[Ansteorra] Terms Coronets when to use

Marc Carlson marccarlson20 at hotmail.com
Tue Oct 17 19:22:54 PDT 2006


Just to toss in ...

OED:

1. a. A small or inferior crown; spec. a crown denoting a dignity inferior 
to that of the sovereign, worn by the nobility, and varying in form 
according to rank.
1494 FABYAN Chron. VII. 603, .iii. ladyes rychely clad in golde and sylke, 
with coronettes vpon theyr heddes...

2. a. A fillet or wreath of beautiful workmanship or precious materials, 
worn as an ornament round the temples; esp. in modern costume, a decorative 
part of a woman's head-dress, consisting of a plate or band of metal, or the 
like, encircling the front of the head.
1599 Microcynicon (Fairholt), But oh her silver framed Coronet With lowe 
downe dangling spangles all beset...

    b. A chaplet or garland of flowers for the head.
1590 SHAKES. Mids. N. IV. i. 57 She his hairy temples then had rounded, With 
coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers...

And a bunch of other stuff.

Ooh, a cool new word:  Coroniform - shaped like a crown.

So, what's crown?

[ME. croun(e, earlier crun(e, syncopated from coroune, corune, corone, a. 
AF. coroune, in early ONF. corune, curune (central OF. corone, coronne, in 
13th c. couronne) = Pr., Sp., It. corona:L. corna crown, orig. wreath, 
chaplet.
  The 11th c. corona in the O.E. Chron. was directly from L. The syncopated 
crune was used already in the 12th c.; but the fuller form survived beside 
it to the 16th c.]

    I. 1.    a. An ornamental fillet, wreath, or similar encircling ornament 
for the head, worn for personal adornment, or as a mark of honour or 
achievement; a coronal or wreath of leaves or flowers.
c1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 237 A pyt coroune et wer at gyrle, Of mariorys & non 
oer ston. ..

    b. fig. Chiefly referring to the wreath with which the victor was 
crowned in the ancient Grecian and Roman games, or to the AUREOLA of a 
martyr, virgin, or doctor, as victor over the world, the flesh, or the 
devil; usually the sense is more or less idealized or spiritualized (e.g. in 
crown of martyrdom, martyr's crown; no cross, no crown, etc.), or 
transferred to any kind of honourable distinction or reward bestowed upon a 
victor.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 39 Drihten bihat on wakiende ane crune et scal beon 
seofesie brihtre ene a sunne...

Hmm, since Crown and Coronet derive from Corona, it seems perfectly 
reasonable to refer the Coronæ of Ansteorra by such a nebulous term.

Marc/Diarmaid





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