SUBORDINARIES

There were also many secondary charges called "subordinaries". These are also geometric shapes, but often more complex than ordinaries. There are many different subordinaries used in heraldry. Some of the more common ones are shown here.

border	orle	inescutcheon
quarter / canton	billet	frette
lozenge	mascle	rustre	fusil
roundel	annulet	goutte	flaunch
gyron	pile	pall	shakefork

Diagram - Charges - subordinaries

In heraldry, a swastika shaped subordinary is called a "flylot". Like the partition "quarterly en equerre", it too is often not used within many living history groups. Prior to it's modern association with fascism in the western hemisphere, it was often used throughout the world as a symbol of good luck, or it's religious connections (as it still does today in other parts of the world) and it can be seen in mediaeval heraldic devices. It is believed that it was derived in ancient times from simplified pictures of spiralling wind. 

argent a bend gules	vert a pall Or	azure a frette Or	Or a chevron purpure cotised gules

Diagram - Charges - examples of blazons with ordinaries and subordinaries

 

Back the the table of Contents

Back to The Historical Reenactment and Experimental Archaeology page.