Blasonnement

In Heraldic, the blasonnement , in its most frequent direction, is the action of to read (to describe), to even decipher the weapons. This reading is carried out according to a very rigorous order, which made in theory that to weapons given, it should correspond a text and only one. For simple weapons, the practice confirms this principle rather well. However, as soon as the weapons become complicated, one can find rather many versions synonymous.

In its direction more extended, the blasonnement describes the whole of the Armoiries. In this case, except the ecu obligatorily first described, the order of quotation is vaguer.

If the ecu accompanied by its ornaments, is the chart of the armorial bearings, blasonnement in is its verbal representation.

Born from the practice of the tournaments, the heralds (who will give their name to heraldic) and of the need for constituting true directories (the armoriaux ones) with double function of collection of identities and deposit of exclusiveness, at one time when the illustration, especially color is a long-term company, the blasonnement develops in true language, with vocabulary and syntax, astonishing of rigor and precision, making it possible to describe quickly and without ambiguity the most complex blazons.

The heraldic identity, being limited a long time to the elements carried by the ecu, the blasonnement is often satisfied to describe only this one. The ornaments took importance only tardily, and the blasonnement complete must integrate them.

Constitution and blasonnement

The constitution is the fact of creating a particular blazon, with all its characteristics.

Weapons quite made up must at the same time be easy with blasonner (i.e. to describe) and to compose (i.e. to represent). They must also be in conformity with heraldic general esthetics. A blazon can be more or less quite made up. The three criteria do not lead to absolute and sliced judgments, but to identify it in what a composition sins, and its ways of improvement.

Logically correct descriptions can lead to illegible representations, mainly when the details become too small. One can thus imagine a squirrel fur blazon “latticed of hermine and studded field”, completely comprehensible but impossible to represent correctly. The details must always remain sufficiently broad so that their enamel can be represented by hatchings in the engraved representations.

Compositions which it is not possible (or easy, or obvious) of blasonner are also badly made up. It is the case of many " weapons modernes" countries or communes, which integrate in their ecus of images, even when they are very stylized, which are not built according to the logic of the blazon, but more according to one logic of advertizing folder (see the " armes" of Manaus in Brazil, for example). It goes without saying the compositions which can closely or to present an analogy with blazons by far (road logos, flags, panels, postal stamps, etc) are seldom readable in heraldic terms (Why they would be it?).

Lastly, the constitution should not move away too much from the heraldic use running, and avoid for example entering currencies on the ecu itself, or to compose of the too rich tables.

Thus, the weapons of Liege are rather typical of heraldic late, which tends to being badly made up. One however can still the blasonner without too many difficulties: “Of mouths to the raised perron, supported by three lions out of three degrees, assembled of a pine cone, summoned of a pattée cross, the gold whole, accosted of a L and G capital letters of same”. The bad constitution of these weapons relates to two types of defects:

the description of the central column is the subject of ten differentiations (lions, pine cone, degrees…), which all is illegible on the figure with small scales. Even on a drawing with more large scales, it is not possible to appreciate clearly if the cross (initially hardly visible) is pattée or not. Such weapons are not any more one abstract figuration and symbolic system, but a representation of a particular monument (the perron inhabitant of Li2ege).
the addition of letters in the weapons is a practice which the purist rejects into heraldic, because nonreadable universally: the reading of such a blazon is not directly any more possible for a heraldist trained with the Cyrillic alphabet (not more than of the Cyrillic letters would not be readable for a Western herald). However, this marginal practice is tolerated for a rather long time.

Blasonnement and specification of armorial bearings

The heraldist does not describe on the same level of detail, according to whether it is about blasonner of the weapons, or to specify or describe a particular representation of armorial bearings.

In the first case, it acts to make an inventory of the significant details which distinguish these weapons from those held by other holders. It is preferable, in such a description, to be more the possible general, while respecting the heraldic spirit, so that anteriority can be called upon on all the similar weapons “almost”, which would be characterized any only by details whose significant character can be debatable. For blasonner of the weapons, it is thus necessary to draw aside all that can appear secondary, or which can result from a stylistic effect: not very clear attitudes of animals, provisions of pieces of furniture being able to pass for a position by defect, etc the dispute against which it is necessary to be guarded here is that of people who would choose “almost” the same weapons, with a risk of confusion.
On the other hand, to describe a particular representation, the same heraldic language can be done much more precise, and indicate any kind of apparent irregularities, finally followed solutions, or alternatives selected. The dispute to be avoided is that of the customer, whose armorial bearings were not drawn with its taste.

The fact that a flower of lily “is florentée”, that a squirrel fur or a lambel is “with the antique”, or that ten parts are posed “four three two a” changing of the description of a particular drawing, not of the definition of a blazon. The weapons of Florence are “of money to a flower of lily of mouths”, regardless of the fact that the flower of lily is represented “florentée” (the heraldic jargon dares sometimes “florencée”, which obviously is extremely doubtful) in its country of origin: this stylistic precision must be provided for a particular representation, but does not change the gasoline of the blazon.

In the composition of a blazon, it is normal to follow the practices stylistics of such or such area, to even satisfy the particular indications of the holder. On the other hand, when it is a question of describing the blazon corresponding, the heraldist must exert a firm censure, and draw aside from his description all that deals not with the essential nature of the weapons, but with their particular representation. Is it significant that a lion is represented without hairs with the legs, the tail outwards rather than in inside, lifting or between the legs, the head turned on the right or to the left, the leg raised or not? In the doubt, it is preferable to mention this originality when it is a question of describing the representation, but it is necessary to refuse to regard it as a significant, sufficient sign to distinguish from the weapons of those of the neighbor. Generally, it is necessary to keep at the head that the weapons must be identifiable (and memorable, and reproducible) of the first glance. Except very particular case (like the number of stars in the seals presidential of the USA), all that must be counted concerns the specification of the drawing, and not of blasonnement. The number of cars of a reason is never very significant, not more than the number of parts of one fascé or a blade.

Language of the blazon

Text Ci below presents a particular point of view, not achieving the unanimity. While waiting for a complement, the reader is invited to the greatest reserve.

The blazon (i.e. the description of the armorial bearings) uses a technical, conventional and precise language heraldic. Initially made by the heralds in language running from the time, heraldic description was solidified in its syntax and its vocabulary. While forgetting to be simple (what is the first of the rules of the blazon), the heraldic language led to a certain mannerism, and the worship of excessive distinctions (heraldic jargon). The rare terms can describe old weapons with the rare figures, but are generally artificial and condemnable in weapons of more recent composition.

The heraldic language follows the rule known as “of the 80-20”: with a small number of terms (typically around fifty, is less than 20% of the specialized vocabulary), one can describe correctly nearly 80% of the known armorial bearings; an effort of a few hours is enough to learn with blasonner the most current weapons correctly. The question of the heraldic language arises in a different way according to whether one is interested in the “version” or to the “topic”. Side version, descriptions which appear in the old documents use obviously the vocabulary and the manners of the time. To have a command of this heraldic language, it is necessary to know the significance of specialized terms or rare alternatives: nothing will make it possible a modern reader, even if he is reasonably cultivated, to guess with the reading what is “of sand to an eagle of sinople lit and mouthful of mouths”. On the other hand, side topic, it does not have there reason to be expressed in a hermetic way, when it is also precise and infinitely more clearly to say, in a strictly equivalent way, that the weapons are “black with a green eagle, with the eyes and the throat reds”. However, three cases should be distinguished.

the concepts or objects suitable for heraldic are naturally described by specialized terms: the terms of fasce or stake do not have equivalents in the current language. It is thus necessary to respect specificity, and to learn how from it to know them.
For a better comprehension of the blazon, the majority of the traditional terms can be replaced by their equivalent in current language, or by a periphrasis of some words. Thus all the terms which indicate that such or such part of a piece of furniture is of a different enamel can be replaced by the designation of this part: rather than to say “lit mouths”, the modern language will prefer “with the eyes of mouths”.
Certain traditional terms, of very limited number, could be replaced by modern equivalents, but their use is so much general into heraldic whom they belong to his culture, and whom this substitution would bring nothing. Their use is acquired at the same time as that of the specialized terms, and hardly requires more efforts. It is the case of the names of enamels (nothing really justifies to say “red” to the place of “mouths”), and of some technical terms which return constantly (for example “armed and lampassé of mouths”).

Types of blazons

Made up weapons

Made up weapons are made of simpler weapons, joined according to a figure of partition simple, or assembled by districts. Weapons can also be made up by honourable parts, typically by adding a chief or a canton to the principal armorial bearings.

Each element of the composition can receive a different field, without being constrained by the second rule of the blazon.

For blasonner of the composed weapons, one states initially the partition, then the elementary armorial bearings blasonnent the ones after the others, in the order of the partition, by making them precede by their row (with the first… with the second…). There will be thus Left blazon a “, with the first of money to a oil cake of mouths, with the gold second to a fasce of azure”.

Alternate weapons

This term indicates the weapons which are based on a more or less complex partition of the table of waiting following of the geometrical lines, systematically to alternate enamel between a color and a metal. In practice, the alternated weapons with partition geometrical receive neither parts honourable, nor piece of furniture, and do not use furs.

The alternate weapons are blasonnent by stating the partition, then the two enamels which alternate, while starting with that which is with dextral of the chief (and in the event of equality, with the chief of dextral of the chief): “Quartered mouths and of money”. Alternatively, for better marking their geometrical specificity, one can initially state the two enamels which alternate, then the partition which makes them alternate “mouths and of money, gironné”.

Weapons simple

For the simple weapons, a uniform field recovers all the table of waiting, and can receive honourable parts and pieces of furniture.

For blasonner of the simple weapons, one states initially the field, then the figures: “Of gold to a flower of lily of mouths”. (When the weapon is made up only of one or more pieces of furniture on a uniform field, one can describe " with the anglaise" as follows: “A flower of lily of mouths on gold field”. This manner of blasonner is comprehensible, but noncanonical in français.

One describes in first the principal figures, then the possible secondary figures which accompany it. It is necessary to completely describe a figure (part or piece of furniture), with its bottom, its modifications and the parts which charge it, before passing to the following figure.

Table

The weapons which form table lay out several pieces of furniture (buildings, animals,…) to represent a scene where these pieces of furniture are in relation the ones with the others. The compositions, the provisions and the pieces of furniture used, are typically those of the ornaments external of the blazon, where the role of the central ecu would be held by another principal figure.

These tables blasonnent like external ornaments, to compare the blazon of Ajaccio which carries “of azure to a summoned column of a money crown, accosted and supported by two faced gold lions, the whole posed on a sinople terrace” with a description of external ornaments which would be “of azure to a money column, the ecu being summoned of a crown of money, accosted and supported by two faced gold lions, the whole posed on a sinople terrace”. The composition of the table can be a landscape designer, as the colonial weapons allotted to Algiers, which appear a coastal beach between field and sea: “tiercé out of bar, with the first of azure to a circumvented money nave, with the gold second to the circumvented money lion, the sinople third to a sheaf of gold”.

Heraldic description

Order of description

The blazon mainly sticks to describe the weapons painted on the ecu, and thus starts always with the description of the ecu.

The description of the ecu is done while starting with the bottom and its possible partitions, then by successive layers, from the bottom towards the spectator. It is necessary to be based on what hides what, or on what must be drawn in first to dimension the remainder, to determine the order of the statement.

On the same level, description states initially the principal figure (honourable part, noble piece of furniture,…), then the possible secondary figures which are ordered compared to this one.

On a purely additional basis, the blazon then describes, in the same language, the external ornaments (helmet, crown, lambrequin, collars, supports, holding, etc). ; The whole The whole indicates the whole of the ecu which was described up to this point, and which can be in charge of complementary figures. The designation of the “whole” can be ambiguous, in the case of composed weapons, if the last district receives a figure stitching on its whole. In this case, it is to better specify “on the whole of the district”.

Description of the weapons

The weapons can be various types, and the manner of blasonner depends on this type:

the made up Armes superimpose two or several weapons, separated by a line from partition or by districts.
the alternate weapons divide the table of waiting following of the geometrical lines of variable number, the field being alternatively of color and metal.
the simple weapons form the general case of a field uniform (enamel, fur or sown), possibly in charge of figures, i.e. of parts or pieces of furniture (they are known as plains if not). The setting in scene of many pieces of furniture can compose a table.

In all the cases, one blasonne then the possible pieces of furniture which charge the whole, or parts or cracks which affect the whole.

The description of simple and sufficiently known weapons can be done either by blasonnant the weapons, or by naming the title corresponding to these weapons. For example, all the blazons of the good cities “ with the chief of azure with three flowers of gold lily” can be blasonnés “ with the chief of France ”, which is equivalent. However, the description of the blazon by its holder should not be employed when there is a risk that it is ambiguous. In the doubt, it is preferable of blasonner in a complete way “ with the chief of azure with three flowers of gold lily, which is of France ”, giving at the same time description and its significance.

Description of the external ornaments

One blasonne external ornaments following the ecu, while going from the foreground backwards, and the ecu towards outside.

The external ornaments (hairstyles, collar and cordelières, holding and terrace, coats, flags, weapons, sticks, sceptres and hands of justice, keys, sticks, currency, etc) surround the ecu itself to form the complete armorial bearings, and generally specify the attributes of the holder (its row, its function…).

These external ornaments can be very varied, and the language which allows their description must more seek to be effective that to preserve a heraldic style which would be often artificial there. In armorial bearings surrounded by flags, it is theoretically possible of blasonner each flag, but this exercise would be all the more artificial as the flag is known: it is much clearer and simple to indicate the presence of the flags “of France, Germany and Poland”, rather than to make individual description of it.

Certain figures are typical external ornaments (flags, coats), but apart from these particular cases, all the external ornaments can be been reproduced on weapons.

Complex example

Principality of Liege: Quartered: 1. of Bubble ; 2. of Franchimont ; 3. of Looz ; 4. of Hornes ; on-the-all of Liege (carried at the beginning without L and G).

Province of Liege: Quartered: 1. of Liege ; 2. of Bubble ; 3. of Franchimont ; 4. of Looz ; graft at a peak of Hornes .

* Liege (Town of Liege): Mouths with the raised perron, supported by three lions out of three degrees, assembled of a pine cone, summoned of a pattée cross, the gold whole, accosted of a L and G capital letters of same.

* Bubble (Duchy of Bubble): Mouths, with the money fasce.

* Franchimont (Marquisat of Franchimont): Of money, with three sinople lions, armed and lampassés of mouths, and crowned of gold.

* Looz (County of Looz): Burelé (10) of gold and mouths.

* Hornes (County of Hornes): Of gold, with three horns of mouths, ferruled and enguichés of money.

Armorial bearings of the dukes of Mayenne:

“Quartered, into 1 and 4: half-compartment and party in 3, with the fascé first of mouths and money, with the second of sown azure of gold lily and with the lambel of mouths, the money third to the potencée, confined gold cross of four small crosses of same, with the fourth of gold to the four stakes of mouths to the fifth party of sown azure of gold lily and to bourdure of mouths, the sixth of azure to the gold lion circumvented, armed, lampassé and crowned mouths, with the gold seventh to the sand lion armed and lampassé of mouths, to the eighth of sown azure of gold small crosses and to both gold bar. On the gold whole to the band of mouths charged with three let us alérions of money the broken whole of a lambel of mouths; in 2 and 3 against-quartered into 1 and 4 of azure, with the eagle of money, beakful, languée and crowned of gold and into 2 and 3d' azure, with three flowers of gold lily, with the endentée edge of mouths and gold. ”

Simple example

the Alsace blasonne as follows: left, with the first, of Gueules to the bars money côtoyée of two cotice S blossomed of same and with the second also of mouths to the band of Or accompanied by six crown S by same, three in chief and three reversed in point .

See too

Internal bonds

List of blasonnements without figure
List of figures without blasonnement
Project: Blazons
Blazons of France

External bonds

the language of the blazons
Decoding of the seals
Blazons of France on Heraldic Wikimedia Commons
of Abzac a clear and clear comprehension of the heraldic one. A tool of reference for the heraldists and genealogists.
Heraldic in the Diderot Encyclopedia and D' Alembert
communal Armorial of France (more than 3000 blazons)

Simple: Coat off arms

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