Herald's Page
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Heraldry -
What is it?
heraldry
her·ald·ry
[her-uh
l-dree] –noun, plural -ries.
How is it used in the SCA?
Heraldry is used in the SCA very similarly to how it is used elsewhere in the world and in time.In a nutshell, Heraldry tells others who you are and what items belong to you or persons in your service.
There are two different items in the SCA to do this.
Device: "Says who you are" The SCA College of Heralds (CoH) keeps a registry of all devices registered in the SCA. The purpose of the registry is to prevent members from having the same device or name. In the middle ages, Heraldry was an important part of warfare and peace. In battle, the heraldry identified friend or foe.
Badge: "Says this is my stuff, my peeps" Badges are used to identify belongings to a person, or the people serving in a household. (ie The knight's squires would wear the badge of the Knight they were training under.)You can find examples of Heraldry in everyday life.
Where do I get it?
To get heraldry is easy.... You talk to a herald, or learn some of the basic heraldic rules and design a picture that you like, submit it to the College of Heralds so they may check and make sure that there isn't one like it in all of the SCA (and in some cases, the Mundane world). When that process is completed successfully, The item you have submitted is registered with the CoH and thus becomes yours to display as you wish.
I tried to register my Name, Badge, and/or Device and THEY said I couldn't do it.
Ah, yes, to what some folks wish and want, there are heraldic rules and also SCA heraldry rules and precedents that have been set to help the process run smoothly, to be as accurate as we can be in recreating the middle ages. It's always disappointing to be told that "No, you can't have that." Consulting Heralds, try their best to be sure the items you are submitting are accurate to the time and place for names and the armory submitted is accurate in design to the middle ages, as well as not being used by anyone else. It wouldn't be appropriate to have a rendition of an automobile on your device, nor would you want to have some one else being identified as you.
Who are the Heralds?
Heralds are dedicated members of the SCA who help add the pomp and circumstance to our game, as well as, study Armory and Names from the middle ages.
They are people just like you, with families, jobs, worries, etc. The heralds are not setting rules to make it harder for you to register the item you want. They work hard to make it fair and accurate.
The College follows the basic heraldry rules as well as having set precedents. As more research is done, items that may have been previously registered, may not be able to be registered now because research has shown that the particular item previously registered as it was is inaccurate for the SCA.
Kate Middleton's Coat of Arms were unveiled recently.
Here is the link to the article on BBC. I found it interesting the symbolism of the charges on the device, as well as the clear difference to avoid a conflict. Even Royals-to-be have to go through the angst of conflict checking.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13127145
Kate's coat of arms includes a tied ribbon, showing she is an unmarried woman, and features three acorn sprigs, representing each of the Middleton children. At its centre is a gold inverted "V" reflecting Kate's mother Carole's maiden name of Goldsmith and white chevronels, symbolising mountains, representing the family's love of the Lake District and skiing
William's coat of arms has a design derived from that of his father, the Prince of Wales, and has a main shield featuring the three lions, lion rampant and harp stringed argent of England, Scotland and Ireland. It also has the lion and unicorn supporters - symbols of the UK. The white label features a sea shell or "escallop", taken from the family coat of arms of his mother, Princess Diana. The blue garter symbolises his appointment at Knight of the Garter