Post Your Granted, Assumed or Desired Arms

[Bugbear]

MOR suggested reading, in one of my threads, The symbolisms of heraldry: or, A treatise on the meanings and derivations of armorial bearings by W. CECIL WADE, which I founnd over at Internet Archive. The link:

http://www.archive.org/stream/symbol...euoft_djvu.txt

[SlackerDrummer]

The idea that colours are allegorical and imbued with symbolic meaning reaches back well before heraldry became common across Europe (or the Russian film maker Eisenstein wrote extensively on colour in the 1940s). The concept popped up from time to time, and most students of heraldry and armoury are aware of Richard Robinson, who in 1583, came up with the following attributes of tinctures woven into a poem based on the Arthurian romance Le Devise des Armes de Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, which was written about 1546; here's a sample:

OR signifies the four virtues of nobleness, good will,vigour, and magnanimity;
ARGENT signifies the five virtues of humility, beauty, putiry, clarity, and innocence;
GULES signifies valiance;
AZURE signifies renown and beauty;
SABLE signifies mourning and sorrow;
VERT (sinople in the poem) signifies honour, love, and courtesy;
PURPURE signifies moderation and the virtues of liberality, abundance, and richness;

Precious stones were also used to denote tinctures for blazon in the 15th and 16th centuries; as far as I am aware it was last used by the College of Arms (quite appropriately in my opinion) to blazon a grant of arms to the Gemmological Association of Great Britain in 1967.

MOR suggested reading, in one of my threads, The symbolisms of heraldry: or, A treatise on the meanings and derivations of armorial bearings by W. CECIL WADE, which I founnd over at Internet Archive.

Which, not coincidentally, gives completely different symbolism to the colors than MoR himself gave just one post earlier.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Which, not coincidentally, gives completely different symbolism to the colors than MoR himself gave just one post earlier.

Just shows you what a changing world we live in. And BTW, I think it would be more accurate to say "completely different symbolism than that referred to by MoR in his post" rather than leave the all-too casual reader with the impression that the ascribed attributes were the product of my own imagination.

[SlackerDrummer]

Just shows you what a changing world we live in. And BTW, I think it would be more accurate to say "completely different symbolism than that referred to by MoR in his post" rather than leave the all-too casual reader with the impression that the ascribed attributes were the product of my own imagination.

You are quite right! Which is why I had already edited my post to include yours in quotes so people would know that.

[Bugbear]

There is no historical basis for the colors on a coat of arms representing any particular virtues. ...

I'm just the forum cockroach, and that book was in my collection of crumbs dropped by the gods.

Perhaps I should include a cockroach about to be stomped upon by a shiney Oxford shoe in my assumed arms...

[JSFMACLJR]

Yes, I'm not sure what to do about the ravens - they just wouldn't be the same if they weren't sable.

Maybe divide the shield per-fess argent and azure?

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

[WVHighlander]

edited

[Cygnus]

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

I didn't even know that was how it worked! You learn something new everyday (usually multiple things if you hang around this forum).

[macwilkin]

I'm just the forum cockroach, and that book was in my collection of crumbs dropped by the gods.

Perhaps I should include a cockroach about to be stomped upon by a shiney Oxford shoe in my assumed arms...

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.

[SlackerDrummer]

I'm just the forum cockroach, and that book was in my collection of crumbs dropped by the gods.

Perhaps I should include a cockroach about to be stomped upon by a shiney Oxford shoe in my assumed arms...

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.

Quite right, Todd.

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