Ermine () in
heraldry is a "fur", a type of
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
, consisting of a white background with a pattern of black shapes representing the winter coat of the
stoat
The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...
(a species of weasel with white fur and a black-tipped tail). The linings of medieval coronation cloaks and some other garments, usually reserved for use by high-ranking peers and royalty, were made by sewing many ermine furs together to produce a luxurious white fur with patterns of hanging black-tipped tails. Due largely to the association of the ermine fur with the linings of coronation cloaks, crowns and peerage caps, the heraldic tincture of ermine was usually reserved to similar applications in heraldry (i.e., the linings of
crowns
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
and
chapeau
A chapeau is a flat-topped hat once worn by senior clerics.
In heraldry
In European ecclesiastical heraldry, it is used as a mark of ecclesiastical dignity, especially that of cardinals, where it is called the ''red chapeau''. It is worn over t ...
x and of the
royal canopy).
Ermine spots
The ''ermine spot'', the conventional heraldic representation of the tail has had a wide variety of shapes over the centuries; its most usual representation has three tufts at the end (bottom), converges to a point at the root (top), and is attached by three studs. When "ermine" is specified as the tincture of the field (or occasionally of a charge), the spots are part of the tincture itself, rather than a
semé
In heraldry, variations of the field are any of a number of ways that a field (or a charge) may be covered with a pattern, rather than a flat tincture or a simple division of the field.
Blazoning of French adjectives
Variations of the field pre ...
or pattern of charges. The ''ermine spot'' (so specified), however, may also be used singly as a mobile
charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
, or as a mark of
distinction signifying the absence of a blood relationship.
On a ''bend ermine'', the tails follow the line of the bend. In the arms of William John Uncles, the field ermine is cut into bendlike strips by the ''three bendlets azure'', so the ermine tails are (unusually) depicted bendwise.
Later variations
Though ermine and
vair
Vair (; from Latin ''varius'' "variegated"), originating as a processed form of squirrel fur, gave its name to a set of different patterns used in heraldry. Heraldic vair represents a kind of fur common in the Middle Ages, made from pieces of ...
were the two furs used in early armoury, other variations of these developed later. Both in continental heraldry and British, the fur pattern was used in varying colours as a blazon atop other tinctures (e.g., "" for black ermine spots on a gold field
).
British heraldry created three names for specific variants, rather than blazoning them longhand. Ermines is the reverse of ermine – a field sable
semé
In heraldry, variations of the field are any of a number of ways that a field (or a charge) may be covered with a pattern, rather than a flat tincture or a simple division of the field.
Blazoning of French adjectives
Variations of the field pre ...
of ermine-spots argent; it is sometimes called counter-ermine (cf.
French and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
).
Erminois is ermine with a field
''or'' (gold) instead of
''argent'' (silver), and pean is the reverse of erminois (i.e., ''or'' spots on a field ''sable'').
Erminites is alleged to be the "same as ermine, except that the two lateral hairs of each spot are red." James Parker mentions it, as does Pimbley, though by the former's admission this is of doubtful existence.
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (28 February 1871 – 19 May 1928) was a British expert on heraldry. His ''Complete Guide to Heraldry'', published in 1909, has become a standard work on heraldry in England. A barrister by profession, Fox-Davies worke ...
describes it as a "silly
nventionof former heraldic writers, not of former heralds."
Image:Ermine_shield.svg, Ermine
Image:Shield_ermines.svg, Ermines (counter-ermine)
Image:Shield_erminois.svg, Erminois
Image:Field pean.svg, Pean
Image:Shield_gules_ermined_argent.svg, Gules ermined argent
Legendary origin
A
etiological legend explaining the origin of the use of ermine in heraldry was given during the funeral orations of
Anne of Brittany in 1514. In the oration, Guillaume Parvi traced Anne's ancestry back to
Innogen
Innogen is a character in the ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' and subsequent medieval British pseudo-history. She was said to have been a Greek princess, the daughter of King Pandrasus, and to have become Britain's first Queen consort as the wife ...
, the daughter of Greek king
Pandrasus
Pandrasus is the fictional king of Greece and father of Innogen in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudo-history ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' ().
Story
In the ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', Pandrasus is king of the Greeks, and holds the Trojan descen ...
and wife of
Brutus of Troy
Brutus, also called Brute of Troy, is a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, known in medieval British history as the eponymous founder and first king of Britain. This legend first appears in the ''Historia Brittonum'', an anonymous ...
from
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...
's pseudo-history ''
Historia Regum Britanniae
''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I ...
'' (). He then recounted a story that, during a hunt near
Le Croisic
Le Croisic (; br, Ar Groazig; french: label= Gallo, Le Croèzic) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire.
History
The United States Navy established a naval air station o ...
, a
stoat
The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...
being pursued by Brutus' dogs took refuge with Innogen, who saved and fed it, and adopted it for ().
See also
*
Flag of Brittany
The flag of Brittany ( br, Banniel Breiz; french: Drapeau de la Bretagne), a region in the northwest of France, is called the ''Gwenn-ha-du,'' pronounced , which means ''white and black'', in Breton (French ''blanc et noir''). The flag was des ...
*
Flag of Leicestershire
*
Flag of Norfolk
The flag of Norfolk is the flag of the English county of Norfolk. The flag consist of a vertical bi-colour of gold and black, with a white bend bearing nine black ermine spots alternating between pairs and singles. It was officially registered ...
*
Flag of Shropshire
The Shropshire flag is the county flag of Shropshire. It was registered with the Flag Institute in March 2012 and officially became the county's flag on 19 April 2013.
__TOC__ History
The flag is a banner of the arms of the former Shropshir ...
*
Coat of arms of the University of Cambridge
The coat of arms of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, is blazoned: ''Gules, on a cross ermine between four lions passant guardant Or, a Bible lying fesseways of the field, clasped and garnished of the third, the clasps in base.' ...
*
''Ó Donnagáin'' coat of arms
*
Chudleigh coat of arms
The Chudleigh Baronetcy, of Ashton in the County of Devon, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 1 August 1622 for George Chudleigh (d.1656), Member of Parliament for St Michael's, East Looe, Lostwithiel and Tiverton. ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Koninklijke en Vorstelijke Mode House of Orange web site, an article on royal fashion, with much attention to ermine-lined velvet cloaks and mantels
from ''Every Woman's Encyclopaedia'', an article detailing the fashion and history of ermine coats and cloaks
{{Heraldry
Furs
Visual motifs