A Few Notes on Galactic, sp. Gamezohan, Heraldry

By Toturno Kantonnen

The coat of arms of the Free City of Hungarden – this coat of arms was chosen because it is exemplary of the small nations in the Galaxy that are swallowed by this or that empire in the ebb and flow of galactic politics, yet retain their identity throughout history. The Free City of Hungarden, influenced by its early contact with the human race, has chosen to take civic inspiration from three principles of urbanity, embodied, so to speak, in three cities: Athens, for the principle that a city should provide for every citizen the conditions towards moral and intellectual excellence; Jerusalem, for the principle that a city is to be judged by the living standards of its meekest citizens; and Rome, for the principle that a city’s splendor and its power among cities are synchronous: they cause each other. These are reflected in the three colors of Hungarden: white, green and red, respectively.

The Hungardian shield is partitioned per pall, i.e. diagonal divisions from upper left and upper right meeting a vertical division, or, a Y-shaped division. The upper division is green, the right (left of an imaginary shield bearer) white, and the final division is red. The green also stands for the floating paradise gardens of the upper city; they are sustained in their glory by the love of excellence and bloody toil of the Hungardian citizens.

The white division bears three red circles vertically aligned, representing the broken shields of the triumvirate of kings that were killed in the city’s mythical past, around the first time it was annexed by a foreign power. The red division bears a single gold lozenge, representing the commitment to protecting the city through mercantile and financial prowess made by its citizens, after experiencing great military frustration. The green division bears a golden pomegranate, representing material and intellectual prosperity and the freedom of all citizens to exercise dissent and even discord, the frailest luxury of all, that can only be secured once civic excellence and stability are achieved.

The achievement, i.e. the rest of the coat of arms that is not the shield, is as follows.

The shield is supported by two white unicorns. The unicorn speaks deeply to the city’s love of gardens; it is part of their philosophy that as soon as a savage wood gains a steward, such as the unicorn is imagined to be, it has already become a garden of sorts; hence, in a more abstract sense, as soon as one takes responsibility for his world, it becomes his garden; and if one has faith the universe is kept by a supreme being, then everything are flowers. Therefore, the unicorns represent hope, optimism and a sense of order in the universe.

The helm atop the shield is a Corinthian helmet, as per the symbolism and principles already mentioned, but crowned with flowers. It is topped by a kolibri as crest, with blurred wings, drinking from the flowers. The kolibri is a revered symbol of precision and levity for the Hungardians, in its defiance of gravity appearing to transcend the laws that bind less wise beings.

The compartment, i.e., what supporters and shield stand on, is a lush grassy field further adorned with flowers beloved of the Hungardians, such as the hyacinth and the yggdrine and the sparaxis, overflowing from a wide bowl-shaped base of gray brick.

Due to Hungarden’s lack of a noble class, there are few derivations of the main design. Occasionally, the shield is given a different achievement to make a new coat of arms for foreign dignitaries in some way connected to the Free City; an example would be the coat of arms of the Gamezohan Ambassador to the Free City of Hungarden, Lord Árpád Gamdoha, which combines this shield with elements from the coat of arms of House Gamdoha.

The coat of arms of the Stellar System of Kubrik – this coat of arms is associated with local Kubrikean government, as opposed to imperial authority. It shares symbolism with the imperial heraldry, also drawing from city mythos and ancient Gazraki tradition. The two main colors are a) cyan, the color of the star as perceived by the vision of most native races, and also said to be the color of the hair of the asteryad (as hamadryads to trees, asteryads to stars, goes the lore) of the system’s star, and b) “mirror”, a derivation on the imperial silver, actually meaning a reflexive surface. This does not lend itself very well to primitive printing techniques, and so is sometimes depicted as gray. The “color” mirror stands for the idea that the city is a reflection of its citizens, and that the good city is the one that allows them the self-knowledge that is denied to sentient beings in a natural state.

The Kubrikean shield is partitioned per saltire, i.e., in four parts, by an X. The upper and lower are colored mirror, because the city reflects what is best and worst in its citizens. Left and right are cyan, the two symmetrical triangles forming the form known by some natives as the “eyes of the sky”, a shape connected to both the hourglass and infinity, hence, eternity – the expected duration of Kubriki supremacy. The “eyes of the sky” also represent converging forces (arrows), and disentangled gyres, seen in profile: a returning cycle of history broken by the abilities of intelligent beings, capable of self-reflection and of steering their own fate through ingenuity and knowledge. Finally, by association with the previous ideas and the superstitious notion of an omniscient being in the sky, the cyan sections also stand for perfect knowledge. The shield is clean, bearing no charges.

The achievement is as follows.

There are no supporters or helm in the usual sense. The mantling, i.e. the background against which the shield stands, usually hanging from the helm, is in this case the side of a golden pyramid. The pyramid is a traditional symbol of a great collective work of no practical relevance, a clear sign of prosperity, abundance, centralized authority and civilization. It is also a lasting work, seeking to outlast eternity, like the city of Kubrik. The shield in the middle lies where the eye would be in the eyed pyramid design (though much larger). The “eyes in the sky” in the shield, then, echo that design; but the fact that this pyramid is not a Cyclops, having two eyes, represents that Kubrik is farsighted and can see things in perspective. Finally, the design also draws from the symbol known as the pyramid cosmic, a reference to the Gazraki principle of evolutionary epistemology – that the great things defy entropy, and complexity is the greatest value – two crucial notions for the urban organization of Kubrik.

Wrapping itself around the pyramid and shield is a serpentine silver dragon, the ideal of sublimated (silver) tyranny (dragon; viz. leviathan); the idea being that raw draconic power combined in a serendipitous alchemy with the Gazraki philosophy to make of Kubrik the fountainhead of something infinitely constructive. The tip of the tail of the dragon goes from the bottom center of the pyramid upwards to the right, disappearing behind the pyramid and emerging from the left, the serpent-like body following parallel the left side of the pyramid until the head facing the viewer, located right above the tip of the pyramid, being the coat of arm’s helm and crest. The dragon wears the Imperial Crown, and his body forms an angular letter S, in three almost straight segments (with the middle, horizontal segment mostly hidden behind the pyramid), like a stylized lightning bolt.

The compartment is a two-dimensional circular labyrinth seen in perspective, appearing very narrow vertically and mostly covered by the base of the pyramid. The design is usually the same as the 10-ring one in the cathedral in Bayeux, and fits the general theme of artifice, puzzlemanship and complexity.

The coat of arms of House Rockthriller – this coat of arms follows the general principles and conventions of all coats of arms of the Seven Draconic Houses. It is designed in general, loose terms, to allow for flexible variations for each nobleman and -woman of the House.

The heraldic color of this House is red. The field of the shield is plain red, without divisions, though this tends to be the main point of variation for individual scions of House Rockthriller. The charges, as well, are wholly variable, the official shield bearing none.

The shield is supported by two kiwis proper (i.e., lifelike coloring), nocturnal birds widely acknowledged as the most deceitfully vicious of all creatures. They represent the ruthlessness the Rockthrillers employ in the service of the Empire, as well as their fearlessness, because no-one else would be brave enough to have kiwis in their coat of arms. The kiwis cross their beaks at the “helm” of the coat of arms, which is in fact a humanoid skull with boar teeth, doubly impaled by the two spear-like beaks. The skull smokes a cigar, representing manly indulgence in vice (for self-improvement purposes, naturally). Gold coins pour out the drooping mouth of the skull, forming a mantling of gold behind the shield, and a compartment of spilled gold whereupon the shield and kiwis stand. This references the House’s affinity with negotiation, trade and finances, as well as its great wealth, in a completely selfless and religious greed. A third kiwi, tiny and cute, sits on the skull as the coat of arm’s crest. Human intestines hang from its beak and it dons an oversized Baron’s coronet. It represents the importance of secrecy and deceit to withhold power from those unable to pierce the veils of illusion, who are, according to this idea, unfit to wield it in the first place.

The coat of arms of House Sawarren – this is another coat of arms in the series of the 7DH, and follows the same general principles and conventions.

The heraldic color of this House is orange. The shield’s field is orange, and it features a black fess (horizontal stripe). The fess itself is decorated with the monochromatic, stylized images of seven dancing orange monkeys. The exact dancing steps of the monkeys is often the effect changed to individualize the shields of scions of this House. The lower half of the shield bears a black five-point star, with two points upwards, and the upper half bears three crescent moons, aligned horizontally. A lot of symbolism is contained in these items; the most relevant is a reference to a legendary story about the House’s founder, who used the night sky as her playground to entertain the Emperor.

The shield is supported by two light blue specimens of Amiskwia noncoclearia, the Zen Space Jelly. These friendly and playful animals are native to the vacuum around Kubrik system, and resemble gelatinous worms with two short tentacles under the head and two vestigial fins. Some speculate their creation was a by-product of the creation of the dragons; the zsjs’ affinity with mux harmonies is a scientific fact. The zsjs show an almost unlimited ability to bend reality to their wills (hence the species’ scientific name: if they will it, there are no spoons), but they never have any will to do anything but to bask in the sunlight.

Instead of helm and crest, perched atop the shield is a friendly-looking pigmy, blue skinned, with a maniac grin, clown shoes and a fool’s hat. He holds a Marquis’ coronet in his left hand. His long green cape forms the mantling behind the shield. Everything stands, or floats, on a compartment of miry mud, symbolizing the Sawarren’s duty to undermine undue pride and vanity, and to be lazy.

The coat of arms of House Dactylos – this is another coat of arms in the series of the 7DH, and follows the same general principles and conventions.

The heraldic color of this House is yellow. The shield is a pale yellow, and bears as charge vertical text in black ink ideograms. The text allows for detailed individualization; the official coat of arms of the House bears inscribed Euclid’s first four postulates.

The shield is supported by two Tfafnian lemur-people, the ancient slaves of the Gazrakis. The one in the left is male, holds a metal sphere in his left hand and wears a toga; the one on the right is female, holds a golden rectangle in her right hand and wears a stola. The Tfafnians were known as excellent engineers; the Dactylos, as artificers, admire that. Furthermore, the Tfafnians spent most of their life asleep, dreaming, and cared more about their dreams, where they were omnipotent, than about their waking life, where they were slaves. Such principles, dreaming on the one hand, working efficiently if you have to on the other, are perfectly aligned with the House’s philosophy.

The helm is the conical helmet used by Tfafnian pioneers, the combat engineers of their military. It has a long white scarf mantling behind the shield, as used during sandstorms. Fittingly, the compartment is a stylized desert landscape, with Salvador Dali style cacti and melting clocks suggesting a dream zone. As crest, a cuckoo bird perches on the right slope of the helm, dutifully using its beak to build a clock dangerously hanging at the tip of the cone. The clocks represent the time-binding effect of applied intellect, the Dactylos’ stock and trade. The cuckoo dons a Marquis’ coronet.

The coat of arms of House Gamdoha – this is another coat of arms in the series of the 7DH, and follows the same general principles and conventions.

The heraldic color of this House is green. The shield is partitioned per bend sinister (diagonal from upper right hand corner). The lower part of the field is a dark shade of green, while the upper part is a lighter, brighter shade. The dark green section carries a white feather, representing the feather of truth against which each individual’s sins are to weighed, while the light green section carries a black swan. The bird has mythical associations with exception, idiosyncrasy and suspicion. This contrasts and complements the white feather symbol and provides the general theme of law and justice.

The shield is supported on the left side by a sphinx (a lion with the head of an ibis, an allusion to both mastery of script and enigmas) and on the right by a she-wolf with three heads (a mythic creature said to police the underworld but also to give suckle to the founders of all empires under the rule of law), representing the judiciary and law enforcement vocations of the members of the House.

The helm is an ordinary knightly model, but instead of a mantle it sits atop a set of scales, which provides the background for the shield. The meaning is fairly obvious. The crest is an iguana, a fair representation of how exciting the scholarly scions of the House can be. The iguana’s tail is coiled upwards, and supports a Count’s coronet. The compartment is a grassy field, with, instead of flowers, drawing hands (in flowery colors) sprouting from the branches, drawing the branches themselves in an Escherian trick. This is a symbol of the House’s commitment to the Inviolate Order, the level from which all paradoxes can be understood.

The coat of arms of House Sphexoren – this is another coat of arms in the series of the 7DH, and follows the same general principles and conventions.

The heraldic color of this House is blue. The shield is a blue field with a black cross ordinary; each arm of the cross but the longest contains two blue roses, the longest having three; added to a larger rose at the center of the cross, these total ten blue roses, for the Ten Degrees of Woe the Sphexoren distinguish. It is relevant to note no human is known to have experienced past the second Degree.

The Tear-Tree of Suffering is the chief element of this unusual coat of arms. Its writhing roots, clenched in agonizing angles and strewn with dead flowers, white bones and maggots, form the compartment whereupon the composition rests. The shield stands against its wide, thorny trunk, tangled in black vines and bloody catkins. The dead, barren branches spread out, featuring in their gnarled mass fresh captures: two hanged youths, a boy and a girl, facing one another from either side of the shield; a scarlet reveler’s mask above the shield; a raven perched further above; a Count’s coronet hanging from the highest branch.

The coat of arms of House Ticine – this is another coat of arms in the series of the 7DH, and follows the same general principles and conventions.

The heraldic color of this House is indigo. The shield is plain indigo and featureless; like with House Rockthriller, this is the chief domain of personal variations. It is supported by two tigers, one black and the other white. The helm is sleek and vaguely oriental in design; from its base a diaphanous mantle spreads out, together with cascading white and silver blossoms, as the coat of arm’s background.

On a torse on the helm perches the House’s crest animal, the Kubrikean shadow-praising bowerbird. Among animals that build elaborate nests to impress their mates, the praiserbird is unique in its good taste. Of all animals, it has the finest aesthetic sense. The female judges her suitor not by rococo excesses and undiscriminating accumulation of shiny things, but rather by delicate standards of harmony in minimalist architecture. The bird teaches a lot to observers about equilibrium; effortlessness; shadows and light; spirit resonance; design consonance; and other nearly-intangible principles in art. The exact evolutionary details of the sexual selection for this trait are one of those mysteries of xenozoology. The praiserbird’s singing has analogous virtues, and is said to “stand for everything that is opposite bad music”, which is also the motto of House Ticine. The bird holds up on its wingtips the ducal coronet of the house, with its countless diamonds. The compartment is a grassy field, covered in white and silver chrysanthemums.

The coat of arms of House Aberdash – this is another coat of arms in the series of the 7DH, and follows the same general principles and conventions.

The heraldic color of this House is purple. The shield consists of a black field carrying a cross ordinary in purple. It is supported by two white ghďzhročjp, ghďzhročj being the old Gazraki name for a slender arctic predator roughly the size of a large dog, noted by its daring, cunning and tactical proficiency when hunting alone or in packs. The animal is ferocious but can be subjected to brain surgery to eliminate aggressiveness, a method used since time immemorial to domesticate this otherwise indomitable species. As such this animal symbolizes perfectibility. The helm is conventional in form and color and tops the background white mantling, which also features two swords crossed behind the shield.

The crest animal of the coat of arms is a winged horse, simply because, according to the designer, “it’d be a hellishly useful animal if it existed” (the pegasi of Katrak II not having been discovered by that time). It carries on its back the ducal coronet of the house. The compartment is a grassy field with red flowers and broken swords and arrows spread irregularly, representing the battlefields where the house conducts its most valuable services to the imperial throne.

The coat of arms of the Imperial (Gauss) House – the coat of arms of the imperial family shares some stylistic features with those of the Seven Houses. The shield consists of an unornamented silver field surrounded by a black border. It is supported by two prismatic chameleons, in the colors of the Seven Houses, evidently meaning the imperial family’s aristocratic power base. The coat of arms does not feature helm or mantling. The shield stands on a compartment of silver grass ornamented with black gems.

On the shield is perched a shrimurgh, a bird combining characteristics of two others. The simurgh, in the most widespread account, is said to possess a silver head and a peacock tail, and to make its nest on the Tree of Knowledge, and to have lived long enough to have witnessed the destruction of the universe three times over. As such, it is a fine symbol for the Gamezohan Empire, which is headed by the silver dragons, and quite vain and ostentatious, and founded on scientific superiority, and so on. The simurgh was also said to be able to sing a beautiful song through the thirty holes in its beak to lure in all animals, who gathered to be eaten, which might or might not make the symbol a criticism of Gamezohan imperialism. Shrikes are birds of the Laniidae family, remarkable for their habit of impaling insects and small birds and mammals on thorns of trees and bushes, to make it easier to dismember them and also so the bird can return later for more. One can presume the shrimurgh impales its victims in the Tree of Knowledge. This merely complicates the already voluminous body of associations that can be drawn remembering certain legendary statesmen infamous for their weakness for impalement as a method of execution. The bird carries on its head the imperial crown, in its plain, minimalist design.

The coat of arms of the Gamezohan Empire – finally, this is the official heraldic symbol of the Empire. It’s rarely employed, the flag (see below) being used in most occasions.

Unlike the aristocratic coats of arms described above, the emphasis returns to the shield in this. The compartment is an unremarkable unornamented green field; the supporters are two white iguanas; the helm is white but otherwise devoid of distinctive features; the mantling is plain black; the crest is an albino hydra, generally understood to represent the imperial bureaucracy; the topmost heads of the hydra tangle around the imperial crown.

The shield is partitioned per saltire (divided in the two diagonals into four fields), a favorite design of the Gamezohans also seen in the Kubrikean coat of arms described above. The shield also features a pale ordinary (a vertical stripe), in silver, representing the blessed divine intervention of the imperial family that created the Empire. The leftmost field is colored not by tincture but by fur: white tiger striped fur, standing for the Gazraki quasi-religious affinity with cats, and, generally, representing the Empire’s cultural debt towards that ancient people. On the opposite side, the rightmost partition is also colored by fur: pelts of the labyrinthine pudú (Pudu borgesicus), a miniature type of deer with light brown fur carrying black stripes in a complex labyrinthine pattern, the behavior of which animal is generally characterized by intense schizophrenic panic attacks and profound innate sense of existential terror and absurd, quite unusual in ruminants. Members of the species always tried jumping from trees, but in the valley where they originally lived in isolation the trees weren’t tall enough for proper suicides. When taller tree species were introduced, the species quickly went extinct, but through genetic engineering it was deextincted and the park rangers are now able to keep the wild pudús on meds. Anyway, it’s supposed to represent Gamezohan fondness for labyrinths and mazes (and also despair, some would add), and generally of intricate things. The lower partition is tinctured dark green, with six white roses (two rows of three) on either side of the vertical silver pale. It represents the Gamezohan love of gardens, and their claim to stewardship over the universe. The topmost partition is tinctured solid black, and represents fascination with shadows and the ultimate horror of existence from which the Emperor’s grace descends like a silver beam of light from the void.

The flag of the GE – the rectangle of the flag is divided diagonally by a gray stripe. The top-left half depicts the empyrean hollow, black with seven gray stars, placed as the corners and centre of a hexagon. The lower-right half is green, representing the paradisiacal planets of the Empire.

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