Period Heraldric Styles...

[Nan Bradford-Reid]

>1) Period Style
>2) All others
>
>This would allow anyone to submit and *reserve* their arms. Anyone *can*
>make whatever arms they want and take them to events and show them off,
>so why not allow them to have their arms reserved? As I see it, all it
>would require would be an additional checkbox for which Armorial they
>are trying for. Keeping an armorial of the ones submitted that didn't
>care if they were period would allow them to use their arms without
>worrying if someone else is going to be using them as well. (Yes, I know
>they still can, but if it's recorded as Joe Bob Fighter's, then people
>will generally stop using it. While if it's not recorded and not
>required for them to submit, they will continue to use it.)


First, this would be a complicated mess to be handled by an already over
worked CoH, secondly, as far as I know, the only checking about being
"period" is whether the charge was used before 1600--and in some cases just
whether or not the thing being used was known in period.  That leaves ~1300
years of goodies!  As far as being in a "period style," I can probably
count on one hand the number of devices *I've* seen in the SCA *drawn* in a
period style.  Look at the Wappenrole and other lists of period heraldry,
what we draw ain't even close!  The way in which you draw your arms is not
registered, what you draw is and the heralds only ask that it be drawn in a
manner consistent with understanding what it is!  All of the other "rules"
concerning heraldry have developed so that the original purpose of it is
not corrupted.  The original purpose being identification.  You may not put
a red (gules) dragon, for instance, on a black (sable) field because at a
distance they melt together and the charge is unidentifiable.  You may put
a dragon of metal (either or or argent) on sable because at a distance it's
still a white dragon on a black field and you can say, "Oh, that's Sir
Hoozenflotzer and his troops who are about to swoop down on us and beat our
brains out."

>
>Ciao,
>
>--
>Phelim Uhtred Gervas  | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something


Catherine