RE: What is unique or rare about the VM Zodiac signs?
R. Sale > 06-11-2020, 08:30 PM
Zodiac signs in heraldry, an interesting suggestion. Should we also be looking for scorpions, bulls, lions and virgins, also?
As far as the insignia itself, there are three different pictorial representations (#2 = #3). And there are two different descriptions or blazons (#1 and #2/#3).
It's interesting to run these old heraldic descriptions through Google Translate and see what comes out.
#1 Blazon:
Portent d'argent à un pommier sauvage et un bouquetin de sâble dressé contre les branches, sur trois montagnettes de sinople au pied de l'escu.
#1 Google:
Carry Argent to a wild apple tree and an ibex of sable raised against the branches, on three montagnettes Vert at the foot of the escu.
#2/#3 Blazon:
Armoiries : d'argent à un bélier de sable dressé en pied contre un arbre de sinople, fûté du second, le tout soutenu de trois coupeaux de sinople.
#2/#3 Google:
Coat of arms: Argent to a ram Sable drawn up against a tree Vert, barrel of the second, the whole supported by three cups Vert.
For those who trust Google Translation completely, guess again. Even with the combined information, it takes further input to fully and simply explain.
It is a "coat of arms", a blazon. Argent is silver (white). The field (background) is silver (white). The animal is an ibex or ram. The animal is sable (black). It is drawn up against a tree / raised up against the branches of a wild apple tree. The tree is vert (green). "Barrel of the second" means the tree trunk is of the second (color) - which is black. And "[font=Arial, sans-serif]the whole supported by three cups Vert" or "[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]on three montagnettes Vert at the foot of the escu." So they're either on 'cups' or 'montagnettes', which are green. I'm going with hills at the bottom of the escutcheon.[/font][/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]In the #2/#3 version of the insignia, note the parallel, diagonal, hatching lines on the tree and on the hills. This is the standard Petra Sancta pattern to denote green. White is white (silver = argent) and black is back (sable). It's as simple as that. Just look at all the potential problems in the attempted translations. [/font][/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The third variation (image #4) has significant differences: a blue field and three stars in chief.[/font][/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Interesting as this may be - or not, what is the proposed relevance to the VMs? The heraldic depictions consistently show a ram or ibex standing on its back legs - the VMs examples do not fit that criterion. Standing on the back legs fairly clearly indicates browsing. Muzzle in the tree versus tree in the background could be ambiguous. Bumps on the ground versus *three hills* does not match very well.[/font][/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I think that the path of investigation more relevant to the VMs would be the 13 other examples of browsing 'goats' in versions of Aries in a zodiac that JKP mentioned. What more can be said regarding the provenance of these sources, particularly those of the 15th century? Perhaps there are items here that have provenance which might cross paths with the provenance of things in other investigations.[/font][/font]