Skulls as charges

 
Kathy McClurg
 
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Kathy McClurg
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04 July 2012 18:47
 

Alexander Schrenk;94473 wrote:

And you could put the shovel heads in chief.

http://i45.tinypic.com/29yl5qr.png


This is an interesting idea and you could lose the skull completely if you wanted and convey basically the same thought or Pick a charge which isn’t a skull and just use the chief to show the gravedigger association.

 
Guy Power
 
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Guy Power
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05 July 2012 00:55
 

Alexander Schrenk;94473 wrote:

http://i45.tinypic.com/29yl5qr.png


I LIKE IT !!  (or, I could say: "I really dig it, man!")

 

—Guy

 
steven harris
 
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steven harris
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05 July 2012 08:45
 

Kathy McClurg;94477 wrote:

This is an interesting idea and you could lose the skull completely if you wanted and convey basically the same thought or Pick a charge which isn’t a skull and just use the chief to show the gravedigger association.


Good point, Kathy!  In the heraldic tradition of Finland, "it is forbidden to be repetitive in heraldry: one idea should not be symbolized with two or more charges". (ref: Jukka Suvisaari, Heraldic Society of Finland, April 1990)

 
Jeremy Keith Hammond
 
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Jeremy Keith Hammond
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05 July 2012 09:04
 

Just an FYI - Historical skull symbolism obviously revolved around death, but often in a less morbid or gratuitous manner.

For example, in Shakespeare and other medieval examples, it was a reminder of how short life is and how pointless worldly matters were in the grand scheme of time and the universe. Some can view that with melancholy, but to others it’s relief knowing that the bad in this world is fleeting.

 

I’m reminded of the Greek, Epicurean influenced Horace’s quote: Carpe diem, or rather Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero. Epicureanism probably influenced this mosaic found in Pompeii featuring a skull.

 

http://ancientrome.ru/art/artwork/mosaic/rom/m0017.jpg

 

Further, the skull is the symbol of a number of saints in Christianity, including Magdelene and St. Francis of Assisi.

 

It’s also a symbol of rebirth (or death and resurrection in Christian culture.)

 

Adam’s skull is often depicted at the base of the cross Jesus was crucified on.

 

In Mexico (esp. when celebrating Day of the Dead) death - symbolized by the skull and skeletons - is revered as a great liberation. To indigenous Mexicans, the skull was a symbol of good luck and today it’s used in all sorts of humorous drawings.

 

Death itself has always been scary, but the skull has been a symbol to convey that it shouldn’t be. Death is inevitable, so make the most of life. I think we can blame pirates and Nazi’s for imbuing a sense of fear into the symbol.

 

I think it’s brave to use the skull as a symbol in your heraldry. But perhaps to avoid any misunderstandings, follow Michael’s advice and use a color other than white, red or black.

 
Michael F. McCartney
 
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Michael F. McCartney
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05 July 2012 11:23
 

It might be helpful, if you’re willing to share, to know why you want a skull as (a?  the?) major charge, so that any comments or suggestions are relevant.

Also, is your intent to create new arms that pertain only to you?  or to represent your (immediate or extended) family e.g. parents, siblings, cousins etc.?

 

(apologies if you already posted this info—I’m using the hotel’s public computer with limited time to read all the fine print)

 
Nick B II
 
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Nick B II
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06 July 2012 19:48
 

Medugal;94439 wrote:

Good idea or bad? I was thinking of using one like this:

http://i.imgur.com/6S8QXs.jpg

 

... as my sole charge.

 

Without getting too far into familial meaning, my family purportedly had a long history of being gravediggers. A shovel might be more appropriate, however that simply wouldn’t look good.

 

My concern is that it might look a bit "Ed Hardy" and such, besides obviously being the charge in Death’s arms.

 

Thoughts?


Ahem.

 
Kenneth Mansfield
 
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Kenneth Mansfield
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06 July 2012 21:33
 

Nick B II;94539 wrote:

Ahem.


Were you going to say something?

 
 
j.carrasco
 
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12 July 2012 12:07
 

I was just looking through the College of Arms’ newsletter from last December and saw a COA down at the bottom of the page that has a human skull as a charge.  I thought you might be interested in seeing it.  I really like the way the skull was drawn.

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Newsletter/031-04.jpg

 
Madalch
 
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Madalch
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12 July 2012 19:32
 

j.carrasco;94596 wrote:

I was just looking through the College of Arms’ newsletter from last December and saw a COA down at the bottom of the page that has a human skull as a charge.  I thought you might be interested in seeing it.  I really like the way the skull was drawn.

http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Newsletter/031-04.jpg


That one, I think, was added to show that the armiger was a survivor of the "Black hole of Calcutta".

 
Michael Y. Medvedev
 
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Michael Y. Medvedev
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13 July 2012 08:09
j.carrasco
 
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j.carrasco
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13 July 2012 13:54
 

Maybe I’m just a dark, grim person but I quite like the drawing of the skulls and skeleton in the last few examples.

 
David Boven
 
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David Boven
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13 July 2012 14:53
 

j.carrasco;94607 wrote:

Maybe I’m just a dark, grim person but I quite like the drawing of the skulls and skeleton in the last few examples.


Perhaps you just have an interest in human anatomy…

 

—dave—

 
Michael F. McCartney
 
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Michael F. McCartney
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13 July 2012 15:06
 

To each his own .. I find that the human anatomy I most appreciate has a bit of shapely flesh over the bones ..  but maybe that’s just me ...

 
Richard G.
 
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Richard G.
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14 July 2012 03:24
 

Michael F. McCartney;94609 wrote:

To each his own .. I find that the human anatomy I most appreciate has a bit of shapely flesh over the bones ..  but maybe that’s just me ...


Nope - not just you ..... :D

 
Richard G.
 
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Richard G.
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14 July 2012 03:48
 

Michael Y. Medvedev;94606 wrote:

Just to add another lovely-grim example… The armiger is a patrician from Thun. I wonder if the family is extant! With such arms, it must be immortal smile


Michael, I’m reminded of the general obsession with death in the Middle Ages. Normal life expectancy was under 40 years, and frequent hunger, epidemics, and wars gave rise to deep anxiety and despair. Using parish registers, historical demographers have shown that mortality crises, defined as at least a doubling of the death rate, occurred several times each century.To quote J. Huizinga ‘The waning of the Middle Ages’ Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976. “No other epoch has laid so much stress as the expiring Middle Ages on the thought of death… Since the thirteenth century, the popular preaching of the mendicant orders had made the eternal admonition to remember death swell into a sombre chorus ringing throughout the world.” There seems to have been a cult of the passion of Christ that might even have been a clever theological move that helped give the death cult a more positive slant. The popular taste for the macabre was turned into a commiseration with the suffering Jesus, and cynicism about the miseries of earthly life was replaced by the hope for resurrection. In a time without effective treatment of disease, this could have been an effective psychological coping strategy.

 

Although how, or if, any of this relates to this present thread I’m not sure ....