Re: heraldry rules (fwd)

[Gorm of Berra <gormofberra@mindspring.com>]

Poster: Gorm of Berra <gormofberra@mindspring.com>

Craig Levin wrote:

> > Poster: Gorm of Berra <gormofberra@mindspring.com>

> > 4.  Only someone with significant knowledge of Heraldry is familiar
> > enough with the rules and regulations and precedents to be "Culture
> > Shocked" by a device that may have misdrawings that aren't period (a
> > unicornate horse, for example), as long as an attempt is made
> 
> Part of a herald's job is education. Heraldry was an integral
> part of mediaeval art, and to fail in our duty, as educators, we
> do our patrons and clients a disservice. In a perfect SCA,
> everyone would be aware of the difference between a unicornate
> horse and a unicorn.

True, however, how is that goal served by returning a device wherein the
submitter wishes a Heraldic unicorn, but cannot fit all of the demanded
artistic details into a 5" x 6" shield blank on the form(effectively a
1.5" x 1.5" area for the beast in question)?  The submitter *wants* a
Heraldic unicorn (well, no she actually initially wanted fantasy
unicorn, but education convinced her that the HEraldic one would be
better).  The submitter *wants* Or on their device, but the form came
out orangish.  The submitter's wants are legitimate, and period, and
acceptable, however the translation of those wants into the *unperiod*
mechanism of the submission form (I defy you to come up with
documentation for the process we follow in the College of Arms).

Education on "better living through better Heraldry" can be accomplished
in much the same way that "better living through better garb" is, by
politely discussing the negative points of a person's heraldic display
with them, educating them on better tinctures/drawing
techniques/design/etc, and better use.  Rejecting someone's perfectly
legal device (at least to the point of attestable creatures, in an
attestable pose, with attestable tinctures) because of artistic concerns
with the specific drawing does nothing other than make people think that
"Those Heralds are such snobs, they won't pass my device because they
don't like it" (an actual beef I have heard, and endeavored to correct).

Gorm of Berra
gormofberra@mindspring.com


> 
> > 5.  We rarely, if ever, have the sorts of mass battles and confusion
> > that made Heraldry a life or death matter.  In battle, our armies are
> > marked in another way (red and blue tape, or such) that makes
> > identifying someone via their device less critical.
> 
> And more's the pity.
> 
> > 6.  Anyone can, given sufficient education and time, learn the
> > mathmatics and methodology behind correct Blazoning.  Not everyone has
> > sufficient artistic skill to draw an emblazon adequately (especially not
> > in a 5" by 6" shield shape) so that it is inherently obvious what was
> > meant.  There are tools available that make the process easier, but
> > there is always an art to it that can escape some folks (I count myself
> > amongst the artistically challenged)
> 
> Throw another herald (me) onto that pile, too! (Ouch! Those are
> sharp!)
> 
> > Given these 6 realities, why can't we just trust the submitter?  If they
> > say that that horse-like blob with a spike on the head is a unicorn,
> > fine, let it be a unicorn.  If the color on the picture is orange, but
> > they say it is Or (yellow/gold), interpret it as Or, and conflict check
> > accordingly.
> 
> Because, if our goal as an organization is to teach, to let such
> things slip by would be wrong.
> 
> Pedro
> 
> --
> http://pages.ripco.com:8080/~clevin/index.html
> clevin@ripco.com
> Craig Levin
> =======================================================================
> List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
>             Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
>         Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org
=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org