Chapter 6 2. The devil in striped clothes-5

Pattern and background: Striped coat of arms There is one canonical discipline by which historians and semioticians scrutinize the close connection between the visual problems of stripes and their social meaning: heraldry.Heraldry is the rules, terms and graphics of fingerprint seals. For military (identifying warriors on the battlefield and at tourneys) and social (imparting status marks to the upper classes of feudal society), the coat of arms that emerged in the 12th century can be defined as colored, dedicated to individuals or groups, A sign whose composition follows certain rules.It is mainly these rules, few but strict, that distinguish the heraldic system of Europe from all the symbolic systems that have preceded or followed it.From the middle of the 12th century, coats of arms quickly became popular, both geographically and socially.Nearly 1300, coats of arms were used throughout Western societies.People can choose their own heraldic designs as they like, as long as they don't copy others.This was the heyday of heraldry.As signs of status, symbols of possession and ornamental designs, coats of arms appear on a variety of vehicles: civilian and military clothing, houses and monuments, furniture and fabrics, books, seals, coins, works of art and objects of everyday life.Churches also make extensive use of coats of arms, often becoming veritable museums of coats of arms [35].

For one reason or another, there are countless coats of arms with "stripes".According to current statistics, about 15% of the 1 million coats of arms in the Middle Ages in Western Europe have stripes.However, there are various realities hidden behind this ratio.The stripes in the coat of arms have one form or another, and the stripes can vary endlessly from the perspective of form, variation and re-variation.In a symbolic sense, the stripes that appear on the arms of real people or families are very different from those that appear in literature or on the arms of fictional characters.In fact, if there is a stripe pattern in the coat of arms, it is not very derogatory in the symbolic sense for the former, but it is very derogatory for the latter.Let us study it in detail.

The heraldic vocabulary has no words for "striped" and "striped", or even a general term for the pattern and structure of stripes.Instead, it makes a detailed distinction between stripes obtained by dividing a plane into a series of narrow or wide stripes (called "straight divisions") and stripes simply superimposed on a single-color plane (called "stamps").In the first case, the number of stripes is even, there is only one layer, and the two colors are perfectly balanced.In the second case, the number of stripes is odd, there are two layers, and the dominant color is the color of the background layer.To heraldry—and to the medieval eye in general—the true stripes are those divided by straight lines, that is, stripes that blend figure and background on the same plane.Visually, there is no way to distinguish what is the color of the graphic from what is the color of the background.There is only one level (and in the dotted pattern or spot there are two, the background level and the dotted or dotted figure level), and this level is not of the same colour, which in itself is queer and perverse enough, Unacceptable.All striped surfaces seem to be deceiving because it does not allow the eye to distinguish between the graphic and the background it is attached to.Reading layer by layer—the way people used to look at pictures in the middle ages—that is, starting from the background layer and gradually moving closer to the layer closest to the viewer’s eyes, the reading method is no longer feasible. The “layered” structure that medieval people’s eyes are so sensitive and accustomed to Disappeared, the eyes don't know where to start looking, where to find the background of the image.Therefore, all stripes appear evil, even devilish, on the surface.

The extremely sophisticated heraldry also uses a large number of accurate words to describe and distinguish the heraldry composed of horizontal stripes, vertical stripes, left-to-right diagonal stripes and right-to-left diagonal stripes.These are four different surface structures.The first three are relatively common, and the fourth is very rare (except in Italy), because it is rare, so it contains a derogatory meaning.Like the striped robes of the Carmelite monks, the striped coat of arms was long infamous, sometimes reserved for treacherous knights and low-born men, especially illegitimate children, in literature.

Not only that, starting from these four basic stripe structures, by changing the number and width of stripes, especially the shape of the stripe edge: straight line, curve, broken line, wavy line, etc., a large number of variants have been constructed. For example, a horizontal stripe An example of a coat of arms, if the number of stripes - usually an even number - exceeds eight, is called "fasc" Gong 癴 asc? Asc? dentel ? The distinction as precise as science and as fine as lexicography is not a speculative or idle game. On the contrary, it makes the heraldry based on simple and easy-to-express graphics, which not only meet the needs of the whole society, but also can be classified and To show kinship. For example, in the same family, the head of the house can use "巆u fasc? d'argent et d gazur" (that is, the coat of arms decorated with white and blue horizontal stripes), and the second house can use the same color But the coat of arms with a curved, prominent zigzag and pheasant saucer on the fringes. Visually enough to emphasize family cohesion (all coats of arms are similar) but at the same time it introduces differences (Heraldology calls it the distinction between long and small houses, legitimate and illegitimate.) It helps to distinguish the various branches of the family. Heraldry succeeds in expressing extremely subtle and complex kinship structures with extremely concise means.

European heraldry is not the only system to visually express kinship by means of stripes and striped surfaces.There are similar rules in Asia, Africa, and especially South America, which function to place the individual within the group and the group within the society.These rules are almost always embodied in fabrics, clothing or garment trimmings.For example, in countries along the Andes, striped or slightly different weave fabrics can be used to distinguish races, clans, or families [36].In Scotland a similar system existed in tartan (which dates no earlier than the eighteenth century), though the social structure upon which it was based was different[37], but nothing with such complete and detailed rules as the coat of arms.Furthermore, in contrast to the symbols used by other societies and other cultures, heraldry shows the property of being able to be applied to any carrier: wood, stone, fabric, paper, metal, skin, etc.The same heraldry can be sketched, painted, carved, or plastic in form, and its expression can be varied, but its essence remains the same (in this sense, it can be compared to letters).For heraldry, too, structure prevails over form: heraldry is not an image but the structure of an image.Hence any stripe, whatever it may be, is more or less heraldic in nature, for it, like the coat of arms, is first of all a structure, and secondly a form.

Another unique feature of the European heraldic system is the design of heraldry for fictional characters: heroes of literature, characters of the Bible, characters of myth and legend, saints, anthropomorphic vices and virtues.This design activity began as soon as the coat of arms appeared, that is to say, from the middle of the 12th century.disappeared until modern times.Thanks to these imaginary arms, historians have at their disposal a wealth of material to study the symbolism of the arms (something far beyond the reach of real arms).By relating what people knew and thought of a character to the shapes and colors of the coat of arms designed for him, it is possible to generalize the value system and understand what the various shapes and colors meant or meant to the senses and imaginations of medieval people.

As far as stripes and "striped" figures are concerned, we find again in heraldry in literature and in fictional heraldry all the pejorative aspects which we have emphasized in speaking of clothing and iconography.Most sigils containing "stripes" are bad or negative sigils.Literature leaves these arms to treacherous knights, usurping princes, low-born men (bastards, commoners), and all those who are cruel, immoral, and outrageous.In iconography, these imaginary stripes (horizontal, diagonal, vertical, etc.) are generally assigned to pagan kings, devilish creatures, anthropomorphic faults (especially infirmity, lying, and cunning).Of course, these heraldic patterns designed around stripes are not all bad patterns—a number of animals (leopards, monkeys, billy goats, snakes, dragons, toads) and geometric patterns (such as crescents and aliens) also share this role. color squares)—but the stripe pattern occupies a large proportion [38].With the help of the changes of the borderlines introduced earlier, nuances can also be produced and used to express the degree of derogatory meaning: there are fasc 幎 蹎 繎 普瑜 锸 Kan Huan Vinegar Qian Cheng brand  Mi Na 锸 Jun   Xun Support Satyamyne Dam dazzle asc? Qianmei Mimo Mei Mi Moumou Tanyinhuangzhi ひ耳烟边? The problem facing historians is to find out how such rules were accepted and adopted.As far as fictional arms are concerned, all or almost all "striped" arms have a negative connotation.In real life, however, there are countless coats of arms with striped patterns, some even prestigious.Since at least the end of the 12th century, the Kingdom of Aragon has had the coat of arms of pal?d?r et de gueules, the yellow and red vertical stripes.These stripes may have originated in Provence, perhaps inherited from the banners of previous feudal lords, as a sign of liaison.They are symbols of majesty rather than pejorative marks [39].How does the public grasp the difference between real and fictional arms?Why do certain families and princes and nobles tolerate their own stripes knowing that there are bad people in a large number of literature and works of art with stripes?Is it a background issue?Reading level question?Or accept the question?In any case, the heraldic rule appears to be quite complete here, since it can introduce two different and even opposing value systems on the same pictorial structure.

A modern extension of the striped coat of arms can be seen on the flag.We'll come back to this later, but for now we can stress that many flags in Europe have their origins in feudal military ensigns, or the coats of arms of old dynasties.However, whether it is the national flag or the state flag, it is obviously not derogatory in the eyes of users.Here the rules are sharply separated from the fictional and negative aspects.On the contrary, traces can still be seen on the livery and servants' clothing. The stripes are no longer a symbol of the devil, but they are still a derogatory sign.