DNA-R1B1C7-L Archives

From:
Subject: [DNA-R1B1C7] Just like DNA Primogeniture of symbols was typicallypassed from father to son..
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 12:35:39 EDT

_GAELIC IRISH HERALDRY and HERALDIC PRACTICE_
(http://www.heraldry.ws/info/article03.html)


By _Pat Brennan_ (mailto:)
"For it is there read, that the whole host was wont to be placed under the
command of one captain-in-chief, and that under him, each division of his
force obeyed its own proper captain; and besides, that every captain of these
bore upon his standard his peculiar device or ensign." - From the Description
of the Battle of Magh Rath (637 AD) in Keating
There is a fair amount of confusion about the use and abuse of "coats of
arms." The general rule in England and much of Europe is that a coat of arms can
only belong to an individual, not to a family or clan. The use of the arms
is typically passed from father to son through the system of primogeniture.
>From a legalistic standpoint, unless an individual can prove direct descent
from the owner of a coat of arms, it is not appropriate for him to use those
arms. However, as in many things, the situation is more complicated in Ireland.
It is necessary to go back in history to understand why.
Heraldry, as we understand it in modern terms, was brought to Ireland by the
Normans. However the ancient Irish seem to have had their own system symbols
which they used prior to the coming to the Normans and which they sometimes
adapted to the Norman system. This essay is an attempt to look at Gaelic
Irish Heraldic Practice over time from a historical viewpoint which is informed
by anthropology.
ANCIENT IRISH SYMBOLS
>From the earliest times, the Irish used flags and standards which they
carried with them into battle. One of the earliest reports of battle flags is in
relation to the battle of Belach Duin Bolg in 594 AD. According to the tale,
while looking down on an armed camp the King of Leinster mistakes the battle
flags of the army for "a great stationary bird-flock of mixed colors, such was
the number of banners floating on tall poles over the booths."_1_
(http://www.heraldry.ws/info/article03.html#sup1)
In the accounts of ancient battles, there are a number of references to the
banners used by each chief and clan. For example, the account of the Battle
of Moyrath (637 AD) describes the banner of the Prince of Ulster as a yellow
lion on a green field. O'Doherty's battle standard is described, "his battle
blade of golden cross upon their chieftain's banner gleams; a lion and bloody
eagle stand on glistening sheet of satin white" (Quoted in O'Mahoney's
footnote in Keating, History of Ireland).
The symbol or picture displayed on an Irish banner was called a suaicheantas
or samlach. "Every captain bore upon his standard his peculiar device or
ensign, so that each distinct body of men could be easily distinguished from all
others by those shanachies_2_
(http://www.heraldry.ws/info/article03.html#sup2) whose duty it was to attend the nobles when about to contend in battle,
and that these shanachies might thus have a full view of the achievements of
the combatants, so as to be able to give a true account of their particular
deeds and valor" (Keating, History of Ireland)
In the Caithreim Thoirdhealbhaigh, a famous medieval Gaelic text, Irish
warriors in 1304 are described as "advancing under banners and ensigns of
device." So it is clear that the Gaelic Irish had a very long tradition of carrying
flags and banners into battle. It is not so obvious whether the symbols and
devices on these banners were personal to the particular captain or if they
were a clan or sept symbol. Maybe there were several types or levels of symbols
and banners. Maybe there were rules about their use. Unfortunately, we have
only hints and circumstantial evidence about all this. A verse from the
Caithreim Thoirdhealbhaigh gives us a tantalizing glimpse:
Beneath the supreme chief's standard,
uplifted be the spear-points of battle;
To display them separately is not proper,
but let all flags together form one threatening cloud...

Why would it not be proper to display the flags separately? There must have
been some governing traditions about the display of symbols and banners.
Unfortunately, we don't know what they were. This is important because, in
English heraldry, possession of symbols and the right to display them is the key
issue.




**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

This thread:

• [DNA-R1B1C7] Just like DNA Primogeniture of symbols was typicallypassed from father to son.. by