[ANSTHRLD] fess urdy, Thor's hammers (was: Device attempt. . .)

[Coblaith Muimnech]

Jbrandl10 wrote:
> http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll227/aednial/jbrandldevice2.gif
>
> Sable, on a fess urdy argent between 3 mullets of 8 points argent,  
> thor's hammer sable, charged with thor's hammer gules fimbriated  
> argent

In the emblazon you've given the white line between the hammers is  
far too thin to be fimbriation.  So what you've got is a red hammer  
(which happens to have been drawn with a white pencil) on a black  
hammer--a clear violation of the rule of contrast <http:// 
heraldry.sca.org/laurel/rfs.html#8.2>.  Even if that weren't a  
problem, a hammer on a hammer on a fess violates RfS VIII.1.c, which  
says, "All charges should be placed either directly on the field or  
entirely on other charges that lie on the field," <http:// 
heraldry.sca.org/laurel/rfs.html#8.1>.

> http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll227/aednial/jbrandldevice.gif
>
> Sable, on a fess urdy argent between 3 mullets of 8 points argent,  
> 3 thor's hammer argent fimbriated sable

Again, the emblazon doesn't show fimbriation.  It's just three white  
hammers (which happen to have been drawn with a black pencil) on a  
white fess.  Zero contrast; no go.

It's possible that you could end up with three Thor's hammers voided  
sable if you made the black line much, much thicker.  On the other  
hand, a Thor's hammer could be ruled too complex to void, based on  
the guidelines in the cover letter to the November, 1992 LoAR <http:// 
heraldry.sca.org/loar/1992/11/cvr.html>.  I took an image of one I  
had handy and subjected it to the photoreduction test (as described  
in the June, 2004 LoAR <http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/ 
2004/06/04-06lar.html#57>), and the results were not favorable.

> I am also thinking about taking the center hammer and inverting  
> it,  how do you think that would look, and how would it be blazoned
>

It'd have all the problems the original version has, plus an  
additional, unnecessary layer of visual confusion.

Assuming you also successfully converted the hammers to hammers  
voided, it'd be blazoned, "Sable, on a fess urdy between three  
mullets of eight points argent a Thor's hammer voided inverted  
between two Thor's hammers voided sable," or something like that.


Have you spent any time looking at real medieval and Renaissance  
emblazons <http://coblaith.net/Heraldry/Armorials/default.html>?   
They're excellent inspiration, and looking at them could help you  
come up with a way to combine the elements that are most important to  
you in a device that works.


Coblaith Muimnech
<mailto:Coblaith at sbcglobal.net>
<http://coblaith.net>