Re: [fh] nac vexilliology was Re: Awards andAnthems(andnowsomebackground) [OT] [HIST]

laserlight wrote:

> If it's over a division of the field, and at least half the field is
> correct, it's acceptable.  (You wouldn't have a red dragon on, say, a
field
> of black and green).

Of course, you shouldn't have a field divided into black and green,
either.  

> To lump together other quibbles and address them:
>   Flags, as well as shields, should be correct.  Generally a metal
(gold

Normally, one find corporate logos adhere loosly to this as well.

Of course, since the Byzantines never developed heraldry in the Western
European sense, the Nea Rhomaioi ignore these silly Latin restrictions
with glee.  

> and silver) goes on a color (red, green, blue, black, purple), or vice
> versa; colors shouldn't be on colors nor metals on metals.  Sometimes

Then we can get into furs (ermine, erminois, vair, counter-vair, and a
couple others which I can't recall).  These may be on either colors or
metals but not on other furs.

>   My most rabidly Welsh (excuse me, Cymric) acquaintance assures me
that it
> is a wyvern, regardless of how many legs it has.  Presumably this is
like

Nonsense.  Dragon.  

> an English leopard, which is really a lion.  I don't know, I mostly
studied

Of course, which it is described as varies from time to time.  It's a
rather common myth that the rules and regulations we are discussing were
common during the medieval period.  Most were introduced (along with
assorted and contradictory systems ascribing meaning to the various
charges, colors, metals, ordinaries, etc) during the 16-17th centuries. 
We don't really find anything that is definitely heraldry in the common
sense until the 13-14th century anyway, IIRC.  But heraldic-style
insignia were carried by individuals or organizations and associated
with them from earliest times--perhaps the earliest I am aware of are
the shield designs of certain Greek city-states.  At any rate, the
English great cats are variously described, but IIRC, the current formal
description is lions.

John M. Atkinson