Compiled and composed by The Honourable Torric inn Bjorn, May
XXVIII/1993
Edited and Revised by Elizabeth Braidwood, and Frederic Badger,
May XXXIV/1999
This document is based on the result of a meeting that was
held at the 1993 An Tir Kingdom Heraldic Symposium. Attendees
included: Laurel Sovereign of Arms Bruce Draconarius of
Mistholme, Kingdom Staff heralds including Black Lion Drogo the
Forgetful, representatives of the Scribal authority including (we
believe) then-Chief Scribe Eleanor the Clumsy, and other
interested parties. Further information was added in discussion
with Black Lion Principal Herald Guerin de Bourgogne, and
arranged and updated by Zenobia Naphtali, Elizabeth Braidwood,
Celdae the Seeker, and Frederic Badger.
What is an Achievement?
An 'achievement' is a formal display of a coat of arms. Coats
of arms may of course be used in informal methods of display,
such as using them in decorative elements in margins of
manuscripts, carving them as decoration on furniture, and so
forth. However, sometimes a formal display is called for, such as
on a scroll modelled on a period Patent of Arms document.
The achievement always contains some sort of shield shape,
upon which the arms are rendered. It may also contain other
elements (sometimes called 'addiments') which surround the
shield. The rank of the owner of the arms determines what kind of
addiments may be used in the achievement. Each Kingdom has its
own customs for achievements: these are An Tir's.
Achievements in An Tir fall into distinct major categories,
corresponding to the armigerous award categories.
These categories are:
- Device Only
- Award of Arms
- Award of Arms
- Court Baron/Baroness
- Landed Baron/Baroness
- Grant of Arms
- Order of the Goutte de Sang
- Order of the Grey Goose Shaft
- Order of the Jambe de Lion
- Order of the White Scarf
- Order of the Hasta Leonis
- Patent of Arms
- Order of the Chivalry
- Order of the Pelican
- Order of the Laurel
- Viscount/Viscountess
- Count/Countess
- Duke/Duchess
- Branch Armory
- Shire, Canton, Stronghold, College
- Barony
- Province
- Principality
- Kingdom
Notes on Construction of Achievements:
Achievements can be somewhat intimidating to research, and you
can easily get lost in the details. Consult your local herald for
assistance, or get in touch with AEstel Herald for advice or if
you would like a hand with designing an achievement. We have
tried to show here an easy way of constructing an achievement for
yourself, your branch (if it doesn't already have one), or for a
scroll you're illuminating (scribes, make sure they don't already
have some pieces of their achievement chosen). One key point to
keep in mind is that you are entitled to bear certain addiments
in your achievement, but not Required. What this means is that if
you are a peer, and don't feel that supporters are appropriate,
or necessary, then you don't have to display them at all. There
is no registry of achievements in An Tir. So if you decide on an
achievement, you should let any scribes working on scrolls for
you know what that achievement is.
Device Only Level
Device Only: Anyone in the SCA may register a
device with the college of heralds, and are encouraged to do so.
Display of heraldry always adds to the atmosphere of any event.
Before they receive their Award of Arms they are entitled to
display their device with a Compartment and a Motto.
Award of Arms Level
Award
of Arms: This is for a person who has an Award of Arms.
This achievement contains only the device on a shield,
with a black or dark gray helm and torse and/or
mantling of the tinctures of the device. (NOTE: both men and
women may have a helm and mantling.)
Court Baron/Baroness: This award carries with
it an Award of Arms if the recipient does not already have one.
Here the achievement has a coronet consisting of a band
surmounted by 6 pearls, placed upon the upper edge of the shield,
or in place of the torse.
Landed Baron and Baroness: This award carries
with it an Award of Arms if the recipient does not already have
one. Here the achievement has a coronet
consisting of a band surmounted by 6 pearls, placed upon the
upper edge of the shield. For a landed Baron or Baroness the
shield may have a canton of the barony's device.
Grant of Arms Level
Grant
of Arms: There is the achievement for the person with a
Grant of Arms Achievements for this rank may add either a crest
upon a black or dark grey helm (A fieldless
badge makes a likely candidate for a crest as this was often done
in period. Do not, however, use a crest without talking to
the recipient first!), and/or a ribbon encircling the shield
and hanging from the ribbon a medallion of the order. The color
of the ribbon has been deregulated in the interest of simplicity.
Some suggestions for use of the ribbon colors are "Checky Or
and argent" or colors evocative of the Order's heraldry.
Order of the Goutte de Sang: This award
carries with it a Grant of Arms if the recipient does not already
have one. To signify this you add a ribbon encircling the
shield and hanging from the ribbon a medallion of the order. In
the past the ribbons colors were "Or edged with gules",
and the Badge of the Order is "Checky Or and argent, a
goutte de sang."
Order of the Grey Goose Shaft: This award
carries with it a Grant of Arms if the recipient does not already
have one. To signify this you add a ribbon encircling the
shield and hanging from the ribbon a medallion of the order. The
Badge of the Order is "Checky Or and argent, a goose within
four arrows lying as on a mascle sable."
Order of the Jambe de Lion: This award
carries with it a Grant of Arms if the recipient does not already
have one. To signify this you add a ribbon encircling the
shield and hanging from the ribbon a medallion of the order. In
the past the ribbons colors were "Or edged with Vert",
and the Badge of the Order is "Checky Or and argent, a
lion's jambe bendwise inverted erased sable."
Order of the White Scarf: This award carries
with it a Grant of Arms if the recipient does not already have
one. To signify this you add a ribbon encircling the shield and
hanging from the ribbon a medallion of the order. The Badge of
the Order is currently being decided upon by the Order.
Order of the Hasta Leonis: This award carries
with it a Grant of Arms if the recipient does not already have
one. To signify this you add a ribbon encircling the shield and
hanging from the ribbon a medallion of the order. The Badge of
the Order is currently being decided upon by the Order.
Patent
of Arms Level
The next type of Achievement is the full achievement,
and is reserved for Peers of the Realm.
Order of Chivalry: The achievement for a
member of the Order of Chivalry may have a silver helm with torse
and mantling (consistent with the period and style of helm
chosen), supporters, and a crest. A Knight's achievement may also
display a gold chain surrounding the shield. A Master at Arms
achievement may also display a white baldric surrounding the
shield.
Order of the Pelican: The achievement for a
member of the Order of the Pelican may include a silver helm,
mantling or streamers, and supporters. It may also include a
crest of a pelican in her piety (with or without chicks and
nest). Alternate crest: in place of a torse, a red chapeau
trimmed white plumetty with gouttes de sang, and mantling or
streamers.
Order of the Laurel:
The achievement for a member of the Order of the Laurel may
include a silver helm, mantling or streamers, and supporters. It
may also include a crest of a green laurel wreath. Alternates:
The Laurel Wreath may surround the shield, may be used as a torse
on a helm, or be used as if it were a necklace around the neck of
each supporter (in heraldic terms, "gorging" the
supporters of a Laurel Wreath).
Viscount/Viscountess: The achievement for a
Viscount or Viscountess includes a silver helm, a gold coronet of
12, a crest, mantling, and supporters. The coronet may rest on
top of the shield (below helm or without a helm) or around top of
the helm.
Count/Countess: The achievement of a Count or
Countess may include a silver helm trimmed in gold, a gold
embattled coronet, a crest, mantling, and supporters. The coronet
may rest on top of the shield (below helm or without a helm) or
around top of helm. For a Countess the shield may be encircled by
a wreath of red roses and hearts proper, or a wreath of red roses
proper. Alternatively the wreath can be replaced by a gold
ribbon, hanging from it a gold medallion bearing a wreath of red
roses and hearts proper.
Duke/Duchess: The achievement for a Duke or
Duchess may include a helm (either a gold helm or a drawing of
their own helm), a gold strawberry-leafed coronet, mantling, and
supporters (and gold chain or white baldric if they are a Knight
or Master at Arms). The coronet may rest on top of the shield
(below helm or without a helm) or around top of helm. A Duchess
may include a wreath of gold hearts and roses barbed green seeded
red or a wreath of roses barbed green seeded red , and a gold
strawberry-leaved coronet on top of the wreath. Alternatively the
wreath can be replaced by a gold ribbon with a red medallion
bearing a wreath of gold roses & hearts, and mantling.
Branch Armory
Black Lion Herald recently ruled that Branch Armory would
follow a "French/German" model, meaning unrestricted.
This allows for all branches to use, and display supporters, and
full heraldic achievements.
Province, Shire, Canton, Stronghold, College:
All branches are entitled to bear a German-style Mural Crown,
either in place of a torse on a helmet, or laying across the top
of the shield. This mural crown looks like a masoned wall with
towers. It is found in many displays of civic heraldry across
Europe in period. The German style uses towers, while the English
style is frequently like an embattled masoned coronet. However,
due to the possible confusion with the SCA-standard embattled
Count's coronet, we suggest the German style only. Use of such a
crown would mark the display as being for a branch. In addition
they may display helmet and mantling (with torse or mural crown
to hold on the mantling), crest and supporters, motto and
compartment. (see SUPPORTERS for more information on which
supporters may be used.
Barony: Baronies are encouraged to use a
standard heraldic Baronial Coronet consisting of a band with six
pearls protruding above the rim. They may also use the Coronets
of their Barony if they so desire, although they should be
advised that often this will not be easily identifiable by the
viewer of the achievement due to the relative frequent change in
Baronial coronet designs, and the fact that the Baronial coronets
are not always worn around the Kingdom, and, therefore, not as
widely recognized.
Principality: It is customary in the Kingdom
of An Tir for the Royal achievement to use the Kingdom Crown in
place of a mural Crown, and it is encouraged that this practice
continues and is picked up by Principalities.
Kingdom: It is customary in the Kingdom of An
Tir for the Royal achievement to use the Kingdom Crown in place
of a mural Crown.
Definitions:
HELM:
The helm is placed on top of the shield, touching, not
floating above it. For Award of Arms level it is black or
dark grey, for Peerage it is Silver, and for Royal Peerage, it is
gold. The style of helm is up to the recipient, and is
generally taken from their period if applicable. Atop the
helm can be set torse, crest, mantling etc. When the helm
has a crest the helm should be turned the direction of the crest,
ie. if the crest is a lion's face affronty, then the helm is
affronty, and if the crest is a lion passant the helm is facing
to dexter.
TORSE:
This is a twisted cloth in two colors that holds the mantling
on. The two colors are generally drawn from the main color
and metal of the device, just like the mantling.
CHAPEAU:
The chapeau or "cap of maintenance" is reserved for
Pelicans (gules turned up argent plumetty gules, goutty de sang.)
and can be used in place of the Torse, or Helm.
CORONETS:
Royal Peerages and Court Baronies are entitled to use coronets
appropriate to their rank in achievements. The appropriate
coronets are discussed under the achievements for the awards.
If an award may use a coronet, the coronet may be used in
place of the torse to hold mantling on the helm. Another form of
display is to omit the helm, mantling and crest, and rest the
coronet right on top of the shield. When this is done, the
coronet extends all the way across the top of the shield and is a
major part of the design, often drawn with high degree of
detailing in the way of jewels, 'relief work', etc.
CREST:
A crest is a large added decoration on top of the helmet. The
form in heraldry appears to derive from the actual helmet
decorations found in tournaments. Many common crest shapes, such
as a pair of wings, a pair of large bull's horns, an animal's
head, etc., are the shapes that can easily be constructed to sit
on top of a helmet. These can be attached easily to the side or
top of the helm and have mantling draped in a natural and easy
manner from an attachment around the base of the crest.
Crests such as an entire statant or rampant animal are found
in heraldry, but are less 'natural' than crests which could
easily be mounted onto a helmet (the airy space around the legs
makes them harder to attach.)
Crests should face the same direction the helmet faces. A
crest facing forwards, with a passant lion heading to the dexter,
looks awkward: a passant lion (facing dexter) on a dexter facing
helm looks lovely.
It was relatively common in some places and times in period
for the crest to be the same as the wearer's fieldless badge. In
an achievement using a crest, it is not uncommon for period art
to omit the torse, so that the crest just flows seamlessly into
the mantling.
COMPARTMENT:
The Compartment is an optional piece of 'ground' on which the
achievement rests. Any person of any rank may use a compartment.
However, based on period artistic, and general aesthetic,
practices, they are recommended in achievements using supporters,
and not recommended in achievements without them. Supporters look
more 'natural' standing on something solid than floating in air,
and the piece of ground looks somewhat superfluous in an
achievement without supporters.
Common compartments are grassy hills (sometimes with flowers),
a watery ford (when supporters are fish or sea-monsters), or an
architectural construct (such as a carved stone platform.) Such a
platform may also be an area for displaying the Motto, as if it
were carved in the stone (see MOTTO).
The compartment area may be used for other sorts of heraldic
allusion or symbology as seems appropriate to the recipient. Some
Branches may wish to allude to their Awards and Orders in
decorations in the compartment.
It is not suggested that a motto scroll be used as a
compartment for supporters to stand upon. This is known in period
and particularly in post-period heraldic art, but the scroll is
generally held to look 'flimsy' in this context. Mottoes on
architectural elements do not have this problem and are
encouraged instead.
MOTTO:
Any person of any rank may use a motto. The motto is usually
found over the top of the achievement, or underneath the
achievement. The motto is generally drawn on a scroll, but may
also be incorporated into the compartment (see COMPARTMENT).
MANTLING:
Should be simple with vigorous flowing turns of the cloth to
set off the achievement and fill the space provided. You may
scallop the edges and add tassels to the ends. The mantling will
be displayed with the primary color of the device on the outside,
and the primary metal or fur of the device on the inside. Note:
the use of red with ermine tails on mantling is restricted to the
peerage. The use of gold with ermine is not allowed; the
use of ermine and erminois on the other hand is fine. For members
of the Order of the Pelican, gouttes de sang may be used instead
of ermine tails.
SHIELD:
The shield referred to here is the shield shape upon which the
main display of arms is found. While the standard shield shape
for armorial display is the "heater" shape (like an
inverted triangle with rounded sides, similar to the shape of a
flatiron 'heater'), other shield shapes have been used for
armorial display depending on the place and time of the display.
A good survey of these shield shapes over time and place can be
found in Neubecker's Heraldry -- Sources, Symbols and
Meanings.
In period, women occasionally used a lozenge shaped shield for
armorial display, a practice which was more common in later
period than earlier. However, during the majority of the SCA's
times and places, women used the same kind of shield, helms,
mantlings, etc as did men, so the lozenge shape is not encouraged
-- but some Ladies continue to be very fond of it.
STREAMERS:
Streamers are a late period and post-period substitution for
mantling, in achievements for women where the arms are drawn on a
lozenge shape rather than a shield shape, and there is no helmet
and mantling. They look like ribbons. In most cases in our
period, women used the standard heater shield + helmet/mantling/,
etc., display form as did men, and the streamers should therefore
be discouraged unless the recipient is truly intent upon them.
The idea that 'only fighters display on a shield shape' is very
much post-period in origination.
In post-period heraldic art, streamers are often found caught
up in an elaborate knot or bow at the top of the shield and then
streaming around the outside of the lozenge-shaped shield with
decorative twists, as are found in mantling. In SCA achievements,
streamers look rather well issuing from the bottom of a laurel
wreath, or from the back of a coronet, each of which would be
perched on top of the lozenge-shaped shield with the streamers
flowing around the outside of the shield.
SUPPORTERS:
Supporters hold up the shield. People and four-legged animals
or monsters are the most common types of supporters, Other kinds
can be found, such as a two legged bird (standing on one leg,
holding the shield with the other leg) or inanimate objects. A
shield displayed over two crossed swords has the swords acting as
supporters.
Most achievements with supporters use two supporters, one on
each side, but achievements with a single supporter are found.
The two supporters can be of the same type, or two different
types.
Supporters tend to be found in later achievements. In some
countries in period (such as England) their use was strictly
limited to high ranks and regulated by heralds. In other
countries (such as Germany) supporters were an artist's addition
rather than a regulated piece of heraldry.
Supporters may or may not echo charges used in the arms. They
may or may not relate to the owner's fieldless badge (if he or
she has one.)
Black Lion Principal Herald of An Tir has ruled that only peerage
scrolls may have supporters with the following provisions:
- The supporters are not mentioned in the text of the
scroll.
- The supporters of famous mundane arms are prohibited (eg,
the Lion & Unicorn of Great Britain)
- The lion of An Tir as depicted on the Kingdom arms (with
queue fourchee/forked tail) is reserved for royal
peerages, and members of the Order of the Honor of
the Lion.
- Once a peer has decided on supporters any later scrolls
will use the same supporters (though they are not
specific to him/her and may be used by other Peers as
well).
- The supporters should not detract from the arms and
should in no way overwhelm the rest of the achievement!
(NOTE: think twice about using supporters and never
use them without discussing it with the recipient first.)
This page Webbed by Elizabeth Braidwood, and Frederic Badger
with some text provided by Zenobia Naphtali. Graphics scanned
from Heraldry: A Pictorial Archive for Artists and Designers
by Arthur Fox-Davies published by Dover. The images are all
copyright free. Additional Touchup work, and general image
fiddling was done by Frederic Badger.
