Variations of ordinaries

Variations of ordinaries

In heraldry, in addition to the variations of the line that can be applied to both ordinaries and the field, there are some variations of ordinaries that can only be applied to them.

The arms of Champagne show cotices "potented and counter potented," while [http://www.whitelionsociety.org.uk/Slidesandblazon/Slide71.gifthe cotises of Timothy Hugh Stewart Duke] have "upper edges in the form of the upper rim of a ducal coronet."

The Armorial de Gelre shows Bernard v.d. Wilten as bearing a "fasce palissée" (similar to a fess embattled with long merlons and the ends rounded).

South African President Frederick de Klerk's arms contain "a fess the upper edge per chevron embowed and the lower edge embowed". [http://www.geocities.com/heraldrysa/1-famg2.htm]

The arms of the 89th Cavalry Regiment show "an elongated inverted pile". [http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Cav/89CavalryRegiment.htm]

An ordinary which appears to have a circular form in the middle is described as "nowy," while an ordinary appearing to have a square form is called "quadrate"; these can only be applied to certain ordinaries, including the cross, the pale, and the fess, but not, for example, a bordure, or chevron. The saltire quadrate has the square form "arraswise", or turned on its point.

An ordinary (often a cross) can be "facetted". [http://www.heraldica.org/shell/illustr.pl?105]

The term "embowed" is almost invariably applied to the chevron; this means that the upper two lines defining the chevron are concave, and the bottom two lines follow in parallel.

An ordinary "rompu" is "broken" in some way, though the form of the breaking may vary considerably and often must be further described to avoid confusion. An example is the chevronels rompu in the arms of Danzé, Loir et Cher, France. A "bend rompu arraswise" of an unusual form can be found in the arms of the 99th Air Base Wing of the United States Air Force. [http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra/wwwroot/rso/wings_groups_pages/0099abwn.php] "Rompu" should be distinguished from "fracted". The arms of the Roossenekal Local Area Committee are "Per chevron Gules and Azure, a chevron fracted and embattled to chief Or, between in chief a rose Argent, barbed and seeded, and in base a cross fleuretty, Or". The form of the "fracting" can be specified.

An ordinary "affaissée", in French heraldry, is wavy in the form of a depression in its middle.

The chevron "écimé" has the top "blunted"; i.e. squared off rather than meeting in a point. The chevron "disjointed" or "disjoined" has the central, pointed portion missing. [http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Regt/106Regiment.htm] The chevron "éclaté" has each end with roughly-made points or spikes on it. [http://www.heraldiek-ngv.nl/Wapenkaarten/wp-ngv-wapenkaart-nr-08.htm]

When an ordinary is shown higher than what would be its regular position in the field, it is called "enhanced". When depicted lower, it is described as "debased" or "abased." These are to be distinguished from ordinaries "in chief" (in the chief of the field) or "in base".


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