luz.herald@free.fr

What is Heraldry? Who has the right to wear arms? Finding your family arms Help! I didn't find them! Registering your arms What do I do with them? Climbing the learning curve

What is Heraldry? Heraldry is the science of coats of arms. Coats of arms  are emblems representing a person, a family, or an organized entity (town, county, country, or multi-national). They first appeared in the 12th century. Thus, there has been a lot of time for rules and regulations to be created concerning who has the right to wear arms. It's important to know that the people who enforce the rules get very upset when they aren't followed. There. Now at least, you've been warned.

Who has the right to bear coat of arms? Everybody does, with all the usual exceptions. In just about every country, the right to "wear" arms is not controlled. One notable exception is England, which has very restrictive legislation on the subject. A fair summary of the overall situation is that anyone who wants to display his, or her, or their, or its, arms, can do so. The main thing is to meticulously respect the age-old rules of heraldry, and never, never, never call your own the coat of arms that belong to someone else.

How do I find my family coat of arms? For the lucky ones amongst you, the family arms already exist, and are catalogued in any one of a number of venerable, dusty old tomes called Armorials. These rare and voluminous works are the stock-in-trade of the heraldist: they list thousands of descriptions and often, illustrations, of ancient arms that are known and registered. Using genealogical data that you supply, the heraldist researches, then validates, your right to call these arms your own. If there isn't enough genealogical data available to establish this right with confidence, one personnalizes (modifies) existing arms in some unique way. This is one realm where there are lots of rules to follow, and is a principle raison d'etre for professional heraldists. The resulting arms are uniquely yours, and recognized everywhere as being so. deeper into the subject

Help! I can't find my blazon! If a classic armorial search proves infructuous, don't worry, there's still hope. One can either: create totally new "personal" arms according to the classical ancient tradition, ie, represent the etymology of the family name with heraldic figures. or create totally new "canting" arms according to the family's traditions (geographic origins, trade associations, emblems, etc).

How to register a coat of arms? The English, Scottish, Spanish, and South Africans can register their arms with the ruling heraldic bodies of these countries. People in other countries (including France), can register their arms in a private Armorial. New or ancient arms can be listed in our Armorial, which is registered every year with the Bibliothèque Nationale and the french Ministry of the Interior. This process is universally recognized, and guarantees the legitimacy of your arms.

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How can I use my Blazon? There are lots of ways. engraved on a ring on letterhead stationary woven into a tapestry incorporated into a flag hanging over your castle... ;-) Our prestigious heraldic products

How can I learn more about Heraldry? There is a wealth of material on the subject of heraldry and blazons. A lot of books have been written over the centuries, and some material can be found on the Internet, itself.

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