With the risk of revealing a secret before its time, I’m asking for feedback on an idea that Ben and I have been working on.
Crests and the coat of arms are standard fare in fantasy writing. Armies, houses, belongings, and communications were identified with the symbol of a family or orginization. They stand for unity, and the power of the whole behind the actions of the individual. Even today, we see logos and symbols plastered everywhere, jockeying for our support or approval.
With this in mind, Ben and I have set out to formulate a Spooner Family crest. We hope to create a symbol we would be proud to pass on to our children. A symbol that stands for our band of brothers, united against the flagrant world. A symbol that would look really cool on the back of a cape!
Here’s what we have so far. Family Crest Idea
Starting from the top down:
The tree stands for the spirit. Many parts, unified in one. Growing, flexible, but always the same.
The sword stands for the soul. Judging and discerning between right and wrong. Justice, quickly excercised.
The book stands for the body, and truth. All reality is founded on truth, and truth is reality. Without the body, the rest of the parts have no basis.
The arrows stand for war and death. Fundamentally, we are at war, all the time, day and night. The very cover of the book of reality is that of war and suffering and death. Conversely, our death is Christ is the foundation for all we can hope to accomplish, and the source of all earthly joy.
Comments on the artistry, symbolism, spelling, and any other aspects are (as always) greatly appreciated. All features are still in development.
What is your family crest?
Wilkinson Family Crest
From reading the stuff on the site, the colors (Green, Gold, and Red) denote hope and loyality in love, generosity, and warrior, matyr, or military strength, respectively. The plant (which I think is Holly) denotes Truth, the helmet denotes a Wise Defense, and the bird (a Marlett or Swallow) is indicative of one who has been dispossessed of land. It is a very old crest, just as the family name is among the oldest in the English language.
That’s cool. I like how the lines of the pictures are all intertwined. Now all you need are colors.
Actually, I see this crest traced in metallic thread on a single color fabric (I’m partial to silver on black), rather than colored. I think the tree would need to be drawn differently if it were to be colored. Additionally, something ought to be done with the book, I found it difficult to identify. I’m no artist, so take these ideas with salt, but avoid consuming any dairy products for at least thirty minuets after ingestion.