Pyrusian Heraldry

Pyrusian Heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in the Kingdom of Pyrus and the Pyrusian Empire. Coats of Arms in the Kingdom of Pyrus and the Pyrusian Empire are regulated and granted to individuals by the Principal Herald of the College of Arms. An individual's arms may also be borne ‘by courtesy' by members of the holder's family, subject to a system of cadency marks, to differentiate those displays from the arms of the original holder.
== Characteristics ==
Like many countries in Ogulas, Pyrusian Heraldry was and continues to be heavily influenced by the legacy of the Thanorian Empire. Many coats of arms feature simple divisions and ordinaries, using the main tinctures (Argent, Azure, Gules, Or, Sable, Purpure, Vert) and, due to Lihexian influence, Orange. Occasional use is made of a variety of charges, with beasts or birds usually being associated to palatine or sovereign titles; occasionally furs are also used in place of tinctures.
Lions and Eagles are the most common charges in royal heraldry. While the recent conversion to Catholicism has increased the use of crosses.
== History ==
== Rolls of Arms ==
Rolls of Arms are produced regularly by the Pyrusian College of Arms to catalogue arms granted; there are decennial rolls produced every tens years, while other rolls are produced to mark specific occasions or gatherings, or in recent years when the arms of a new territory of the Pyrusian Empire need collating.
== Regulation ==
Heraldry in the Kingdom of Pyrus and the Pyrusian Empire is regulated by the Pyrusian College of Arms, with disputes determined either by the Principal Herald or in the Court of the Principal Herald. Arms may be born by the original grantee, by the grantee's family (differenced appropriately) and by those who inherit the arms. Grants are made at the discretion of the Principal Herald to persons of 'respectable background', in practice this always means nobility, baronets, knights or dames of an Order of Chivalry or knights bachelor are granted arms, and usually allows those who hold senior government or military positions or have a university degree to be granted arms.
=== Heraldic Achievements ===
An heraldic achievement is a full display or depiction of all the heraldic components to which the bearer of a coat of arms is entitled. An achievement comprises not only the arms themselves displayed on the Escutcheon, the central element, but may also include the following elements surrounding it:
*Crest
*Torse
*Mantling
*Helm, Coronet or Crown
*Supporters
*Motto
*Order
=== Coat of Arms on an Escutcheon ===
In Pyrusian heraldry, an escutcheon is a shield that forms the main or focal element in an heraldic achievement. The word is used in two related senses. First, as the shield on which a coat of arms is displayed; second, a shield can itself be a charge within a coat of arms.
Escutcheon shapes are derived from actual shields used by knights in combat, and thus are varied and developed by region and by era. As this shape has been regarded as a war-like device appropriate to men only, women customarily bear their arms upon a lozenge when unmarried or upon an oval when widowed - bearing the arms of their husband when married upon his shield differenced with a small lozenge (impalement of arms is not acceptable in Pyrusian Heraldry).
Though it can be used as a charge on its own, the most common use of an escutcheon charge is to display another coat of arms as a form of marshalling. These escutcheons are usually given the same shape as the main shield. When there is only one such shield, it is sometimes called an inescutcheon.
==== Inescutcheons ====
===== Inescutcheon of Pretence =====
Inescutcheons may be used to bear another's arms in "pretence". In Pyrusian heraldry the husband of an heraldic heiress, the daughter and heiress of an armigerous man without male heirs, rather than impaling his wife's paternal arms as is usual, must place her paternal arms in an escutcheon of pretence in the centre of his own shield as a claim ("pretence") to be the new head of his wife's family, now extinct in the male line. In the next generation the arms are quartered by the son.
===== Use by Sovereigns =====
A Sovereign's personal or hereditary arms may be borne on an inescutcheon, usually in base, over the territorial arms of his/her domains, as on the Escutcheon of the King of Pyrus.
===== Use by Baronets =====
Ogulan Baronets are entitled to bear the arms of the Confederation of Ogulas, differenced with a Orle Or, on an inescutcheon, usually in base, over their personal or hereditary arms, as on the Escutcheon of the Baroness of Southern Selgarn, Xanna Marshone.
=== Crests ===
A crest is a component of a heraldic achievement, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles.
A normal heraldic achievement consists of the escutcheon, above which is set the helm, on which sits the crest, its base encircled by a circlet of twisted cloth known as a torse.
Crests are restricted to those of 'tournament rank', i.e. knights and above. No two armigious persons may have the same crest, therefore marks of cadency are generally found used upon crests as well as upon the escutcheon.
=== Torse ===
A torse is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helm and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the mantling in place. The tinctures of the torse are generally those of the primary metal and colour in the escutcheon. The torse is generally shown with six twists of material, alternately metal and colour.
=== Mantling ===
Mantling is drapery tied to the helm above the escutcheon. Mantling is a depiction of the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helms to stave off the elements, and, secondarily, to decrease the effects of sword-blows against the helm in battle, from which it is usually shown tattered or cut to shreds.
Mantling has two sides, generally one of a colour and the other of a metal. The mantling is usually in the main colour and metal of the escutcheon. The mantling can be divided per pale with a different colour and metal to the dexter and sinister sides. It is also possible to have mantling of a single colour or metal or fur.
==== Helm, Coronet or Crown ====
The helm is situated above the escutcheon and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status as follows: gold helmet with bars shown affronté for the royal family; silver helmet with gold bars for peers; open steel helmet shown affronté for knights and baronets; closed steel helmet for esquires and gentlemen.
Any peer can bear his coronet of rank on his heraldic achievement above the eschutcheon, as any sovereign may bear their crown.
Clergy do not use a helm, instead using a galero or mitre, depending on their rank and status.
==== Supporters ====
Supporters are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. The figures used as supporters may be based on real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or other inanimate objects.
Supporters are typically an example of special royal favour, granted at the behest of the sovereign. Hereditary supporters are normally limited to hereditary peers, certain members of the Royal Family. Non-hereditary supporters are granted to Knights of The Order of the Garter and Knights and Dames Grand Cross of The Most Excellent Order of the Pyrusian Empire, as well as other Orders.
==== Motto ====
In Pyrusian heraldry mottos are not granted with armorial bearings.
==== Order ====
An order is a visible honour awarded by a monarch to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashes worn by recipients. In Pyrusian heraldry, an example of an Order is The Order of the Garter, which entitles members to encircle their escutcheon with the Garter in their heraldic achievements.
== Cadency and Difference ==
Since arms pass from parents to offspring, and there is frequently more than one child per couple, it is necessary to distinguish the arms of siblings and extended family members from the original arms as passed on from eldest son to eldest son. A comprehensive scheme of cadency had been designed so that the degree of remove from the original or current grantee can be determined with great accuracy. Difference is also used to recognise when a married woman is bearing the arms of her husband.
=== Offspring ===
The cadency for offspring is relatively straight forward;
A son bears a mullet on his eschutcheon for difference, with the eldest son's mullet having five points and the number of points increasing by one for each next son, so that an eighth son would have a mullet of twelve points. Grandson's use the same system of mullets but these are placed on top of an annulet. Great-Grandson's use the same system as Grandsons, but divide the mullet per pale into two colours, Great-Great-Grandson's divide both the mullet and the annulet per pale into two colours.
A daughter uses the same system as a son, but instead of a mullet uses a trefoil, with the number of petals increasing by one for each next daughter, so that an sixth daughter would have an octofoil. Granddaughters, Great-Granddaughters, etc would use the same system as their male counterparts.
=== Brothers & Sisters ===
=== Fathers & Mothers ===
On rare occasions a Grant of Arms is made to a son (or daughter) while one or more of their parents still live, in this case the arms can be differenced with a mullet of five points voided for a father or a mascle for a mother.
=== Uncles & Aunts ===
=== Posthumous Births ===
On rare occasions where the right to bear arms has been inherited by a younger brother (or his issue) upon the death of his elder brother (who had no male issue) while the elder brother's widow was pregnant and she subsequently gaves birth to a son, then the son may bear the arms of his father differenced with a bordure compony (usually in the two primary tinctures of the escutcheon).
=== Illegitimate Children ===
Illegitimate Children must difference their arms with a bend sinister azure, which may by fimbriated of another tincture.
== Royal Heraldry ==
== Baronets ==
== Chivralic Orders ==
Category:Pyrusian Heraldry