Re: Heraldic Side Note

[Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy@abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>]

Poster: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy@abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>

  Since no one has answered this yet, and I'm sure we are all burning
  to know :^), I will take a shot. Her blazon is similar to my own,
  which can go "Azure, an estoile of eight rays Argent, in chief,
  three gouttes Azure."
  
  According to the herald who helped write the verbiage, the stating
  of the tincture of the chief is redundant since it is the same as
  main charge just mentioned. Just another funny Herald-Thang.

Not quite correct.  If your blazon has several charges listed, all with the
same tincture, the tincture is placed after the LAST one, and not the first
one.
  
  However, since it *IS* a funny herald-thang, and many people aren't
  aware of the convention, I _sometimes_ blazon mine "Azure, an estoile of
  eight rays Argent, and on a chief Argent, three gouttes Azure" to
  make certain that I am understood.

And, if simplified, the shorter form would be:

  "Azure, an estoile of 8 rays and upon a chief argent three gouttes azure."

This could be explained by bringing in complex software rules on parsing and
left versus right association: but I think we can all resist the urge.  Trust
me.    (:-)

As long as I am playing teacher, something that was done in post-period times
for blazon was to never repeat the same color twice, but always refer to them
as "of the second", and so forth.  We don't do that in the SCA, but if we did,
your arms would be "Az. an estoile of 8 rays and upon a chief argent 3 goutes
of the first."
  
  I know I sound terribly hickish to all the heralds 'round here,
  and until everyone knows the convention, I'm willing to put up
  with that for clarity's sake...

It isn't hickish.  It's a matter of style and technique, and preferences.  I
spend a lot of time with people in my barony, translating words into correct
pictures.  One of the things that confuses so many of them is "What color is
that part?  It doesn't say!"

	Tibor
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