I have recently had a coat of arms designed. I have to give a very large shout out to Deb Simmons at DKS Designs. She did a great job capturing both my English and Scottish background as well as displaying my arms in the correct ecclesiastical way for an Orthodox Priest. Thanks Deb. The hat on top of the Mantle is the hat an Orthodox Priest of my rank would wear. Below the shield is the motto I have chosen. On the arms it is in Romanian to denote that I am a Romanian Orthodox Priest. Translated it means “Be Not Afraid” I choose this motto because as Christians we cannot be afraid to step out and do what needs to be done. The lion’s head and the diamonds are taken from the arms of the Ships that bear the name Preble.
Is that a veil with the hat?
No, that is the exorassion, that is what your arms would look like also.
WAY cool. I ain’t posted mine in awhile… maybe I’d make my “over the back” cape out of the family tartan and in place of that cool Orthodox Stovepipe, I’d have a baseball cap 🙂
Very nice…. My mother’s family has a coat of arms (my mother’s maiden name is Burk), but I’ve only seen it once and would have to look at it again to figure out what all of the parts represent. I went to the web site and looked at the examples, and there is more information there than I expected. Now I’ll have to research it again.
Just to clear a few things up, there is no such thing as a family coat of arms. Arms are given to an individual.
Indeed… that’s why arms are handed down: my arms are a blending of Gransden, Bailey and Richardson with the primary mark of cadency. But the family does have a tartan!
In the English heraldic tradition, clergy arms are on an oval shield (because they can not carry weapons). You can see this in many Diocesan arms.
Why is your shield shaped “normal”?
You are right – after I did some more looking into it, I found that indeed to be the case. So now I have to figure out where what I was told came from in the first place.
It may have belonged to someone in my mother’s lineage (likely before my grandfather), and if that’s true I will let you know. If not, then I have no idea where she got the information she gave me from.
Hmmm…..
Huw, your are correct that clergy shields were round, but it seems in the past few years the trend is back to towards the normal shape sield. The one thing I added that is not in line with correct orthodox heraldry is the Celtic cross hanging. I cross should hang, but I had the artist depict a Celtic cross.