[ANSTHRLD] Badge Suggestions?
Teceangl
tierna at agora.rdrop.com
Wed Mar 5 18:03:25 PST 2003
> >(Fieldless) A delf per pale gules and sable?
>
> I see no conflicts but will have to check precedents
> for fieldless items and presumption. At one time this
> was considered a display of the independent arms,
> "Per pale gules and sable". It will take some looking
> to find the precedent.
Allow me.
[(Fieldless) A lozenge Or.] We do not register fieldless badges which
appear to be independent forms of armorial display. Charges such as
lozenges, billets, and roundels are all both standard heraldic charges
and "shield shapes" for armorial display. The SCA has never protected
armory consisting of plain tinctures, except for two examples that are
particularly famous: the (important non-SCA) arms of Brittany, Ermine,
and the (important non-SCA) flag of Libya, Vert. If we do not protect,
and have never protected, the arms Or, we should not be concerned about
the possible appearance of a display of Or by using a single lozenge Or
as a fieldless badge. This is parallel to our practices concerning
inescutcheons of pretense. To quote RfS XI.4, Arms of Pretense and
Augmentations of Honor, "Similarly, an augmentation of honor often, though
not necessarily, takes the form of an independent coat placed on an
escutcheon or canton. Generally, therefore, a canton or a single escutcheon
may only be used if it is both uncharged and of a single tincture." This
rule demonstrates that an uncharged escutcheon shape in a single plain
tincture does not appear to be a display of an independent coat of arms.
Therefore, a "shield shape" which is also a standard heraldic charge will
be acceptable as as a fieldless badge in a plain tincture, as long as the
tincture is not one of the plain tinctures that is protected armory in the
SCA. This explicitly overturns the precedent "We do not normally register
fieldless badges consisting only of forms of armorial display, such as
roundels, lozenges and delfs in plain tinctures, since in use the shape
does not appear to be a charge, but rather the field itself" (LoAR January
1998).
Note that this does not change our long-standing policy about such "shield
shape" charges used in fieldless badges if the tincture is not plain (thus,
divided or with a field treatment), or if the charge is itself charged. Such
armory will continue to be returned for the appearance of an independent
form of armorial display. [Solveig Thronardottir, 04/02, A-Aethelmearc]
So either gules or sable is fine, but not divided.
- Teceangl
--
The sun, moon, and stars are for the birds -- a big naught.
Flora rose cross and ate flour.
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