[ANSTHRLD] layers and ermine spots

[Sara L Uckelman]

Quoth Teceangl:
> On Sun, Jun 7, 2009 at 3:29 PM, Coblaith Muimnech<Coblaith at sbcglobal.net> wro
> te:
> > My impression is that we treat ermined fields as though they are "flat" in
> > some respects and as though the spots are semys of charges in others.
> 
> They're flat.  Single tinctures, the same as azure or Or or vair.
> 
> X.4.a.ii.(b) "The ermine furs and their variants are considered to be
> different tinctures, so Per bend ermine and azure is completely
> different fromPer bend erminois and gules and from Per bend argent
> ermined gules and sable. The addition of a field treatment is also a
> change of tincture, so Per fess argent and gules is completely
> different from Per fess argent masoned gules and sable."
> 
> There is no other definition of ermined tinctures.

Note that the above is not a definition of the ermined tinctures, but
a statement about how they are treated for purposes of conflict
checking.  The definition of the erminted tinctures is found in the
CoA Glossary of Terms:

"Ermined Tinctures.  These are heraldic furs. There are many possible 
varieties of these, all based on the design of strewn ermine spots 
(abstract designs representing ermine tails). The most common are ermine 
(argent with sable ermine spots), counter-ermine (sable with argent 
ermine spots; also known as ermines, a term that is not used in the SCA 
due to the possibility of typographic errors), erminois (Or with sable 
ermine spots) and pean (sable with Or ermine spots). Other combinations 
do not have unique names and must be explicitly blazoned as <tincture> 
ermined <tincture>, e.g., gules ermined argent (gules strewn with argent 
ermine spots). Unlike other designs featuring strewn charges, the ermine 
variants are furs and are classed as separate tinctures in their own 
right, rather than as charged fields. However the ermine spots have the 
same constraints as charges for purposes of contrast under RfS VIII.2, 
in that they must have good contrast with the tincture on which they are 
placed. Azure ermined gules does not have acceptable contrast. For 
contrast purposes, these furs are classed either as colors or metals 
according to their underlying tincture (so ermine is classed as a metal, 
and pean is classed as a color). Ermine spots can also be used as normal 
charges; if not in a strewn arrangement they are treated no differently 
from any other charges. See also Field Treatment, Furs, Semy, Tincture."

-Aryanhwy



 
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