Axe

[ An axe Or ], [ An axe facing sinister Argent, hafted Or ], and [ An axe Argent, hafted Or ].

[ Un hacha de oro ], [ Un hacha alterada de plata, fustada de oro ] y [ Un hacha de plata, fustada de oro ].

Emblazoned by me in 3 steps: outlined, plain metals Argent and Or, and with lights and shadows.

axe, axes: Heraldic figure representing a cutting tool consisting of a metal blade with a straight or curved edge, mounted on a handle of wood or metal. Typically depicted in a palewise position, unless another attitude is specified.

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Categories: Axe and Glossary.

Gules, two Axes Argent, hafted Or, addorsed, issuant from the base; overall, at the nombril, an Escutcheon Or.

Escudo de gules, dos hachas adosadas de plata, fustadas de oro, movientes de la punta; brochante sobre el todo, en el ombligo, un escudete de oro.

Coat of arms interpreted with: the semicircular shape; its field illuminated with Gules; its figures and escutcheon illuminated with Or and Argent and outlined in Sable; and with a free hand texture.

At the nombril

A distinctive feature of this coat of arms is that its escutcheon, instead of being overall in the center, is positioned on a point of the coat of arms called the nombril, which, as we learn from [Avilés, J.; 1725a; page 159 and illustration 19] and also [Avilés, J.; 1780a; pages 147 and 148], in «Heraldry, the nombril of the coat of arms, is the place through which the human body receives nourishment in the mother's womb, and in the shield, it corresponds to the point where the fess ends and the base begins.».

If this escutcheon, «escudete» in Castilian, had been positioned in the center of the coat of arms, then it would have to be blazoned as the piece called an inescutcheon, «escusón» in Castilian. In fact, the Norsk Heraldisk Forening uses the English term «escutcheon» to describe the blazon of its arms.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Axe, Argent, Hafted, Or, Addorsed, Issuant from base, Overall, At the nombril and Escutcheon.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Shaded and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Socioeconomic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Norsk Heraldisk Forening.

Norsk Heraldisk Forening, in English, Nordic Heraldry Society, was founded on February 27, 1969, at the National Archives in Oslo, with the aim of promoting the study and knowledge of heraldry through meetings, lectures, excursions, and other dissemination methods, and additionally, to become an advisory body to resolve issues in matters of heraldry, flags, personal coats of arms, etc. Its first president was Dr. Philos Herman L. Løvenskiold.

Since then, these have remained the objectives of the Norsk Heraldisk Forening, and its membership count has remained between 150 and 200 members, and it cooperates with the Nordic Heraldry Society, «Societas Heraldica Scandinavica».

The website's address is Heraldikk.no, its content is available in both Norwegian and English, and they work systematically to expand it and provide greater and better information to both its members and those interested in heraldry.

Blazon

Alex Maxwell Findlater described it in English, including its crest, in an article that was on their previous website under the title «About the society», as follows: «Gules issuant from base two battle-axes addorsed Argent shafted Or overall at the nombril point an escutcheon Or; for Crest between two axes of the arms a panache of three peacock feathers proper; Mantling Gules doubled Or». But given that «shafted» applies to weapons with a shaft and «hafted» to weapons with a handle, in the case of axes, I use «hafted» although both terms correspond to the Spanish «fustado».

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Note how the axes are described as battle-axes, just as in the blazon of the Norwegian coat of arms, where its lion holds a battle-axe.

Coat of arms I attempted to interpret in the Norwegian style, all in flat tinctures, without Sable outlines, lighting or shading, and only with a simple rough finish.

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Categories: Institution, Interpreted, Socioeconomic, Semi-circular, Plain tincture, Outlined in the field tincture, Rough, Coat of arms, Without divisions, Gules, Axe, Argent, Hafted, Or, Addorsed, Issuant from base, Overall, At the nombril and Escutcheon.

Gules, two axes addorsed Argent, hafted Or, issuant from the base; overall, at the nombril, an escutcheon Or.

Escudo de gules, dos hachas adosadas de plata, fustadas de oro, movientes de la punta; brochante sobre el todo, en el ombligo, un escudete de oro.

Interpretation I have made with the following characteristics: the escutcheon is semicircular, in the classic Castilian style; its field is illuminated with the tincture gules; its 2 axes and escutcheon are outlined in sable and illuminated with the metal Or, and the axe heads in Argent; and the execution is in a raised line style.

Hafted or shated

The term «hafted» in English is specifically used for weapons with handles, such as axes and hammers. This refers to the part of the weapon where the user grips, which is typically made of wood or metal and is essential for wielding the weapon effectively. The haft is integral to the weapon's function, providing the necessary leverage and control during use.

On the other hand, «shafted» is a term used in English for weapons with a shaft, which is a longer, slender part of the weapon, as seen in spears, arrows, and sometimes in lances. The shaft is usually the primary structural component, providing the length and reach, while also serving as the backbone of the weapon.

In both cases, the term indicates that this part of the weapon is of a different tincture from the rest of the figure.

In Castilian, however, both «hafted» and «shafted» translate to «fustadas», which broadly refers to a similar concept where the handle or shaft is of a different color than the head or blade.

Then, I prefer using «hafted» when referring to axes and hammers due to the specificity of the term in English.

This contrasts with the term «guarnezidas» ~ «hilted», which is used for swords, indicating a different color for the guard or hilt, rather than for the shaft or handle.

Addorsed, back to back

For the arrangement of the axes in relation to each other, the one on the dexter facing dexter, the one on the sinister facing sinister, I use the term «addorsed» as it is the most common, but I previously used «back to back», which is said of «two animals, rampant, with their backs against each other, each facing the opposite flank. Two keys are also described as back to back when they are positioned with the bits outward, each to its side; the same applies to sickles, or scythes and generally to all long objects that have two faces, like two axes...» [Avilés, J.; 1780a; page 98], this being the case for the axes in this shield.

«Dalla» is a synonym for «scythe» used in and originating from Aragon and Navarra, [Real Academia Española; 2001].

In the English blazon, «adosadas», «de espaldas», is rendered as «addorsed», from the French «adossé», which is said, for example, when «two animals turned back to back» and some also use «endorsed».

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Axe, Argent, Hafted, Or, Addorsed, Issuant from base, Overall, At the nombril and Escutcheon.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Socioeconomic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Norsk Heraldisk Forening.