[ANSTHRLD] Device check

[tmcd at panix.com]

Troye de Leon wrote me privately, but I assume it's OK to forward it
to the list.

> I value your comments and shall explain that this is my first time
> as Herald, and first time at putting the language all together
> correctly.

Don't worry -- a herald's first time is often awkward and incomplete.
We'll be careful with you, educating you.

> The field is Argent (background white/silver metal), the pattern is
> bend sinister sable (a black tinctured diagonal line running from
> the top left to bottom right), there are two charges on the field,
> cranes gules (red), one in the dexter chief position (upper right),
> and one in the sinister base (lower left) position, both on the
> field portions, not on the bend.

I'll ask for a bit more clarification, if I may.  I was careful to
write things like "(the holder of the shield's upper left == the
viewer's upper right)" because "upper left" or "upper right" is
ambiguous: most English speakers use that to refer to the viewer's
perspective, but the language of English heraldry calls it from the
holder's side.  So, when someone is looking straight at the shield,
which way is the line: / or \?

For example, see <http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/>.  That's a bend
rather than a bend sinister, going \ from the viewer's perspective.

I think it is likely what Bronwen surmised,

    Argent, a bend sinister sable between two cranes displayed gules.

As for depiction, there's a couple of points to be careful about.

"A black tinctured diagonal line" for a bend sinister or a bend needs
to be adequately wide.  The one at the First Cavalry Division page
above is, I would say, acceptable for the purpose but a tad narrower
than I would prefer.  That width is why I refer to an ordinary as a
"stripe" rather than a "line" -- "line" implies a skinny line, and
that's too narrow to be registerable (or easily visible).

I would suggest not drawing the cranes in the Japanese circular style,
but rather like Western European naturalistic cranes.  I don't know
that Japanese circular displayed cranes would be returned, but it
would at least provoke comment.

I agree with Bronwen's comment

> This would have an armorial weirdness for having a bird other than
> an eagle shown displayed, but that would appear to be the only one.

Dannet de Linccolne
-- 
"Me, I love the USA; I never miss an episode." -- Paul "Fruitbat" Sleigh
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com