Medieval Homeschoolers

Today we learned how you could tell people apart when they are all wearing helmets or are far away.

The Rules of Heraldry



There are five tinctures:
Azure (blue)
Gules (red)
Purpure (purple)
Sable (black)
Vert (green)

A tincture cannot be on top of another tincture, but two tinctures can be next to each other.


There are two metals:
Argent (silver)
Or (gold)

A metal cannot be on top of or next to another metal.


There are two furs:
Ermine (weasel tails)
Vair (squirrel tails)

There are so many variations of both of them that they got their own hand out.  A fur can go on any tincture or metal or even another fur IF there is enough contrast that you would be able to see it from across a field.


Proper was allowed in the Middle Ages, but was almost never used until modern times.  Proper means the picture is the color it would be in nature.  Proper can go on any tincture, metal, or fur if there is enough contrast that you would be able to see it from across a field.

Your personal heraldry can be as complex as you would like.  However, it will be easier to draw and easier for people to see from a distance if you keep it simple.  For example, my device is Vert, a bezant - which means a gold coin on a green background.  Even when it’s very small, I can tell it’s mine from across the room.