Coat of Arms

Hey Everyone,

Just got this back from the artisit and need comments/critiques on the first draft of my Coat of Arms. Thanks.


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Motto- Strength through Loyalty

Gold- generosity/elevation of the mind

Silver- peace/sincerity

Blue- truth/loyalty

Black- Constancy

Wolf - Denotes valiant captains that do in the end gain their attempts
after long sieges and hard enterprises. One whom it is dangerous to assail
or thwart.

Division of the Shield- Party per Chevron (protection)

Pen/Quill- Emblematic of the liberal art of writing and of learned employments. ( Also, my own take on "the pen is mightier than the sword )

Mind if I shrink it down a tad so that it will fit onto the monitor without having to scroll out to 50%?
Love it, Wolf.
Okay, so I'm being given the evil eye... so I just replaced it anyway. Sorry, hope that was okay.

I like the "wolf with a quill" being a surrogate for yourself on the coat-of-arms. However, for the animal above the helm and shield, I would suggest an eagle (represents protection, action, and a noble nature)

In all, it looks great. It's cohesive, and very well illustrated.

I like Wrath's idea of using another animal in your representation, but maybe I'm just a fantasy nut here, but I think a Griffin would be a really good choice.

You see, Griffins are a symbol of the sun, wisdom, vengeance, strength, and salvation. Griffons are hybrids of lions and eagles, and since they have the ability to soar through the air, they are considered the emblem of poetic and spiritual inspiration. Not only that, but Griffons were also a symbol of Nemesis, the Greek goddess of revenge and would turn her wheel of fortune. Being you, I doubt you want the revenge link, but I don't think too many people out there know about their connection to Nemesis, since she is a minor goddess in the mythology, unlike the twelve Olympians, who just about everyone knows. Despite this, Griffons are considered the most noble of beasts. The symbolism of the griffin was described by Alexander Nisbet in his System of Heraldry (1722) translated from Latin as: "The griffin represents wisdom joined to fortitude, but wisdom should lead, and fortitude follow." Important to note, a male Griffon lacks wings, instead is adorned with spikes at various points... a trait seldom heard of, since we always see them with wings and the distinction between the two has long since blurred. According to folklore, a Griffon will mate for life, though different records disagree over whether they are able to reproduce since they are a hybrid species. However, once it finds a partner, it will never mate with another, even if the other mate dies. As a result, the Griffon is often associated with faithfulness and marriage. It was also a symbol of divine power and the guardian of the divine. Griffons first emerged in the Near of Middle East, particularly in Babylon, Assyria, and Persia as they have been depicted on numerous paintings and sculptures. I think that India was described as their place of origin, though you shouldn't quote me on that.

Sorry for the information overload! I've been looking them up all this past weekend - because I have no life and am doing an outline of them for the site. Weird coincidence that they might be relevant, eh? Anywhop, just thought that that was cool and had potential...

UPDATED!!!

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I like the old wolves - they were cute.
THESE SCARE THE LIVING RABID BUNNIES OUTTA ME!

Well, wolves aren't exactly known for their cute and cuddly nature. However, they are known for devouring bunnies

Herald: Steven A. Harris of The International Fellowship of Chivalry-Now & The International Association of Amateur Heralds

Artistry: Daniel C. Gill of The International Association of Amateur Heralds


Arms: Per chevron enhanced Sable and Argent, a wolf (C.lupus) rampant
Azure and bearing in its dexter forepaw a quill pen Or

Crest:
Sable doubled Argent; a demi-wolf (C.lupus) rampant Azure and bearing
in its dexter forepaw a quill pen Or

Motto:
Fortius Quo Fidelius (Latin: “strength through loyalty”)

Meaning of the colors:

Gold- Generosity/ elevation of the mind

Silver- Peace/sincerity

Blue- Truth/loyalty

Black- Constancy/grief

White- Faith/purity

Symbols

Wolf- Denotes valiant captains that do, in the end, gain their attempts after long sieges and hard enterprises. One whom it is dangerous to assail or thwart (To me, the wolf represents an undying loyalty to family and friends, and sometimes, to a specific cause. The wolf stands as a proud and fierce defender of those it deems worthy of his loyalty and serves them to the death. This kind of loyalty is hard earned and hard to lose. It is granted to but a select few, for such commitment is not an easy task. The wolf is tough enough to tackle many problems head on by himself, but is much more effective when leading/is a part of a pack of trusted and loyal companions. This pack dynamic (the wolf in the crest and on the shield) represents bonds of friendship, strength, solidarity, companionship, trust, loyalty, and love. The incredible fierceness of the wolf represents the ferocity with which the wolf defends his pack and its interests. The pack knows it can rely and depend on this power to never be used against them; Thus, the very fierce depiction of the wolf.)

Chevron- Protection/defense (As a "wolf" protection and defense of one's self and others is an important aspect and thus was incorporated into the Arms)

Pen/quill- Emblematic of the liberal art of writing and of learned employments (this is also my take on “the pen is mightier than the sword" as well as representing my love for reading, writing, poetry, and drawing).

Oooooooooooh. Coolio.

Dude, this is totally awesome. (: