Heraldrydiculous

by Khevron

Heraldrydiculous by Khevron

Previous Next

Well, diamonds come in several shapes, but due to that fact, gemstones don't appear (at least realistically) in period heraldry.
Lozenges don't look like Vicks either.

Badvertisement by Khevron

"The arms of C. Columbus is quite unusual (I hesitate to try to blazon it) and has an interesting, if someone debated, history:
See it here
As a reward for his successful voyage of discovery, the Spanish sovereigns granted Columbus the right to a coat of arms. According to the blazon specified in letters patent dated May 20, 1493, Columbus was to bear in the first and the second quarters the royal charges of Castile and Léon -- the castle and the lion -- but with different tinctures or colors. In the third quarter would be islands in a wavy sea, and in the fourth, the customary arms of his family.

The earliest graphic representation of Columbus' arms is found in his Book of Privileges and shows the significant modifications Columbus ordered by his own authority. In addition to the royal charges that were authorized in the top quarters, Columbus adopted the royal colors as well, added a continent among the islands in the third quarter, and for the fourth quarter borrowed five anchors in fess from the blazon of the Admiral of Castille. Columbus' bold usurpation of the royal arms, as well as his choice of additional symbols, help to define his personality and his sense of the significance of his service to the Spanish monarchs."

from 1492: An Ongoing Voyage.

Heraldrydiculous Home

e-mail:


Back to Khevron's Heraldry Page