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A Newcomers Guide to Heraldric Terms
By Ulf Eirickson
also known as Tensen of the Dark Quest
Location: Barony of Carillion
          Kingdom of the East
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The compiler of this glossary used as many sources as possible, and will continuously add new terms and better definitions whenever they are found. modem users may contact him at Matrix BBS (908) 905-6691
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Abased, Abaised, Abausse : Used to describe a charge that place a charge that is placed somewhat lower in achievemnet than it normally would be.

Abatement: Applies to a charge variously defined as "a difference for illegitimacy" and "a mark of dishonor" added to the achievement.

Aboute': Positioned end to end.

Accessories: All of the appurtenance of a heraldic achievement, including the shield.

Accolle': Describe two shield sometimes placed alongside each other and touching.   Synonym for gorged. 

Accompanied, Accompagne': A synonym for "between".

Achievement: The complete armorial display - The shield, the crest, the mantle,etc.

Addorsed, Endorsed, Indorsed, Adosse': Back-to-back, to describe the position of animals, birds, etc.

Adumbrated (a-DUM-brated), Adumbration (AH-dum-BRAY-shun): Describes a charge shown only in outline form or, if in the same tincture as the field, to create the impression of relief.

Aesculapus (ES-kyoo-LAY-pee-us), Rod of: The rod with a serpent wound around it, that is the emblem of physicians and others of the health care profession.  Aesculapius was the Roman god of healing and medicine. See Caduceus.

Affronty (A-FRONT-ee), Affronte': An animal or other charge placed on the shield so that it is seen displaying its full front view to the observer.

Agnus Dei (AG-nus DAY): the Holy Lamb.  This charge is always depicted as a lamb passant with a halo around its head.  Often its dexter foreleg holds a staff topped with a cross and from which a white pennon bearing a red cross flows.  Also balzoned as "paschal lamb."

Alan, aland, alant, alunt: a shirt-eared mastiff.

Alerion, Allerion: An eagle, usually displayed without its beak or legs.

Alise' (alice-AY): rounded. as the end of some crosses.

Allume' (a-loo-may): describing a beast's eyes dotted with color.

Altar: a square or rectangular pedestal almost always with a flame on top it.

Alternate Persona:  Any identity a participant in the Society uses other than the primary persona.

Amphisbaene (AM-fis-BEE-na): a serpent with a head at each end of its body.

Amphisien cockatrice: See basilisk.

Anchor: Typically depicted upright with a ring at the top. An anchor with a rope twisted around its shank is blazoned "an anchor cabled" or "a foul anchor." See also stock and fluke.

Anchored, Anchory, Ancre': A "cross anchored" has each of its limbs ending in an anchor's flukes, i.e., the points or babrs of an anchor.

Anime': see incensed.

Ankh: A kind of Egyptian "cross" except that the area above the horizontal crossbeam is a voided ellipse. It is an ancient symbol for energy and life.

Annulet (ANN-yuh-lit): A ring; in British heraldry it is the mark of difference for the fifth son.

Annuletty (AN-yuh-LET-ee), Annulated, Annuly: having rings at the ends.

Antelope: In heraldry, the antelope has the body of the real thing, but the face of a heraldric tyger, tusks, serrated horns, tufts down its back, and the tail of a lion. To aviod confusion, antelopes should be blazoned either "heraldric antelope" or if the realistic version is prefered, "an antelope proper."

Anvil: The blacksmith's mainstay, shown as it exists in real life.

Apaume' (AH-po-MAY), Apaumy, Appaume', Appalmed: Describing a gauntlet or hand with the palm showing.

Arbalest, arblast: A crossbow.

Arched, Archy, Enarched: Shaped like an arch; oftenused to describe a chief, fess, or chevron. 

Argent (AR-jint):  The heraldic tincture silver or white.  Often abreviated arg., ar., or a. Argent is a metal.

Arm: The human appendage. The blazon should always indicate whether the arm is sinister or dexter.

Armed: When used to describe human figures or parts thereof, "armed" means wearing armor. More typically, it refers to the 'arms" of animals: beaks, horns, claws, etc. when these are a different color from the rest of the beast's body.

Armiger (AR-mij-ER):  A person who has been awarded the right to arms.  Arms can only be given by a sovereign in the Society, and come in three levels: Awards of Arms, Grants of Arms, and Letters Patent.  A person with registered personal armory who is not an armiger has a device, but armigers have arms.

Armigerous (ar-MIJ-erus): Arms-bearing.

Armillary Sphere: A medievalmodel of the heavens. The british spell it "armilliary", with the accent on the second syllable.

Armorial Bearings: A heraldric Achievement.

Armorial Element: A component of heraldic design.  An armorial element may be a charge, a line of division, a line of partition, a field treatment, a tincture, or other component that may be used in designing armory.  See the rules, Part VII, for discussion of Compatible Armorial Elements.

Armory: Any design that the College of arms registers or protects, such as devices or arms, badges, etc.  It may also apply, for our purposes, to trademarks, logos, and other graphic symbols that resemble heraldic bearings. See the sections on Registrable and Protected Items in the Administrative Handbook.

Arms: A heraldic design that uniquely represents the person or group that owns it.  Within the Society, "Arms" are reserved to people who have been awarded arms by their sovereigns.

Arms (2): Strictly speaking, this term applies only to the shield and its charges, but it is often used to refer to the entire achievment.

Arrangement: The relative placement of a group of charges on the field.

Arrow: As a charge, arrows may be shown singly or in bundles. If the feathers and points are of a tincture that differs from the shaft, it should be so blazoned- "flighted" for the feathers and "barbed" for the head (sometimes described as "feathers and armed" ). The blazon should also spcify the position of the arrow.

Assurgent (a-SURJ-int): Arising from; generally referring to creatures rising out of the ocean.

At Gaze: a synonym for statant guardant, used to describe members of the deer family.

Attires: a synonym for the antlers of the deer family. The adjectival form is "attired", which is also sometimes used in connection with the costume of a human figure, but in such cases vested or habited are more common.

Azure: The heraldic tincture blue.  Azure is a color.


 * Origin: Herald's Point * Steppes/Ansteorra * 214-699-0057 (1:124/4229)