Introduction to Charge Groups & SENA
Presented by: Arwyn of Leicester White Wyvern Herald
1 What we will discuss
• Introduction – Roundtable intro (name, group, reason for being here) – What are Charge Groups? Why are they important? • Types of Charge Groups – Primary, Secondary, Tertiary • Using Charge Groups to Breakdown Emblazons and Blazons
2 What we will discuss
• What’s next to learn… Conflict (next class) • Resources Online • Thanks
3 What are Charge Groups?
• SCA invention – Standards of Evaluation of Names and Armory (SENA) Appendix I lists them out • A charge group is a group of charges of approximately the same size and visual weight that act as a single visual unit
4 Why are Charge Groups Important? • Most of our style and conflict rules are built around charge groups • “Core” style devices must be organizable into charge groups • “Individual Attested Patterns” style devices may or may not use charge group and will not be discussed
5 Types of Charge Groups
• Primary Charge Group – Always placed directly on the field – Placed in the visual center of the field – Usually the largest charge group – Not all devices have a primary charge group – A central ordinary is (almost) always the primary charge group
6 Primary Charge Groups
• Primary charge group? • Bend
7 Primary Charge Groups
• Primary charge group? • Two Bendlets
8 Primary Charge Groups
• Primary charge group? • A lion
9 Primary Charge Groups
• Primary charge group?
• Three lions
10 Primary Charge Groups
• Primary charge group? • Semy of lions
11 Primary Charge Groups
• Primary charge group? • A cross • Bonus? Does anyone know what the lions are? • Secondaries!
12 Non Central Primary Charge Groups • Central Charge? No • Divided Field? Yes • Charges on either side of division? Yes
Charges on both sides of the division are the primary charge group
13 Non Central Primary Charge Groups • Primary Charge Group? • A lion and a cross
14 Non Central Primary Charge Groups • Primary Charge Group?
• A lion and semy of Crosses
15 Non Central Primary Charge Groups • Primary Charge Group? • Two crosses and an owl
16 This looks the same… So?
• Primary Charge Group • An owl
• Bonus? What are the crosses then? • Secondaries! We will get to them soon!
17 Field-primary Armory
• Defined as armory with no primary charge groups – Has special rules • How can that happen? – heraldry with no charges at all – heraldry with a peripheral ordinary (chief, base, bordure, canton, orle) • A peripheral ordinary can never be a primary charge – Remember it doesn’t go through the centre!
18 19 Types of Charge Groups
• Secondary Charge Group – Always placed directly on the field – Generally “surrounds” the primary charge group – Cannot have a secondary without a primary group – Normally smaller than the primary charge (less visual weight) • Always identify the primary (if one) so the secondaries become more obvious
20 Find primaries and secondaries
• Primary Charge Group? • A chevron • Secondary Charge Group? • Three roundels
21 Find primaries and secondaries
• Primary Charge Group? • A Bend • Secondary Charge Group? • Bordure (peripheral ordinary)
22 Find primaries and secondaries
• Primary Charge Group? • A Cross • Secondary Charge Group? • Semy of Lions
23 Types of Charge Groups
• Tertiary Charge Group – Placed on another charge, not on the field – A single charge may only have one tertiary charge group on it
24 Find primaries, secondaries and tertiaries • Primary Charge Group? • A Pale • Secondary Charge Group? • None • Tertiary Charge Group? • Three mullets (stars) 25 Find primaries, secondaries and tertiaries • Primary Charge Group? • A Pale • Secondary Charge Group? • None • Tertiary Charge Group? • Two mullets (stars) and Tower 26 Types of Charge Groups
• Overall Charge Group – Crosses the center of the field – Placed partially on the field and partially on other charges – Underlying charge is the primary charge – Can only have one overall charge group in any device – In period, the overall charge is almost always a bend – Overall charge must be substantially on the field
27 Overall Charge Groups
• Primary Charge Group? • A Lion • Overall? • A Bend Overall
28 Types of Charge Groups
• Maintained/Sustained charges – “Held” by another charge, usually a primary – Maintained charges are much smaller than the primary charge • Considered artistic detail – Sustained charges are more than ½ of the visual weight of the primary charge, but less that the total visual weight • Considered a secondary charge
29 Maintained and Sustained Charges
• Maintained/Sustained charges – Co-primary charge • “Held” charge has equal visual weight to the primary charge • Considered part of the primary charge group
30 Maintained and Sustained Charges
• Primary Charge Group? • Dragon • Holding something? • Yes • Less than ½ the size of the primary? • Yes = maintained
31 Maintained and Sustained Charges
• Primary Charge Group? • Dragon • Holding something? • Yes • Less than ½ the size of the primary? • No greater than ½ but not equial = sustained 32 Using Charge Groups to Breakdown Heraldry • Blazon (words): • Field: • Primary Charge/Charge Group: • Secondary Charge/Charge Group: • Tertiary Charge/Charge Group: • Overall Charge/Charge Group: • Maintained or Sustained Charges: Let’s start easy.. We will do ones with emblazon (pictures) first. Let’s add the tincture (colour)
33 Identify Charge Groups
Field:
Primary Charge/Charge Group:
Secondary Charge/Charge Group:
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group:
Overall Charge/Charge Group:
Maintained or Sustained Charges:
34 Identify Charge Groups
Field: Per chevron gules and argent
Primary Charge/Charge Group: Two suns Or and rapier sable
Secondary Charge/Charge Group: Chief argent
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group: Three coronets sable
Overall Charge/Charge Group: None
Maintained or Sustained Charges: None 35 Identify Charge Groups
Field:
Primary Charge/Charge Group:
Secondary Charge/Charge Group:
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group:
Overall Charge/Charge Group:
Maintained or Sustained Charges:
36 Identify Charge Groups
Field: Argent
Primary Charge/Charge Group: Caldron sable
Secondary Charge/Charge Group: Gore sinister vert
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group: Frog Argent
Overall Charge/Charge Group: None
Maintained or Sustained Charges: None
37 Identify Charge Groups
Field:
Primary Charge/Charge Group:
Secondary Charge/Charge Group:
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group:
Overall Charge/Charge Group:
Maintained or Sustained Charges: None
38 Identify Charge Groups
Field: Quarterly gules and Or
Primary Charge/Charge Group: Cross sable
Secondary Charge/Charge Group: None
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group: None
Overall Charge/Charge Group: wolf sejant argent
Maintained or Sustained Charges: None
39 Identify Charge Groups
Field:
Primary Charge/Charge Group:
Secondary Charge/Charge Group:
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group:
Overall Charge/Charge Group:
Maintained or Sustained Charges:
40 Identify Charge Groups
Field: Quarterly sable and azure
Primary Charge/Charge Group: Ounce/Cat Or
Secondary Charge/Charge Group: A torc argent, an orle of chain Or
Tertiary Charge/Charge Group: None
Overall Charge/Charge Group: None
Maintained or Sustained Charges: Sword (by ounce) <½ size = maintaining 41
Ok.. Now going from Blazon
• So the O and A lists only the Blazon (words) and not the emblazons • So you want to draw someones device/badge: – First search in OSCAR for the emblazon (picture) – Ask me, Audrey or Eirik for one from the archives – Eventually we need to decode the blazon so lets do that! • Beginner Blazon class is available (if this part is hard)
42 Decoding the blazon
• Basic order: – Field, field treatment, field division – Primary charge group – Tertiaries on the primary charge group – Maintaining, sustaining charges by primary charge group – Secondary charge group – Tertiaries on the secondary charge group – Maintaining sustaining charges by secondary
charge group 43 Decoding the blazon
Per fess argent and sable, three rapiers azure and a tower argent.
Field = Per Fess argent and sable Primary charge group = three rapiers azure and a tower argent
44 Decoding the blazon
Per fess argent and sable, three rapiers azure and a tower argent. Field = Per Fess argent and sable Primary charge group = three rapiers azure and a tower argent
45 Decoding the blazon
Or, a three-headed dog passant, a bordure dovetailed sable.
Field = Or Primary charge group = a three-headed dog passant Secondary charge group = a bordure dovetailed sable.
46 Decoding the blazon
Or, a three-headed dog passant, a bordure dovetailed sable.
Field = Or Primary charge group = a three-headed dog passant Secondary charge group = a bordure dovetailed sable.
47 Decoding the blazon
Sable, a natural tiger passant argent striped sable, in base a coronet Or, on a bordure argent an orle of chain sable.
Field = Sable Primary charge group = natural tiger passant argent striped sable Secondary charge groups = a coronet Or, a bordure argent Tertiary charge group = orle of chain
48 Decoding the blazon
Per fess argent and sable, three rapiers azure and a tower argent. Field = Per Fess argent and sable Primary charge group = three rapiers azure and a tower argent
49 What’s next to learn
• Beginner Blazon • Core Style Heraldry • Individual Attested Patterns • Beginner Conflict (next class) • Conflict Checking with O and A (Basic) • Advanced Conflict checking with Complex Search
50 Online Resources
• East Kingdom Herald University including – Powerpoints and Online Classes – http://yehudaheraldry.com/ekhu/ • Facebook groups - Avacal Heraldic Community, Avacal CoH Consulting Group, SCA Heraldry Chat
51 Thanks
• Yehuda’s starting powerpoint • Your attention!
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