|
Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked for our opinion of "Amaranthe la Colombe" as a period French name, and of arms incorporating a dove with a bleeding heart. Here is what we have found.
We could not find any example of any form of <Amaranthe> used as a given name in period France. However, we did find some secondary evidence which suggests that the name was probably used. There was a martyred Saint Amarantus whose cult was popular in Italy, specifically in Lazio, the region around Rome. As a result, Italians in that area used the names <Amaranto> or <Amarando> (masculine) and <Amaranta> (feminine). Our source doesn't date this usage, but we think it is likely that it dates back at least to late-period [1]. The surnames <Amarand> and <Amaranthe> are found in modern France; both derive from the name of Saint Amarantus, who was venerated at Vieux, in France [2]. This second citation suggests very strongly that the given name <Amaranthe> was in use in France, probably in the last few centuries of our period. However, it was certainly a rare name.
We found an example of a Frenchman nicknamed <Colombe> in 1326. The nickname may have symbolized a sad disposition [3].
Based on this evidence, we conclude that the name <Amaranthe la Colombe> could have been used in 14th century France. If you want to set your persona much later, it would probably be best to drop the article <la> and use <Amaranthe Colombe>.
Doves are not uncommon in period armory. They are most often "close", i.e. standing with their wings folded against their bodies. Doves in other postures are found, but because of design considerations we'll explain later, we recommend "a dove close" for your arms [4, 5]. We recommend against coloring the bird brown; doves in period armory are almost always white. For a more detailed explanation of why we think you should avoid a brown dove, see the appendix below.
If you simply want a small red splotch on the dove's breast, then you don't need to blazon it. But if the splotch is large enough to be a significant part of your arms -- and that is what we think you want -- then it needs to be a blazonable heraldic charge. Since you want to symbolize a bleeding heart, we suggest that you place a red heart on the dove's breast. We haven't found period examples of a dove with another charge on it, but it is not uncommon to find a lion or an eagle with another charge on it. The charged dove is not typical of period French armory, but it is a possible variation.
It is important for the heart to large enough to be clearly identifiable, so we suggest that you use "a dove close", which provides the largest possible space on the breast, and that you design very simple arms with the dove as the single primary charge. For example, you might use:
Gules, a dove close argent charged on the breast with a heart gules.
I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Zenobia Naphtali, Tangwystyl ferch Morgant Glasfryn, Evan da Collaureo, Rouland Carre, Walraven van Nijmege, and Talan Gwynek.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
Brown is only used in armory for charges which are "proper", i.e. charges which are intended to be depicted in their natural coloration and which are often brown in nature. So brown is appropriate for animals that are themselves commonly brown, such as bears or dogs. Brown is also proper for animals with complex coloration that incorporates a fair amount of brown, such as quails and hawks: They may have white spotted breasts or other complex markings but they are predominantly brown and were sometimes colors that way in armory. However, an animal which was never brown in real life would not be drawn brown when blazoned "proper."
Some animals have a standard, stylized heraldic coloration which is based on a conventional usage in period heraldry. Often these animals will be found in these conventional colors, which are often similar to but not quite the same as the animal's real appearance. For example, a red fox is reddish-brown with black feet and a white on its brush. Most heraldic foxes are a solid heraldic red color rather than having the little details: that is the heraldic convention for foxes. The dove has a similar conventional coloration: white with pink or red beak and legs [7].
The bleeding heart dove is not native to western Europe today, which suggests that it very likely was not native in period [6]. So it cannot be used as a good model for a period "proper" depiction of a dove. Common European doves and pigeons are [8]:
There may have been a white domesticated dove in period: There is one today, and doves were domesticated in period, but we have no information on the colors of the domesticated birds.
While one might argue that the rufous turtle dove might have given rise to a period "brown dove proper," we have not found an example of this usage in period heraldry, probably because of the conventional heraldic white dove mentioned earlier.
It is unclear how the heraldic convention arose. It may have been that given the limited heraldic palette, white was chosen to best represent the grey color of most wild doves. If there were a white domesticated dove in period as there is today, that may have influenced the choice.
The heraldic convention may also have been influenced by renditions of a dove symbolizing the Holy Ghost in period religious art [8, p.44]. That symbolic bird is usually white with red feet [8, p.45], the same as the heraldic default. While the correlation does not imply causation, it is a likely explanation. (Interestingly, there are some examples where the Holy Ghost is found in other colors than the standard. There is one example where it is blue, black and brown [8, p.45].) The origin of the dove-as- -Holy-Ghost coloration is unknown to us, though it seems likely that white indicates purity.
So while one might be able to argue a case for a brown dove proper being possible in period heraldry, it is rather unlikely. A white bird is certainly more typical of period heraldic style.
References
[1] De Felice, Emidio. Dizionario dei Nomi Italiani (Arnoldo Mondadori
Editore, Milan, 1992).
[2] Morlet, Marie-Therese, Dictionnaire E/tymologique des Noms de Famille
(Librairie Académique Perrin, 1997).
[3] Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et
Prenoms de France (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987).
[4] Woodcock, Thomas, Janet Grant, & Ian Graham, _Dictionary of British
Arms_, vol II. (The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1996).
[5] Parker, James, A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry (Charles E.
Tuttle, 1982).
[6] Peterson, Roger Tory, Guy Mountfort, and P. A. D. Hollom, _A Field
Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe_ (London: Collins, 1954).
[7] Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme and Akagawa Yoshio, _A Pictorial
Dictionary of Heraldry as Used in the Society for Creative Anachronism_, (privately published, 1988).
[8] Yapp, Brunsdon, _Birds in Medieval Manuscripts_ (London: The British
Library, 1981).