Heraldry in the Crafts--Why Not Specialize?

I have a small website where I try to sellactual shield from the field of battle. The right to
custom-made lapel buttons. In addition to thesea coat of arms, for example, was often granted
made-to-order buttons I also offer severalto females, and the shield in such cases was
specialty lines of off-the-shelf items and at thistypically drawn as a lozenge or diamond-shaped
time of year I'm usually concerned with one ofobject. Many shields such as the so-called
those lines in particular: Irish heraldic buttons. St."jousting" shields are sometimes drawn as crazy,
Patrick's Day approaches.I'm in no sense anfree-form, asymmetric shapes.Very often a
expert on heraldry. Still, although there are manyshield's area was divided, maybe to signify the
button sites like mine I'm not aware of any othermerging of two powerful families. In such cases,
with a line of products like that one and I don'tall the charges (pictures, or "bearings") shown on
know why that should be true. It struck me theboth original shields would usually be retained, each
other day that heraldry might offer a wide rangegroup confined to its own partition of the merged
of opportunities for specialization--and toshield. There were, naturally, technical terms for
craftspersons in almost any field from pottery toany number of different ways to divide the area
needlepoint to weaving, rugmaking, and evenof a shield: per pale, per fess, per chevron, per
quilting.It's true that we no longer live in the agesaltire, etc. There were even different stylized
of chivalry and that not all Americans are caughtlines used to separate the segments. A simple
up in the study of their ancestry and ethnicstraight line might do the trick, but it could also be
heritage, but surprisingly many of us are. For"engrailed," "embattled," "indented," "wavy,"
example, Overture reports that in November of"dovetailed," etc.As for the charges, they merit a
2004 the exact phrase "Irish heraldry" wasseparate treatment. They include not only lions
searched for on the web 140 times. Note thatand eagles in various poses, but a wide variety of
this doesn't include possible searches for relatedbirds, mammals, fish, and mythological beings.
terms like Gaelic, Celtic, shields, crests, coats ofParts of the human body. The sun, the stars, and
arms, etc. And it says nothing at all aboutmany forms of vegetation. Structures and ships,
searches for heraldic information from any otherbooks and bells. And each of them has its own
part of the world or for heraldry in general. As aspecialized meaning. For instance, a dragon stood
matter of fact, during the month of Novemberfor vigilance, a snake for wisdom, a boar for a
the word "heraldry" was used in 11,869 searches,fierce fighter, a swallow for someone who had
so it seems that a market may well exist.On thebeen dispossessed of land. A cross might indicate
other hand, heraldry may be considered a ratherthat the bearer or one of his ancestors had
nerdy topic in the modern world. I've noticed thatfought in the crusades, and the arms of a sailor
many people today fall below the snuff-line whenwould often show a ship.As is obvious from those
it comes to their basic knowledge of heraldry.few examples, the meaning of some charges still
There's no reason why they should knowmake at least some sense to us, while in other
anything about it if their objective is merely tocases their meaning is baffling. Different kinds of
copy an occasional coat of arms onto somecrowns can indicate different ranks of nobility;
products that they've made, like, for instance,that's logical enough. But a finger ring, for instance,
some dinner plates or a sampler. Yet a fewmight symbolize a fifth son, and a tower might
paragraphs of information about coats of armsstand for wealth.Heraldry is a colorful topic in
may be interesting to any who can see theevery sense. One continually runs into
possibilities in the use of heraldic themes as alarger-than-life characters. Here's one, chosen
quasi-specialty in their work.A discussion ofmore or less at random:Sir Francis Drake was
heraldry must begin, first and foremost, with thedefinitely a sailor, and his arms definitely showed a
idea of the shield. The shield, I would guess, isship. And what a ship! Most ships that I've seen in
probably the oldest piece of weaponry other thanheraldic designs seem to have one mast but this
the club. The earliest shields were made of toughone has three. There's a dragon or griffin seated
skins stretched over wooden frames. Their shapein the stern with wings outspread. The ship rests
was probably roundish, and the round shieldatop a large globe of the world showing us the
served very well at least through the days of theAtlantic Ocean, and above the ship a hand
Roman Legions.As body armor grew moreemerges from a cloud pointing at the ship
cumbersome, it became more and more difficultsomething that looks very much like a
in the heat of hand-to-hand combat to determinemicrophone plugged into the bow. (I don't know
who was who. An early step towards solving thiswhat it is.)All of that constitutes merely the crest
problem came when warriors began paintingand, as is to be expected, the crest is resting on
identifying symbols on their shields. By the time ofa wreath and the wreath is above the helm.
the Middle Ages these symbols were becomingBelow the helmet we finally reach the shield, an
strictly codified and proprietary. The personsamazingly simple shield, given the complexity of its
charged with keeping track of them were highsurroundings: on a black background, a silver wavy
government officials called heralds and a technicalfess (horizontal area) represents the sea between
language, something that looks to us today like atwo wavy stars representing the pole stars. The
strange mixture of English and French, waswhole thing commemorated Drake's
growing up around them to describe them.In allcircumnavigation of the earth in 1577.These arms
probability this language was really not strange atwere granted to Francis Drake by Elizabeth I, but
all, but very similar to the ordinary speech of thehe seems to have been a fairly headstrong
times, that is, the period after the Normanindividual and kept adding bits and pieces to which
conquest of England. Yet people who discusshe had no real right. This tendency got him into a
heraldry seriously still use these terms today, andlong feud with an unrelated Drake family from
that is no doubt one more reason why the studywhom he swiped elements for his own arms. (In
is no longer cool. It should of course not befact, he did that twice. After the other family had
obligatory to use "or" for gold or "vert" for greensuccessfully defended its claims against him and
when writing in modern English, but that's howhe had removed the offending bearings from his
they insist on doing it.To satisfy a herald, a fullarms, he later decided to put them back where
"coat of arms" had to include many things besidesthey didn't belong.)All of the major online
the basic shield. By the time that the practice ofbookstores have, or can locate, many pages full
heraldry had spread throughout Europe a coat ofof books on heraldry, from modern works to
arms included at least the shield, the motto, theout-of-print classics and intended for experts or
helm, the wreath, the crest, the mantling, andbeginners.Jim Donnelly is based in Fresno, CA. He
possibly several other things as well.Surprisingly,offers to produce pin-back lapel buttons of any
the shape of the shield didn't seem to matterdescription at all, with any photo or drawing and
much. Books on heraldry often show ten orany wording that will fit and that doesn't include
fifteen different common shapes. And not everytreason.
heraldic shield was even intended to resemble an