Flag

Flag (Accepted)

A flag is a piece of cloth attached to a pole, allowed to fly in the breeze. Flags are normally found as artistic details on castles, ships, &c; they’re usually termed “pennons” in such cases. However, flags are sometimes found as charges in their own right. Flags typically stream to dexter (i.e., the pole is in sinister), but the detail is worth no difference and may safely be left unblazoned.

Banner bendwise (Period)

Gonfanon (Period)

There are some other special terms for different types of flags: A “banner” is a square or rectangular flag on a staff, as in the civic arms of Würtzburg, 1413 [Conz.Const. cvi]. A “gonfanon” is a rectangular or heater-shaped flag, hung from ropes at its top corners, as in the arms of the Counts of Auvergne, c.1275 [Asp2 220]. A “wyn” is a stiff triangular vane; it is mostly used for the sake of a cant.

Vexillum (Accepted)

In Society armory we find the “vexillum”, a standard borne by maniples of the Roman army; it denoted lesser rank than the aquila or eagle standard.

Flags are considered a medium for heraldic display. Thus when used as a charge in Society heraldry, the design on a flag is also checked for conflict. An uncharged flag is not considered presumptuous.

Fishhook

Fishhook (Period)

A fishhook is a metal wire, barbed and bent into a U, cast at the end of a line to catch fish. It is a period charge: an early version is found in the arms of von Born, c.1370 [Gelre 41v], and later in the arms of von Angelloch, 1605 [Siebmacher 125] and Medvile, 1610 [Guillim1 220].

The fishhook is palewise, couped end to chief and barb to dexter, by default. Some Society examples terminate in a ring, but the fact is considered an unblazoned artistic detail. See also hook.

Uilliam Ó Seaghdha bears: Sable, a fishhook Or.

Creature Twyne Dragon bears: Per pale argent and sable all semy of fishhooks bendwise counterchanged.

Drosten Sutherland bears: Gules, a fishhook reversed Or within a bordure per pale sable and argent.

Feather

Feather (Period)

A feather is one of the growths covering a bird’s wings and body; it consists of a quill or central shaft with a flat leaf-like surface growing from it. It is also termed a “plume”, though this term is usually reserved for ostrich tail feathers; some authors would define a “plume” as a bunch of ostrich feathers, so it is best to be specific.

The feather is sometimes misblazoned a “quill” or a “quill pen”. Strictly speaking, the quill is the central shaft of the feather, and the quill pen is a quill with its end carved into a nib. These distinctions are often blurred in Society heraldry, and the terms are close to synonymous in practice. It is still best to use the correct term.

In mundane heraldry, the default feather is an ostrich plume, as in the “shield for peace” of Edward the Black Prince, c.1350 [HB 152]; the Society’s default feather is a more generic shape, such as a goose feather (as in the illustration). It is palewise by default, with the quill point to base.

For related charges, see pen, plumetty. See also leaf, quill of yarn.

Antoine de Breton bears: Quarterly gules and purpure, a feather bendwise Or.

Adelicia Marie d’Argent bears: Argent, a sheaf of three peacock feathers proper, tied Or.

Salina of the Dale bears: Gules, two merlin feathers in pile, points crossed in nombril point argent.

Escroll

Quill pen transfixing an escroll fesswise (Period)

An escroll is a strip of parchment or paper, frequently with writing upon it, transfixed or held in place by a larger charge. By its definition, it can never be used alone, or as a primary charge. The escroll is a period charge, used in the arms of Sir Roger de Clarendon, d.1402 [Parker 238]. It has no default orientation, though it is usually assumed to be at right angles to whatever charge is transfixing it.

The illustration shows a quill pen transfixing an escroll fesswise. For related charges, see ribbon, scroll.

Ieuan Gower bears: Sable, an ostrich feather transfixing an escroll fesswise between in bend sinister two mullets Or.

Ermine spot

Five ermine spots (Period)

An ermine spot, or ermine tail, is a highly stylized charge, meant to represent the tail of the ermine beast; it is also sometimes blazoned a “muskatour”. Ermine spots were sometimes charges in their own right, as in the arms of Liesvelt, c.1460 [GATD 34v; also Gelre 83v]; but they are far more often found strewn across a field to form the heraldic ermine-style furs.

Of these furs, by far the most common was simply blazoned “ermine”: a white field with black ermine spots, most famous as the arms of the Dukes of Brittany, 1318 [Asp2 172]. For most of the Society’s period, this was the only ermine-style fur in use. In the 15^th Century, a variant was introduced, a black field with white ermine spots [Hope 8]: it was called “ermines” in English and “contre-hermine” in French. To avert typos, Society blazons use the translation of the latter, “counter-ermine”.

Towards the end of period, two other ermine-style furs appeared in heraldic tracts [e.g., Legh 76]: “erminois”, a gold field with black ermine spots, and “pean”, a black field with gold ermine spots. Your Author has found a single period example of erminois, in the arms of Meery, c.1510 [DBA3 489; also Gwynn-Jones 98]; we’ve yet to find a period example of pean. However, on the basis of Legh if nothing else, all four of these furs are available for Society use.

Post-period examples exist of fields strewn with ermine spots, in other tinctures, e.g., “Gules semy of ermine spots Or” [Woodward 68]. Society practice would blazon this “Gules ermined Or”, and treat it as an ermine-style fur. Any metal field may be ermined in a color, and vice versa, in Society heraldry. We have a single example in an heraldic tract, the Traité de blason, late-15th C., of “Or ermined vert” (le champ dor armine de sinople), but no actual examples of its use in arms; nonetheless, this provides support for the practice in the Society.

The illustration shows several stylizations of ermine spot, which were taken from medieval emblazons. The one in dexter chief, from Legh, is the form most often found in Society emblazons. Naturally, an emblazon shouldn’t mix styles, but should use one stylization throughout. See also tail.

Adeliza de Clermont bears: Or, an ermine spot purpure.

Wilhelm Leopard der Schwarze bears: Sable, in chief five ermine spots in fess Or.

Alisaundre Caledon bears: Per chevron Or and sable, three ermine spots counterchanged.

Egg

Egg (Period)

An egg is a hard-shelled ovoid, laid by birds for the making of more birds. It is a rare but period charge, found in the arms of Jaworsky, 1605 [Siebmacher 75]. The egg used in Society heraldry is the hen’s egg, with one end narrowing; this end is to chief by Society default. See also cartouche, roundel.

Prudence the Curious bears: Vert, an egg argent and a chief embattled Or.

Eginolf von Basel bears: Per fess gules and bendy gules and azure, in chief an egg argent.

Magdalena Flores bears: Ermine, on an egg gules a fleur-de-lys Or.

Eel-fork

Eel-fork (Period)

Salmon-spear, or eel-spear (Period)

An eel-fork, or eel-spear, is a tool used by fishermen in taking eels. It consists of a multi-tined head with broad, flat points; the shaft is not shown. Examples of the artifact can be found as early as the 16th Century; as a charge, the eel-fork is found in the arms of Stretele or Stratley, c.1413 [DBA2 350; cf. Parker 220]. The illustration is based on a period artifact.

Similar to the eel-fork is the “salmon-spear” or “harping iron”, often shown in armory with a fish transfixed on its tines, as seen in the arms of Ränntl, mid-16th C. [NW 151]. It differs from the eel-fork in that its tines are narrow and barbed, rather like a trident head. (Nonetheless, this form was also, confusingly, blazoned as an “eel-spear” [cf. Guillim1 220]; there seems to have been no consistent distinction between the various forms.)

The eel-fork and its variants have their points to base by default. For related charges, see fork.

Varukh syn Iarygin bears: Per bend sinister argent and vert, four eel-forks conjoined in cross by their bases counterchanged.

Dorothea af Holm bears: Gules, an eel-fork, on a chief argent an eel sable.

Drawer-handle

Drawer-handle (Accepted, probable SFPP); slice of melon (Period, probable SFPP)

The term “drawer-handle” (kan) is a modern term for a portion of a period charge in Japanese Mon: it seems to be taken from the mokko, or “slice of melon” (Dower’s Elements of Japanese Design). While we have no examples of the drawer-handle (in the illustration, the charge in chief) in period Mon, the mokko (the charge in base) is found in the Mon of Oda Hidenobu, d.1601 [Hawley 18].

In Mon, both the drawer-handle and the melon slice are used in multiples, not singly, and conjoined in annulo.

Kimura Tetsuo bears: Sable, a plate issuant from a Japanese stream, within five drawer-handles conjoined in annulo argent.

Cupping-glass

Cupping-glass (Accepted)

A cupping-glass is a medical instrument, consisting of an unornamented wide-mouthed vessel of glass or ceramic. In use, smoldering material was fixed to the vessel’s bottom, and the mouth placed on the patient’s skin; a partial vacuum was created in the vessel as the material burned. This drew the blood to the skin, which was supposed to improve the patient’s circulation.

The cupping-glass does not appear to have been used in armory; the one Society registration to date depicts a 19^th C. version. The illustration shows a more medieval form, taken from da Siena, La regime du corps, c.1287. The cupping-glass’s mouth is to chief by Society default. See also cup, flask.

Robin of Mannefeld bears: Sable mullety, in a cupping-glass inverted argent, a rose purpure, barbed and seeded proper.

Crook of Basel

Crook of Basel (Period)

The term “crook of Basel” refers to a specific stylization of a charge found in the arms of Basel. In its original form, it was drawn as a bishop’s crozier [Zurich ix], but by 1413 it had assumed its present, highly stylized form [Conz.Const. ccv], to the point where it may be considered a separate charge.

Alda Mauricia bears: Purpure, a crook of Basel argent.

Hieronymus van Gent and Annetje van Leuven bear jointly as a badge: A crook of Basel Or.

Mistholme

heraldry, illumination, and random jottings

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