How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 7

This segment will conclude my postings on How to Create a Coat of Arms.

Step 7: The Blazon of Arms

The blazon of arms is the written description of the image, described in such a manner that an accurate drawing may be made. This must follow a particular order. The blazon had to be precise because it would be given to an artist to create the coat of arms. The blazon would help the artist understand exactly what was required.

For the instructions that follow, I will use the Lyons family coat of arms as an example. For more detailed instructions on creating your own blazon of arms, here are a couple good websites to visit:
The Basics of Blazonry
Master Bruce's Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Blazon

First, the color of the shield is given. Thus a blazon would begin with one word to describe the color, such as Sable (black).

Next would come the divisions of the shield, if there are any, and what color they are.
Sable, a chevron ermine.

Following the divisions would be the primary charges and their colors. The specific position of the charges follows the color.
Sable, a chevron ermine between three lions argent langued gules, sejant guardant.
(Langued gules = tongue and claws in red.)

Then secondary charges are listed, along with their colors and position.
Over the chevron, a label gules.

If the coat of arms includes a crest, that would follow.
For the crest, a demi lion ermine rampant maintaining a cross-crosslet fitchee.
(Demi = partial. Ermine = fur: black ermine spot on white. Maintaining = holding in a non-threatening manner. Cross-crosslet fitchee = the specific type of cross used.)

Thus my husband's blazon of arms would read:
Sable, a chevron ermine between three lions argent langued gules, sejant guardant. Over the chevron, a label gules. For the crest, a demi lion ermine rampant maintaining a cross-crosslet fitchee. For the motto: Vertute et fidelitate.


I hope you've had some fun creating your own coat of arms. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like some assistance.

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 6

Step 6: Motto

In antiquity, a family might have had a motto. Not all families had mottoes, and they are certainly not required. A motto is a short phrase that represents you, your beliefs, or your goals. Many ancient mottoes were war cries, but some expressed hope, courage, or another sentiment. Mottoes are not held to any rules, so feel free to create your own. These can be written in any language. Latin was common but not required.

A few examples are provided here—some inspirational, some whimsical.

Listen, and walk on.
Never behind.
Beauty is a flower, fame a breath.
Christ's death is to me the death of death.
Either death or honourable life.
Fear shame.
Strong both in faith and war.
The brave always show mercy.
Without God, castles are nothing.
Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.
Act your office.
Arms cause laws to be respected.
I am willing but unable.
Good and handsome enough.
Dare to be wise, begin at once.
It does not shame me to have played, but that I have not left off playing.
Mediocrity is safe.
Neither swiftly nor slowly.
This hand is hostile to tyrants.
Trust, but in whom take care.
Sink him in the sea, he comes out fairer.
Faithful to my unhappy country.

A motto should be placed on a scroll either above or below the shield. The placement of the motto, the type of scroll it’s on, and the typestyle are left to your discretion.

Scrolls

There are many different scrolls, or banners, to choose from, or you can create your own. A scroll would be used not only for a motto but also for the family name. You can put the name above the coat of arms and the motto below, or vice versa. The scrolls used for the name and the motto should complement one another.

Here are a few examples of scrolls:


I've repeated two complete coats of arms here so that you can see examples of scrolls and mottoes:

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 5

Step 5: Finishing Touches

Once you have chosen your charges (symbols or emblems) and placed them on the appropriate color shield, your shield is done and you’re ready to place the finishing touches. These finishing touches could take as much time and effort as the components of the shield.

The finishing touches include the helmet, mantle, crest, motto, and blazon. In this posting, we’ll talk about the helmet, mantle, and crest.

For the helmet and mantle, a great deal of flexibility is granted. What this means is that if you have a historical coat of arms for your family name, you are not bound to keep the same helmet or mantle design. So feel free to adopt or design a helmet and/or mantle that best suits you. Or you can leave them off. A helmet and mantle are not a necessary part of the coat of arms.

Helmet

Many helmet types exist, or you could create your own. A few examples are shown below. The only real rule here is that the helmet should face toward the dexter side.

In some marshalled arms (combination of husband and wife), there are two helmets, which face each other, like this one that I created for my daughter and her husband (left).

Also note the red label (mark of cadence for the firstborn) on the Gallinger quarters, and the red cresent (mark of cadence for the second-born) on the Lyons quarters. (Marks of cadence can be any of the traditional colors. My daughter chose red [gules].)

You'll also see that the husband's name comes first on the banner (my daughter being a Lyons). This is because the husband's coat appears on the dexter side of the shield (quarter 1), having the dominant position. So I placed his crest and name above quarter 1.

Mantle

The mantle is a representation of the owner’s cloak. In antiquity, the family arms were depicted on the cloak, or coat, thus the term “coat of arms.” In early designs, the mantle appeared as a cloak draped around the shield. Later on, intricate leafy patterns were used. Whatever style you choose, you’ll want to use colors that are complementary to your shield. In the Gallinger-Lyons coat shown here, note the red and white leafy arrangement around the shield.

Crest

The term “crest” properly applies to the charge (symbol or emblem) that is placed above the helmet. Often you’ll hear the term “crest” being applied to the entire coat of arms. This is actually a misnomer that has come into popular usage.

Many families do not have a crest on their coats of arms. You may choose to use one or not, as you desire.

The crest can come out of the helmet, in which case you may want to place a “torse” on the top of the helmet. This is like a braided headband. Again, choose colors for the torse that will complement the shield. Typically, only one or two colors are used on a torse.

For examples of crests with torses, see the Gallinger-Lyons coat of arms above. The stag actually belongs to my son-in-law's mother's coat of arms. Here I took a bit of liberty, seeing as the mother's coat of arms placed the stag on the shield, not as a crest. I had left this up to my daughter's discretion, and this is what she chose.

Here's the coat of arms I just created for someone who responded to this blog. I've made it into a bookplate.

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 4

Step 4: Segments of a Shield

Shields can be divided into parts. Often this is done to accomodate emblems (charges) that are added due to marriage or other reasons. (See Marshalling Your Arms, below.) Additionally, if a charge is placed anywhere but center, it's important to know exactly where the charge is located. This especially comes into play when creating a written description of your coat of arms. (More in a future posting called The Blazon of Arms.)

The segments of a shield are as follows:
The top is called the "chief."
The bottom is called the "base."
The right side is the "dexter" side.
The left side is the "sinister" side.

SIDE NOTE (pun intended): When you are looking at a picture of a shield, the side that appears on the left is actually the “right” side of the shield. This is determined by the way that a shield is held on the arm. Imagine holding a shield on your left arm. The side closest to your right arm is the “right” or dexter side of the shield. Now imagine turning the shield around so you can look at it. The proper “right” or dexter side is now on your left, but it’s still called the dexter side.

Balance

When you place your charges on the shield, be sure to create a proper balance. You wouldn't want to place too many images on any one side, or too many on the top. Below are some examples of coats of arms with a number of charges properly balanced. These are exceptionally "busy" coats of arms, but they are all historical and keep the charges well balanced.

Below are some moderately busy examples that show proper balance.

And here are some simple coats of arms with good balance.


Marshalling Your Arms

Marshalling arms is the term used when you combine the arms for a husband and a wife. In antiquity, this was only done when the wife was of a noble family. Some organizations, like the SCA, do not allow the marshalling of arms, for they consider all their members to be of “gentile” birth. However, we’re just doing this for fun, so unless you intend to join the SCA, you can take some liberties.

The most common way to marshall arms was to divide the field in half, in which case the husband’s arms go on the dexter side. You could also divide the shield into quarters. The husband would generally receive the dominant quarters, which are 1 and 4. Other options may be utilized, such as this one I created for my sister-in-law and her husband (at left). The husband's coat of arms is a black plaid pattern on a green field. (The plaid pattern is called fretty.) To that I added the chevron and one lion charge of the Lyons name. This made quite a striking combination, I thought.

On the next post, we'll begin some finishing touches.

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 3

Step 3: Animal Positions / Beasts of Prey

If you have selected an animal for your charge, there are rules to follow regarding the position of the animal. I'm going to try to break this down into the most common rules for the most common animals.

First, let's cover beasts of prey. The most commonly used is the lion, so I'll use lion pictures to show examples of proper positions. Take note that animals will almost always face to the dexter, or right. However, it looks like the animal is facing to the left. That's because the left and right sides are determined by the manner in which the shield is held, not the manner in which you view it straight on. More on this in another blog.

Most often you will see the beast in the rampant position. This position is defined as standing on hind feet, specifically on the left hind foot with right foot raised. The head is facing forward.

If the head is facing toward the viewer, it is called "guardant." The position is then referred to as "rampant guardant."

If the head is facing toward the rear, it is called "reguardant." The position shown in the example at right is called "rampant reguardant."

If the beast is sitting, it is called "sejant." In the case of the Lyons coat of arms, you will see that the three lions are "sejant guardant," or sitting and facing the viewer (shown at left).

If the beast is standing, it is called "statant." The image shown at right is "statant guardant."

If it is walking (right foreleg raised), it is called "passant." The image shown at right is "passant reguardant," or walking and facing toward the rear.

Peaceful Beasts

This category contains both wild and domestic beasts that do not hunt and eat other animals.The most common of these are probably the stag and the horse, so I'll use images of those two beasts to show the positions. Take note that not all peaceful beasts use the same positions or position titles; this is just a generalization to help you get started.You'll see that horse positions are often different from stag positions.

A stag standing and facing the viewer is "at gaze."

A stag lying down with head up is "lodged."

A stag beginning a leap is "springing."

A stag running is "courant."

A stag or horse standing on left hind leg with right leg raised is "rampant."

A horse rearing (both hind feet on the ground) is "forcene."

A horse walking (right leg raised) is "trippant."

Combinations

Two rampant beasts of prey facing each other are "combatant."

Two rampant peaceful beasts facing each other are "respectant."

Any two beasts facing away from each other are "addorsed."

These are just a few of the more common poses of a few of the most common animals. If you have questions about poses I have not mentioned, feel free to contact me via a comment to this post.

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 2

Step 2: Choose Your Color

Once you have chosen your emblems (aka “charges”), you can choose your colors. You’ll need a color for the shield (aka “field”) as well as for the emblems (charges). Here’s where some rules come into play.

Let’s start with the field. There are five official colors to choose from, two metals, and several furs. I’ve shown these below.
NOTE: Purpure was not a common tincture since the pigment was difficult to create.



There are more furs available, but these are the most common.

Many different patterns exist as well. Patterns can include any number of stripes (bars) going vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. These bars can appear patterned themselves, such as with scalloped edges. Patterns can also include checkered, gyron (a pinwheel pattern), waves, different styles of crosses, etc. I won’t put examples here since the variations are numerous, but you can find some examples on the links listed in Part 1.

IMPORTANT! When selecting your field color, you should NEVER put one color on top of another. You can only put a color on a metal, or a metal on a color. Note the Nicodemus coat of arms in Part 1. The vert color is placed on the Or metal, and vice versa. This is acceptable. (Note: The word Or is often capitalized just to keep from confusion.) On the escutcheon in the center, the argent metal is placed on the azure color.

You can place colors on furs, but you must contrast the color of your emblem with the primary color on the fur. In the Lyons coat of arms in Part 1, the gules label is placed on the ermine fur, whose primary color is argent. This is within the rules.

The reason behind the color rules is that the image must be easily recognizable from a distance. The purpose of a coat of arms was, after all, to identify the bearer. A color on a color is difficult to discern from a distance. Same with metal on metal.

Emblems placed on furs or patterns should not be overly complicated or detailed, for the same reason. In the examples at left, you see: (1) an azure lion on an ermine field with a primary color of argent; (2) an argent lion on a patterned field with a primary color of sable; (3) an azure cross on a checkered field with a primary color of argent; and 4) three sable leopards on an ermine field with a primary color of argent. All of these are within the rules.



So go ahead and choose the colors of your charges and the colors or patterns of your field, and then we'll move on to the next step!

How to Create a Coat of Arms: Part 1

Creating coats of arms for my friends is a hobby of mine. Did you know that you can create your own even if you don't know anything about your family history? In fact, in the early medieval period, a coat of arms was unique to an individual. The symbols did not become associated with family lines until the late Renaissance.

Even after a coat of arms had become hereditary, it was common to have a son add something to his coat of arms so that it would not be identical to his father's. Often a son would add a "mark of cadence," which is a particular emblem to note his birth order. But he could also add any marks of office he may have achieved, or special awards he might have been granted. It was not unheard of to completely change your coat of arms. For example, King Richard I changed his from two lions combatant to three gold leopards.

Creating a coat of arms can become a complicated thing depending on how detailed and how deep you want to go. There are some rules to follow, but there's also a lot of freedom. I plan to break the process down into several steps. Hopefully that will help make everything more understandable, and it will also give you time to work on each step as I present it.

Step 1: Choose Your Symbols

In choosing symbols ("charges") for your own coat of arms, you can take several factors into consideration. You might play off your family name, especially if you know the meaning of it. In my case this was easy, with a married name of Lyons. I could have chosen any number of lion poses or colors, but I chose to go with a historical version of the coat of arms for the Irish Lyons name (shown at right). The red emblem in the center is called a label, and it's the mark of cadence for a firstborn. I added this myself, since my husband is the firstborn of his family.

I had also been given a copy of the coat of arms for my maiden name, Nicodemus (shown at left). I could have gone with the meaning of the name, which is "leader of the people." I could have chosen some symbol to represent that. However, I decided to utilize the historical version, together with the historical Lyons version, for a combined image (shown at top). The lion sitting above the helmet (in the image at top) is the "crest" part of a coat of arms. I chose this because it's an actual part of the historic Irish Lyons coat of arms. One change I made to this crest was to put a cross in the lion's paw instead of a fleur-de-lis.

There are several websites that will show you the symbols in the coat of arms connected with your family name. Not all family names are available, but it's worth looking into. Here are a couple of the best sites that I have found:

Heraldry

House of Names

Other options you can use, besides your family name, are to choose a symbol that tells something about your profession or something about your character. Here your choices are nearly limitless. A good website with an extensive list of symbols and their meanings can be found here:

Fleur-de-lis Designs

There are limitations and rules as to what colors you can use. I will present those rules in my next post.

I welcome any questions you might have, and I would be happy to assist you in finding the historical coat of arms for your family name (at no charge). I have a fairly extensive database that might have more options than what you'll find at any of the sites above. Simply contact me by way of a comment to this blog entry. Along with your last name, give me its nationality, and I'll see what I can do.

Poignant Fantasy

To me, fantasy stories can pack so much more of a punch than ordinary novels. For example, one of my favorite scenes in the first LOTR movie (The Fellowship of the Ring), is when Gandalf stands "in the gap" between his fleeing friends and the balrog. He declares that he is the keeper of the secret flame, which Tolkien said was the Holy Spirit. What a powerful picture of what believers are capable of...warding off incredibly powerful demons through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Another of my favorite fantasy scenes is toward the end of the first Narnia movie (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). At the very end of the battle, Peter looks up to see Aslan having just killed the White Witch. All else around him is a blur...all he sees is Aslan. He stands in awe at the realization that the Great Lion has risen from the dead and defeated the Evil One. I get misty every time I see it.

I don't think any other medium but fantasy can so touch our hearts, leaving us so marvelously in awe at what has been done for us. Jesus has risen from the dead. He has defeated the Evil One. All else fades from importance at this one realization.

Glory!

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