Heraldry

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Is anyone interested in heraldry? It sound to start with like an odd and out-of-date subject, but it isn't - it can be fascinating, especially trying to make designs which adhere to the rules and then trying to blazon them.

Coats of arms are so colourful and interesting to look at as well.

It's a shame that here in the United Kingdom you are not allowed to make and use your own arms (otherwise they are known as 'bogus arms'). You have to either prove your right to them by tracing your lineage (difficult) and egistering your right with the College of Arms or Lord Lyon (Scotland) or apply to the College of Arms or Lord Lyon (Scotland) for a grant of arms for which you need to pay about £3000 - £4000

You don't have to be royal or special to have a coat of arms, so it is not a snobbery thing, although many people are under the false impression that it is.

Anyway, I've been having a bit of fun designing my own because no one is going to prosecute me for doing this - I'm not using them on headed paper on on my property or something. Plus it is not a matter of criminal law, so I am not a criminal The arms are on lozenge-shaped shields because unmarried women aren't supposed to use the traditional shape (they can also use an oval). I hope my blazons (technical descriptions) are accurate.



Party per fess Or and gules, in chief three lions in fess sable below a fillet of the second, in base a horse passant argent.
EDIT: This might be better as 'per fess Or below a fillet gules three lions in fess rampant sable, and the second a horse passant argent'.


Party per fess azure and argent, dexter a horse rampant of the second, sinister a lion rampant sable, over all two pallets counterchanged.


Party per fess azure and argent, dexter a horse rampant contourné of the second, sinister a lion rampant sable, over all two pallets counterchanged.


party per pale azure and argent, dexter a horse rampant of the first, sinister a lion rampant above a roundel sable, on a chief of the first, a greyhound courant of the third.

Last edited by Greyhound on 04 Dec 2008, 6:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm mildly interested enough to have learned it once and then forgotten.

All I vaguely remember is:
1.It's an esoteric code (not sure for what besides family lineage).
2.Forgive me for asking this question and don't be offended:
Why is heraldry so highly regarded and valued ... especially if
(and please correct me if I am wrong)
there seems to be many more ways to say "I'm a bastard" in heraldry than anything else?

Esoteric: of or relating to knowledge that is restricted to a small group.

It is not esoteric. It is quite easy to learn and is accessible to anyone with a good heraldry book or an internet connection, although in the past people have tried to complicate it to make it appear to be an exclusive thing.


Do you mean 'I'm a bastard' literally as in 'a barstard child'? If so, then there are a few ways of differencing a family coat of arms to show bastardy, yes.

It's highly regarded because, I suppose of it's Medieval routes; its deep and interesting history. It is also found to be interesting because of its artistic possibilities and because it is aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, it is seen to be very snobbish to have or want a coat of arms or to be interested in heraldry, but there should be no snobbery in it. In its beginnings, heraldry was used by anyone who required identification - usually anyone who owned land used arms - others didn't simply because they didn't need to. It was originally purely for identification, especially in battle.

In periods where reading wasn't a prime skill, a picture scheme for identification would be most helpful. Early heraldry is simply a means of battlefield ID (IFF for knights) and ownership.

It can be hugely interesting, agreed, and to some degree used universally.

Some more interesting designs I put together (again, the blazonry might be wrong (especially with the last)):


Gyronny Or and gules a cross counterchanged.


Quarterly, first gules a chevron argent, second sable, below a fillet Or a ram passant argent, third per bend sinister vert and Or two barrulets counterchanged, forth argent two foxes passant in pale Or.


Sable a chief gyronny of twenty Or and gules.


Per pale argent and sable between two pallets counterchanged a pale counterchanged on the sable half of which a sword Or.

saying that illegitimacy is a factor here would be taking a bend sinister to the matter...

Never learned the lingo, (except there's a word, 'jazzety' that tickles me...

Do you mean 'dancetty'?

For example, 'azure a fess dancetty sable':

could be, it was about 30 years ago I read about heraldry (as part of vexilicology...I think. I wish I still had the books)

Actually, I think it should be 'dancetté' rather than 'dancetty'.

I am deeply interested in Heraldry. The combination of the visual symbols and the language of heraldic terminology seems very evocative to me, as well as having served the practical function of identifying knights and their lieges and lineages.

Do your selections of colours and characters represent any particular meaning, Greyhound, or have you just chosen them for visual appeal? I like the blue and white one with the 'orse and the lion facing each other.

I find pratically any symbol to be interesting. Coats of arms are especially curious.

For most of them I chose them because they were visually appealing, but for the one you mention, I chose white and blue with the stripes with the flag of Israel in mind, with the lion representing the lion of Judah and the lion of the Phillips family in Pembrokeshire (our family came from Pembrokeshire, but it does not mean we are decended from them or that all of their descendants bore lions. The horse was to represent 'Phillips' which means 'lover of horses' (using puns in coats of arms is known as 'canting'). I also happen to like horses. Technically speaking, the horse should be facing the other way to the dexter* side - facing the way it is tends to symbolise something bad to do with the animal or what it represents (hence I posted a version where both animals were facing dexter). However, it is more visually pleasing this way round.



*To those readers who know Latin: dexter is right and sinister is left, however in heraldry left and right are described from the point of view of the person bearing the shield (standing behind it).

Does "of the second" refer to the colour, so when the shield is "azure and argent" it means the horse is silver?

It does indeed. You can repeat the colour, but it is preferable not to.

Interesting note: Heraldry began in Germany where the Germans fighting the Romans would fight with painted shields. The romans did not paint their shields, nor did the Galls or any other opponent of the Romans. In fact, the proper word for "argent" is supposed to be "blank", the Germanic word for "white".