Friday, February 9, 2007

Changing my Spots after all these years

While preparing art for my blog and upcoming household I went to SCA online armorial to make sure I was writing up my blazon correctly. I realized that I have blazoned it correctly with one exception. Officially the spots on my panther are Argent or White. For over 14 years I have been coloring them Or or Yellow. In heraldic speak Argent is Silver and Or is gold and on your shield the colors White and Yellow are usually used instead of a metallic Silver and Gold.
Blazon:
Vair, a panther rampant guardent gules spotted argent incensed proper.
History:
Somewhere around 1990 I gave up on trying to register a set of armory that was Checky Argent and Azure a winged cat Passant. A barony in the east used a winged cat extensively and getting a simple one to pass was looking impossible. So I stuck with the cat theme but looked for a rare form as I thought it would be easier to pass through the College of Heralds. Panther seemed to fit the bill nicely and so I designed my current set of arms. They were rejected also as conflicting with Lions and Tiger and other large cats. (In heraldry your device must be clearly different from everyone else) My good friend Balian (also a herald at the time) went to bat for me with the College of Heralds. He appealed the rejection using the not very obscure rule that Monsters (one type of heraldic charge) did not conflict with Creatures (another type of charge). After nicely pointing out that the rules themselves said it wasn’t a conflict my arms passed. In all the confusion and letters back and forth over the issue I frankly forgot what color of spots I had asked for.
So now I need to either submit paperwork for a change of my Arms or change all my artwork and such to reflect silver spots.

Thanks Balian....why didn't you talk me out of a design that is so hard to draw!!!

1 comment:

balian said...

Actually, I think I did warn you. But it just goes to show that the panther can change his spots, if not the leopard!

The badge is looking nice, by the way.