Deer

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Illustrations:

Modern:

Pictorial Dictionary of SCA Heraldry (3rd edition):

• Deer

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

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)
Restatement Wiki - [[2]] (restatements of Precedents)
Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

Definition:

September 2015 - Of Moose and Men

Recently, a request for reblazon questioned the replacement of the term "moose" by "elk" in a registration. This request cited the precedent: > The moose of North America is the same beast as the elk of Europe (Alces malchis). The OED dates the term moose to 1613, within our 50-year "grey area" for documentation; so either term is acceptable in SCA blazonry. [Randulf von Gelnhausen, LoAR of Sept 1992] We are here overturning this precedent. The Oxford English Dictionary gives a first occurrence of the word moose in 1568 as meaning "Pottage; stewed vegetables; a dish of this." Clearly, this has no relation with the creature. The use of moose for the elk is an Americanism and, again according to the OED, the earliest use of the close spelling "mooses" for the elk is dated to 1707. A quote from 1637 "The Elke, which the Salvages call a Mose" makes it exquisitely clear that the creature was known by the English speakers as elk. Therefore, we chose to use the English period term for the creature, which is elk. This should not come as a surprise as this is not the first example of charge where we have decided to use a more period word for a charge. For example, the creatures modernly known as turtles are regularly reblazoned as tortoise, even though the use of the word turtle for the sea tortoise is dated to 1657. Similarly, on the March 2012 cover letter we declined to use the word "squid", dated to 1613 and opted to use the word "calamarie" (dated to 1567 under <calamary>, n.) to replace the modern term "kraken". We may, on a case by case basis, retain the use of the modern terms for items already registered in order to preserve a cant.

• http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2015/09/15-09cl.html#1

January 2006 - On Ibexes:

One of this month's submissions (Eleanor Chantrill) raised a question on the difference between an ibex and a reindeer.

Plate

John Vinycomb, Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art, with Special Reference to Their Use in British Heraldry, p. 215 defines the heraldic ibex as "an imaginary beast resembling the heraldic antelope in appearance, with the exception of the horns projecting from his forehead, which are serrated like a saw. Perhaps it would not be erroneous to consider it identical with the heraldic antelope." Vinycomb goes on and states the natural ibex "resembles a goat, but the horns are much larger, bent backwards, and full of knots, one of which is added every year." Other authors have similar definitions for both the heraldic antelope and heraldic ibex.

Mountain goats are frequent in European armory, blazoned in French as bouquetin// and in German as //Steinbock//; these translate to "ibex", but they're pretty obviously natural ibexes. A heraldic ibex head is found in 1547, as the crest of Toke (Woodcock & Robinson, //Oxford Guide to Heraldry//, plate 9). It has forward-sweeping horns, is most definitely an ibex (or //ebeck as it is blazoned) and looks nothing like a natural ibex.

Based on the definitions, and emblazons, of heraldic antelopes, natural antelopes, heraldic ibexes, and natural ibexes, the following is list of what is worth a CD and what isn't.

• There is no difference between a heraldic antelope and a heraldic ibex.
• There is no difference between a natural ibex and a goat.
• There is a CD between a heraldic ibex and a natural antelope, stag, or deer.
• There is a CD between a goat and a heraldic antelope or heraldic ibex.
• There is a CD between a goat and a natural antelope, stag or deer.
• There is a CD between a heraldic ibex and a reindeer.
• There is a CD between a heraldic ibex and a natural ibex.

In order to ensure that the correct difference is granted between natural deer and natural ibexes (as opposed to heraldic antelopes and heraldic ibexes), we have to explicitly say natural. An examination of the registered ibexes showed that they were all natural ibexes, rather than the expected heraldic ibexes. Prior registrations of ibexes have been reblazoned as natural ibexes elsewhere in this letter.

• http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2006/01/06-01cl.html

Registerability:>

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

Identifiability:

September 2011 LoAR:

Thormot Quilliam. Device. Sable, a moose passant argent. We asked commenters to consider whether or not there is significant difference between moose (also known in Europe as elk) and stags and does. Commenters could not find evidence of elk used in period heraldry, although certainly they were a known animal. Based on commentary, we are ruling that there is not enough visual distinction between elk and deer to grant a CD between them.

• http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2011/09/11-09lar.html

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) - BEAST -- Deer, BEAST - Ibex see [BEAST - Deer, BEAST - Reindeer see http://heraldry.sca.org/precedents/elisabeth/armory.html#BEASTDeer BEAST - Deer]
• The 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - BEAST -- Deer
• The Tenure of Shauna of Carrick Point (May 2004 - August 2004) - Deer
• The 1st Tenure of François la Flamme (August 2001 - April 2004) - [-- Deer]
• The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth (June 1999 - July 2001) - [-- Deer]
• The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida (June 1996 - June 1999) - [[3]]
• The 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) - BEAST -- Deer
• The 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) - Collected Precedents
• The Tenure of Karina of the Far West (December 1975 - June 1979) - DEER
• The Early Days (June 1971 - June 1975) - Collected Precedents

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In the Ordinary:

(includes antelope, buck, doe, elk, fawn, gazelle, gemsbok, hart, hind, ibex, moose, oryc, oryx, roebuck, stag)

• Beast - Deer - Argent
• Beast - Deer - Azure
• Beast - Deer - Fur
• Beast - Deer - Gules
• Beast - Deer - Multicolor
• Beast - Deer - Or
• Beast - Deer - Purpure
• Beast - Deer - Sable
• Beast - Deer - Vert
• Beast - Demi]