http://www.fleurdelis.com/meaning.htm

Here's a website I found that goes deep into the symbology and meanings of the Coat of Arms. 

-Ryan Grosso

If anyone else is writing the middle english translation for the Canterbury Tales quiz on tuesday or whatever day it is, is "eek" on line 5 supposed to be seek?
-Chris

Class Minutes 11/5/08

THE MOTTO:

• A phrase or collection of words intended to describe the bearer's motivation or intention
• Typically depicted on a scroll under the arms, or else above it as in Scots heraldry
• Traditionally in Latin or other Romance languages, as well as in English or German

THE SUPPORTERS:

• Figures - human or animals - standing on either side of the shield
• Often these can have local significance (the Fisherman and the Tin miner of Cornwall ) or a historical link (the lion of England)

THE HELM:

• Heraldic elements on the shield were often also used for the decoration of knightly helmets because, often, shields were battered and lost in battle.
• It then became common to include a helmet (or some other headgear) as part of the coat of arms, above the shield.
• In some systems, the rand of the bearer was reflected in the type of helmet, e.g. the type o metal and the number of bars in the visor, as in France.
• This practice continued in other types of headgear (e.g. a crown)
• Due to their traditional non-participation in combat, clergy and women display neither helm nor crest.

THE MANTLING:

• Drapery tied to the helmet above the shield, forming a backdrop for the shield.
• Originally a depiction of the protective cloth covering(worn by Crusading knights from their helmets to protect against the elements)
• Mantling is drawn or painted tattered or cut to shreds, as it were cut by sword blades.

THE CREST / WREATH:

• The term "crest" is often mistaken to refer to the entire coat-of-arms - don't do this
• The crest rests above the helm, usually on a 'wreath' of twisted cloth in the 2 principle colors.
• Often but not always an animal
• Crests can be used on their own (particularly useful when there is insufficient space)

THE SHIELD:

• The main part of the coat-of-arms
• Derived from the original use of the shield by knights in combat.
• Oldest, and most complex part.
• The shape:
• different shapes refer to different time periods or where it originated
  
• Women had a lozenge on their coat of arms because they did not fight.
  
• Some modern women do fight, and therefore may have a shield on their coat of arms.
  
• Shield colors:
• Colors are called "tinctures"
  
• There are 9 main tinctures: two metals (light) and seven colours (dark)
  
• Names from from French
  
• VERY IMPORTANT: 1st Rule - never metal on metal or color on color
  
• This improved contrast so that the coats of arms were more easily seen from a distance.
  

--Patrick Lafferty

MEDIEVAL ART OF HERALDRY

Medieval Art of Heraldry (or: make your own coat of arms)

~coat of arms- identifying flagmark of a nation, empire, family, etc; few could read and write, so pictures were important
~coat of arms later took on further significance and meaning, most notably, they became a way of showing membership in a society
~arms remained popular for visual ID
ex: sealing wax imprint, engraved on family tomb
Descent of Arms remains strictly regulated by inheritence; only certain actual descendants of a particular armigerous person are entitled to his arms or a related version.
Popular associations of a coat of arms with all bearers of a surname is a misconception
Coat of arms must represent a particular individual

Heraldry- the science and art of describing coats of arms
Herald- a person skilled in Heraldry
Blazon- to describe a sheilf in words using heraldic terms
Emblazon- to draw or paint a shielf from a blazon

PARTS OF A COAT OF ARMS:
shield, helm, crest/wreath, mantling, supporters, motto/scroll, compartment

Compartment- design placed under shield, usually rocks or grassy mount, or some sort of other landscape, upon which the supporters are depiced as standing
-usually a landscape, seascape, or piece of geography or notable landmark
-sometimes said to have intended to represent land held by the bearer

That's about it for the notes for today.

~Ken

Looks like im off the hook for class minutes!

It turns out, John Leskow has officially joined our class. Welcomee!

Notes to add on:
-The Fight at Finsberg and Beowulf is significant in order to remember the glory days of the Danes.
-The Leader of the Danes at Finsberg had a sword put on his lap unsheathed because this foreshadows a call for revenge; time to draw blood.
- "Wheel of Fortune": What brings you to the top will soon bring you to the bottom, then back up again. (Danes and how they fell)

Tanya

Class Notes 10/28/08

Today in class we had another Beowulf Review session.

Quote #3- The AS life and culture of quote #3 includes being known for your ancestory, the AS belief in demons, Christian/Pagan influence(Cain).

Poetic Forms- Caesura, Alliteration, Rhythm, Kenning, Stress

Why did the warriors come with Beowulf to the dragon's cave?
He wanted to be escorted, but he wanted to fight by himself. He wants an audience for the fight. He wants to prove himself.

Mythic Heroic Archetype- The entire poem (BW) is a battle against himself(always about the internal)

Beowulfs weakness=his pride

*Reminder, mythic heroic archetype story/poem does not need all 10 points.

Does Wiglaf ruin the archetype?
No, because it is merely a variation of the theme. BW should have asked for help all along...i.e. Saving Private Ryan

How long is BW with the Danes?
4 days

Is it possible to be a guide and a hero?
Yes. But it will take a lot of variation. Ex. Stephen King's book the Gun Slinger=hero looses his fingers and cannot carry out journey, guide becomes hero and hero becomes guide.

Does every community have a hero with extraordinary strength?
No, BW is exceptional, he has much more strength(physically and mentally)

Grendel-No weapons
GM-Sword
Dragon-Shield

Why does BW use weapons against GM?
It is all about teriitory. BW wants to make it a fair and equal fight. He must adapt to the specific situation.

Laz asked us about our opinions of the book...sadly, few answered.

If the Geats don't trust BW, why did they choose him to fight?
He was put on the spot to prove himself or die trying. He had the chance to make something of himself, so he did.

STUDY FOR THE TEST ON THURSDAY OR BE PREPARED TO FAIL!!!

John Leskow

Minutes for Oct. 27

Today Mr. Lazarow discussed the format of the Beowulf test:
Section 1: essentially short answer, asks about in depth analysis (which we have discussed in class) elements
Section 2: Poetic format of Beowulf, how Anglo-Saxons organized their poems, and the basic terms for Anglo-Saxon poetry
Section 3: Mythical archetype hero, what categories of the mythical archetype hero does Beowulf fall under?
Section 4: Quote section (need to know the list of 31 quotes that was given to us earlier)

Also, we reviewed for the Beowulf test, mainly talking about the characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon culture. The primary ideas behind Anglo-Saxons are the reliationship between the lord and his people (visa versa) and the belief that all things come to an end.

Lastly, if you are ever in a situation where you need to impress someone, talk about hapax legomenon. A hapax legomenon is the single occurance of a word recorded in a certain language. This happens when there is very little known about a language and there is only one instance where a word is used. Because the word is only used once there are no other examples for context clues.

Sean H.