HERALDRY RAMBLINGS

The Heraldic Garb

This heraldic term is derived from the French “gerbe”, meaning a sheaf of any kind of grain (usually wheat). It represented that the harvest of one's hopes had been secured. Also a symbol of hospitality and prosperity. Wheat is the quintessential nutritional plant. In ancient cultures it was believed to contain the mystery of life and death and thus it became a sacred plant. In Christianity; the heads of wheat symbolized the Eucharistic Bread of Life. A symbol of food and of the work which is necessary to earn it. "By the sweat of your brow will you eat your bread" (Gen. 3:19).

THE LINDEN OR LIME TREE

The Crusaders brought the lime tree to France and Italy in the 13th Century. It is a symbol of life, vitality and energy; resurrection. From the very earliest times, lime was a well-known tree for its therapeutic virtues. Ancient German civilizations considered it a sacred tree, while the Celts saw in it a symbol of selflessness. It is considered that the Linden tree influences people to be truthful, which is why in Medieval times, lovers swore eternal love in the shade of a lime tree. In Roman mythology the Linden tree was a symbol of conjugal love and fidelity.

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THE WOLF OF FISHES

The heraldic Luce (or Pike) gets its name from the Latin luci-us, from the Greek lukos (a wolf), meaning the wolf of fishes. Now commonly called the pike. Bestowed on one not to be set at naught or underestimated. Russian mythology holds that the pike/luce was an evil water spirit, blamed for annihilating the fish population in many rivers.

THE HAWTHORN TREE-

Celtic healing ritual

The hawthorn has been regarded as the emblem of hope, and the ancient Greeks used its branches in wedding processions, to help ward off evil. The supposition that the tree was the source of Jesus's crown is often referenced but much contested. In Celtic lore, the hawthorn was once said to heal the broken heart. A ‘Clootie’ well or spring are places of pilgrimage, having a hawthorn tree growing beside them, and where strips of cloth tied to the branches were part of a Celtic healing ritual. In Gaelic folklore, hawthorn trees mark the entrance to the otherworld.

HORSESHOE-LEGEND HAS IT

Signifies good fortune and in ancient times was used as a safeguard against evil spirits. There is very little evidence of nailed-on shoes prior to AD 500 or 600, though there is speculation that the Celtic Gauls were the first to nail on metal horseshoes. Dunstan, the patron saint of blacksmiths, is said to have nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof. Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after he promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door. Legend has it.

HUNTING HORN AND THE UNICORN

A signal horn used in the chase. Denotes one who is fond of high pursuits. A Symbol of dominion over the wild, the hunt, the chase, and the forest, the hunting horn often was also representative of the noble class. The Fox hunt in particular, comes to mind, where it was used to announce a hunter's position and to signal hunting dogs. The hunting horn is also a religious symbol, as Gabriel, the archangel blows one, while hunting the Unicorn.