Heraldry for Scribes

Mistress Eowyn Amberdrake

(Adapted with the author's permission for Western usage,

by Master Khaalid al Jaraad with the assistance of Mistress Alison von Markheim.)

In this article, I will assume that the reader is a scribe who does not read fluent heraldese, but who has just been given an abstruse verbal description of a set of arms and a poor-quality black and white copy of a picture drawn by a non-artist. The scribe's goal is to redraw that picture in a manner consistent with heraldic practice, and to color it properly. This is not an introduction to heraldry, so I am also assuming that the reader has either a reference book or two or a tame herald available.

When SCA practice differs from mundane heraldic references, it is best to consult an experienced SCA herald about the difference, or to assume that the SCA practice is correct and is in keeping with our interpretation of heraldry.

I will specifically address the basics of heraldic drafting style (size and shape), heraldic conventions (what the blazon doesn't say), SCA specific rules, and enough heraldic terminology to understand what goes where and how it is painted. Since animals occur frequently and have their own peculiarities of color and position, they are in a section of their own. The reader should refer to nearly any heraldic reference book for illustrations of crosses and their variations: there are too many to cover here. There are some crosses that are SCA inventions: if they aren't in a mundane reference ask a knowledgeable SCA herald. Heraldic terms are printed in bold type the first time they are used, and the reader may wish to refer to an heraldic dictionary for a more complete definition. I particularly recommend An Heraldic Alphabet by J.R. Brooke-Little.

Some of the statements here are based on rulings gathered into the Laurel precedents documents. There are not exact quotes, but many interpretations. Nearly all are based directly upon mundane heraldry and heraldic illustrations and practices.

What goes on a shield?

The duty of heraldic design is to be distinct, simple and impressive. To this end, good heraldic style is typified by the following qualities:

• Clarity

  • A strong, simple design.

• Contrast

  • Light colors are shown against dark ones, and vice versa, for maximum recognizability.

• Balance

  • Designs tend to be symmetrical.

• Repetition

  • Multiple objects are generally of the same kind.

• Space Filling

  • Objects are drawn to comfortably fill the spaces provided for them. This may entail adjusting the placement of animals limbs or the size of the object. The space covered should be somewhat less than that left over.

Drawing a Shield

Figure 1 shows a basic shield shape. Draw the top of the shield and the center line. Draw straight sides 1/5 to « the width of the shield. 1/3 is a common length. Next, draw the sides curving to the center line. Either by starting at the bottom of the sides for a pointed base, or from the center for a round base.

The Blazon

The emblazon is the picture, the blazon is the description of the arms in formal heraldic wording. A blazon first describes the field, or background, then the color of the objects placed on the field. After that it describes charges place on top of charges, and so on, building up from the surface of the shield. If a bordure or chief is present, it and its charges are blazoned last. The order that charges are given (depending on how they are arranged) is: from chief (top) to base (bottom), from dexter (shield's right, observer's left) to sinister (shield's left, observer's right), and from center outwards. When describing the charges, their number and arrangement on the shield are mentioned first, followed by their positions, positional details, color and color details. Several charges of the same color would all be described before mentioning the next color. Roundels (disks) and gouttes (drops) are sometimes blazoned by other names that imply their color (see table 1).

The Field

The field is the background of the device, and is blazoned first, followed by the charges. A divided or parti-colored field is one divided into several pieces. It is partitioned into an even number of pieces when only two (which is by far the most common) tinctures (colors) are used. Otherwise, the field is said to be charged with the pieces. For instance, if a field consists of eight horizontal pieces alternately green and yellow, it is "Barry of eight vert and Or ..." If, on the other hand, it consists of several green and yellow pieces, with a green on the top, it is "Vert, three bars Or ..." Exceptions are chequey and lozengy, where it doesn't matter. Chequey and lozengy do not have to be of a specified number of pieces and can have either odd or even numbers along their longest division. Sometimes a blazon does specify "chequey of nine ..." or the like. St. John Hope notes that the longest bar of chequey is generally divided into six or eight pieces, but seven has "some artistic advantage as well."

The first named color is the one closest to the chief of the shield. If more than one part of a divided field shares the chief, then the color on the dexter side is mentioned first. Parti-colored fields normally have six pieces, otherwise the number is blazoned. Figure 2 shows the common divisions of the field, and the order that colors are given in the blazon. For arms without a chief, determine the tincture that belongs in the dexter chief corner, then color the rest of the arms from that starting point. When a charge such as a bend or saltire covers that corer, sketch in the field as if the charge were not present to determine tinctures. For arms with a chief, treat the dexter corner just below the chief as the top of the shield and proceed as above.

The lines of partition need not be just straight lines: if they are not, they should be bold enough to be identifiable from a distance. Thus, three to five copies of the basic unit of the design placed across the width of the shield is about right. Figure 3 gives their names and pictures. Lines of partition not only apply to divisions of the field, but they can be applied to the ordinaries andsubordinaries.

Since a line of partition cannot face "outward" the rule is that it faces in the more "honorable" position: chief over base, dexter over sinister. Thus, a field per pale invected would have points to dexter, the arches to sinister. This appears to be the mundane practice, though precedent is somewhat muddled. Society practice is exactly the same. "Per pale" is the same in both but "per fess engrailed" mundanely would probably have the points to base (because the chief position "owns" the partition line), and Society practice places the points to chief so they look like the cups the partition line is named for.

Diapering

Diapering means to fill the blank spaces on a shield with a pattern of lines in a slightly darker or lighter hue of the same tincture. It is not mentioned in the blazon and is purely at the artists' discretion. Uncharged otherwise empty fields or ordinaries were commonly diapered in period scrolls.

Tinctures

Tinctures are divided into color, metal, fur, and proper, and are used according to the Rule of Tincture:

Thou shalt not place metal upon metal nor color upon color.

Tables 2 and 3 list colors and metals with recommended paints. Furs and proper are nominally neutral with respect to this rule, as long as contrast is maintained.

Note: On period scrolls, silver metal as pigment is not often used, due to tarnishing and chemical reaction, its use is not in general recommended. -- Ed.

Table 4 lists the furs and their patterns. Varieties of ermine fur can be created by blazoning color (field) ermined metal (ermine spots), or vice versa. A variety of vair or potent fur can be created by blazoning vairy or potenty color and metal or vice versa.

Field Treatments

Treatments are certain recognized patterns of contrasting tinctures. They may be applied to the field as Field Treatments, or to charges on the field as Treatments.

Semy

Semy or semee refers to a regular pattern of charges in staggered rows. The drawing style of semy varied in period from the sans nombre version to the cut from cloth version. The former shows only full charges that stop short of the edges. The latter looks as if the shield were cut from a piece of patterned cloth with partial charges at the edges of the shield. Brooke-Little states that it is a matter for the artist whether partial charges are left at the edge or not. There is no difference between seven charges arranged to fill the shield and semy of those charges. Use of good sense: geometric charges like mullets are quite legible in pieces. Complicated charges like animals are best identified and most easily drawn when only entire beasts are shown. The individual items in the semy need not be identically drawn; in fact in period there was generally no attempt to do so.

Ordinaries

Ordinaries and subordinaries are standard heraldic geometric shapes placed in standard positions on the shield. Following are ordinaries and other charges that occupy a substantial portion of the field, with some notes on drawing them. The central ordinaries (fess, pale, bend, bend sinister, cross, salitre, pile and pall) are considered primary charges, and are named first in a blazon. The ordinaries around the rim (chief, base, bordure, and flaunches) are named after all of the central charges have been described. The other geometrical charges shown (dexter tierce, sinister tierce, gore, and gore sinister) are sometimes called ordinaries and sometimes blazoned first, but precedents, both mundane and Society are mixed.

The most common error in drawing ordinaries is to make them too small. They should be bold. The sizes listed under the shields provide a feel for what is reasonable - they are not hard and fast rules. An ordinary is drawn larger when it is itself charged with objects, to give them more room. It is drawn smaller if the field is charged and the ordinary is not, to give room to the charges on the field. An ancient convention for drawing bends showed them as an arc: a straight line drawn on an outward curving shield would actually look something like that, so it can be interpreted as an early form of perspective drawing.

A charge may surmount another, or be blazoned as overall. Overlying charges should be drawn boldly. An overall charge drawn to just barely overlap onto the field is poorly designed and should be redrawing. In general, underlying charges are drawn smaller to promote ready identification of the overall charge. Exceptions are overall central ordinaries: they are generally the ones drawn skinny, so the charge beneath can be identified.

The edges of an ordinary can also be specified with any of the partition lines. About a third of the ordinary's width on each side is used for drawing the partition line. Thus, there will generally be more copies of the basic unit of the design on the edge of an ordinary than there are when it is used as a field partition. A fess or chevron embattled displays embattlements solely upon the upper edge. Further, there are two additional terms: Counter-embattled (or embattled-counter-embattled) indicates offset embattlements on both sides of the ordinary; while brettessé indicates aligned embattlements on both sides of the ordinary.

The term fimbriated means that the charge mentioned in the blazon has a band of color or metal around its outside edge to separate it from the field where it would otherwise be indistinguishable. It is used presently to allow simple charges to be placed on the field color on color, or metal on metal, which is otherwise against the rules. There are some older devices which have very complex fimbriation (birds, animal heads) but this is no longer allowed. An ordinary that is cotised has an extra line, sometimes two around it. The cotise is typically one-fourth the width of the ordinary, see the examples on both this and the previous page.

When more than one copy of an ordinary is used, the blazon will specify how many, and will call that ordinary by a diminutive of its name. In the SCA "no diminutive of an ordinary can be borne singly." this means that if the blazon says something like "Azure, a saltorel argent ..." or "Sable, on a bar Or ...", the ordinary in question is drawn as a regular saltire or fess, larger or smaller as the rest of the design dictates. The scribe should remember that a field charged with several copies of an ordinary will have an odd number of pieces, and the first color mentioned is that of the two outside pieces.

Proper

Proper is used two ways for a charge colored as in nature, and for one with understood conventional tinctures. For proper colored as in nature, SCA blazons specify the exact genus and species, and if needed the variety or breed. Mundane blazons do not specify this. For conventional proper, entire charges so termed obey the Rule of Tincture, though details might not. Some charges even change their proper coloration when placed on different fields, to force compliance. Table 6 defines some conventional proper tinctures.

ANIMALS

The heraldic positions for animals are given

on the next few pages.

Whenever a leg is off the ground, the scribe should draw the far leg as the one farthest from the ground: this shows the limbs to best advantage, without obscuring far limbs with near ones. In theory, any animal with four limbs can be blazoned with in these positions: for instance, a duck can be rampant, with wings out in front.

A griffin described "segreant" is drawn as rampant. This term is used only for griffins (for reasons unknown).

The continental herald-painters of all periods and the later English ones were quite concerned that a male animal not be emasculated. The very early English and late Victorian painters generally ignored the problem. Continental painters often painted the relevant parts red.

The details on animals can be done in contrasting color, particularly if the beast is the only or main charge. However, it is not wrong to use the tincture of the beast for the details. If particular details are to be painted a specific color that is not the default color, then the parts of the body that are to be this color are named. The default or most commonly used colors are listed at the end of each entry. The parts of which a scribe is likely to encounter are:

• • Armed: This refers to the natural weapons of the beast, generally teeth, horns, and claws (red/yellow).

  • Attired: Antlers (tincture of beast/yellow).

  • Barbed: Beard for beasts and humans (color of the charge), sepals for flowers (green), arrow-head for arrows (color of charge).

  • Crined: Hair, especially mane, beard, and tails (tincture of the beast).

  • Langued: Tongue (red/blue)

  • Membered: Legs and feet of a bird (red/yellow/blue/tincture of beast).

  • Orbed: Eyes (often red/yellow)

  • Taloned: The feet of a raptor or beast based on such a bird (tincture of beast/red/yellow).

  • Unguled: Hooves (tincture of beast)