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Elephant's attitude

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Outis

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May 5, 2012, 4:52:26 PM5/5/12
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Some fascinating discussions here lately. Thanks!

However, I have a rather mundane question to ask:

What is, if any, the proper blazoning term for a trumpeting elephant?

What I mean is: an elaphant facing to the side, with all feet on the
ground, but the head and trunk raised up high.

Ideas?

Derek Howard

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May 6, 2012, 1:09:28 PM5/6/12
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Two suggestions. First the heraldic one. Banyster's treatise and
bestiary, followed by Loutfut suggest that the elephant was called
barro in India, "for his cry is callit barritus" ("The Deidis of
Armorie", ed Houwen, 1994, v 1, 26, for Loutfut in Scots; or C
Boudreau: "L'héritage symbolique des hérauts d'armes", 2006, v 2, 649,
for Banyster in French).

Second, M Pastoureau: "Bestiaires du moyen âge", 2011, 82, gives a
story that in India elephants were believed to have participated in
the delivery of justice, using the truck to throw the criminal in the
air and catch him again placing him on the ground with a foot on top
of his chest. If condemned to death the elephant would then crush or
cut in two the victim. Perhaps your elephant is "in mid-judgment", the
defendant being temporarily off-shield :-).

Derek Howard

Turenne

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May 11, 2012, 4:17:32 PM5/11/12
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On Sunday, May 6, 2012 6:09:28 PM UTC+1, Derek Howard wrote:
> On May 5, 10:52 pm, Outis <ulys...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Some fascinating discussions here lately.  Thanks!
> >
> > However, I have a rather mundane question to ask:
> >
> > What is, if any, the proper blazoning term for a trumpeting elephant?
> >
> > What I mean is: an elaphant facing to the side, with all feet on the
> > ground, but the head and trunk raised up high.
> >
> > Ideas?

I fond this (trunk raised, but head down)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HelffreichWappen.jpg

I can't find anything with four feet on the ground, head and trunk raised. My guess for the blazon would be 'statant trumpeting', or 'statant guardant'.

RL

Outis

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May 12, 2012, 12:59:00 AM5/12/12
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Many thanks for your suggestions.

> Perhaps your elephant is "in mid-judgment", the
> defendant being temporarily off-shield :-).
What a delightful picture! Alas I don't think this will go too well
with the person for whom the blazon is intended.

> I fond this (trunk raised, but head down)
> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HelffreichWappen.jpg
The elephant in this picture doesn't look like he has a head at all --
at least not one that can be raised independently from his body.

I will probably settle for simply "trumpeting". I'm beginning to
develop a taste for ambiguity lately.
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