[ANSTHRLD] link to pics for the devices in question

[tmcd at panix.com]

A blazon that's even a little incorrect can throw everyone off.  So,
as a general principle, I advise that, if you're not 100% certain of a
blazon, you should provide a picture, sketch, or plain-English
description.  Antonia, many thanks for providing pictures.

On Sun, 7 Jun 2009, Kihe Blackeagle <kihebard at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > http://picasaweb.google.com/jimcouch/Heraldry?feat=directlink
>
> I'll take a stab at blazon for these:
>
> Sable ermined or, a pale couped enarched to chief and embowed to
> base within a border or ermined sable.
>
> (There's probably a more elegant term for the couped pale in this
> form

Her original proposed blazon said "cartouche".  A cartouche, as in the
Pict Dict, doesn't have corners -- the end caps are rounded.
Commenters and Laurel might decide that this depiction is just an
artistic variation.  But I'd show the submitter the Pic Dic version:
if the submitter is just as happy with using the Pic Dic version, I'd
advise them to put that on the form and use it, just to avoid any
questions.

Since the outside stripe is inward from the edges, it's an orle.

Also note that the ermine spots straddle the boundaries of the charges
-- aggressively so in the case of the orle.  So you can't blazon the
tincture of each charge separately -- you have to call it
"counterchanged".

The SCA capitalizes the tincture "Or".

    Sable ermined Or, a cartouche within an orle counterchanged.

If the submitter wants instead to put all the ermine spots either
entirely on or entirely off the charges, with no straddling of edges,
then

    Sable ermined Or, a cartouche within an orle Or ermined sable.

> Azure on a delf argent a griffin rampant (azure).

A square, as depicted here, is indeed a delf.

The tincture of the griffin is required -- there has to be an explicit
tincture for each charge (if you count "the next tincture given" as
"explicit", as with "counterchanged" above).  I suspect you meant to
put the parens around "rampant", because that's the default for a
griffin.  Since that's a well-understood default, I'd leave it out.

SCA practice puts a comma after the field specification.

    Azure, on a delf argent a griffin azure.

A quick scan suggests that this is clear.

Denyel Lincoln
-- 
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd at panix.com