Post by Hans-Jürgen von Knappe on Aug 7, 2006 6:38:10 GMT -6
In its originally European tradition, heraldry was necessary to distinguish participants in battles or jousts, whose faces were hidden by their helmets.
At that time, few persons were able to read; nor had our ancestors the advantage of newspaper portraits, moving pictures or the different ways we possess nowadays of recognizing and identifying people. Heraldry may be described as a form of “picture-writing”, worked out in the Middle Ages to afford a means of recognition. In the past, people had fine artistic perceptions, and utilized bright colors in developing a system of heraldry that was ingenious, practical and esthetical.
Despite printing, photography and other modern inventions, we still make use of emblems, badges and other symbols.
. The maple leaf suggests Canada,
. the thistle is the emblem for Scotland,
. the rose is the symbol for England,
. the shamrock remembers Ireland,
. the leek for Wales,
. the lily is the royal emblem of France.
Each one is used and regarded as an emblem. The people of the Middle Ages transformed this method of appealing to the eye into a system in which the coat of arms was the most elaborate form. In fact the system became a science.
No country has abandoned the practice of using armorial bearings, emblems and symbols to preserve their traditions and inspiring attachment to their “patria”.
Note that not all personal or corporate insignia are heraldic, though they may share many features. For example, flags are used to identify ships, embassies and such, and they use the same colors and designs found in heraldry, but they are not usually considered to be heraldic. A country may have both a national flag and a national coat of arms, and the two may not look alike at all. For example, the flag of Scotland (St Andrew's Cross) has a white saltire on a blue field, but the royal arms of Scotland has a red lion within a double tressure on a gold field. Compare this with the flag of Maryland, which is an heraldic banner, being simply the design on the shield of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore.
At that time, few persons were able to read; nor had our ancestors the advantage of newspaper portraits, moving pictures or the different ways we possess nowadays of recognizing and identifying people. Heraldry may be described as a form of “picture-writing”, worked out in the Middle Ages to afford a means of recognition. In the past, people had fine artistic perceptions, and utilized bright colors in developing a system of heraldry that was ingenious, practical and esthetical.
Despite printing, photography and other modern inventions, we still make use of emblems, badges and other symbols.
. The maple leaf suggests Canada,
. the thistle is the emblem for Scotland,
. the rose is the symbol for England,
. the shamrock remembers Ireland,
. the leek for Wales,
. the lily is the royal emblem of France.
Each one is used and regarded as an emblem. The people of the Middle Ages transformed this method of appealing to the eye into a system in which the coat of arms was the most elaborate form. In fact the system became a science.
No country has abandoned the practice of using armorial bearings, emblems and symbols to preserve their traditions and inspiring attachment to their “patria”.
Note that not all personal or corporate insignia are heraldic, though they may share many features. For example, flags are used to identify ships, embassies and such, and they use the same colors and designs found in heraldry, but they are not usually considered to be heraldic. A country may have both a national flag and a national coat of arms, and the two may not look alike at all. For example, the flag of Scotland (St Andrew's Cross) has a white saltire on a blue field, but the royal arms of Scotland has a red lion within a double tressure on a gold field. Compare this with the flag of Maryland, which is an heraldic banner, being simply the design on the shield of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore.