December 2020 – Techniques of Digital Heraldry

Traceable Art for December

With the end of the year approaching, I figured it was time for a summary of the hundred-plus illustrations added to the Traceable Heraldic Art collection since last month’s update.

I’m pleased to welcome first-time contributor Ajir Tsagaan, who sent in more than a dozen original illustrations, including some lovely birds and a beautiful Corinthian helm. Thanks also to Jessimond of Emerickeskepe, Vémundr Syvursson, Elspeth Farre, Elionora inghen Ui Cheallaigh, and Iago ab Adam, who all continue to create new art on an ongoing basis.

This update features a bunch of new charges found in period armorials including the yarn swift, royne, winde, chamber, and scourge. Using a rare or not-yet-registered charge like these is a great way to stand out with unique armory and simple designs facilitated by the limited number of potential conflicts! Continue reading “Traceable Art for December”

An Updated Catalog of IAP Submissions

Back in 2017, I dug through a decade’s worth of LoARs and posted a set of examples of Individually Attested Pattern submissions.

I’ve updated that listing a handful of additional times over the subsequent years, but when I was gathering additional items for this update I realized I wanted to make a few changes to the way the information was organized and figured that was a good opportunity to create a new document, which I have now posted as “A Catalog of Individually Attested Pattern Submissions.”

Memories of Hal Ravn, Former Morsulus Herald

[I recently got in touch with Hal Ravn, who first transferred the Ordinary of the Society into electronic format, and asked him about that experience. Following a few rounds of correspondence, he granted permission for me to post an excerpted version of his recollections here, for which I am extremely grateful. I have attempted to place the narrative into chronological order below, eliding mundane names and non-heraldic elements. Points where I’ve stitched material together out of the order in which it was written are marked with […] and editorial interjections are marked with square brackets. — Mathghamhain]

Continue reading “Memories of Hal Ravn, Former Morsulus Herald”

The Strange Case of the Codex Herald Advocate

In today’s College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the title of Codex Herald is given to the member of Laurel’s staff responsible for maintaining the College’s web site.

But it turns out that there was an earlier office, the “Codex Herald Advocate,” which existed for a couple of years in the late nineteen-seventies, and I found the story of its creation and abolition peculiar enough to share.

Continue reading “The Strange Case of the Codex Herald Advocate”