Heraldry

[Dottie Elliott]

>
>nother question:  are the heraldic guidelines meant to be European?  I don't
>want to just assume that, but it doesn't seem like much non-Continental stuff
>gets displayed;  would Japanese or Native American designs be put down, even if
>they were possible in Period?  It might bring a heterogenousness to events
>that displeases some aesthetic tastes, but big merchant cities have always
>had colorful alien visitors.  And no, I don't mean Xfiles aliens.  A pierced
>& tattoed Maori king would certainly clash with an Italian event, but....
>
>sheilagh

I do not know what the college of heralds is doing now, but when I was an
active herald in the East Kingdom and Arval was the Kingdom herald, he was
arguing hard to allow other period styles to be passed (as long as they
were documentably period), such as German and Japanese heraldry.  I do not
know if he was ever succesful, though.  I think this would be quite nice,
since folks could then register heraldry the is most appropriate for their
personna. Of course, not all periods and groups had much heraldry but I
don't mind the differences at all. I do mind blatant moderness since I
joined the SCA to do medieval re-creation and would like that to be part of
our heraldry ...but then that's my problem.

Baroness Clarissa