Heraldry for Dummies
I grew up on The Romance of King Arthur. To this day, I wouldn't mind in the least dedicating my studies wholly to romances.
I'm not talking about books sporting the covers that made Fabio famous.
- Romance (n.)
- a. A long medieval narrative in prose or verse that tells of the adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes: an Arthurian romance.
- b. A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place.
- c. The class of literature constituted by such tales.
Though the story of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table may be (debatably) mythical, heraldry was - and is - quite real.
Each enfeoffed lord had his own coat of arms. Its shield-borne design would also pass down to warring sons of the family with a few alterations, depending on the son's birth order and marital status.
Because each knight's shield bore a different design, heralds - hence the term heraldry - used the devices to identify those who fell in battle without committing the grave sin of removing a knight's armor.
People still consider coats of arms a source of pride, and many names still correspond to existing devices. Many countries also possess national coats of arms. You, too, can request a coat of arms issued to you if you are a resident of or a descendant of an arms-bearer from England, Ireland, Scotland or Spain.
(It helps to know your heritage, ja?)
And before the ladies start brandishing their nail files, heraldry isn't just for the guys; women also had - and have - coats of arms. Raise thy voices, ye maids and damosels!
Images courtesy of Connor Sinclair's Arthurian Heraldry page