Shire Device
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Shire Populace
Device
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What's
That Thing, And Why Are There Two Of Them?
I
wondered just where to start with this page. There is so much to
Heraldry that falls into the category of WHAT?? and then the even bigger
catagory of WHY???. Then there is the massive WHYTHEHELLCANTI??????
Category. This one can be a bit contentious.
First
let's cover the shire device. Why do we have two? Well. actually,
the device for the shire is supposed to be displayed only when the
Seneschal is present. (It can also be displayed with other shire
devices at Kingdom events and such even when the seneschal isn't present
but this can confuse the issue.) It can also be used to designate
Shire property if the shire doesn't have a separate badge registered for
such purposes. I have noticed that several members of other Shires
have worn the official device for whatever purposes. This seems to
work for them but should the Seneschal choose to get snotty about it, he/she
has every right to restrict the use of the official device (so consider
yourself warned). I believe (but I'll have to look this up to be
sure) that the device may be worn by fighting or competitive groups that
represent the Shire and by the Shire's designated champion. The device
without the wreath would be considered the populace device and can be worn
by any shire member. This doesn't have to be registered with the
College of Heralds since it is too much like the Official Shire Device
to be approved for use by anyone else. (BUT, and this is a big one, if
the Shire wishes to Register a separate Populace device, different from
the Shire device without the wreath, then the whole lengthy process of
discussion begins again. This also applies to an identifying badge
if different from the original device.) It must here be noted that
at this time, the device is still a proposed device and has not yet been
approved by the Society College Heralds. It's still in discussion.
I
Don't Like Black And White. Can I Make Mine Lilac And Peach?
It's Pretty!
Yes
indeed, no one can doubt that lilac is a very pretty color. So is
peach, and lavender, baby pink, chocolate brown, mauve, fushia, burgundy,
periwinkle, hunter green, teal, and all the other numerous colors in the
paint palette. But you can't use them, they aren't period.
(Was that a sigh of disgust I heard? No? Good. We continue.)
The use of color was to deliniate the many separate and diverse Royals,
and Nobles and color choices were limited at the time. Sooner or
later one would disagree with the other and there would occur a skirmish
or two. The separate households would have different colored tabards
or surcoats and it was easy to tell who was fighting for whom. (This
is highly simplified. When households, Baronies, and Dukedoms allied
with each other or with the crown, they would all send men dressed in their
own colors which would complicate things enormously. So many groups
with different colors.) It was the job of the Herald to know these
colors, and to whom they belonged so he could tell the King-Duke-Baron-Count-Lord
or what-have you, who was allied with him or against him. (They also
made sure that no two groups looked too closely alike and that no group
of colors and charges were too difficult to see across the battlefield.
Again, this is extremely condensed and highly simplified. Look, if
you want the entire history of Heraldry there are mounds of very dusty
books written on the subject and I would recommend them to anyone in place
of a sleeping pill. But we have to move on, server space is limited.)
What
Colors Can I Use?
It's
pretty simple. You can use red, blue, green, purple, black, white,
and yellow. But when submitting it to the College of Heralds you
have to use only the clear bright crayon box versions of these colors and
they can only be used in certain color combinations. (No, you don't have
to use crayons.) Two of those colors aren't colors at all.
Yellow and white are considered metals. You can't use the words red,
blue, green, purple, black, white, and yellow when you describe them.
They are referred to by different names and they are tinctures not colors.
You can't use color on color or metal on metal.
What
Names And Why?
We
use the language of Heraldry to describe them. It makes us feel special
and it's a period thing to do. And it further complicates the process.
But it gives you something new to learn and that keeps your brain fresh
and active.
Colors,
or more properly, tinctures.
Gules
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Vert
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Azure
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Purpure
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Sable
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Metals
Argent
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Or
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So,
These Are The Only Colors-er-Tinctures That I Can Use???
Pretty
much, but not exactly. There is also something called proper.
If you want to use an oak tree or a pine tree with the trunk brown and
the leaves green, then it would be called Proper. It means that you
can use the brown, not a tincture used in period, (dried blood doesn't
count) without having to look up the name of the tincture. If you
wanted a fox or a bear in their natural colors then it would be called
Proper. Anything used in its natural color is called Proper.
But proper colors cannot necessarily be used to color fields. And
you can't use color on color or metal on metal for different field divisions.
Field
Divisions?? Whose Field And Why Would I Divide It?
A
field division is the way that you divide up the space in your little shield.
You can use ordinaries and charges and -
Wait,
Stop Right There. I Need An Aspirin.
Very
well. I'll be right here waiting for you.
That's
What I'm Afraid Of!
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