” refers to the heraldic monster; if the natural beast of the deer family is intended, it must be blazoned as a “natural antelope”.
The antelope does not seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows an antelope rampant. For related charges, see bagwyn, ibex, yale.
Steven Shirebourne bears: Pean, three antelopes rampant argent.
Athena Catarina of Windcrest bears: Azure, an antelope rampant argent.
Shoshona bat Malachi bears: Argent, two cypress trees couped vert and a natural antelope statant sable.
This monster is a dragon with bird’s wings and a head at either end – rather like the “pushme-pullyu” of the Dr. Dolittle stories. The name comes from the Greek (amphis, bainein, “to go both ways”): in classic Greek myth, it’s a serpent with a head at either end. Bossewell, 1572 [II.63] describes the amphisbaena but gives no picture; Brooke-Little [Her.Alph 33] has shown it was never actually used in mundane armory.
The amphisbaena used in Society armory seems to be a conflation of two forms of amphisbaena from medieval bestiaries: one with wings and two feet (as in the Aberdeen Bestiary, c.1200) and one with four feet but no wings (as in the Bestiary in the Netherlands National Library, c.1350). There doesn’t seem to be a default posture; the illustration shows an amphisbaena statant.
Edward the Gentle bears: Argent, an amphisbaena statant respectant vert, winged Or, gorged of two oak wreaths Or connected between the wings by a chain containing three Catherine wheels sable, in base a point pointed gules.
Ricola of Fenhop bears: Or, an amphisbaena passant gules within a bordure gules bezanty.
Solveig Langlif bears: Per pale purpure and Or, an amphisbaena, heads reguardant, between three crescents counterchanged.
The alphyn is a monster with a body similar to that of a tyger; its other characteristics vary, but it is most commonly shown with eagle’s forelegs and a knotted tail. It was used as a badge by the Lords de la Warre, c.1476 [Dennys 146]. Etymological evidence suggests that the alphyn and the enfield are both variants of the same non-heraldic monster.
The alphyn does not seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows an alphyn passant.
Angelo di Antonio Machiavelli bears: Quarterly sable and azure, an alphyn passant argent.
Alyson Throckmorton bears: Lozengy vert and Or, an alphyn passant purpure.
Dunstan Godricson bears: Per fess and per chevron throughout gules and argent, three alphyns passant argent.
The allocamelus is an heraldic monster described as having the head of an ass and a body with a camel’s hump; it’s sometimes called an “ass-camel” in the heraldic literature, and may be a period attempt to describe a llama. Its sole period instance is as the crest of the Eastland Company, 1579, used without authority [Dennys 147]. The allocamelus is nonetheless permissible for Society use.
There doesn’t seem to be a default posture for the allocamelus; the illustration shows an allocamelus statant.
Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon bears as a badge: An allocamelus passant purpure charged with an escallop argent.
