🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan04.193346.17356@watson.ibm.com> mittle@watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman) writes:
>Francois R. Velde writes:
>
>> * Silesia: or, an eagle displayed sable crowned or, on its breast a
>>    crescent trefoiled and a crosslet argent.
>
>I picked up somewhere the notion that this crescent-thing was originally
>intended as a representation of the eagle's wing bones, or something like
>that.  I believe I have seen them blazoned in German as "klee-stengeln"
>(very approximately recalled).  Can anyone confirm/verify/correct this?

So that's what these things are! I always thought the poor birds were
crucified on a crescent :-)

I trodded over to the library, and here is what I found. 

Kleestengel(n), or Kleeblattstengel, means clover-stalk. It is described 
as an elongated clasp extending sideways from the breast of the eagle and
ending in a trefoil.  There is one on each wing (usually). Examples include
Prussia, Brandenburg, Tirol.  Silesia, however, is a true crescent (it
crosses over the breast). Neubecker states that Silesia's crescent is 
"often" trefoiled, but the Brockhaus encyclopedia has only a plain
crescent (with the cross issuing from the middle of the crescent). 

Note: in German, to drink a clover-leaf is to drink three glasses of Schnaps
on end. To drink a clover leaf with stem (Kleeblatt mit Stengel) is to 
drink four. I don't know what happens after four...

-- 

	Francois Velde