Angel (charge)

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See also Humans, Humanoid Monsters.

Illustrations:

Period source/s:

File:Siebmacher plate097 angel.jpg	File:Italian cherubim.jpg
Siebmacher Wappenbok, 1605, plate 97, angel	Italian armorial 1550-55, cherubim

An Ordinary of Siebmacher's Wappenbuch -// http:www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/heraldry/siebmacher/f-siebmacher.html

Modern sources:

PicDic - [[1]] (3rd edition, in progress)

Pennsic Traceable Art Project

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#x--Conventional "Proper" ColoringsConventional "Proper" Colorings

-[[2]] Most monsters, e.g., griffins, unicorns, sea-lions, etc., being mythical creatures, have no "proper" coloration. Natural animals which are frequently found as brown but also commonly appear in other tinctures in the natural world may be registered as a brown [animal name] proper (e. g., brown hound proper, brown horse proper).

Charge__	__Tincture or Blazon__	__Tincture Class
Seraph	Caucasian skin, red hair, multicolored wings	n/a

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Parker's Heraldry:

Angel, (fr. Ange): The figure is always represented in full aspect, the wings extended with points upwards. Angels’ wings also occur; and in the singular arms of the family of RAPHAEL, Surrey, the angel Raphael is named in connection with Ararat, q.v. Angels are found as supporters, and a single angel frequently as a crest. > Argent, on a chevron sable three angels kneeling, habited in long robes close girt, their hands conjoined elevated upon their breasts, wings displayed or–MAELOR CRWM, Caernarvon. > Azure, a pillar erect between two angel’s wings, elevated or–AWBORN. > Gules, an Angel standing erect with hands conjoined and elevated on the breast, habited in a long robe, girt argent, wings displayed or–BRANGOR(or Berenger) of Cervisia, 1413. [[3]]

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Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - [[4]] Morsulus Heralds Website - [[5]] (to search the LoARs and Precedents) Restatement Wiki - [[6]] (restatements of Precedents) Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

Registerability:

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

Identifiability:

January 2008 LoAR, Caid - Angels, Barony of the. Badge for the populace (see RETURNS for other badge). (Fieldless) A set of seraph's wings Or. This is the defining instance of a set of seraph's wings//, an SCA invention: six wings conjoined as they would be found on a seraph. A //set of seraph's wings// is considered a single charge. Per RfS X.4.e, "A charge not used in period armory will be considered different in type if its shape in normal depiction is significantly different." A //set of seraph's wings// is not a period charge, so its difference from a //seraph must be determined on visual grounds. A seraph// has a face charged on the conjunction point of the six wings, while this charge lacks the face. Because the seraph's face is the same tincture as the wings upon which it completely lies, its presence is solely a matter of internal detailing, and doesn't affect the charge's "shape in normal depiction." There is thus no difference between a //seraph// (also blazoned as a //seraph's head//) and a //set of seraph's wings//. Nor is there a difference between a //set of seraph's wings// and a //standing seraph. [[7]]

January 2008 LoAR, Caid - Angels, Barony of the. Badge for Order of the Seraphic Star. (Fieldless) On a set of seraph's wings Or a mullet of six points gules. This is clearly a charge on// a set of seraph's wings, not a charge //with seraph's wings. As such, it does not run afoul of the precedent from May 2007 (v. Barony of Mag Mor) which disallowed seraph's wings applied to any charge other than a seraph or a standing seraph. As a mullet of six points is radially symmetrical, no orientation need be specified for the mullet. Nor is that orientation worth any heraldic difference. [[8]]

May 2007 LoAR, Calontir - Mag Mor, Barony of. Badge. (Fieldless) A bull's head cabossed sable winged as a seraph Or. This badge is returned for lack of identifiability. Most of the commenters noted that the combination of wings and the bull's head was unidentifiable. As al-Jamal commented: > I'm not at all sure about multiply winging a bull's head this way. The identifiability of exactly what has been done to the bull's head is difficult to make out without recourse to the blazon. The wings to the sides of the head are clear enough, the the lower wings are more likely to be mistaken for flames, and the upper wings put me more in mind of Don King's hairstyle than they do the addition of wings. Lacking period heraldic evidence that seraph's wings were applied to other charges, this motif is not registerable. [[9]]

From the August 2004 LoAR: "we will follow the stated default from Parker and declare that an angel's wings are displayed by default when the angel is affronty." [2004 LoAR]

July 2003 LoPaD - Nathaniel Mendoza de Guadalajara. Device. Ermine, on a cross gules a seraph argent.

• Some commenters asked if this should be blazoned as a standing seraph// rather than a //seraph. A standing seraph is a six-winged angel with a robe covering the lower part of the body (and the wings in a stereotypical posture). This charge is a seraph, which has a head surrounded by six wings (also in a stereotypical posture). The seraph drawn here has a few of the primary feathers on the bottom two wings extending to base, and perhaps that might have appeared to some viewers to be the robe of a standing seraph.
• This was originally blazoned as a seraph proper but it is not. A seraph proper has multicolored wings. This charge is all argent. It must therefore be pended for further research.
• [[10]]

October 2002 LoAR, Middle - Rivenvale, Shire of. Device. Vert, a pile throughout azure fimbriated argent, overall an angel statant to sinister maintaining a sword argent, in dexter chief a laurel wreath overall Or. > Overall charges may not surmount fimbriated ordinaries by prior precedent: "Ermine fimbriation is disallowed (LoAR of 3 Aug 86, p.17), as are overall charges surmounting fimbriated ordinaries (9 March 86, p.12)" (LoAR October 1992 p.26). > The angel lies almost entirely on the pile and the laurel wreath lies almost entirely on the field. If the angel were entirely on the pile and the wreath entirely on the field (but still large enough to be a significant element of the design) then this would be stylistically acceptable, although it is not known whether there would be a problem with conflict. > The angel was originally blazoned as a seraph contourny. Seraphim in period heraldry consist of a human head cabossed conjoined to six wings__. The top two pairs of wings are displayed and the bottom pair crosses beneath the head. __The SCA has an invented charge of a "standing seraph", which is a standing gowned human with six wings (the top two pairs displayed and the bottom pair crossed over the body). Since the angel in this emblazon is a standing human with two addorsed wings, it is a standard angel and should be blazoned as such. > Angels are affronty by default and so contourny is not a well defined term: the angel must be blazoned as statant contourny//. Because an angel is a humanoid monster, the term //statant// is understood to mean "standing as a human does": it is not necessary to blazon an angel as //statant erect. (And it is not period heraldic practice, nor is it respectful, to emblazon an angel statant as an animal would be statant, down on all fours.) > [[11]]

February 2002 LoAR, Atenveldt - Henry of Three Needles. Device change. Or, a standing seraph gules. > The submitter's previous device, Per bend sinister sable and argent, a bear sejant erect guardant contourny counterchanged, collared and muzzled sable, chained argent, is retained as a badge. > This does not conflict with Jussi of Ylitalo, Or, an angel statant to sinister__ arm extended sable, head and hand argent. There is a CD for changing the tincture of the angel. Jussi's angel is statant to sinister with its wings addorsed. __The standing seraph is in its default affronty position__, __with its six wings in their default posture (the top two displayed and elevated, the middle two displayed and out to the side, and the bottom two crossed over the body). Thus, there is a CD for changing the posture, just as there would be between a bird displayed and a bird rising to sinister wings addorsed. > [[12]]

January 1998 LoAR, Calontir - Seraphima Iaroslava Suvorova. Device. Sable, a standing seraph argent. This conflicts with Eleri of Nefyn (SCA) Sable, a demi female affronty issuant from a stump eradicated argent, maintaining a leaved staff bendwise Or.//, and Canton of the Guardians of the Sacred Stone (SCA) //Vert, a winged man displayed maintaining above his head a spear fesswise argent. In the first case there is a CD but not substantial difference for type of humanoid; in the second there is a CD for the field but nothing between two winged humanoids__. Even if there were no conflicts, we would be forced to return this for a redraw, as the seraph is not argent, but sable fimbriated argent. __A seraph is far too complex a charge to fimbriate. [[13]]

From the September 1997 LoAR: Just as we will give a CD for changing the tincture of the wings on a winged monster, so do we give one for changing the tincture of the flames of a phoenix." [1997 LoAR]

April 1997 - [Saint Michael...wings displayed// vs. a //fury rampant affrontee] There is... nothing for type between one winged humanoid to another. (Joseph Bearshoulders of Ashwell, 4/97 p. 17) [[14]]

December 1989, Calontir - Lyubava Volchikha. Name and device. Argent, a seraph within a bordure potenty azure. Although blazoned as a seraph's head in the letter of intent, this is really the classic depiction of the seraph. [[15]]

October 1987, Middle - Vasili iz Naitemneshoi Dollina. Device. Argent, semé of seraphs gules. When this was originally considered at the July meeting, commentary by Crescent and others properly noted that this was technically in conflict with anything with an argent field semy of charges gules. The question was then raised whether it was desirable to extend the principle of complete difference of charge being sufficient difference to devices with more than four identical charges. The consensus of feeling in the College clearly was that such a change was desirable (for a complete summary of the discussion and the precedent involved see the cover letter). The basic issue having been decided, the question remained whether this particular device was clear of conflict, specifically of conflict with the mundane arms of Mountjoy ("Argent, the field replenished with fleurs-de-lys gules."). After considerable consideration, comparison of several renditions of both items and examination of mundane and Society precedents, we have come to the conclusion that the fleurs-de-lys and seraphs are sufficiently different that complete difference of charge should apply. Laurel freely admits that she is somewhat prejudiced on this issue, not because Vasili is a valued member of the Laurel staff (in fact, his submission has probably received rather more elongated scrutiny than it deserved precisely because of this circumstance ["Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. . ."]), but because of her own armorial experience. The similarity of outline between the cat's faces of her own badge for Taigh Moran Chat and the fleurs-de-lys of France is considerably stronger than that which exists between the fleurs-de-lys and the seraphim. However, despite the fact that the faces are depicted in outline only on the household field banner, in six years of use at large and small events in several kingdoms, never has the banner been confused with that of France, nor has anyone ever failed to recognize the cat's faces immediately for beast's faces, not fleurs-de-lys. This seems to indicate that modern sensibilities, as much as period perceptions, would consider the fleur-de-lys completely different from any variant of a human or beast head. [[16]]

Collected Precedents:

Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (May 2005 - July 2008) - The 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - The Tenure of Shauna of Carrick Point (May 2004 - August 2004) - The Tenure of François la Flamme (August 2001 - April 2004) - The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth (June 1999 - July 2001) - The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida (June 1996 - June 1999) - The 2nd Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (November 1993 - June 1996) - The Tenure of Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme (June 1992 - October 1993) - The 1st Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (June 1990 - June 1992) - The Tenure of Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane (September 1986 - June 1990) - The Tenure of Baldwin of Erebor (August 1984 - August 1986) - The Tenure of Wilhelm von Schlüssel (August 1979 - August 1984) - The Tenure of Karina of the Far West (December 1975 - June 1979) - The Early Days (June 1971 - June 1975) -

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In the Ordinary:

• Angel - see [- Humanoid]