Page 387 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

CHAPTER 17

HERALDIC KNOTS

Charles Warner

Heraldry is a colourful, feudal, picturesque, elitist, decorative, patriarchal,
vivid, snobbish, distinctive and artistic way of displaying one's genealogy or
allegiances. Amongst its numerous designs can be found some very early clear
depictions of the structures of specific common knots. Many books have been
written on the subject, often with a small section on heraldic knots; our bib-
liography references several good introductions to heraldry, particularly its
English variant.
Devices or symbols of one sort or another have long been used to represent
military or corporate authority and familial or political affiliation. Perhaps the
first mention of hereditary family devices is in the Bible, where the Lord told
Moses in the Book of Numbers, more than three thousand years ago, that Every
man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign
of their father's house. The use of hereditary symbols became thoroughly
systematised more or less simultaneously in feudal Japan (the mon) and in
feudal western Europe (heraldry) in the 12th century.

European Heraldry

Heraldic devices are personal to the bearer and are handed on from father
to son; wives and daughters occupy a somewhat uneasy subordinate position.
The background to the designs is based on medieval armour, and the shield is
central to that system. During the Crusades, the heat in Palestine encouraged
the use of a light cloth surcoat over the armour, on which designs could be
embroidered; this is the origin of the term `coat of arms'.
Heralds were concerned with the conduct of tournaments, the carrying
of messages, and the marshalling of ceremonies; they had to recognise, cat-

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