[antir-heralds] Cat position question

[Britt]

> This is a question inspired by the resent cat devices being bandied about.
> Would a cat arched and fluffed be described in the blazon or is it just standing? (There is a specific word for all four feet on the ground, I just don't trust my ability to spell).

Cat postures as the same as all quadrupeds:
Statant - four feet on the ground
Passant - three pawns down, one forepaw lifted
Salient - both hind feet on the ground, forefeet in the air,
'standing' on back feet
Rampant - forepaws raised, one hind foot raised, one foot on the
ground (An Tir lion's pose)
Sejant - sitting, forepaws down (can raise one forepaw, blazoned as
'paw raised')
Couchant - lying down, head up
Dormant - lying down, head down

The Laurel Education page has a nice tutorial at
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/primer/quadrupeds.html

> Would a fluffed up cat have been used in period heraldry or is it something that would be rejected for "submitter needs a life".

There was once, in the early days of SCA heraldry, a penchant for
'creative heraldry'.  So the Halloween cat got registered and blazoned
as 'herissionny'.  The term has since been disallowed and thankfully,
the trend toward stuff never seen in period, quashed (it's fun, but
we're trying to re-create period stuff here).

Now, Dame Zenobia, Black Stag Herald, did find a 'Halloween cat' sort
of depiction in a period roll of arms.  It was French and simply
blazoned 'un chat' <sp?>.  I think current convention is if it has all
four paws on the ground it's statant no matter what its back is doing.
 :)

> What about "Sable, a bat displayed Or"?

Been done.  Weird guy in a latex suit with a cool black car.  Blazon
the bat as a 'reremouse', the heraldic term for a bat.
April 1st, lots of kingdoms put out joke letters of intent.  Two of
the ones I did as Lion's Blood are on the An Tir Heralds' website in
the Humor section: http://antirheralds.org/humor/humor.html

I'll spearhead the effort to do one next year, if anyone's interested.
 My student's a born herald and designed a lovely joke device as
his....second or third ever heraldic effort.  So we've got a start.

- Teceangl (and I documented the name to go with it!)