we just got absorbed into wikipedia learning stuff about heraldry and holy fuck that's a lot of complicated and arbitrary rules and everything is in pseudo-french
-F
@Felthry I went down that rabbit hole a few years ago. The rules seem arbitrary, but there is a purpose to them. The whole point is to be quickly and easily identified at a distance, so folks could tell which guy in identical armour was which on the battlefield. The rules are meant to increase contrast and visibility between design elements to aid with this.
The reason it's all in Old French is that's what the English nobility all spoke when this was established as common practice.
@terrana That makes sense! I still wonder why the gryphons look so very upset, though.
-F
@Felthry They're supposed to look fierce. In heraldry, the griffin is a bold statement of power, as it combines the lion, the "king of beasts", with the eagle, the "king of birds".
Yes, I know, that's just how they thought back then.
@terrana https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/POL_Szczecin_COA.svg I dunno, this one looks like they just saw something surprising and disgusting, while also being bored. I'm not sure I get the "fierce" here.
-F
