[ANSTHRLD] Conflict check #5, Bonwicke

[tmcd at panix.com]

On Wed, 1 Feb 2006, Mike C. Baker / Kihe Blackeagle
<kihebard at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Troye de Leon wrote:
> > Sable, Elephant sinister rampart Argent.
> > Field black, Elephant facing dexter (left side as you face shield),
> > standing up on one foot as if going to trample or attack Silver.
>
> Let's try some blazon fu first:
> Sable, an elephant rampant to sinister argent.

Fooled by the proposed blazon.  "facing dexter" indeed means "left
side as you face shield", and that's the default.  "sinister" in the
proposed blazon would mean that it's facing to sinister, the RIGHT
side of someone viewing the shield.

So (assuming the English-language description is correct) it's actually
    Sable, an elephant rampant argent.

> Edmund Foxe|0407m|d|Sable, an elephant argent maintaining atop its
> back a tower, a bordure embattled Or.Clear, by posture and lack of
> bordure; further visual distinction via the *maintained* tower is
> the addition of a tertiary and does not provide a full CD (IMNSHO)

The CoA Glossary of Terms is helpful here (and in other cases):

    Maintained Charges. Small objects that are held by an animate
    charge are said to be maintained, such as a lion rampant
    maintaining a sword. Maintained charges are considered too small
    to count towards difference. See also Sustained Charges.

    Tertiary Charge Group. Any group of charges placed entirely on
    other charges. ...

So a maintained charge (held) is not a tertiary charge (on top of).
Adding a maintained charge is not a CD.
Adding a tertiary charge is a CD (by RfS X.4.i).

> -- were the tower *sustained* (of equal visual "weight" to the
> elephant), there would be no doubt of a third full CD.

That is true.  The CoA Glossary again:

    Sustained Charges. Large objects that are held by an animate
    charge are often said to be sustained, such as a lion rampant
    sustaining a polearm. A charge is said to be sustained if it is
    large enough to count towards difference. The rule of thumb is
    whether, if the charge and the charge sustained were separated,
    the two charges would be so nearly equivalent in size that they
    could reasonably be blazoned as a single group of two equally
    important charges. Another term for sustained charges is supported
    charges, such as a lion rampant supporting a polearm. See also
    Maintained Charges.

> Fiona Averylle of Maidenhead|9210M|b|Sable, an elephant passant
> contourny and trumpeting within a bordure Or.|(For Domus
> Chryselephantina)Clear, by posture, tincture of charge, and lack of
> bordure.

> Rowan of the Titans|9612A|d|Azure, an elephant rampant contourny
> proper maintaining in its trunk a cluster of Rowan flowers argent,
> slipped and leaved vert.Clear, by tincture of field, posture

Amra is correct: an elephant proper is gray, which counts as white in
SCA heraldry, so there's no difference for that.

> Simona dell'Amore|0408Q|d|Sable, an elephant rampant argent.
> CONFLICT! a single CD for reversing the posture of the beast:

Actually, CONFLICT!  no difference whatsoever.

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