medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Hi Chris,
You wrote:
>well, a cognomen is a kind of nickname.
Yes, but more in a positive way, isn't it?
Not so much a degrading one.
>except that _chenardus/canardus_ doesn't mean
"duck" in the 12th c.
Ah, bummer. I stand corrected.
>well, we don't really have to establish that
"chenard" was used as an heraldic
emblem, do we?
>only that it was a plant --it being well known
that all sorts of plants were
put to that purpose by the middlevils.
There is, sadly, no indication that the
hemp leaf has ever been used in heraldry until the early 1970’s. In fact:
the only plants/flowers that are used in early heraldry, by which I mean 12-13th
c, are the cinquefoil (later refined into a rose) and the fleur de lis (but
this is a rather late term for this charge; the symbol might have meant something
altogether different originally). For instance: while the (Anglo-)Norman family
of the counts of Anjou called Plantagenet has been nicknamed (or cog-named?) after
the broomplant, it was never used on a heraldic shield.
>so, clearly, we are in the presence of a bunch of
ill-tempered, dope smoking
guys who walk [and talk] like a duck.
Well, you must agree it’s a tempting
image.
Henk