Origins and History

Emblems and Heraldry

By Måns Björkman

Elves, Men, Dwarves, and even Maiar in Middle-earth are all known to have used emblems, arms and heraldic devices of various kinds. These were used to distinguish kingdoms, groups of people, or individuals, much in the same way as in medieval Europe. Below I discuss and give examples of known heraldry and emblems of Arda. The accompanying illustrations are either based on preserved and published material, or reconstructed from written descriptions.

Contents

· The Eldar

o The Rules of Heraldry and their Application

o The Twelve Houses of Gondolin

· The Hildor

o The Edain of the First Age

o The Third Age: Arnor and Gondor

· Others

o The Istari

o The Khazâd

o The Hobbits

o Morgoth and His Legacy

The Eldar

THE RULES OF HERALDRY AND THEIR APPLICATION

The Elves had formulated rules or principles for the shaping of heraldic devices, which can be summarized in the following way:

· Devices for males were placed within a lozenge.

· Devices for females were placed within a circle.

· Devices for families, houses or countries were placed within a square.

· The rank of the owner was shown by the number of "points" reaching the outer rim of the device (see below). Four points signified a prince, six to eight signified a king. The oldest of the Elven kings, like Finwe, could sometimes have as many as 16 points. [1]

Origins and History

The rules of heraldry were usually followed by both the Noldor and the Sindar, which might indicate that they were already in existence (albeit in a crude form) at Cuiviénen; but it is tempting to argue that at that time the Elves were not yet culturally "sophisticated" enough for such ideas. The rules may also have evolved over time, and become known by oral tradition before recieving written form. If the rules were invented by the Noldor, which would otherwise seem likely, it seems strange that the Sindarin heraldry follows these rules, considering Thingol's anti-Noldorin politics. One thing that supports the Noldor as being the originators of the rules is that the Noldorin royals generally seem to have been given higher "status" in their devices, according to the rules above.

That the Sindar invented the rules must be considered a possibility; the Noldor adopted the language of the Sindar when they arrived in Beleriand, so why not the heraldry? Devices are known for Noldor who never had a chance to get aquainted with the Sindar, but that might be explained with that those devices were created at a later time; cf. Finwe's device.

What was the original purpose of the Elvish heraldry? In medieval Europe, heraldry was always connected with warfare: the knights needed a way to be easily recognizable on the battle-field, even in full armour. The heraldic devices thus had to be recognizable from a fair distance, invoking the necessity of stylized symbols and strict use of colours. These demands were clearly not met by the Elvish heraldry, which might either indicate that the devices weren't originally intended for warfare (which seems like a possibility; see below) or that the Elves had extremely good eyesight (which is known for a fact).

Further, in early medieval Europe the shape of the devices was usually restricted by the shield to which it was applied. Does this indicate that the Elves had lozengal and round shields? Round shields are very common in the early civilizations of the world, whereas lozengal shields are rare. The shape of a lozenge also seems a little unpractical for defence purposes.

The inevitable conclusion seems to be that the Elvish heraldry was not originally intended for identification in the battle plain (even though it may have gained such a rôle in the later ages). More likely, its primary function was to represent the kings and queens of Eldalie, and identify them in records and art. Thus it seems even more likely that some or many of the devices were constructed posthumously.

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