ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1609
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1609
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16 May 1999

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel. 

You asked the Academy about arms containing a wheel using the
tinctures Or (gold) and azure (blue), or argent (white) and azure. You
indicated that your period of interest was 600 - 1200.  Here's what we
found.

Heraldic arms were invented in northwestern France in the
mid-12th century, so heraldic arms were only around during the last 50
years or so of your period of interest. If you choose to make your
persona earlier than 1250 or so, you clearly would not have had arms.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't use arms in the Society: Many
Societyfolk use arms even though their personas would not have done so.
Whether you use arms or not depends on how you think about authenticity
and your persona. You can find a few thoughts on this issue in an
article we've posted on the web: 
 
   What Do I Use for Arms if my Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms?        
      
  http://www.s-gabriel.org/faq/nonheraldic.html 

If you choose to use arms, then it would make sense to choose a design
appropriate for the earliest period of heraldry.  Early arms were
very simple, so we suggest you consider designs consisting of one or
more wheels on a plain background.  Here are a few possibilities in
your colors.  As far as we can tell, you could register any of these
with the SCA College of Arms.[1]

  Or, a wheel azure

  Azure, six wheels argent
  (The wheels are arranged from top to bottom three, two, and one 
  [in an inverted triangle])


We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will
not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have
further questions.  Research and commentary on this letter was provided
by Walraven van Nijmegen, Arval d'Espas Nord, Talan Gwynek,
Zenobia Naphtali, Blaise de Cormeilles, Rouland Carre, and Teceangl
Bach. 

In Service,
Margaret Makafee

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Notes:

[1] There are several sets of arms registered with the SCA College
of Arms that may conflict with designs similar to the ones described
above. If you use another design with the same basic elements, check
that they do not conflict with the following registered arms:
  Faoiltigherna ni/ Bhraoin: "Azure, semy of wagon wheels Or."
  Eldred {AE}lfwald: "Argent, a wheel, a bordure embattled azure."
  William Ransom: "Azure platy, three wheels of four spokes argent."
  La/szlo/ Ro/zsa: "Per fess azure and gules, a wheel Or."
  Serena Lascelles: "(Fieldless) A Catherine's wheel argent."
  Wolfric Hammerfestning: "(Fieldless) A grinding wheel argent."