The International Association of Amateur Heralds

Hi Chas:

It's a common charge used by the "Orden de la Banda" (Order of the Bend), with strong connections to the Royal Family of Spain. In Spanish it's blazoned "una banda engolada de cabezas de dragantes", I think in English it can be "a bend swallowed by two dragon's head". But I'm not sure about translate it, it's a typical charge of Spanish Heraldry.

Best regards,

Omar Doglio
Montevideo, Uruguay

If one intended to use this type of bend outwith the confines of Spain I can't see what would be wrong with blazoning it as it is seen; a bend [tincture] swallowed at its extremities by two dragons/lions/whatever heads [tincture]. That way, we would all have a reasonable idea of what the emblazonment would look like. If I came across the blazon "Gules, a bend swallowed at its extremities by two dragons heads Argent" I would be able to emblazon it with some degree of accuracy. if I stumbled upon the blazon "Gules, a Royal Spanish bend Argent" I would be flummoxed.

While I agree that in there is a good case for providing a blazon that is readily understandable, it does leave me pondering whether that is not a step towards the slippery slope of "comprehensible heraldry". Why azure, not blue, gules, not red? Why naiant, not swimming, why popinjay, not parrot? Nordic blazon is almost excruciatingly "comprehensible" and very pedantic it often sounds. There must be a case for retaining some mystery and some style in heraldic blazon, otherwise we might as well go the whole hog and invent a computer programme that does it all for us, and recites the result in a slightly stilted metallic voice!

Chris, the great Dutch heraldist Rietstap abolished the French influence on Dutch blasons but the one thing he wanted to change most didn't and that were the names of the colours. Now you say then the magic is gone but no, it may be that the lingo is now (old) Dutch but still it is rife with technical terms that do not make sense to the world outside heraldry so still magic there.

Found in Reitstap's Armorial Volume I pg 665, "Sanchez - Murcie - D'arg. a la bande de sin. engoulee de deux tetes de dragon d'or, languees de gu. and another Sanchez de Badajoz with same arms with tinctures changed.

Woodward referenced the same in his treatise "the bend engoulee, a characteristic bearing of Spain, each extremity of it from the mouth of a dragon, lion, or leopard."

Would it not be in order to just use "engoulee" in English blazon?

Just a thought,

Terry

"engoulee" I could live with.

When I researched this type of charge some years ago I found the English term devouring (two dragons’ devouring a bend). Not sure offhand where I picked this up, but the Afrikaans equivalent is verslind (twee draakkoppe wat ’n skuinsbalk verslind).
Regards,
Mike