Period stuff(ed)...

[Michael A. Chance]

Michael writes:

> People clearly want to use such thing, take a look at how many devices get
> bumped for landscape, 3D, treatments, etc. multiply times ten or twenty
> that for all the ones that get turned down by local heralds before it ever
> gets to a commentary. It is a fairly clear sign to me that people want it.

People want such things because they see them in modern heraldry
(especially U.S. civic heraldry), and assume that medieval heraldry
must be the same.  Added to this is the misconception that heraldry,
as a form of identification, must say something about the person being
identified, instead of being a graphic form of an ID number (and a
non-unique one, at that).  Thus, the reason for local herald telling
such people that what they've designed isn't medieval heraldry -
because it isn't.

Like any other part of re-creating the Middle Ages, what people first
believe to be historical correct is quite often not exactly right.
Why should being told that a modern heraldic design (or simply artwork
that isn't heraldic at all) isn't medieval be any different from being
told that a modern prom dress or a SF/fantasy "barbarian" costume
isn't medieval?

Mikjal Annarbjorn
-- 
Michael A. Chance          St. Louis, Missouri, USA    "At play in the fields
Work: mc307a at sw1stc.sbc.com                             of St. Vidicon"
Play: mchance at crl.com