[ANSTHRLD] Blazon help - William Killian

[Tim McDaniel]

On Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Kathri at aol.com wrote:
> I haven't tried blazoning in public lately, so --
>
> Azure, in canton a mullet of four points argent charged with a
> goblet sable within a bordure argent mullety of four points azure.

Rather than "A charged with B", SCA practice is usually "on A B"
(unless there's a reason, like the blazon is clearer or sometimes when
B is strewn charges).

    Azure, in canton on a mullet of four points argent a goblet sable
    within a bordure argent mullety of four points azure.



I like to make period style notes.  The submitter may not care deeply
about certain features of their design, or may find a period
alternative more interesting.  If that occurs, they may be just as
happy or happier with a period design.  If not, then the result is no
further from period style and it's still as registerable as before.

Mullets of four points are SCA-registerable.  However, I think we've
found exactly one (1) non-SCA use of one, in Italy.  Period mullets
were of five or six points (five more in England, six more on the
Continent, but both found in both areas).  Would he perhaps care to
consider them?

A bordure mullety is a fine period notion.

Mullets of five or six points are common in period, on the field or on
other charges.

Period cups were usually covered with a dome.  They're usually seen in
the SCA uncovered.  Covering/uncovering is not worth a CD, so it's
just an artistic style difference.

A charge in canton is a fine period notion, and it was done more in
period than in the SCA.  Which is to say, I like it.

Does the cup have Deep Personal Significance to him?  Do a cup and a
mullet have to be associated, or could the cup stand alone with the
bordure taking all the mullets?  Charging a mullet with a
complex-outline charge is registerable, but I don't recall period
examples.  Further, if there was a more unusual charge (the cup) in
period, it more often occurred directly on the field.  That is, "on a
cup a mullet" is closer to period style than "on a mullet a cup", but
plain "a cup" is far closer to period style than either.

If he'd like odd asymmetry and wants both mullet and cup prominent on
the field, I found one early English example of a design that would
boggle SCA armorists.  Perhaps he'd consider

    Azure, a cup and two mullets two and one argent within a bordure
    argent mullety azure.

That is,


    Y     *


       *

It would generally not be as easy to clear as some designs, because a
common precedent involving the definition of "half the charge group"
would not apply.  Note: the design above must use five (or
fewer)-pointed mullets or it may conflict with Ariel of Alon, 6/92,
"Azure, two compass stars argent and a sword argent, hilted gules,
winged Or, a bordure argent".  Otherwise, it appears clear thru 12/01,
though I might have missed something.

My original idea, "a mullet and two cups", is barely clear of William
Marchant, 12/97, "Azure, three covered tankards argent a bordure
argent semy of pheons gules", with one CD for the bordure and one CD
for type for goblets versus cups/mullet (Da'ud 1.2 prec. s.v. Cup;
I can't find (in precedents) that it's been overruled since).

The period example I found is Haverville or Turberville, "Azure, in
dexter chief a lion passant guardant, in sinister chief and in base
two pierced cinquefoils Or", from S. George's roll and the Charles
roll (both c. 1285).  The more usual period asymmetry would have a
canton in dexter chief.

Daniel "or make the cup argent fretty vairy gules and Or" de Lincolia
--
Tim McDaniel (home); Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com; work is tmcd at us.ibm.com.