Season 9 - Three in Chief
HH9: Three in Chief
This season happened in August of 2019 and for the twist, participants had to include three charges in chief, be it in a chief (the ordinary) or not, in their design.
Winner
Maker: momojohn#9882
Blazon: Vert, issuant from sinister a demi-Calygreyhound Argent, membered Or with antlers of the same and armed Gules, grasping in its dexter claw a red tulip proper; on a chief Or, three horns Gules. For a crest, issuant from an eastern crown Or, an elephant's head proper.
Symbolism: The verdant green color of the field represents one of the armiger's favorite colours and further symbolizes their bright enthusiasm and vigor. The main charge, a Calygreyhound, is a fantastical beast made up of the head of a wildcat, the torso and antlers of a deer, and the claws of an eagle. The combination of different creatures harkens back to the Chimeras and Basilisks of mythology, and it is framed within the shield in a way to nearly resemble a cropped photograph, photography being another hobby of the armiger. The Calygreyhound holds a bright red tulip, which in addition to representing their birthplace, evokes sentiments of joy and happiness. Above the Calygreyhound on a golden chief hover three vivid red horns; these horns, while alluding in a general sense to the armiger's love of music, also recall the war horns of old, symbolizing the armiger's role as a sort of soldier. Overall, the strange central charge and it's unique position emphasizes the armiger's values of creativity and imagination. The Elephant's head crest is a canting element, representing the largest land mammal on earth. The crown that it sits atop alludes to a romantic interest of the armiger.
Entries
Nº 1 [DISQUALIFIED]
Maker: aemdal#1904
Blazon: Argent, issuant from dexter 7 sinistrocheres azure enumerating 1 through 7 in ASL. For a crest a demi-badger inquisitant azure embellished argent.
Symbolism: So I was very inspired (and I have to admit rather excited) by this armiger’s form mentioning they liked linguistic trivia and inclusivity. I thought up, designed, and drew out this shield before realizing I’d completely forgotten this month’s twist... The armiger said they liked unique charges, I hope I delivered. (The many arms are a reference to Kannon/Guanyin/???, who in actuality has a thousand arms, but give a poor emblazoner a break. I also felt 7 was enough to show off the ingenuity of ASL’s numbering system.) I must confess I didn’t have a particularly good reason to make the crest a badger, except for the fact that it’s a rather underused European animal in heraldry, and that what should be black on that animal is now blue.
Nº 2
Maker: aemdal#1904
Blazon: Azure, a tree reversed Argent’s roots issuant from base, in chief between a sinister and dexter hand, a rustre. For a crest a water lily Azure and another Argent, both slipped of one another’s tinctures.
Symbolism: The armiger likes single-colour fields and the values of identity and inclusivity. Therefore the centre of the shield is left unused, representing the surface, or “white page” if you will, one can make use of to construct oneself. The roots in base are a reference to one’s origins, the parts of one that one does not construct. As for the three charges in chief, the hand is one of the most prominent symbols for action, again referring to the act of (at least partly) creating one’s identity. The fact that a dexter and sinister hand are used is a nod to the armiger’s valuing inclusivity. Finally the rustre is a play on the saying “round peg in a square hole” acknowledging that the quest for identity can be a struggle in our society. As for the crest, the armiger also mentioned liking unique charges, so I used those beautiful Heinz-Ritt water-lilies that I’d never seen anywhere before.
Nº 3
Maker: aemdal#1904
Blazon: Argent, two bars Vert, on a chief Sable between two rings reversed Argent, one set with a ruby, the other with a diamond, another or set with a sapphire. For a crest a flower Or and another Argent, both slipped Vert and issuant from snowy peaks Or and Argent, themselves issuant from the sea
Symbolism: The armiger made the mistake of mentioning they liked Tolkien, which roused the nerd in me from his shallow sleep. The chief sable is a symbol of humility, and some sadness for the end of the third Age, with the elves gone and the magic seeping out of middle earth. Thereupon can be seen (in that order) Narya, Vilya, and Nenya, the rings borne by (again, in that order) Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel during said third age. The armiger values integrity, and not only do the Three have powers that benefit loyal, altruistic bearers, all three of those bearers had an occasion to take hold of the One, and all wisely declined. The rings on the shield are displayed reversed, again in show of humility. Finally the vert and argent rest of the shield represents the sea, over which all three bearers sail at the end of LOTR. As for the crest, the golden mountains issuant from the sea are those of Aman, the undying lands, and the two flowers above are flowers of Laurelin and Telperion.
Nº 4
Maker: Azul
Blazon: Argent, a dragon's head dormant issuant from sinister Vert, on a chief embattled Vert three toy swords palewise Or.
Symbolism: The shield's composition shows the armiger's interest in history, RPGs, fantasy and dinosaurs. However, the sword are toys, and the dragon is sleeping, to show that despite such seemingly menacing interests, the armiger is a friendly person, who wants to spread love and acceptance.
Nº 5
Maker: momojohn#9882
Blazon: Or, issuant downwards from a chief sable semy of mullets of four points Argent charged with three comets Or, a demi-raven Sable. For a crest, between two wings Sable, a lyre Or stringed Sable.
Symbolism: The main color of the shield, Or, represents radiance and knowledge, and is a favorite of the armiger. The main charge, a raven, is an important canting element for the armiger, and its unique upside-down position embodies the armiger's ideals of creativity. The three comets in chief represent the conjunction of fire and water, two important elements to the armiger but also to nature, as these bright artifacts of the night are giant bodies of ice and rock which leave a fiery trail in the night sky. Along with the semy of mullets, the chief creates a landscape that alludes to the armiger's interest in space and the interconnectedness of the universe as a whole. The general design of the arms consists of only one main charge and ordinary to keep the design simplistic, a principle the armiger values, however the distinct design of the chief tries to capture an innovative/imaginative spirit that contrasts the overall simplicity. The wings in the crest echo the raven in the escutcheon; the lyre between them recalls the famous Lyre of Apollo, a timeless symbol of the Greek god of knowledge, poetry and art, but also alludes once again to the cosmos as Apollo was used as the name for the monumental NASA space program which first landed a man on the moon.
Nº 6
Maker: momojohn#9882
Blazon: Per fess Gules and Argent; issuant from the line of division in chief a demi-man proper facing to dexter grasping with both arms a fasces Or the blade Argent between three roses in chief Argent barbed and seeded Or, and in base a lion's lower half Gules armed Or; for a crest, a demi-lion rampant its dexter arm embowed and vambraced Argent garnished Or grasping a rose Argent barbed, seeded, and stemmed Or.
Symbolism: The unique division between the lion and man represent's an important hobby and defining aspect of the armiger's life. The fasces that the man holds represents the armiger's interest in politics and government, and their own role in wielding and upholding the power of democracy. The roses which surround the man are the famed flora of the country that the armiger hails from. The colors chosen reflect the armiger's own personal preferences, and the simple division which resembles two famously similar flags also harkens to their interest in vexillology. The demi-lion of the crest recalls the demi-lion of the escutcheon and comes full circle to signify unity and cohesion, the vambraced arm once again symbolizes the intersection between humans and animals, and the rose it grasps mirrors the symbolism of three roses of the escutcheon.
Nº 7
Maker: boermac#7798
Blazon: Fractally Gules and Or, a woolly rhino statant proper, in chief three Maltese Crosses Or. For a crest a demi-owl displayed Or.
Symbolism: The recipient is from Germany so the color scheme is heavily reliant on the colors used by Germany in their current flag. The Woolly Rhino is used to fulfill the recipients desire to see an uncommon or rare beast. The background pattern of the shield symbolizes the recipients interest in mathematics and graphic design/computer graphics. The crosses allude to German history, another interest. The crest is an owl, a common symbol of learning and knowledge, a passion of the recipient. It is shown demi to indicated that it's not whole, not complete... learning is something that a person should always keep trying to do.
Nº 8
Maker: Catherine the Alright#4309
Blazon: Purpure, a pair of wings, in chief between two fer-a-loups a compass rose Or. For a crest, between a pair of wings Purpure a compass rose Or.
Symbolism: The purple field represents the armigers traditionalist values. The pair of wings reference their interest in exploration and mountaineering, as well as their nationalist ideology, as the eagle and its wings are often associated with it. The compass rose and fer-a-loups also show their interest in exploration and the wilderness. The crest is a repetition of the shield, as is common in german heraldry. The armiger listed a german city as one of their locations, and seems to be quite attached to it, so it seemed appropriate.
Nº 9
Maker: CTC#2769
Blazon: Gules, an annulet fracted in base encircling a pallet issuant from its center Or, a chief wavy of one barry of three wavy of one Or and Gules.
Symbolism: The two charges and the tinctures both represent a wide range of symbolism for the bearer. The three stripes in chief represent their two homelands as well as the bearer's ideals. The central charge is a visual cant based on their surname, but also represents their goals and wishes for their life. This visual cant also servers to ground the design around a central theme.
Nº 10
Maker: Di | they/them#0292
Blazon: Gules, a hand proper charged on the palm with the Elder Futhark rune Gebo, on a chief Argent three pairs of scissors Gules, blades spread and points to chief, a ribbon Gules passing between the blades throughout.
Symbolism: The hand on the coat of arms symbolizes spirituality and searching, with the rune on the hand being a reference to the armiger's pagan faith and practice of Nordic magic. The rune used, Gebo, represents partnership, a reference to the fact that the armiger lives with their partner. The word Gebo, pronounced gay-bo, also sounds like the word "gay", and the armiger is very proud of their queerness; that's not really the main intended symbolism, just a nice extra feature. On the chief, there are three pairs of scissors cutting a ribbon; this is a canting element. The armiger is named after the Moirai from Greek mythology, three goddesses of fate who cut the threads of life and death with their scissors. Red is one of the armiger's favorite colors, and it features prominently on these arms.
Nº 11
Maker: Euphemia
Blazon: Vert, Four hearts in cross, Or, on a chief triangular Or, three roundels arranged 1,2 of the first. For a crest: A rat rampant Proper, surmounted by a saltorel Gules. Motto: "Wat ge zaait!"
Symbolism: The three roundels in chief represent the armiger's belief in logical reasoning as it evokes the mathematical/logical "Therefore" symbol, and the chief evokes the Implication symbol The hearts symbolise the armiger's belief in kindness. The number of hearts represent each member of the armiger's nuclear family. The arrangement of the charges, represents the armiger's ideal of faith. The escutcheon is symmetrical in the y-axis to ensure a fair and equal distribution. In the crest, a rat rampant is surmounted by a saltorel, as the armiger stated to avoid the black plague, thus the rat, which carried the plague-causing fleas, is "crossed out". The Saltorel also evokes the plague cross, which was painted on the doors of households infected with the plague. The motto, "Wat ge zaait!" is Dutch, meaning "What you sow!" and is a reference to the armiger's surname.
Nº 12
Maker: fritzorino#3670
Blazon: Per saltire Argent and Azure on a chief embattled Sable a chain of three links broken twice Argent Crest: Upon a shuttle Or a magpie closed Proper.
Symbolism: The main tinctures of Argent, Azure and Sable were chosen as they were mentioned as the armigers favorite colors which were based on those of a magpie. Thus the crest also features one, which was mentioned among the armigers interests and hobbies, in its natural colors upon a shuttle (no not the space kind but the one used by weavers) as a reference to the armigers interest in tartan weaving. It's tincture, Or, was chosen to make it stand out more in contrast to the otherwhise cold colors of the achievment. The field is devided per saltire in Argent and Azure as a more subtle reference to the Scottish flag aswell as Scotland and everything Scottish as a whole instead of just using an actual saltire, thistle or referencing the Scottish Coat of Arms which would have been more or less blatantly obvious Scottish symbolism which the armiger counted among their "things to avoid". It also goes well with the armigers preference for field divisions and generally geomatric designs. Of course one must not forget about this Harrys twist and so the broken chain symbolizes the armigers ideals of Scottish independence and freedom which go hand in hand. The chief itself is embattled which emulates battlements upon a castle wall and thus defensiveness. This along with the "Scottish field" below it shows the armigers passion of preserving Scottish culture whilst also reinforcing the aspects of freedom and independence as it is quite literally warding off the already broken chain.
Nº 13
Maker: fritzorino#3670
Blazon: Per chevron throughout Sable and Argent a compass rose counterchanged highlighted with a crown in chief between 2 crowns all Or. As a crest a demi-dove displayed Argent holding in its beak 2 drumsticks Or.
Symbolism: Counterchanging for the armigers interest in alternate timelines, compass rose for the armigers interest in cartography, crowns for the armigers belief in monarchism, white dove for armigers passion for peace, drumsticks for the armigers interest in drumming, tinctures where among armigers favorite colors and the per chevron throughout division is because armiger likes more unusual field divisions.
Nº 14
Maker: Judah#1924
Blazon: Per pale, dexter, tierced in pale Azure, Or, and Gules; sinister, Sable, a bear rampant Or; and overall, a chief Gules filleted Argent, thereon a pallet between two saltires, all couped of the last. Crest, a teddy bear or holding a saltire Argent.
Symbolism: The recipient requested asymmetrical arms and has received them. In sinister, the bear represents the recipient's home (on the civic COA), as well as a love of nature (bears are an animal) and mythology (bears being somewhat frequent therein). In sinister, the rainbow represents the recipient's sexuality, which is a point of pride, and again to mythology. The chief is also mythological, it's kind of a theme here. The red is the recipient's favorite color, and the shapes are a highly simplified allusion to the Moirai as they spin, measure, and cut the threads of life. The crest carries on the bear symbolism while adding in a youthful streak, and the saltire comes from the chief while also pointing to some of the recipient's interests and ideals.
Nº 15
Maker: Loggail#0629
Blazon: Argent, an arrowhead inverted Vert, on a chief of the same three annulets of the first. For the crest, a swan's head Argent piercing an annulet Or.
Symbolism: The arrowhead symbolizes logic, and points upwards to imply also the faith of the armiger. The annulets on the chief refer to commitment, family and kindness; their number to the Trinity as well as the armiger's wife and two children. The swan of the crest symbolizes family, it piercing the annulet armiger's commitment to his wife as well as his faith. Vert is one of the favourite colours of the armiger.
Nº 16
Maker: Loggail#0629
Blazon: Azure, a sun Or, on a chief dovetailed Argent three gems of the first. For a crest, issuing from flames Or a phoenix Argent armed, langued and charged about its breast with a gem Azure.
Symbolism: The sun symbolizes tolerance and the armiger's effort of being kind to people around them. The dovetailed chief (dovetail being based on a carpentry joint) with gems refers to self-improvement, as does the phoenix. The blue gems also refer to Lapis lazuli, a rare mineral of which blue pigment was made historically, symbolizing the armiger's interest in history and merits in art. Silver phoenix and chief furthermore represent purity, a canting element.
Nº 17
Maker: Loggail#0629
Blazon: Argent, a Chimera Azure armed and langued Gules, the goat head vomiting fire and its jaw impaled by a spear of the same, on a chief of the second three bellflowers of the first. For a crest, issuing from the wreath a bellflower bearing five flowers Argent slipped Azure.
Symbolism: The shield depicts the fall of Chimera, a mythical beast defeated by the hero Bellerophon by impaling her fire-breathing mouth with lead-tipped spear, and overhead on the chief are bellflowers, symbols of unwavering love; this symbolizes the victory of love over evil and bringing peace, both of which allude to the ideals of the armiger. Three flowers side to side and the calm blue colour symbolize equality, another ideal of the armiger. The crest with bellflowers blooming from the same stem reiterates the symbolism.
Nº 18
Maker: Loggail#0629
Blazon: Argent, three piles pommetty issuant from the base Gules, on a chief of the second three roses of the field. For a crest, issuant from the wreath of colours a rose Gules piercing a square voided Argent.
Symbolism: The three piles represent ink pen tips as well as spikes of a crown, referring to the armiger's interest in writing, politics and monarchism. White roses refer to love and truth. The rose of the crest repeats this symbolism, and the square refers to the Q.E.D. symbol in the end of a mathemathical or philosophical proof, as the armiger loves being right. The tinctures symbolize strength and power (gules) and honesty and loyalty (argent).
Nº 19
Maker: Loggail#0629
Blazon: Vair-en-point, on a chief Sable three crosses potent Argent. For a crest, a cock rising Argent armed, langued, combed and jelopped Azure, hanging on his chest from a pendant in a form of cross potent Sable.
Symbolism: The pattern on Vair-en-point resembles human heads in rows, referring to community-mindedness and leadership (and also being 'fair'). The cross potent refers to Catholicism and also medicine, as it's also known as crutch cross. The cock is a symbol of leadership, reliability as well as teaching.
Nº 20
Maker: Loggail#0629
Blazon: Azure, a sextant and in chief three mullets Or. For a crest, an eagle's wing terminating in a hand Azure sustaining a torch Or flamed Gules.
Symbolism: The shield alludes to the armiger's interest in the era of sailships as well as space travel. The torch and eagle's wing in the crest symbolize conservatism and nationalism, the eagle and the mullets also referring to the home county of the armiger. The main tinctures are among their favourite colours.
Nº 21
Maker: Llwty#3180
Blazon: Azure, a Mullet of 5 Argent. On a chief Or, three Stones proper.
Symbolism: The "Azure, a Mullet of 5 Argent" represents the fact that they grew up in texas. the "Or" and "Azure" are because they said they were their favourite colours. the Stones are canting.
Nº 22
Maker: Llwty#3180
Blazon: Per Bend Or and Gules, a Mouse Rampant Sable, on a chief Vert, three loaves of bread proper fimbriated Argent.
Symbolism: The Gules and Vert were chosen because they mentioned that they have Protanopia Colourblindness, and so would find it hard to tell the difference between those two colours. the Mouse was because they likes doormice, and the bread is because they said that they like bread.
Nº 23
Maker: HexKätz#7399
Blazon: Or, a rooster Azure beaked, clawed and combed Gules, in chief three hands Azure
Symbolism: The armiger has a special connection to animals due to having grown up around a lot of rescued ones. They had a special connection to a chicken so a rooster represents all these animals and nature. They value creativity and love the arts and crafting which is represented by the three hands in chief.
Nº 24
Maker: matt-#8308
Blazon: Amaranth a pegasus Argent it's wings that of a bat and it's head that of a falcon, armed or. In chief three millrinds of the second.
Symbolism: The armiger's professed favoured colour is amaranth. The monstrous beast is a pegasus - the horse form taken from the common equine companion of the cossack mamay of Ukrainian mythology, the wings a reference to Batman and the head that of a falcon given the theory that the inspiration for the iconic trident of the Ukrainian coat of arms was originally a depiction of a falcon. The millrinds are based on a presumed cant on the armiger's family name.
Nº 25
Maker: Mich#0215
Blazon: Argent chaussé ployé Sable, a Cockatrice Vert armed of three claws on each hand Gules, combed and wattled of the forth, in chief three books proper in fess. As a crest, upon an open book proper borne by a hand Vert in pale, a bee Sable and a magnifying glass proper rim and handle of the second.
Symbolism: The arminger stated his interest in dressing formally, thus the chaussé ployé reminding of a black suit (although without a tie). The Cockatrice refers to all three of his past and present locations, the rooster part referencing France and and the dragon part referencing Japan (Ryū, Japanese dragons, are know for their characteristic paws with three claws each). The beast itself is actually from Great Britain, whose royal family is the same as Canada's, his third home. The books in chief represents his reading/writing hobbie, his curiosity passion and his surname, which means « tale ». The hand in the crest refers to the expression "green thumb", meaning someone who's skilled at gardening, as the arminger's first name refers to the goddess of harvest. The open book portrays his ideal of open-mindedness. The bee and the magnifying glass represent altruism and research, respectively.
Nº 26
Maker: skyskipper#1787
Blazon: Argent, a strawberry plant slipped and fructed of three fruits proper beneath on a chief Azure, three bees proper. For a crest, a bee proper wielding an abacus Azure beaded Or.
Symbolism: The bees and strawberry plant both represent family, with bees being a familial community and strawberries plants often creating colonies connected by runners. The equal number of bees and fruits represent fairness, and the symbiotic relationship between the two represent kindness. The abacus in chief represents the armiger's interest in computers.
Nº 27
Maker: skyskipper#1787
Blazon: Azure, three piles issuant from base, a fess enarched Or overall, in chief three rockets Sable. For a crest: A 19th-century camera on a tripod proper.
Symbolism: The field, Azure, is both one of the armiger's preferred colors and makes a delightfully vivid sky as a backdrop. The three rockets represent fireworks, a recreational spectacle popularized during the Victorian era, that also represents the armiger's belief in setting people free to chase their own passions (which will probably result in something beautiful!). The three piles give the idea that the rockets are soaring into the azure sky, as well as forming the teeth of a cog that appears to issue from the base of the shield. The fess enarched completes the cog, which represents the armiger's interest in clockmaking.
Nº 28
Maker: Münchner#8888
Blazon: Or, issuant from dexter a lion Purpure armed and langued Gules climbing a rock face proper, in a chief Purpure three mullets of eight points Argent.
Symbolism: The choice of tincture, Purpure and Or, is chosen as these are two of the recipient's favourite tinctures. The climbing lion has multiple points of symbolism. The first of which is the recipient's love for nature, and hiking, which is referenced by the climbing lion. Second is the stone face on which he is ascending which is first a cant, with the use of stone, and second, a play on the recipient climbing toward the stars or rather, their dreams/goals.
Nº 29
Maker: Niseag#1579
Blazon: A raven Sable en arriere in saltire holding a branch of dogwood, three flowers Gules blooming in chief, for a crest a compass wreathed in dogwood all proper. the motto: Ravens will utter.
Symbolism: The raven in saltire is canting, dogwood is the state flower of this persons home, their love for nature and the three flowers represent themselves, their partner and child, thus alluding to their family values. The compass represents their love for the foreign and is surrounded by the flowers of home, thus representing balance. balance is accentuated by the flowers also being on the shield itself. The motto is based on an old european saying "the ravens will utter it" meaning truth always comes to be known in the end.
Nº 30
Maker: Niseag#1579
Blazon: Sable, a bordure Argent, an amphitere displayed Argent langued Or, on a chief Argent three amphoras Sable.
Symbolism: The shield is made to resemble a panel from a comic, with the white border, to reflect this persons liking of cartoons. the snake represents their love for nature and their home in Australia. the winged serpent is also a symbol of creativity, reflecting this persons core values. it can also represent medicine, representing their wish to live forever. the or tongue represents their interest in linguistics as well as singing. the amphoras re-establish creativity and their enjoyment of ceramics.
Nº 31
Maker: TMG#2767
Blazon: Purpure, a compass inverted Argent, issuant from chief three cubit arms Proper vested Argent, their hands overlapping in honor point.
Symbolism: The Purpure of the field is a favorite color of the recipient and was chosen in favor of the others for not being present on their current arms. The three overlapping cubit arms in chief represent the recipient's ideals of peacfulness and multiculturalism, but also that of hard work, which often requires shared effort. The compass references the recipient's hobby of cartography. Its arrangement and tincture is chosen to aesthetically complement the three in chief.
