Heraldry has long become a cultural and historical phenomenon. Having arisen as an attribute of chivalry and nobility, today it has been deposited in city and state symbols.
What is heraldry? Firstly, it is a historical discipline that studies emblems. Secondly, this is the very phenomenon of captured images that appeared in the Middle Ages.
Arms Creation
To understand what heraldry is, it is necessary to find out when it appeared. Signs on the outfit originated during the heyday of chivalry in the XII century between the First and Second Crusades. The nobles began to acquire them for their own identification on the battlefield.
By the XIII century, their symbols appeared in cities, religious orders, the bourgeois. An important contribution to the spread of the new phenomenon was made by knightly tournaments.
Heraldry in Russia
Russian heraldry is considered to be a borrowed West European tradition. Coats of arms could not appear in Russia in the usual sense of the word, since initially this art arose as part of a knightly culture that was absent among the Slavs. Nevertheless, even before its appearance in Europe, Slavic clans and tribes had their own characters, whose role was played by pagan totems.
With the adoption of Orthodoxy in Russia, they often began to use the double-headed eagle adopted from Byzantium as an identification mark. In addition, the Christian cross has become a common symbol.
In the middle of the XVII century, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, wanting to compose the genealogy of the Russian princes, turned for help to the Austrian herald master Lavrenty Khurelevich. Of great importance was the Tsar's Titular, compiled in 1672 by the domestic diplomatic department. He summarized many disparate emblems of different Russian lands into one coherent picture. The heraldry of Russia owes much to the valuable information from this work.
Under Peter I, noble families began to acquire their own arms. "The general arm of the noble families of the Russian Empire", compiled in 1797, included more than 3,000 patrimonial signs.
After the 1917 Revolution, the heraldry of Russia became an auxiliary historical discipline. Nowadays, the active interest of the masses is awakening to it. In 1999, the President of the Russian Federation established the Heraldic Council.
Coat of arms elements
The conventional distinguishing mark has a dozen elements. This is a shield, shield holder, bast, borelet, etc.
Its surroundings largely determine the motto. Latin inscriptions are traditionally common. So, Lermontov’s motto was the phrase “Sors mea Jesus” (“My lot is Jesus”). With the help of such phrases, a character is deciphered, which ascribes to itself a race, city, etc. This is another phenomenon that allows us to answer the question of what heraldry is.
Heraldic shield
The main element of any logo is a shield. It is he who carries a certain set of figures. A separate explanation requires a variety of forms of shields. They are divided according to nationality.
In the Middle Ages, the image of the shield repeated the forms of real defensive knightly equipment. However, with the disappearance of chivalry as an important combat factor, the images of shields began to receive more implausible outlines.
The most common form is French (a quadrangular shield with pointed bases). In the Russian tradition, as in many others, the "French" concept has become the most common.
It is also worth noting the Varangian (triangular), Spanish (quadrangular with a round base), English (overturned arcs at the head of the triangle) and German (figured) shield.
Tincture
The material with which the image is applied to the shield is directly related to the color palette of the future symbol. No distinguishing mark can be perceived separately from its color. Often, two such canvases can have the same pattern, but at the same time differ in color, radically changing the meaning that the composition bears. Therefore, we can confidently answer the question of what heraldry is: this is art. Coatings and paints of coat of arms have their own term - tincture.
Enamel
Before you take up the actual colors inherent in emblem studies, you should list the materials with which the image is applied. There are three of them. Without a description of each of them, the presentation of Heraldry is impossible.
Enamels are coatings that contain glassy powder and enamel. In addition, when creating the upper layer of the aristocratic “label”, copper is used as the base of the plate. Enamels were most common in medieval France, from where they migrated to Russia. In our country, and now there are many schools practicing the same applied art (Vologda, Rostov, etc.). Five colors are characteristic for enamels.
Red (or scarlet) color means courage, courage and fearlessness. It is created by mixing cinnabar and minium minerals. Red tones are one of those that any national heraldry can boast. Red flags are one of the most common.
Blue (or azure) color is used to emphasize beauty, grandeur and softness. Azure is composed of ultramarine pigment and cobalt metal.
Black is identified with humility, wisdom, and sadness. To give the coating a black tint, burnt ivory was often used before.
Green is a symbol of abundance, hope and joy. Interestingly, to give the image green shades, plant-based natural greens and chrome are used.
The purple color is considered a sign of not only strength and power, but also dignity. Used less frequently than the other four colors. Purple color is a mixture of red dye carmine and pink varnish.
If previous paints are considered canonical, then the use of other palettes is less common. It is rare to find enamel of orange, crimson, blood, brown, gray and pink colors.
Metal processing
The second material is metals. Only two of their types are used - gold and silver, which, among other things, are considered noble.
The first of them, having the proud name of “King of Metals”, symbolizes wealth, power and nobility. In addition, in the Christian tradition, the golden color is a sign of justice, faith, mercy and humility.
Silver with its whiteness always went hand in hand with purity, innocence, nobleness and honesty. One way or another, noble metals are attached to all the best that is in the human character.
Gold is considered analogous to yellow, while silver is associated with white inks. They often cover coats of arms. Heraldry considers the white shade one of the most common in his art. Artists can get gold and silver colors with the help of not only metals directly, but also with brilliant paint.
Fur on the shields
When making emblems, the fur of two animals is traditionally used - squirrel and ermine.
Ermine fur is depicted on a silver or gold field in the form of black crosses. This material symbolizes power. Only the royal and noble dynasties, which have a special status in society, had and have the right to use it.
Squirrel cover is found in the form of gray-blue and white skins. Unlike the ermine analogue, it does not symbolize anything and is most often depicted in helmet-like forms. Such material, for example, was rare in Russia.
Interestingly, the fur, which was worth its weight in gold in medieval Europe, was used to decorate knightly banners even before the appearance of the emblems themselves.
A relic of the past can be considered sable fur. So, for example, it can be found on the banner of the famous genus Hohenzollern. It was from this dynasty that the kings of Prussia and the Kaisers of Germany came.
Flowers as a symbol
Flowers in heraldry were popular even among royal families. For example, in England, garlands and bouquets of roses could show off only on the emblem of the ruling dynasty. If the noble family did not have a crowned lady among her relatives, then she could not use more than one rose on her shield.
The war of the Scarlet and White Roses, which erupted in England in the 15th century, was named after the symbols of two dynasties fighting for power. Lancaster was proud of their red rose, and Yorkie - white. Other hypostases of spiky flowers are also known. An unofficial emblem of Bulgaria is a rose of scarlet color, while a yellow rose is a symbol of Beijing.
Another world-famous flower emblem is a lily. It was the triad of lilies that was the symbol of the Bourbons, who ruled France for several centuries, and the throne of Spain is still occupied today.
The thistle from a heraldic symbol has turned into a symbol of all of Scotland. From exotic examples, chrysanthemum, which has been the national flower of Japan since the 7th century, can be cited.
Coat of arms trees
Oak. What does heraldry with a similar pattern mean? Since ancient times, it has symbolized strength and fortress. In addition, on stamps and flags you can often find its fruits - acorns.
The olive tree and in particular its branch are known as a symbol of peace. This interpretation is rooted in the Bible. According to the Old Testament, the dove brought Noah an olive branch to mark the end of the Flood. Muslims consider the olive tree of life. A dove carrying a branch of this tree can be seen, for example, on the arms of Fiji.
Also on the emblems are often pine and cherry (in Japan - a symbol of wealth and success).
Birds on emblems
More often than others, of the birds, as an illustrative image, you can meet an eagle, which in the European tradition speaks of domination and power. It can be seen on the US seal, where it holds an olive branch and thirteen pointed arrows (according to the number of founding states).
Heraldry is especially careful in studying the figure of the double-headed eagle, which can be found in the culture of various nations. It is believed that this sign owes its origin to the Sumerian civilization from ancient Mesopotamia. From there he migrated to the Hittites.
The Byzantine Empire also used the double-headed eagle for identification purposes. It was from there that he, along with Orthodoxy, was transferred to Russia, where he received a rebirth. The fantastic bird flaunted on emblems of the Chernihiv, Tver and Moscow principalities.
It was also popular among Germans (German Union, Holy Roman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, etc.). Today this figure is present on the flags of Albania, Armenia, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro.
The falcon is similar to an eagle in its noble qualities, which in the medieval era was associated with male character traits: nobility, chivalry, courage and strength.
The images of birds such as heron, crane and stork are similar in meaning. As a rule, they are depicted standing on one leg. Such a composition implies caution and vigilance.
Of feathered "shortcuts" crows, ducks and roosters are also common.
Symbolism of animals
The wolf is especially common in German medieval culture. At the same time, this predator has a different allegorical meaning. Russian tradition attributes to him anger, greed and gluttony. In the Bible, this mammal is the personification of false prophets. The capitoline she-wolf, who feeds babies with her milk, is better known than her other relatives. This is a symbol of the "eternal city" of Rome. According to legend, she saved the brothers Romulus and Remus from starvation, the first of whom founded the settlement.
Many animals are considered synonymous with meekness and timidity. These are fallow deer and lambs. The lamb has a special status in the Christian tradition. The Lamb of God in the gospel is called Jesus Christ. European Catholic heraldry could not do without it. Symbols from biblical stories have always occupied a prominent place in the Old World.
The horse has an exceptional status as a decoration of the banner, since it was a faithful companion of the knights. He personifies not only speed and devotion, but also courage. A horse is always depicted in profile.
Deer, always considered a noble animal, was popular among noble families. Warriors could use his image as evidence of the intimidation of enemies, because the horned inhabitant of the forests with his smell chased away snakes.
A wild boar, distinguished by its exuberant disposition, bears in itself such traits of character as courage and fearlessness. As a rule, he is depicted in profile, but only a wild boar's head is found.
Conclusion
Nowadays, the history of heraldry is being actively studied. From its very appearance, it has become one of the most famous images of medieval feudal society. The distinctive sign became a proof of belonging to one's family and estate. The decline in interest in the phenomenon was outlined in the 18th century. Over time, vivid pictures became a feudal relic, remaining as the “face” of cities and states.