Page 391 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

Heraldic Knots 385

The identity of the knot is usually clear enough, as in Fig. 2, but sometimes
as in Fig. 3, (43), there is only an indication of some kind of knot.
(ii) Sometimes animals, birds or mythical creatures, or their tails or necks,
are shown tied in a knot, or `vowed' or `knowed'. The nature of the knot is
usually clear enough, though the term `nowed' does not usually imply a specific
knot, which is often at the choice of the artist. Nowed serpents (13) may be
more common as crests than as charges, at least in English heraldry (see
Fig. 4); animals or creatures with nowed tails are also perhaps less common
as charges than as supporters (e.g., 8, 12) or crests. I have also seen a bird,
perhaps a crane, with its neck nowed.
(iii) Sometimes articles are displayed as charges with some kind of cordage
attached to them (this is sometimes termed `stringed'); the interest is in the
object, not the knot, which is hardly ever depicted so as to make the identity
of the knot clear. The most common knotty articles are: a head wearing a
presumably knotted headband (9), often of two colours; a 'stringed bugle-horn'
(10), where a cord is tied to a bugle or hunting horn (often a round turn is
indicated, rarely a knot) and the cord has some sort of decorative turn or knot
(see Fig. 3, 34-38); and a `garb', or sheaf of wheat or, occasionally, barley or
rye, bound with some more stems (11). Quite a number of other objects can
be found, with very low frequency, with cords attached and knots indicated;
an example is shown in Fig. 3 (32).
Above the shield may be the helm (7), except that ladies and the clergy do
not use them. Some heraldic traditions have an elaborate system of indicating
the rank of the armiger by the kind of helm, the metal (iron, gold) it is made
from and the direction in which it is looking. There is no opportunity for
knots.
Some form of mantling (4) is often shown over the helm, representing
the cloth originally used to protect the wearer against the heat of the sun and
showed the slashes of many battles. This is often of different colours inside
and out, and cut into very decorative shapes. Occasionally there are tassels
(6) at the ends of the mantling, and these may be tied in knots, usually a
simple Overhand ([1], #515) or Figure Eight ([11, #520) Knot.
The mantling is held in place with a wreath (5), which hardly ever shows
any sign of knots, or perhaps with a chapeau or cap of maintenance, a medieval
hat lined with crimson velvet, which may also be used to line a crown or
coronet.
A crest (3) rests on the wreath, coronet or bare mantling. Originally, this
represented a solid object, often made of wood or leather, which was fastened
above the helmet for display, beginning in the 14th century [2]. Very rarely,
this is a knot, such as the Wake Knot (Fig. 7, (82)), but knotted objects are
less rare. A nowed serpent (Fig. 4) is probably used more frequently than
anything else involving knots [11].