Heraldic terminology and fossilised language

[tamaranth]

Last week ladymoonray and I went to the Royal Academy to see the 'Turks' exhibition. (Interesting, but full of people: I'd have enjoyed it more if I hadn't had to queue at every exhibit to see it explained.)

One item -- a mirror, I think, was decorated with 'two sphinxes, addorsed'. I hadn't come across the term before, but deduced that it meant 'back to back' (from dorse, as in 'dorsal'). Turns out to be a heraldic term -- and an introduction to a vast new subset of jargon, loosely based (it seems to me, a non-expert) on medieval French, Latin and English.

Some examples (from An Illustrated Dictionary of Heraldry:
ravissant - a beast in the act of springing on its prey
regardant - looking back over shoulder (of beasts)
reremouse - a bat
retorted - twined together (of snakes)

I've been poking around on the interweb for a site that deals with the origins of the terms: if you like, a discussion of when they fossilised out of common language to become specific to heraldry. Any ideas?

Comments

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, it happened between 1066 and the 14th century - I forget when Middle English turns into Modern English - the period when Anglo-Norman French was the official language of the courts.

I love heraldry, but my interest in it predates the Internet by a long way, so I don't know of any websites/discussion sites.

a vast new subset of jargon, loosely based (it seems to me, a non-expert) on medieval French, Latin and English.

Exactly right. The heraldic terms still in use today (okay, admittedly only by enthusiasts, but still, the correct technical terms used to blazon a coat of arms) are derived from the language used to describe a coat of arms among the Anglo-Norman nobility and their English-speaking servants - Middle English, Medieval Norman-French, and tags of Latin.

The traditions of heraldry are why some flags look odd to us and some flags look "right" - the system of only placing metals on colours and colours on metals is something that visual designers follow even now, though they mostly don't know they're doing that.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

I wonder how far it's a standard defining/exclusing jargon model. I use jargon to convey my meaning to other people in the same business/social grouping more effectively; handily it also serves to exclude those who aren't in the same business/social grouping but might aspire to be without the qualifications I feel are required.

The 'grammar' has its own feel too (two horses, azure, on a field of or, gules - rahter than two blue horses on a gold background etc).

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Heraldry is full of appalling puns, I gather.

[del-c.livejournal.com]

Wow, how have you been interested in words so long and missed heraldry? You're in for a treat.

Heraldic terminology is mostly a markup language¹, and I think theoretically you can get a unique achievement of arms (the picture of the shield and all the gubbins around it) just by reading off the blazon (the words describing the arms).

I've long wanted some geek to come up with a computer program that let you do just that: type in the blazon and get the arms out on a colour printer. Maybe the College of Arms has one already.

_{1 CAML=Coat of Arms Markup Language?}

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Heraldic terminology simply hasn't crossed with any of the things I've been reading about, until now! My forays into medieval and Old English have been rather more to do with poetry, and most of my source reading has been travellers and sailors, rather than members of the nobility. I've been aware of it but not known just how varied a set of terms it involves.
Re the thing where you type in a description and it draws it -- I saw a link today to a page that did that -- sadly didn't bookmark or even get that far! I was googling on 'heraldry etymology' etc ...

More Heraldry Geeks

[del-c.livejournal.com]

I searched on "blazon emblazon program" and there seem to be a couple out there, which I'll download when I've got time at home. I also found this site of heraldry party games (http://www.rdrop.com/users/tierna/hgames.html), including "Blazon that Device!":

Lord X and Lady A are up; Lord X is champion of the round. An emblazon of a gold field with a red cross throughout between four fountains is shown.

Lord X: I can blazon that device in 16 words.
Lady Y: I can blazon that device in 12 words.
Lord X: I can blazon that device in 10 words.
Lady Y: I can blazon that device in 9 words.
Lord X: Blazon that Device!
Lady Y: Or, a cross throughout gules between four fountains. (8 words, one less than the bid.)

The round goes to Lady Y. Next round the emblazon is a blue field with three gold deer lying down and two green x's on a white chief with a complex line. The new challenger is Lady Q.

Lady X: I can blazon that device in 23 words.
Lady Q: I can blazon that device in 20 words.
Lady X: I can blazon that device in 19 words.
Lady Q: I can blazon that device in 15 words.
Lady X: Blazon that Device!
Lady Q: Azure, three stags lodged and a chief invected argent charged with three saltires couped vert. (15 words, but the blazon is incorrect - deer are Or - so Lady Q loses.)