[Artemisia] religious symbols in armory

[Mike Bradley]

Elaine wrote:

>Greetings, everyone.
>Such a thoughtful and interesting discussion (and polite, too! Excellent!)
>
>Here's another question. Someone said that the swastika was a prohibited
>charge in SCA heraldry. It is my understanding that a while back (can't
>remember when, but recently in dog years) a lady had a submission bounced by
>the College of Arms because it contained a pentagram (pentacle.) At first
>glance, this looks like blatant discrimination, since there are so many
>crosses, stars, etc. out there. I admit I don't know the whole story, or if
>it is in fact a real story at all. Any heralds who know more about this than
>I do, who would care to explain?
>Thanks!
>Caryn
>  
>
Well, I don't know the specific case involved, but...

Pentagrams, pentacles, or more specifically, 'mullets of five, voided 
and interlaced' whether conjoined to a circle or not, are prohibited in 
SCA armory.  As are swastikas, crosses enflamed, triskelion gammadions, 
the Hand of Glory (a hand enflamed), Imperial Dragons, Royal Dragons, 
double tressure flory-counter-flory, and a bunch of other charges.  Some 
(like the entire list up to the dragons) are prohibited because of 
modern, mundane complaints and sensitivities.  Some (like the rest of 
the list) are prohibited because they were only used by certain people 
(such as the Imperial Dragon for the Emperor of China), or can only be 
granted by a specific person (such as the d-t-f-c-f as an augmentation 
granted by the Crown of Scotland).

It *is* discrimination, in a sense, but it is one that is done for the 
benefit of the Society.  Well, at least in the case of the 'modern 
opinion' charges.  Much as it galls me to think about it, most of the 
population (at least in the US) are still idiots that believe that 
pentacles/pentagrams are a symbol of Satanism and black magic, rather 
than as a religous symbol that has been used by many faiths (including 
Christianity) over the last few thousand years.  The College of Heralds 
does look at the ban on some charges (such as specifically, pentacles) 
every now and then, but until public opinion of the symbol changes, the 
ban will not be lifted.

Conchobhar
(who, according to Golden Wing Tangl is a Pursuivant at Large, and 
therefore suppossed to know something about heraldry)