That clinches it, and it's hilarious! I read the entire website and it's
like stepping back 500 years into the past; students in Literature of
Chivalry courses should be directed to this. It includes several
Renaissance paintings of chivalric events. There are several coats of arms
crowned with equally absurd animals. There is a coat of arms crowned with a
dragon like Arthur's helmet.I particularly liked the black and gold coat of
arms in the left-hand column;it's crowned with two cats all splayed out as
if they are being electrocuted, one pirouetting on one foot. At 07:38 PM
8/21/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Some months ago someone enquired on the list about a peculiar-looking
>beast with spikes coming out of it, and after much to-ing and fro-ing we
>concluded this must be the Sidney porcupine. Quite by accident I just
>discovered, on the College of Arms web site, an excellent picture of a
>"full achievement" of the arms of Robert Sidney, painted in 1616, and
>the porcupine at the top is exactly as described above. It bears little
>resemblance to any denizen of the forest, but then that's heraldry for
>you. See the URL below. Best to all, Germaine.
>http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/about\14.htm
>--
>***********************************************************************
>Germaine Warkentin // English (Emeritus)
>VC 205, Victoria College (University of Toronto),
>73 Queen's Park Crescent East, Toronto, Ont. M5S 1K7, CANADA
>[log in to unmask] (fax number on request)
>***********************************************************************
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