Inventing new variations on the field

[Brian Mearns]

I'm designing a coat of arms and I'd like to use the pattern of a goban (the game board used in the game of Go) as the "background" for a chief. It is essentially a grid of lines laid over a background (it would typically by Sable overlaying Or), but there is usually some embellishment, such as dots (of the foreground color) placed at some of the grid-line intersections.

I understand there is some precedent for inventing variations on the line (e.g., fir-tree topped), but I'm wondering how much precedent there is for inventing a new variation on the field. For instance, would you need to be highly regarded in heraldry to do so, or could anybody do so for their personal arms? And if you were to do so, would you need to describe it in the blazon, or is there some other way? For instance, if I were to describe it in my arms as "A chief gobanny Sable and Or", or as "A chief in the style of a goban Sable and Or", would that be appropriate and how would somebody reading the blazon understand what it looks like?

Alternatively (though I don't like this as much), I was considering using some kind of voided chequy to produce a grid pattern. I'm not sure if this can be done or how it would be blazoned; I was thinking something like "A chief chequy Sable voided Or". Apparently, the 85th Air Division of the USAF uses a grid pattern blazoned as "a checky grid" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variation_of_the_field#Chequy), but I can't find the full blazon or any other uses of this pattern. I'd still prefer to in someway specify that the pattern is based on a goban, instead of just an ordinary grid, as it implies some additional details as previously mentioned.

-Brian

[o***@gmail.com]

Well of course there is no restriction on 'inventing' new lines of partition, in fact I have an acquaintance who has devised Arms for himself that have a partition line that is parted as he terms it 'pawnwise', or parted in the shape of alternating pawn chess pieces. However, I would avoid the term 'gobanated' in the blazon as 'gobonated' or 'gobonny' refers to a charge e.g. a bordure, that is divided into a alternating divisions of equal size in two tinctures, for example, the Arms of the British Duke of Beaufort, who has a Bordure gobonny Argent and Azure. So using that term would just create confusion, which is to avoided when you bear in mind that blazon should always be clear and concise. At the end of the day, the only criteria for something being an achievement or 'coat of arms' is that it be on a shield and be blazonable (but to be honest, you can pretty much blazon any design on a shield).

It may be an idea to check that there is not already an heraldic term for your new line of partition: I would recommend getting a copy of 'An Heraldic Alphabet' by J.P. Brooke-Little, which is basically like a dictionary of English-language blazon and is in my opinion indispensable as an aid to blazon in English-speaking countries.

Remember, you live in a country that does not regulate personal heraldry, so you basically have whatever Arms you want. You are only limited by three things:

i. It must be on a shield.

ii. You shouldn't use anyone else's arms-though technically there is nothing stopping you from doing so (unless they have copyrighted them.) But always best to check on Google.

iii. Good taste-don't use letters or landscapes in your Arms and don't use 'proper' too much, and if you have a crest always make sure it is something that could actually exist in real life, three-dimensionally-but there is again, nothing to stop you from having any of this-it would still be a coat of arms, just not a very good one.

[Tim Powys-Lybbe]

On 27 Aug at 15:11, ***@gmail.com wrote:

<snip for brevity>

Post by o***@gmail.com
Remember, you live in a country that does not regulate personal
heraldry, so you basically have whatever Arms you want. You are only
i. It must be on a shield.

And shields can be of many shapes including oval, triangular and half
cylindrical. Not to mention also lozenge, in a variety of forms, for
female genders.

Post by o***@gmail.com
ii. You shouldn't use anyone else's arms-though technically there is
nothing stopping you from doing so (unless they have copyrighted
them.) But always best to check on Google.

I would dispute this. I strongly suspect that different countries
always had the right to create any arms they liked as long as it was
unique within that country. I almost think that the design of a
standard, with the country's emblem at the pole side was invented to
cope with the apparent duplications of arms between countries.

So this requirement should be reworded to:

"You shouldn't use the arms of anyone else in your country - though
technically there is nothing stopping you from doing so (unless they
have copyrighted them)."

Post by o***@gmail.com
iii. Good taste-don't use letters or landscapes in your Arms and don't
use 'proper' too much, and if you have a crest always make sure it is
something that could actually exist in real life,
three-dimensionally-but there is again, nothing to stop you from
having any of this-it would still be a coat of arms, just not a very
good one.