HERMETIC HERALDRY
Studies devoted to hermetic
symbolism seldom touch upon its connections with heraldry though it seems that
they should be obvious even to someone with quite limited knowledge of both
systems of symbolism. The only works on this area of mutual influence between
hermetism and heraldry I could find are in French and include L'hermetisme
dans l'art heraldique by F. Cadet de Gassicourt and Du Roure de Paulir
(Paris, 1907, reprinted in Les origines symboliques du blason by Robert
Viel, Paris, 1972) and Le langage secret du blason by Gerard de Sorval
(Paris, 1981). Touching upon the problem are also De sable et d'or.
Symbolique heraldique. L'honreur du nom by Christian Jacq and Patrice de la
Perriere (Paris, 1976) and Initiation chevaleresque et initiation royale dans
la spiritualite chretienne by Gerard de Serval (1985). Even though they are
interesting and make a number of valuable observations, they lack a systematic
approach to the subject and their conclusions are rather overenthusiastic and
tend to be more esoteric than scholarly.
In my opinion the problem should be divided into two separate areas of
research, namely:
1. HERMETIC HERALDRY which includes (a) the influence of early hermetic ideas
on the developement of the heraldic system of coat-of-arms symbolism and (b) the
conscious use of hermetic symbols and emblems in later heraldic designs in order
to show the owner's interests or make the arms "speak".
2. HERALDIC HERMETISM which includes the use of highly structured symbolic
language of heraldry in hermetic iconography.
It may sometimes be difficult to differentiate between the two, of course, as
they were often used simultaneously but the division may still be useful for
methodological purposes.
European heraldry, as we know it, is the creation of the chivalric society of
the early 12th century and therefore it is obvious that if any hermetic
symbolism can be discerned in it, it must have preceded heraldry itself and not
the other way round. This is not, however, as simple as it may seem because
there is hardly any hermetic iconography from the times preceding heraldic
iconography. All comparisons, therefore, have to be made between much later
examples and from the 14th century onwards there was certainly much lateral
influence between heraldic and hermetic art that makes the whole problem still
more complicated.
The authors who have studied the impact of hermetic symbolism on heraldry
tend to see its developement like this:
I would argue, however,
that both hermetic and heraldic symbolism developed simultaneously, taking from
the same sources and influencing each other, which may be shown thus:
Studies devoted to hermetic
symbolism seldom touch upon its connections with heraldry though it seems that
they should be obvious even to someone with quite limited knowledge of both
systems of symbolism. The only works on this area of mutual influence between
hermetism and heraldry I could find are in French and include L'hermetisme
dans l'art heraldique by F. Cadet de Gassicourt and Du Roure de Paulir
(Paris, 1907, reprinted in Les origines symboliques du blason by Robert
Viel, Paris, 1972) and Le langage secret du blason by Gerard de Sorval
(Paris, 1981). Touching upon the problem are also De sable et d'or.
Symbolique heraldique. L'honreur du nom by Christian Jacq and Patrice de la
Perriere (Paris, 1976) and Initiation chevaleresque et initiation royale dans
la spiritualite chretienne by Gerard de Serval (1985). Even though they are
interesting and make a number of valuable observations, they lack a systematic
approach to the subject and their conclusions are rather overenthusiastic and
tend to be more esoteric than scholarly.
In my opinion the problem should be divided into two separate areas of
research, namely:
1. HERMETIC HERALDRY which includes (a) the influence of early hermetic ideas
on the developement of the heraldic system of coat-of-arms symbolism and (b) the
conscious use of hermetic symbols and emblems in later heraldic designs in order
to show the owner's interests or make the arms "speak".
2. HERALDIC HERMETISM which includes the use of highly structured symbolic
language of heraldry in hermetic iconography.
It may sometimes be difficult to differentiate between the two, of course, as
they were often used simultaneously but the division may still be useful for
methodological purposes.
European heraldry, as we know it, is the creation of the chivalric society of
the early 12th century and therefore it is obvious that if any hermetic
symbolism can be discerned in it, it must have preceded heraldry itself and not
the other way round. This is not, however, as simple as it may seem because
there is hardly any hermetic iconography from the times preceding heraldic
iconography. All comparisons, therefore, have to be made between much later
examples and from the 14th century onwards there was certainly much lateral
influence between heraldic and hermetic art that makes the whole problem still
more complicated.
The authors who have studied the impact of hermetic symbolism on heraldry
tend to see its developement like this:
I would argue, however,
that both hermetic and heraldic symbolism developed simultaneously, taking from
the same sources and influencing each other, which may be shown thus:
