Heraldry is the decorative art form of the medieval age of Europe. Begun as a way to identify friends and foes in combat and tournament, it grew to become the chief means of expressing presence, ownership and affiliation across Europe. Its bold colours, distinctive designs of objects and creatures and specialised language became a feature of European courts; it persists today as part of the high ceremonies of the United Kingdom.
In the Society, heralds advise people about designs for their arms, and help them research and develop historic names for themselves. You have the option to register your name and arms with the Society just as heralds registered arms with noble families throughout the late middle ages.
Heralds also serve the royalty by organising and conducting court. Court is the ceremonial side of the Society, where the royalty of the Society recognise excellence, leadership and service contributions from the members.
This one-page article from Poore House is a beautiful summary of how heraldic arms can work in the Society.
The heraldry section of the Drachenwald website outlines the policies of the kingdom College of Heralds, and has many helpful articles, and the submission forms as PDFs.
Some other useful reading:
- Modar’s heraldry page – a large website with plenty of reading about SCA heraldry
- Medieval Names Archive This collection of articles on medieval and renaissance names is intended to help historical re-creators to choose authentic names.
- Medieval Heraldry Archive This collection of articles on medieval and renaissance heraldry is intended to help historical re-enactors