I’m getting married in a couple of months, and I’ve had vague thoughts about a coat of arms for my future bride. Although interested, she’s rather perplexed by the idea.
So I thought I’d throw it out to the group here to bat around some ideas. My initial thought is to have the arms created for her father.
The surname is Esmale. The family is Filipino. Her father is a fisherman. They live in Bislig on the island of Mindinao. My fiancee is one of eight daughters (no sons).
I thought a coat of arms that incorporates fish or fishing and maybe based on Spanish heraldry since the Philippines were a Spanish colony for 300 years and their surname is Spanish in origin. But that’s about as far as I’ve gotten in the process.
Congratulations!!
My Spanish is more than a bit rusty; is there an etymology for the surname Esmale that might suggest canting or allegorical charges?
Thanks!
Well, "es mal" means "it’s bad"—LOL
And I should have warned anyone that if you Google the name, there’s some British company called Esmale that makes sex toys. So beware.
But seriously, I don’t know that the name has a meaning. I found a reference showing "esmale" as an an archaic Scottish word for enamel. Enamel in Spanish is esmalte. But I don’t know any good cant for that other than teeth.
arriano;104716 wrote:
Enamel in Spanish is esmalte. But I don’t know any good cant for that other than teeth.
Actually, just about anything heraldic is a good cant for esmalte. It’s the term used in Spanish for "tincture," the colores y metales.
When I Googled "esmale" the sex toys immediately appeared - not a propitious start! Not sure how one would blazon them, and not sure I’d want to know ...
Tinctures, while a quite broad and non-specific approach, is a definite improvement . All that comes to mind at this point is a painter’s pallette (sp?) and/or artist’s brushes, but others can undoubtedly do better. The strongest allusion would be multi-colored but that runs counter to the desired simplicity.
Also, unless the bride’s family has some history or special interest in art, an explicit focus on colors for color’s sake likely wouldn’t resonate. Not arguing against including the concept but seems better as a secondary theme.
The nine daughters theme seems worth pursuing - even with larger than usual families, nine girls seems noteworthy. Is there a simple charge suggesting females that could be repeated nine times? Maybe lozenges? A common practice in Spanish heraldry IIRC is a bordure with an orle of small shields representing maternal lines; so maybe a bordure charged with nine lozenges or other charges suggesting daughters?
And for the family history as fishermen, maybe a field fretty?
Just rambling at this point, hoping to inspire or provoke other ideas…
Joseph McMillan;104717 wrote:
Actually, just about anything heraldic is a good cant for esmalte. It’s the term used in Spanish for "tincture," the colores y metales.
Ah, interesting, and good to know. Thanks.
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Also, unless the bride’s family has some history or special interest in art, an explicit focus on colors for color’s sake likely wouldn’t resonate. Not arguing against including the concept but seems better as a secondary theme.
There’s no artist in the family that I know of. But it’s an idea to consider.
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The nine daughters theme seems worth pursuing - even with larger than usual families, nine girls seems noteworthy. Is there a simple charge suggesting females that could be repeated nine times? Maybe lozenges? A common practice in Spanish heraldry IIRC is a bordure with an orle of small shields representing maternal lines; so maybe a bordure charged with nine lozenges or other charges suggesting daughters?
And for the family history as fishermen, maybe a field fretty?
Just rambling at this point, hoping to inspire or provoke other ideas…
Actually, it’s eight daughters (she’s one of eight). Eight birds? Maybe that’s too English.
The fretty idea is interesting, as they definitely use nets to haul in their catch.
Well, one might splurge, and use all the usual tinctures…
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Hi Arian,
I tend to think that your own arms should be sufficient enough of a heraldic legacy for your family. If she bore arms on behalf of her father prior to marriage, I would hope that it was only because he himself actively sought to be armigerous. By my reckoning, it’s good enough that your arms become her arms upon marriage… and too little is always better than too much where heraldry is concerned.
I understand that this is a bit of a dissenting viewpoint and I only offer this perspective because it’s the one I would tend to apply to my own situation if it were similar.
- Jeff
Jeff’s approach would IMO make sense if the bride was an only child, or at least an only daughter, and her father had no interest in arms.
In this case, however, there are eight daughters with no brothers. Assuming the sisters are reasonably close, they might be interested in some ongoing shared visual identity. Arms for their family which could be impaled with the arms of perhaps eight husbands, and potentially quartered by their kids, could be an attractive and useful option.
Claus’s suggestion is attractive if a bit busy, though would likely need something relevant to their Dad such as a fishing allusion. Maybe a field fretty with a bordure gyronny?
By the way, if you’re comfortable sharing, what is Papa Esmale’s first name? Might there be a simple allusive charge, such as an escallop for James or a saltire for Andrew, that could be included?
Jeff’s approach would IMO make sense if the bride was an only child, or at least an only daughter, and her father had no interest in arms.
In this case, however, there are eight daughters with no brothers. Assuming the sisters are reasonably close, they might be interested in some ongoing shared visual identity. Arms for their family which could be impaled with the arms of perhaps eight husbands, and potentially quartered by their kids, could be an attractive and useful option.
Claus’s suggestion is attractive if a bit busy, though would likely need something relevant to their Dad such as a fishing allusion. Maybe a field fretty with a bordure gyronny?
By the way, if you’re comfortable sharing, what is Papa Esmale’s first name? Might there be a simple allusive charge, such as an escallop for James or a saltire for Andrew, that could be included?
I agree with Jeff. Needlessly creating arms for the purpose of impaling/quartering/bearing in pretense should be avoided. If future father-in-law and future wife could care less, then care less.
Instead, spend the energy (and funds) on a cool new banner of your arms to fly at the wedding. More flying heraldry!
Claus K Berntsen;104720 wrote:
Well, one might splurge, and use all the usual tinctures…
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The Doctor approves.
Jeff & David - if neither the bride nor her family are interested, then of course no reason to pursue arms for them. But if they are (or become) interested, for the purposes I suggested, then why not?
Arms obviously are important to the groom, who besides his own arms also recently posted a link to the arms he designed and registered as a gift for his mother before she passed. His new bride and her family, even if not equally motivated, might well pursue new arms as a harmless way to humor the new husband/ son-in-law / brother-in-law and symbolically unite the two families.
Michael F. McCartney;104738 wrote:
Jeff & David - if neither the bride nor her family are interested, then of course no reason to pursue arms for them. But if they are (or become) interested, for the purposes I suggested, then why not?
Arms obviously are important to the groom, who besides his own arms also recently posted a link to the arms he designed and registered as a gift for his mother before she passed. His new bride and her family, even if not equally motivated, might well pursue new arms as a harmless way to humor the new husband/ son-in-law / brother-in-law and symbolically unite the two families.
I guess I feel like arms are something personal for an individual to really get behind. I feel like multiple escutcheons with less seriousness involved sort of… I dunno… disperses and/or dissapates some of the focus of honor and attachment?
I feel like the wife could get behind the husbands arms just as readily as a half-hearted adoption by her father (unless the father really took his OWN new assumption very seriously, in which case, I could really get behind that as well).
I hope that sort of explains my perspective a little Michael.
We’re not that far apart; but even if Papa isn’t enthused, the bride’s seven sisters (some or all) might like the idea.
I don’t know (or recall, at three score and eleven) anything about the groom’s family other than his and his mother’s arms. But marrying into such a large group of sisters, if they’re close, may define his future family as much or more than his own siblings/cousins if any