Helms -- no modern ones this time! : )
Posted: 02 Jun 2013, 02:27
Looking through the images of armigers blazon I noticed a few things (alright -- a LOT, but ... ) that I wanted to gather the group's thoughts on.
Helmets. The American College of Heraldry is extremely strict on helms: great helms or crusader helms only. Visor closed. All helms facing dexter unless you have title or Knighthood. Yet herein I see Or bared helms, facing forward, a few helms that would imply nobility. I understand that as an international group armigers are going to follow the traditions of their country.
My question: does the openness or closedness of the visor really matter if not specified in the blazon? Same for the bars? And lastly the same question for where the helm faces?
Next big question: crowns & cornets. The ACH follows the English rules and limits the use of cornets & crowns to those who can claim them in their own right. Should we follow that same rule? I see that many of my fellow armigers to my frosty north (as I sit in the 92 degree heat) use a crown with maple leaves on it. Why? I may or may not be a linear descendant of a man who bought a HRE title. If I am not using the title but merely claiming decent why shouldn't I amend my blazon to have a Knight or Barron's cornet included in the crest? And maybe open up that visor?
Your thoughts please.
Helmets. The American College of Heraldry is extremely strict on helms: great helms or crusader helms only. Visor closed. All helms facing dexter unless you have title or Knighthood. Yet herein I see Or bared helms, facing forward, a few helms that would imply nobility. I understand that as an international group armigers are going to follow the traditions of their country.
My question: does the openness or closedness of the visor really matter if not specified in the blazon? Same for the bars? And lastly the same question for where the helm faces?
Next big question: crowns & cornets. The ACH follows the English rules and limits the use of cornets & crowns to those who can claim them in their own right. Should we follow that same rule? I see that many of my fellow armigers to my frosty north (as I sit in the 92 degree heat) use a crown with maple leaves on it. Why? I may or may not be a linear descendant of a man who bought a HRE title. If I am not using the title but merely claiming decent why shouldn't I amend my blazon to have a Knight or Barron's cornet included in the crest? And maybe open up that visor?
Your thoughts please.