[ANSTHRLD] Blazoning Term ?

[Stephen Macthomas]

Maeva inquired:

> What is the correct term to describe a creature facing AWAY (with its back
> turned - a typcial cat!)?  Someone has suggested "disregardant".

As Alden states, there's really not a heraldic way of showing the back of an
animal as you've described.  Part of the reason, again with a nod to Alden,
is that one must see the face of the animal for correct identification.  The
other is speculative - if one could blazon a *cat* facing away from the
viewer, one could justify facing a *horse* away from the viewer, and no one
wants to see that on anything heraldic.

However, there might be a way of showing that aloof attitude in a
heraldically correct manner.  In period (and in SCA heraldry, most recently
registered in March of 2002) when *two* instances of a charge are shown with
their backs to *each other*, it's called addorsed.

Not knowing what other charges (if any) that the submitter wishes, I would
consider using *two cats sejant erect addorsed* - in prose, two cats,
sitting on their haunches with their backs to one another, with both
forelimbs up as if attacking (or in the case of cats, perhaps playing with
string?).

Hope this helps.

Stephen, Solstice