Heraldry: Background  

Heraldry in Greater Hann is not particularly sophisticated. It started in the old Hann with the clan colours and plaids of the five great families, which their member wore as a form of identification. It developed slightly as clan chiefs and leader developed individual coats of arms. As yet the patterns and shapes were simple, they didn’t need to be anything else, as there were so few people who had the right to bear individual coats of arms. When Hann fell, Oliver Green-Barrel was able to rescue many of the heraldic records and spirit them away to his new stronghold on the Holy Isle.

Later as the Wangate Empire developed, more people were entitled to bear arms and designs became more sophisticated. At this time shield shape started to change, the majority still bore the old fashioned round shield, but there were a few who started to adopt a new, almost triangular shaped shield. When the Wangate Empire fell the heralds had warning, and managed to ship copies of many of their central records out to the holy isle, for safety. When the capital finally fell, the Holy Isle and the Raven King of Armes became the primary source of Heraldic awards in the region.

In the time of troubles that followed, the Holy Isle, offered wise advice, assisted the resettlement of the refugees, and generally consolidated its position. As things settled down, the majority of leaders found that their claim to nobility was recognized through the Holy Isle - and thus continued to support it.

Now-a-days, titles not recognized by the Holy Isle are considered illegitimate in most of Greater Hann, so each independent domain, while it has its own heralds, submits its senior awards to the Raven’s Court for ratification. Squires, Knights, Lords and Viscounts are in the gift of the local ruler, other hereditary and noble titles need to be ratified by the Raven's court.

Click here to see some of the  Coats of Armes you may see around Galinia.

Click here to build a Coat of Armes.