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The
Language of Blazon
(Part
the second)
Field
Division
Greetings
Gentles all;
In my first installment, we learned
the tinctures, and the rule thereof.
However, since very few devices are a single charge upon a field of a single
tincture, we have to think of ways to divide the field, and to describe those divisions. Let us start
with those divisions involving a single straight line. These are, respectively,
You will of course note that the descriptive starts with the word “PER”, which indicates that the field is divided, the second word tells how. This is also the first time we run across the word “SINISTER”, which, in the language of blazon, denotes LEFT. The thing to remember in Heraldry is that it refers to the WEARERS left, not the left as viewed by you, SO, the per bend line starts at the wearers right, and the Per bend sinister starts at the wearers left. You “read” a device like a book, from top to bottom, left to right.
The next types of division are those with two
lines, or an angled line, and these are,
The first one, “Per Chevron”, you will note, has the point UP, this is important to remember in order to differentiate it from it’s cousin, (not shown here) “Per Chevron inverted”, which, of course, has the point down. From here, the divisions of the field get much more “busy”.
When using field divisions, you must remember to apply the rule of tincture, adjacent divisions must be alternated color-metal-color or vice-versa.
When Blazoning a divided field, you start with the division-type, then list the colors involved, starting in the upper-left as viewed, such as the start of my own, “Per fess, Checky Azure and Argent, and Azure...”. Note that the field is not only divided per fess, but that the upper portion is itself divided. You list the most major division first, then any divisions of the remaining parts, and the colors of each, starting at upper left.
From here, the variations get a
bit more complicated, using lines of a not-so-straight type, but that is for
another time.
Yours In Service,
T.H.L. Ian MacKynnes,
Libri Draconus Persuivant