#blazonry

[sinbad-goodwin]

gules, a fess invected argent.

[illustratus]

[griffinrampant]

Whitmore helpfully breaks the elements of an achievement into five separate components, which we’ll go through one by one. He seems to conflate “coat of arms” with “complete achievement,” though I can’t quite tell whether this is an error or an outdated usage. For the record, a coat of arms (or “arms” for short) is whatever’s depicted on the shield itself; the complete achievement includes the shield plus any additional ornamentations. 

Whitmore presents two examples, but notes that the shield “may be of any form.” While the shape on the left below is certainly the most common, it’s absolutely true that they can come in pretty much any shape. I don’t believe Whitmore’s assertion that lozenges are reserved for female armigers only is accurate; I’ve seen several sources that say women must bear their arms on a lozenge, but none that state the lozenge is therefore reserved only for women. I think it is probably a safe bet that if you see arms on a lozenge, they most likely belong to a woman, but I haven’t previously encountered “lozenge = woman” as a hard and fast rule, only the contrary. 

(One last note - the shield Whitmore depicts is plain argent, but the lozenge actually has a blazon - per pale gules and vert within a bordure argent. If you’re wondering how I know that, we’ll cover tricking later on when we get to tinctures.)

[lunanove]

Blazonry- new boi

[lycantherous]

Sable, a chevron Or, a Coyote rampant proper, tongue forked Gules, in chief a crescent Or

I think. This is my first attempt and yes pre 17th century Europeans wouldn’t know what a coyote was if it bit them on the ass (or until it bit them on the ass?)

[illustratus]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969

Sir Hilary Bray explains: “Have a look at this: arms of Sir Thomas Bond. Baronet of Peckham. Died in 1734. Argent on a chevron sable. Three bezants. Good motto, eh? “The world is not enough.”

[illustratus]

Tile with Griffin

The shield of this tile is emblazoned with a crisply outlined griffin. The flanking French inscription reads: "We must think."

[illustratus]