heraldist4

Vol.12, no.4

OVB OVERVIEW FOR THE YEAR 2000

Outstanding was an heraldic event held jointly by the Heraldry Director-ate and OVB September 15th on the Heraldic Authority premises. Chief Herald of Canada and Director, Robert Watt, excelled as host with the staff members of his directorate. These included: France R�imbald, Production Manager; and Francine Mellor, Secretary; Fatima Bourhil, secretary; Claire Boudreau, Saint- Laurent Herald; Bruce Patterson, Saguenay Herald; Darrel Kennedy, Assistant Herald, and artist Cathy Sabourin, Fraser Herald. As OVB president I would like to extend congratulations and a special thank-you on behalf of the OVB members who attended and to all the staff who graciously managed our visit. It was a most interesting tour explaining the process, procedures, and methodology involved in granting arms to Canadians. Colourful displays of personal and corporate arms were valuable illustrations for the discussions between our members and the staff.

OVB members gained a deeper under-standing of the granting process, and an appreciation of the time, effort, and the cost involved. The library, production, and artistic centers were of special interest. John Udd and Blair Churchill, OVB Directors, deserve a big thank you for arranging a refreshing light lunch -- well done and much appreciated. Thanks also to members for support.

Our endeavors to promote heraldry will continue as an OVB priority. We will work to maintain an active and vibrant membership promoting HSC�s goals through activities in our successful format of 1998-1999. The OVB Heraldist, edited by John Ruch, FHSC, continues publishing articles and items of heraldic interest. Gerry Beament provides excellent service as the OVB secretary treasurer.

David P.J. Tyzowski, President OVB

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE CHA VISIT
by Blair Churchill

On September 15th, 2000, members of the Ottawa Valley Branch of the HSC were privileged to be invited to a reception hosted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority at its office in the Chancellery. Members toured the area and were treated to an interactive demonstration and explanation of the progress of a grant through the CHA. The process and production of a grant from first petition through to the shipment of the final letters patent was covered in detail.

Branch members toured from work-station to work-station and met staff members who explained their part in the overall production process. Highlights for me included seeing the resource library, the public register of all the CHA grants, Cathy Sabourin`s office where much of the artwork is produced and the administrative database where information is entered tracking each petition through production, and records information on the grantee`s details. I was highly impressed with their obvious organizational skills, extensive use of appropriate computer technology while maintaining the finest standards of traditional hand-done calligraphy and artwork.
My sincere thanks to those who treated us to an exceptional learning opportunity.

BEASTLY NOTES No.2
by an Old Dog

Lions and Eagles Everywhere

We have already noted Hogtown Heraldry made reference to the rarity of lions in European arms in contrast to greater frequency in arms in this country, adding Chief Canadian Herald Robert Watts� explanation that since the lion was king of animals, lions as armorial beasts therefore became the prerogative of monarchs, thus accounting for their being uncommon among traditional arms.[1] This has not always been the case.

The late Hans Birk pointed out that there were so many lions and eagles on early shields in the Empire that steps were taken to limit their numbers.[2] In fact, there was a contemporary proverb: Those who don�t [already] have arms take a lion. He referred to Gustav Seyler�s conclusion that the restriction of eagles - the Imperial bird -- was laid down at the Imperial Diet of Mainz in 1235, adding that likely the lion was treated similarly.[3] Thus the use of these animals was reserved to a very few nobles. Up to about this point its use doubtless displayed political adherence. From early on, followers of the emperor adopted the the eagle, and their opponents in princely or papal politics adopted lions.

The works of Humphery-Smith document the historical point that lions were once common in European arms, and offer another valid reason for this. In his Anglo-Norman Armory Two, (an ordinary of arms compiled from English rolls up to about 1315) he gives nearly 70 pages of examples of the use of a lion, lions, or the same in combination with ordinaries or other charges.[4] Originally most of these families had been closely interrelated. In the first volume, he had already observed that in this context in the early 1200's, all families bearing a lion in their arms were descended from the once powerful netherlandish nobility : the Counts of Louvain, Dukes of Brabant, Counts of Hainault, and Counts of Flanders.[5]

In his statistical study of early arms, Michel Pastoureau found that about one-third of known arms in the 12th-13th centuries contained animals, and of these the majority were lions.[6] From the later 12th century the number of heraldic animal types in use increased, and the lions share began to diminish slightly.   Yet about 1500, when the number of arms had increased very considerably, (the number of animal types had tripled) and the proportion of animal arms had dropped to about one-quarter of all, half still contained lions.

Notes:
1. Fall issue 1998. p.16.
2. In a letter 1994.
3. G. Seyler, Geschichte der Heraldik. N�rnberg, 1890, (reprint Neustadt a/d Aisch 1970), p.232.
4. C. R. Humphery-Smith, op. cit., Canterbury, Eng. 1984, pp. 58-126.
5. Humphery-Smith, Anglo- Norman Armory Vol. I, 1973 p.23, n.40.
6. M. Pastoureau, Trait� d�H�raldique. Paris, 1993, pp.133-134

BOOK REVIEW

Leo Ary Mayer. Saracenic Heraldry, A Survey.   Oxford: O. U. P. 1933. (Special ed. Sandpiper Books Ltd. 1999, 374 pp., 71 pls., bibliog., index). Reviewed by David Tysowski.

This is a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable read for anyone seeking another �heraldic� view of a region with long historical links to Europe, and elsewhere in the world. The author provides documentation for an armorial roll of Saracenic officials (Arab or Muslim contemporary with the Crusades), Muslim sultans (sovereigns) and emirs (title for various rulers) within the area encompassed by Syria, Palestine (circa old, or pre-modern Israel), and Egypt. This roll lists blazons of both Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties. The Ayyubids include the line of Salahadin, known in legend as �Saladin�; the Mamluks were members of a military body that ruled Egypt 1254-1811, originating from �Mamelukes�, i.e. Circassian slaves. Blazons include: 1. individual blazons, 2. individual descriptions of blazons, and 3. explanations of inscriptions. The extensive table of contents includes: list of and notes on the illustrations, abbreviations, introduction, definitions, sources of information (literary medieval oriental/ European-archaeological, architecture, objects of art, illuminated manuscripts), the significance of a blazon under the Saracens (status, meaning, canting arms, animals, signs of office, tamghas, and unidentified devices), the grammar of heraldry (technical terms, shield, colours, charges -- simple and composite, hybrid compositions, blazoning various charges on the same object, the inscribed shield), the problem of heredity, armorial bearings of women, forgeries, the armorial roll, addenda, collections.

There are a number of �symbols of office� used in Saracenic heraldry that include: the cup, pen-box (see figure below),[1] sword, bow, napkin, table, polo-sticks, fesse, ceremonial saddle, Mongolian tamghas, horns or trousers of nobility, crescent, bars, bend, rosette, and fleur-de-lis. For example, the use of a pen-box, cup, napkin, and fleur-de-lis, appear in the arms of Shadbak (Mamluk of Jakam min Twad, Governor of Hama who died in Jerusalem in 1450).[2] His blazon is: �On the upper field a pen-box, on the middle field a cup charged with a napkin, on the lower field a fleur-de-lis.�. An inscription on the shield refers to a particular charge as �� one of the objects made for His Most Noble and High Excellency, our Lord, the Great Amir, the Well-Served, the Defender of the Faith, Saif ad-din Shadbak, (officer) of al-Malik al-Asbraf may His victory be glorious�

Notes
[1] Mayer, page 12.
[2] He had a succession of resounding titles; after serving the Tartar as a page, and amir, became Chief of a Corps of Mamluks, Amir of Forty, Governor of Edessa, Amir of a Hundred, his death occured on 2nd Rabi I 854 (15th April 1450), Mayer, page 200.

SOME ARMS RECENTLY GRANTED - BLAZONS AND SYMBOLISM

MACKAY UNITED CHURCH
Ottawa, Ontario

[The following is drawn from the existing published �Explanation of Concept and Description of Symbolism�.]
Shield: The field of the shield is blue. The central element of the design is a Celtic cross, in gold, with the arms extending to and curving outward at the edge. At the crossing point is an open book, with white pages, gold edges and black binding. On either side of this book is a spray of a thistle flower in purple, and a white Easter lily, with green stems and leaves. In the field, in the upper left is a representation of the facade of MacKay United; in the upper right, an ewer; in the lower left, two white pines; in the lower right, three ears of wheat all in gold.

Motto: GOD OUR FORTRESS.
Flag: all the elements of the shield redrawn to fit the rectangular format.
Badge: On a blue circle a representation of the facade of the Church, in gold. Above is a gold star
and below, the burning bush.

Explanation

The cross symbolizes Christianity with the Bible at its central location, the primacy of the word of the Lord. The blue field symbolizes the water of life and the Rideau River. The thistle refers to Thomas MacKay's Scots heritage and the lily to religion. The work of the congregation in building and maintaining a sanctuary is symbolized by the Church's facade. Baptism is signaled through the ewer, the heritage in New Edinburgh through white pine, and communion through the wheat. The circle is the circle of life and the blue refers to the riverside location of New Edinburgh. The facade symbolizes the particular Church community, the star Christ's guiding light and the burning bush, both the Presbyterian heritage of the congregation and one of the central symbols of the United Church.

FRIENDS OF AUSTRIA
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Shield: Gules on a fess Argent a maple leaf Gules; Crest: Arising out of a coronet erabl� Or the rim charged with edelweiss flowers proper a double headed eagle displayed Sable langued Gules; Motto: HISTORIA NOBILIS FUTURA BONA SPE;
Supporters: Upon either side of a grassy mound growing thereon edelweiss flowers and prairie crocus flowers proper a Lippizaner horse Argent maned and gorged of a coronet erabl� Or the rim charged with edelweiss flowers proper pendent therefrom a bezant charged with prairie crocus flower conjoined with two edelweiss flowers proper. Grant: CHA 6th June 2000.

Symbolism

The colours red and white are the national colours of both Canada and Austria. The maple leaf in both shield and coronet empasizes the presence of the group in Canada. Their two-headed eagle not only harks back to Austria�s prestige as the seat of the Holy Roman Empire but also symbolizes the nature of the Society itself both looking back to its historic roots and forward to the future in its members� adopted homeland -- as does the motto. A dual national character is also indicated by the flowers of prairie crocus and edelweiss. In the Lippizaner horses the culture of the Austrian inheritance is plain.

THE RIDEAU CLUB
Ottawa, Ontario

Shield: Azure a chevron Or surmounting a pale retrait in base Argent overall a plate charged with a maple leaf Gules and ensigned by the Royal Crown Or;
Crest: on a helmet mantled Azure doubled Or within a wreath of these colours, this Crest: Issuant from a coronet erabl� a phoenix Or rising from flames Gules;
Motto: SAVOIR FAIRE - SAVOIR VIVRE;
SUPPORTERS AND COMPARTMENT: On a grassy mound Vert set with trillium flowers and lilies Argent seeded Or leaved Vert dexter a lion Or armed langued and gorged with a collar erabl� Gules sinister an ermine Argent the tip of its tail Sable gorged with a like collar;
Flag: A banner of the Arms;
Badge: On a hurt a Canadian pale Argent overall a maple leaf Gules all within an annulus Or fimbriated and inscribed in chief SAVOIR FAIRE and in base SAVOIR VIVRE in letters Azure ensigned by the Royal Crown Or and surrounded by a wreath of dexter trillium flowers sinister lilies Argent seeded Or leaved Vert.

Description of the Design and Symbolism

Shield: The field of the shield is blue, recalling the Rideau River. Across the centre is a gold chevron, a visual metaphor for the club and the �shelter� found under its roof. The white segment makes a reference to the Rideau Falls: the �rideau blanc� (�white curtain�) as first described by Samuel de Champlain.

At the apex of the chevron is a white circle representing the round table emblematic of the sociability of the club and the interchange and discussions around tables.   At its centre is a red maple leaf, for Canada and its capital, the Club�s site. Above is the Royal Crown, recalling the Club�s presence in the capital and the historic and continuing allegiance to parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, and a recognition of the long-standing record of club membership by Canada�s Governors General.

Crest: The crest rises from a gold maple leaf coronet, representing the varied service to Canada by the Club members.   Above is a gold phoenix rising from red flames, referring to the ongoing dynamic spirit of the Club rising from the ashes of the fire that destroyed its historic premises across from Parliament Hill.

Motto: SAVOIR FAIRE - SAVOIR VIVRE (to know how to act right & how to live right). This is an apt summary of the social philosophy of the Rideau Club - a place for members with shared and varied interests to meet for good talk, good food, and good fellowship. Discussion and the interchange of ideas is fostered by this friendly interaction among members, who, through their personal and professional activities, contribute to the well-being of the nation in its capital.

Compartment: a mound of grass set with trillium flowers and lilies, both in white, emblematic of the two provinces, Canada East and West (Quebec and Ontario), which were the homes of the majority of the founders of the Club. By extension, this celebrates the francophone and anglophone partnership which is an original and enduring feature of the Club.

Supporters: on the left a gold lion with a collar of red maple leaves, developed from the personal arms of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada and a founder of the Club in 1865. On the right is an ermine with a similar collar, developed from the personal arms of Sir Georges-�tienne Cartier, another Club founder. Together they symbolize the pre-confederation partnership of anglophones and francophones in establishing the Rideau Club and its outreach into both communities.

Flag: A banner of the Arms.
Badge: the symbols of the shield and the compartment re-arranged.

Further Symbolism

Shield: The blue field, recalls the Rideau River, and the gold chevron, is a visual metaphor for the club and the �shelter� found under its roof. The white segment refers to the Rideau Falls: the �rideau blanc� (�white curtain�) as first described by Samuel de Champlain. A white circle represents the
round table emblematic of sociability, the interchange and discussions around club tables. The maple leaf is for Canada and its capital. The Crown, recalls the Club�s presence in the capital, the historic and continuing allegiance to parliament-ary democracy and constitutional monarchy, and recognition of the long-standing record of club membership by Canada�s Governors General.

Crest: The gold maple leaf coronet, represents the varied service to Canada by the Club members, and the gold phoenix rising from red flames, refers to the ongoing dynamic spirit of the Club rising from the ashes of the fire that destroyed its historic premises opposite Parliament Hill.

Motto: SAVOIR FAIRE - SAVOIR VIVRE �To know how to act right & how to live right� is an apt summary of the social philosophy of the Rideau Club -- a place for members with shared and varied interests to meet for good talk, good food, and good fellowship. Discussion and the interchange of ideas is fostered by this friendly interaction among members, who, through their personal and professional activities, contribute to the well-being of the nation in its capital.

Compartment: trillium flowers and lilies are emblematic of the two provinces, Canada East and West (Quebec and Ontario), which were the homes of the majority of the founders of the Club. This celebrates the francophone and anglophone partnership which is an original and enduring feature of the Club. Symbolism of this pre- confederation relationship continues in the Supporters: the gold lion with a collar of red maple leaves, was developed from the personal arms of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada and a founder of the Club in 1865, while the ermine is developed from the personal arms of Sir Georges-�tienne Cartier, another Club founder. They established the Rideau Club and its outreach into both communities.