ABCs of Heraldry - Part 2

Heraldry is very colorful, but we don’t use modern words like yellow, white, or red to describe them.  Plus, there are more hues, tints, and even descriptions of furs you should be aware of.  In the simple scheme of things, these are the most common descriptions of colors you will see for a piece of heraldry:

 

•        Colors:

•        Gules - Red

•        Sable - Black

•        Azure - Blue

•        Vert - Green

•        Purpure - Purple

•        Sanguine - Blood

•        Murrey - Mulberry

•        Tenny - Orange

•        Metals:

•        Or  - Gold

•         Argent - Silver

•        Furs:

•        Ermine – white with black ermine tails

•        Ermines – black with white ermine tails

•        Erminois – gold with black ermine tails

•        Pean – black with gold ermine tails

•        Vair – alternating animal skins placed head to tail typically shown in a pointed shield shape alternating between blue and silver colors

•        Counter-vair – animal skins arranged top to top and tail to tail in alternating bands typically depicted in blue and silver.

•        Potent and Counter-potent – not a true fur in many heraldic circles. The term originally meant a crutch, hence the “T” shape.

•        Papellone – scales (not common)

•        Plumete – feathers (not common)

Even though the colors add the pizazz to a shield, most people are attracted to the items depicted on it.  These are called charges, and can quite frankly be anything.  Many times they depict a craft or trade the family had.  Other times you will see references to geography or even homage to a noble deed the family patriarch was known to have performed.  While a variety of flora or fauna is as a charge you will also see a number of mythical creatures or simple geometric objects.

These simple geometrical figures are called ordinaries.  Ordinaries which are shown smaller in size are also called sub-ordinaries or diminutives.  These are charges of the same shape, though typically thinner than their traditional counterpart.

On the shield itself each area has a specific name.  This is particularly important when you are reading a description, or blazon of a shield.  Every word has a meaning and when you know what the word is telling you a picture of the arms will form.  To start, the points of a heraldic shield or escutcheon are:

·        A – Chief

·        B – Dexter

·        C – Sinister

·        D – Base

·        E – Dexter Chief

·        F – Middle Chief

·        G – Sinister Chief

·        H – Honour Point

·        I – Fess Point

·        J – Nombril Point

·        K – Dexter Base

·        L – Sinister Base

·        M – Middle Base (seldom used)

Now, to complete a blazon you simply need to put all the information above into a sentence.  There is, of course, a science to it and a specific way that a blazon is written.  First you describe the field of the shield, then the ordinary if any, charges, and any cadency marks.  The key when reading a blazon is that you are working layer by layer from the bottom up.  Each layer begins with the description of the colors, then the image(s) used, and then where they are located on the shield.  The last thing to be described is what is around the shield. 

I hope that you learned a little bit about the basics of heraldry.  At least enough so that you feel comfortable understanding the nuances of what you are looking at in the future.  The world of heraldry is an amazing one!

Resources:

•        A Guide to Basic Balzonry education.heraldry.ca/BLAZONRY_GUIDE_10.pdf

•        The Institute of Heraldry www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/

•        The American Heraldry Society www.americanheraldry.org/

•        The College of Arms Foundations, Inc. www.coaf.us/heraldus.html

•        A Complete Guide to Heraldry   by A.C. Fox-Davies

•        An Heraldic Alphabet    by J.P. Brooke-Little

•        The Complete Book of Heraldry              by Stephen Slater