Post Your Granted, Assumed or Desired Arms

[SlackerDrummer]

The ravens could be blazoned Proper, and avoid the colour on colour problem on a technicality!

A technicality that is often used to excuse bad heraldry.

[Mike_Oettle]

The so-called meanings of the colours of heraldry have been listed in various armorial treatises, but it seems that down the centuries the majority of heralds paid little attention to these lists.
I recall reading that one mediæval herald produced a wordy dissertation about the various colours, among which he placed vert (green) stone last, because he felt it to be a vile colour. Subsequently he produced another statement in which he said he had revised his opinion, and instead had a high regard for vert.
(Incidentally, the French heralds originally used the term vert, but found that it tended to be confused with vair, and sought an alternative term. It is not really understood why they settled on the word sinople, since this word describes earth originating from the Turkish [Anatolian] city of Sinop, which is red-brown. A friend of mine, whose husband was colour-blind, suggested that perhaps the herald who introduced the usage was also colour-blind.)
Incidentally I have now managed to post an image of my arms – apologies for its size.
Regards,
Mike

[Joseph McMillan]

I love it when everyone's right. Scott's correct that attribution of inherent qualities to the various heraldic tinctures goes back hundreds of years. That's not all that long by heraldic time (in herald years, 1600 was just yesterday), but still.

On the other hand, Kenneth is correct that these inherent qualities varied widely from one medieval/renaissance heraldic writer to another, and the mishmash has continued to the present. Note the overlap and in some cases internal contradictions in the qualities various heraldic writers have ascribed to the different tinctures:

• Gold: wealth, splendor, greatness, command, generosity, prosperity, glory, sovereignty, adolescence, faith, nobility.
• Silver: peace, prosperity, amity, purity, joy, truth, frankness, integrity, virginity, justice, beauty, temperance, equity, piety, religiousness, work, innocence, childhood, hope
• Blue: justice, nobility, zeal, loyalty, perseverance, beauty, serenity, royalty, majesty, sweetness, vigilance, fidelity, patriotism, harmony, intellectuality, wisdom, lucidity, heaven, justice, purity, fearlessness, victoriousness, hardiness, lack of envy
• Red: audacity, courage, valor, dedication, intrepidity, grace, conspicuous nobility, generosity, honor, passion, patriotism, fire, sanguine temperament, nobleness, boldness, virility
• Green: hope, honor, courtesy, politeness, abundance, joy, fertility, liberty, lust, felicity, pleasure, beauty, shame, death, youth
• Black: benignity, wealth, solidarity, austerity, prudence, vigilance, humility, sadness, melancholy, sorrow, decrepitude.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I suspect the French heralds chose the word "sinople" to represent the colour green merely to confuse English heralds

Prior to the 14th century it seems that the French used sinople to represent red. At about the time they adopted gules for red, furs (vair) were becoming more common in French armory and the word sinople was conveniently repurposed to replace "vert" to avoid confusion between vert and vair in both written and spoken French blazons. Must have driven the English heralds nuts.

It also lays a trap for armourists who approach French blazons and assume that a "lyonne couchant sinople" refers to a green lion, when indeed it may refer to a red lion if the arms are of sufficient antiquity...

[Bugbear]

Ted -- you are FAR TOO HARD on yourself. You ask some great questions, as well as posting good observations and recommended sources. I'm always glad to see you post. I would never dare think of you as a "cockroach".

As the Aussies say, "No worries, mate." Don't let anyone hear make you think your contributions are not important. 'nuff said.

T.

Quite right, Todd.

Ted, your contribution was actually rather significant, not the other way around. Hardly that of a cockroach.

Thanks, guys.
It's a funny image though.

Surely there are depictions of insects and bugs used in heraldry?

[SlackerDrummer]

Surely there are depictions of insects and bugs used in heraldry?

Absolutely!

This recent (2004) grant to Sir George Martin, Kt., C.B.E. (who produced the Beatles) is an excellent example.

[WVHighlander]

Very nice...with fantastic representation.

[Bugbear]

Hmmm! There's an interesting topic. Arms of famous musicians and actors.

[MacLowlife]

At first I mistranslated it as All you need... Still, I like the martin with the recorder.

Googling is no help. Many people seem to think it DOES say ALL you need is love, but I would argue that it says Love is the only work.

Egeo ( I need )?

Amor solum eges?

Ubi magister est?

[FatherWilliam57]

Going with the title of the thread, these are my arms, assumed 11 June 2007 (a 50th birthday present to myself):



Blazon

Arms: Azure a fess wavy cotised between three Celtic crosses formee alisee and a castle of two towers Argent.
Crest: A demi-priest vested in alb proper (white) with a chasuble Azure bearing a Luther Rose proper.
Motto: Induite Vos Arma Dei (Put on the whole armor of God)
Badge: Upon a Celtic cross formee alisee Azure a Luther Rose proper.

Design Rationale

There are two different meanings to the devices on the shield. First, various branches of the armiger's family arrived in America during the 18th and 19th centuries from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, hence the use of a variation of the Celtic cross. They settled in and around the Kiskiminetas River Valley of Pennsylvania, and the armiger himself grew up along the Kiskiminetas, hence the fess wavy cotised. The name "Henry" is Germanic in origin and means "Home Ruler"; the name "William" is also Germanic and means "Resolute Guardian" or "Determined Protector"; hence, the armiger's choice of a castle in base. The crosses are three in number representing the armiger, his ancestors, and his descendents (past, present, and future).

The second set of meanings behind the devices on the shield derive from the fact that the armiger is a Lutheran pastor. The three crosses represent Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday, today, and forever." The fess wavy cotised is a reminder that one enters the Family of God, the Church, through the waters of Holy Baptism. The castle is an homage to Martin Luther's most famous hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."

Additionally, the armiger's crest and badge reflect the fact that he is an ordained minister of the Church of Jesus Christ within the Lutheran tradition.