Page 392 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

386 History and Science of Knots

The shield is often held up by one or two supporters, introduced in the
15th century [2]. A single supporter, such as a displayed eagle with the shield
over its chest, is more common on the Continent than England, but over all,
paired supporters (8, 12) are the most common. In some heraldic traditions,
the use of supporters is restricted to the higher nobility, such as the hereditary
peerage in England, though even there some people continue to use supporters
that had been adopted before the tradition became established. Supporters are
frequently used in impersonal arms, and pressure to grant personal supporters
seems to be growing. Occasionally, the supporters may have nowed tails, as
shown in Fig. 1.
The supporters are often shown on a sort of mound, called the compart-
ment (16), which is occasionally strewn with badges, though I have not seen
any examples of knot badges so used. A scroll bearing a motto or war cry
(17) is usually below the supporters, but occasionally around the helm or crest,
depending on the tradition.
Certain decorations and parts of the regalia (1) of certain knightly
orders may be displayed with arms. Medals may be suspended below the
shield or, less commonly, around the helm or over the mantling. The `collars'
or other insignia of orders may surround the shield. Knots form part of some
decorations and regalia; see Fig. 9.
Badges (2) are separate from the arms and not always included in the
official grant of arms; they are much used by some armigers. Some badges,
particularly in England, consist of knots (see Figs. 6 and 7). Badges are
occasionally displayed on the compartment, beside the crest, on the mantling
or worn by the supporters, but this seems to depend mainly on the wishes of
the artist.

Lacs d'Amour

This knot (Fig. 2), while relatively common in parts of continental Eu-
rope, is unknown in English heraldry, and so has no English name; the French
name means, literally, noose of love, but is often translated as true love knot.
Pastoureau [22] says that the lacs d'amour is a figure stylisee, representee par
un cordon orne dun ou plusieurs nceuds, laches ou serees (stylised figure, rep-
resented by an ornate cord of one or more knots, loose or tight). Rietstap
[24] illustrates the knot as in (19), an alternating knot, that is, one where
if you follow any cord through the knot, the crossings would alternate over
and under. But throughout the many volumes of Rietstap [24] and its sup-
plements, several additional types of lacs d'amour are seen (18-31). Not all
are alternating knots; indeed some would, if tied in cordage, simply fall apart:
they are non-knots.
Rietstap's typical knot (19) is an Overhand Knot with one side extended