The Gauntlet - October 2012

A Publication of Armorial Gold Heraldry Services

THE QUIVER

Ensign of Diana

In ancient times, arrows were usually made of reed and fitted with metal heads. They were carried in leather quivers, and sometimes horse-drawn chariots were also fitted with quivers. A quiver is depicted in ancient Egyptian and Assyrian reliefs as holding approximately 30 arrows, or approximately 50 arrows when attached to a chariot; ensign of Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt and protector of children (Artemis is her Greek counterpart). It is both a symbol of the hunt and one of a valiant defender.

THE PALM BRANCH

Victory over Evil

In pre-Christian times the palm was regarded as a symbol of victory, justice, and high honour. It is the symbol of Saint Anastasia. The palm branch became an insignia for all those who, martyr or saint, deserved victory over evil.

The palm tree on the other hand, is betoken on one as a reward for justice, as justice is long in coming to the virtuous. It is a symbolic tree of paradise. Denotes righteousness and resurrection. The Palm tree was sacred to Apollo, the Greek god of light and prophecy. He was born under a palm tree on the Aegean island of Delos. The date palm has been referred to as the tree of life and as such became a symbol of the righteous.

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NEW MANTLE THIS MONTH

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THE RAINBOW

Sign of the Covenant

A symbol of transfiguration; in Norse mythology the rainbow is Bifrost, the bridge between Midgaard, the world of men and Asgaard, home of the gods; a symbol of peace and concord and a sign of promise. The rainbow is the sign of the Covenant with Noah and God's promise to Noah that never again would the World be purified by flood water. The rainbow, was often thought of the bridge to the Heavens, and as such was a popular heraldic symbol of hope.

THE MIGHTY RAM

A symbol of stability

A male sheep. In Celtic symbolism, the Ram is believed to be a symbol of fecundity and rebirth. The Ram was revered by the Persians and sacred to the Egyptians as a symbol of life, dominion and stability. It is also said to represent leadership and authority.

The symbolism of the Ram has great antiquity. The cult of the Ram flourished in the Middle East beginning about 2000 BC. For example, the chief god of Upper Egypt was Amon, a highly spiritual deity whose name means "occult" or "hidden." He was originally represented as having the head of a Ram and was worshipped in Roman times as Jupiter Ammon. Isaiah prophesied that the Rams returning to Israel with God's scattered children would joyfully offer themselves upon the altars of the Millennial Temple.

The most famous Ram in the Old Testament is the one Abraham found trapped by its horns in a thicket on Mount Moriah where he had gone to sacrifice his only son Isaac. [Gen 22: 1-14]

An angel stopped the hand of Abraham just as he was about to kill his boy and the Ram was sacrificed instead. This story is known as the akedah (binding) and is a reminder of the obedience of the patriarchs. Aries, the Ram, is the first sign of the zodiac and is related to dawn, the spring, and the beginning of life. The Ram has played an important role in the religion and mythology of many different cultures.

THE ANGEL

The Messenger.....

According to Dionysius the Areopagite, angels were divided into nine orders: Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, in the first circle; Dominions, Virtues, and Powers, in the second circle, and Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, in the third circle.

They denote dignity, glory, virtue and honour; missionary; bearer of joyful intelligence.

The image is an archangel brandishing a sword enflamed in one hand and resting the other hand on a shield. This particular emblem is used by the Irish surname "Tuite".

FREE SOFTWARE FOR THE WMF FILE FORMAT

Popular Free Graphic Software Serif Draw for Windows has introduced some changes worth noting. The new free version is now called the Draw Plus Starter Edition and works with Vista and Windows 7. We should further note that when you have Serif ready to go, to open a wmf file you don't select "open", you use "insert" from file. For those who want to try it out, click on the Serif logo. Once you've downloaded the software Serif will send you an unlock code. The Serif website also has some good tutorials to help you along.

Free software for Windows and Mac. Tips: Use "open" to open a wmf file. To ungroup the image, click once on it and choose "modify" (top command bar), then select "break". To group an image you select the image with your mouse, then choose "modify" then "Group. To download software click on the Logo.

Know of other Free graphic software programs? Please let us know so that we can post it for other members to take advantage of.

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We are leaving this help tip up, as more and more of you are upgrading

your Corel Draw software to X3 or X4

Corel Draw has changed some default settings in X3 and X4 that can render your vector images black, do the same for your F9 preview and in the case of X4 display your image excessively dark.

Fixes:

Top Command Bar/View Select 'enhanced' and not 'enhanced with overprints';
Top Command Bar/Tools/Color Management Color Mode for Effects-should be set at RGB (not CMYK);
Top Command Bar/Tools Select 'Save Settings as default' ;
When importing AG graphics into X4, make sure you first group your image before using the F9 full screen preview (X3 imports the graphic already grouped).