ANSTHRLD - Armory conflict check: Duncan M

Timothy A. McDaniel tmcd at jump.net
Tue May 9 10:18:18 PDT 2000


Mableth / awmorris at flash.net wrote:
> And for at least the last century of period time the standard
> depiction of a unicorn was a small horse-like body with a horn,
> beard, and tufted feet.  Note that none of the differences are
> visually significant.

I'm trying to think of a way in which having a horn, beard, and tufted
feet is not "visually significant".  I'm failing.  I think that if I
came to work with a horn, beard, and tufted feet, or if I saw a
quadruped at an event with those, I'd notice immediately.

If a unihorn and tufts are not enough, then what of hooves, which are
about the size of tufts?  Fangs?  Tail details?  Down this road lies
"all quadrupedal mammals are indistinguishable", which is horrible to
contemplate.

> I agree that a unicorn is an 'entirely different critter' from a
> horse.  And a raven is an entirely different bird from a crow.
> [luce and pike]

Yes and no.  Part of the basis for CDs is in RfS X.4.e (dead God give
me a life -- I guess right on an X.4 subsection):

    Types of charges considered to be separate in period, for example
    a lion and an heraldic tyger, will be considered different.  A
    charge not used in period armory will be considered different in
    type if its shape in normal depiction is significantly different.

Note that visual appearance is not a factor if they were considered
"separate in period".  Determining "separate in period" is difficult,
but the margin is not large enough to contain my notes.

> If Laurel rules that horses and unicorns are different

Laurel has so ruled for at least 10 years, if not twenty.

> But we have to be ready to accept unicornate horses on shields,
> banners, etc.

And that differs from current practice how?

Daniel de Lincolia
-- 
Tim McDaniel is tmcd at jump.net; if that fail,
    tmcd at us.ibm.com is my work account.
"To join the Clueless Club, send a followup to this message quoting everything
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