The Gauntlet - January 2012

A Publication of Armorial Gold Heraldry Services

THE CATHERINE WHEEL

condemned to a cruel death

Said to have been used in the martyrdom of St. Catherine, under the Emperor Maximinus, and therefore it is the emblem of one who is prepared to undergo great trials for the Christian faith.

It is a universal symbol of martyrdom. Catherine, the Virgin and martyr, was born according to her legend at Alexandria, and of so wonderful a capacity, that having soon after her conversion to Christianity, in 305, disputed with fifty heathen philosophers, she not only vanquished them by the strength of her reasoning, but in the end painted to them the divine truths of the Gospel in such glowing colours, that she converted them all to the true faith. For this offence, so heinous in the eyes of the Emperor, that tyrant caused her instantly to be cast into prison, where the Empress and one of the principal generals, who visited her out of curiosity, were likewise converted by the irresistible power of her eloquence and learning; which was deemed so great an aggravation of her crime, that the Emperor not only condemned the Virgin Saint to a cruel death, but caused the fifty philosophers to be " burnt alive.''

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COCK

he crows in the dawn

A symbol of vigilance, and also an emblem of St. Peter. It denotes great courage, and as the herald of the dawn, it is often used as an emblem of watchfulness.

It signifies a hero in the field or an able man in the senate. It is said the Cock, crows three times before the death of a person. The Cock is the most magnetic and sensitive of all birds; hence it's Greek name "alectruon". In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the Cock is called Parodarsh "he who foresees" the coming dawn, and is also termed the drum of the worlds, for he crows in the dawn that dazzles away the fiends of the Avesta: thus he shares with the dawn the honour of the victory.

CAMEL

thought to be Eden's guards

Highly valued in Middle Eastern cultures and represents stamina, obedience, and temperance.

It is a classical symbol of Arabia where it is regarded as ennobled by God. Prized by the Bedouin desert nomads, it was used as a beast of burden, for riding, and as a draught animal. "Kaswa, Al" was the name of Muhammad's favourite Camel. It fell on its knees when the prophet delivered the last clause of the Koran to the assembled multitude at Mecca. In ancient Persian texts and in the Zohar, the serpent in the Garden of Eden is said to have been a flying a dragon-camel; such Camels are also thought to be Eden's guards.

A Camel was a sign of wealth in the ancient world; their rich trappings, even during the Renaissance, were used to indicate royalty and prosperity. The three wise men are usually shown riding Camels to Bethlehem where the beasts knelt to worship the Christ Child; according to legend, the wise men's Camels journeyed to Bethlehem without food, water, or rest in order to reach the Child in only twelve or thirteen days.

THE CONEY

Also known as the pika or mouse hare or rock rabbit, the Coney is an Old World rabbit. 'Coney' is from the Hebrew 'shaphan' meaning "the hider", and is an animal that inhabits the mountain gorges and the rocky districts of Arabia and the Holy Land. It is about the size and colour of a rabbit, though appearing clumsier in structure has no tail and is not to be confused with a Rabbit or Hare. Its feet are not formed for digging, and therefore it has its home not in burrows but in the clefts of the rocks. It is quite likely that a scriptural reference to conies was intended. An often-quoted proverb says: "The Conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks" (Proverb. 30: 26; Ps. 104: 18). The proverb refers to the Coney's gregariousness and wisdom for he who realizes his weaknesses can better prepare to thwart his enemies; this strategy results in the weakness becoming the reason for his strength; one should never underestimate a Coney.

Popular Free Graphic Software Serif Draw for Windows has introduced some changes worth noting. The software was in disfavour when Vista came out as the Free version of Serif would not work with the Vista operating system nor its offspring Windows 7. The new free version is now called the Draw Plus Starter Edition and works with Vista and Windows 7. We should further note that when you have Serif ready to go, to open a wmf file you don't select "open", you use "insert" from file. For those who want to try it out, click on the Serif logo.

Free software for Windows and Mac. Tips: Use "open" to open a wmf file. To ungroup the image, click once on it and choose "modify" (top command bar), then select "break". To group an image you select the image with your mouse, then choose "modify" then "Group. To download software click on the Logo.

Know of other Free graphic software programs? Please let us know so that we can post it for other members to take advantage of.

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We are leaving this help tip up, as more and more of you are upgrading

your Corel Draw software to X3 or X4

Corel Draw has changed some default settings in X3 and X4 that can render your vector images black, do the same for your F9 preview and in the case of X4 display your image excessively dark.

Fixes:

Top Command Bar/View Select 'enhanced' and not 'enhanced with overprints';
Top Command Bar/Tools/Color Management Color Mode for Effects-should be set at RGB (not CMYK);
Top Command Bar/Tools Select 'Save Settings as default' ;
When importing AG graphics into X4, make sure you first group your image before using the F9 full screen preview (X3 imports the graphic already grouped).