Reptiles

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See also Snakes, Adders.

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Illustrations:

Period:

Lizards:

Livro da Nobreza e Perfeição das Armas. Portugal. 1516-1528. Lizards on the arms of Lagartos	"Banners, Standards and Badges from a Tudor manuscript in the College of Arms", lizard badge

Serpent:

Serpent, Ingeram Codex, c. 1450, German

See also Snakes, Adders.

Tortoise/turtle:

Siebmacher, 1605, die Eslinger, tortoise or turtle

Reptiles in An Ordinary of Siebmacher's Wappenbuch :

• http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/heraldry/siebmacher/reptile.html

Modern:

Pictorial Dictionary of SCA Heraldry (3rd edition):

• Lizard
• Reptiles, see: frog, lizard, serpent, tortoise.
• Salamander

Other Sources:

Academy of St. Gabriel "Medieval Heraldry Archive" - http://www.s-gabriel.org/heraldry/
Archive of St. Gabriel reports - http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/archive.cgi
Laurel Armory Articles - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/armory_articles.html
Period Armorials

SENA Appendix L: A Partial List of Postures and Orientations

This is a list of postures and orientations that can be used to determine whether two charges or groups of charges conflict or whether there is a distinct change for posture/orientation. #AppendixLAnimateAnimate Charges #AppendixLA#AppendixLQuadrupedsA. Quadrupeds: The postures listed within each group generally conflict, though a distinct change may be given for facing to dexter or to sinister. See Animal Postures for standard heraldic postures.

• rampant, segreant, salient, sejant erect, statant erect
• passant, statant, courant
• sejant, sejant erect
• couchant, dormant
• sejant erect affronty, sejant affronty

#AppendixLC#AppendixCInsectsC. Insects and Other Tergiant-Default Creatures: This category is for insects and other creatures whose default is tergiant. The postures listed within each group generally conflict.

• tergiant
• tergiant inverted
• bendwise
• bendwise sinister

A Heraldic Primer: Reptiles...

http://heraldry.sca.org/primer/reptiles.html (originally by Stephen Gold, now defunct - older version here -http://home.comcast.net/~cwest222/heraldicprimer/index.html)

Though uncommon, it is not unheard of to find reptiles and amphibians in heraldy. The most commonly found of these is the serpent or snake, which is seen either ‍nowed (or knotted) or erect.

A serpent knowed	A serpent erect

Other reptiles and amphibians which are seen in armory include the lizard, the turtle and the frog. Note that all are depicted in a 'top-down' perspective which is called tergiant.

A lizard tergiant	A turtle tergiant	A frog tergiant

Precedents:

• Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/precedents.html]
• Morsulus Heralds Website - [[1]] (to search the LoARs and Precedents)
• Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

Definition:

From 1985 Precedents of the Tenure of Baldwin of Erebor:

• SCA heraldry uses pithon (with an "i") for winged serpents, and natural python (with a "y") for nonvenomous constrictor snakes of the boa family. [BoE, 14 Jul 85, p.2]
• An heraldic pithon is a winged serpent. [BoE, 10 Mar 85, p.11]
• http://heraldry.sca.org/precedents/baldwin.html

Registerability:

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

August 2019 CL - Non-Tergiant Reptilian and Amphibian Quadrupeds SFPP

Last month, I issued the long-anticipated comprehensive discussion on Unity of Posture, wherein I differentiated between standard quadrupeds and those quadrupeds which are primarily found in tergiant postures, such as tortoises, frogs, and lizards. This month, we discussed two separate submissions with tortoises in non-tergiant postures, including statant and rampant.

While lizards and frogs have long enough legs that standard quadrupedal postures are recognizable, the presence of the full-body shell and short legs on a tortoise provides a more difficult problem of identifiability. There is one example of a tortoise in a non-tergiant posture in period, and it is statant, the "natural" posture one sees a tortoise in profile. As it is attested in period, we will continue to allow tortoises in statant postures.

For other standard quadrupedal postures, such as rampant, tortoises will be allowed only as long as the charge and the posture may be unambiguously identified, with the limbs extending from the shell in sufficient length to be clearly seen. However, for submissions appearing on external letters of intent published after February 1, 2020, such depictions will carry a step from period practice.

https://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2019/08/19-08cl.html#4

May 2002 - inverted tergiant animate charges:

"The SCA has general precedents against registering inverted animate charges unless they are part of a radially symmetrical group such as in annulo. These precedents are on the grounds that such inverted animals are generally not readily identifiable, and they are not found in period heraldry. However, the SCA also has a registration tradition of allowing animals which are usually found in a tergiant posture to be registered in the tergiant inverted posture. "

"There is very little period evidence for tergiant inverted animals in heraldry."

"As a result, inverting a tergiant charge is acceptable as long as it does not otherwise violate any basic heraldic principles, including the requirement for identifiability. Because of the lack of period evidence for tergiant inverted charges, the posture will be considered a clear step from period practice (also known informally as a "weirdness") for any charge that cannot be found in this posture in period."

• May 2002 LoAR

Conflict:

September 2004 - statant/passant vs couchant/dormant:

For alligators and crocodiles there is not a significant difference between the statant/passant and couchant/dormant postures. September 2004

Collected Precedents:

• 2nd Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (April 2011 - August 2011) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (May 2005 - July 2008) - REPTILE (blank as of 12/2013)
• The 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - REPTILE -- Lizard, REPTILE -- Snake
• The Tenure of Shauna of Carrick Point (May 2004 - August 2004) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of François la Flamme (August 2001 - April 2004) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth (June 1999 - July 2001) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida (June 1996 - June 1999) - Single HTML Document
• 2nd Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (November 1993 - June 1996) -
  • the 1st part (Nov 1993 - June 1994) and
  • the 2nd part (July 1994 - June 1996)
• The Tenure of Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme (June 1992 - October 1993) - Collected precedents
• 1st Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (June 1990 - June 1992) -
  • the 1st year (June 1990 - June 1991) and
  • the 2nd year (July 1991 - June 1992)
• The Tenure of Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane (September 1986 - June 1990) - Collected Precedents
• The Tenure of Baldwin of Erebor (August 1984 - August 1986) - Single HTML Document
• The Tenure of Wilhelm von Schlüssel (August 1979 - August 1984) - ANOLE
• The Tenure of Karina of the Far West (December 1975 - June 1979) - Collected Precedents
• The Early Days (June 1971 - June 1975) - Collected Precedents

In the Ordinary:

• Reptile - Adder - see Reptile - Snake]
• Reptile - Alligator - see Reptile - Lizard]
• Reptile - Anole - see Reptile - Lizard]
• Reptile - Asp - see Reptile - Snake]
• Reptile - Chameleon - see Reptile - Lizard]
• Reptile - Cobra - see Reptile - Snake]
• Reptile - Crocodile - see Reptile - Lizard]
• Reptile - Iguana - see Reptile - Lizard]
• Reptile - Lizard] (includes chamelion, dinosaur)
• Reptile - Python - see Reptile - Snake]
• Reptile - Salamander - see Reptile - Lizard]
• Reptile - Serpent - see Reptile - Snake]
• Reptile - Snake - Argent]
• Reptile - Snake - Azure]
• Reptile - Snake - Fur]
• Reptile - Snake - Gules]
• Reptile - Snake - Multicolor]
• Reptile - Snake - Or]
• Reptile - Snake - Purpure]
• Reptile - Snake - Sable]
• Reptile - Snake - Vert]
• Reptile - Terrapin - see Reptile - Turtle]
• Reptile - Tortoise - see Reptile - Turtle]
• Reptile - Turtle]
• Reptile - Worm] (includes earthworm)
• Reptile - Xonecuilli - see Reptile - Worm]