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Archiver > HERBARZ > 2003-08 > 1060112009


From: <>
Subject: RE: Peacock Feathers
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 13:33:29 -0600
In-Reply-To: <000f01c35b5f$bead1220$210110ac@THINKPAD>


The crest in armorial achievements was really advanced as tournament
device. Early arms were without crests. The same holds true in Poland.
It was once held in English heraldry that crests were available only to
those of tournament rank. Later on it seemed that everyone wanted a
crest and this became a part of the regular armorial achievement. The
ostrich plumes and peacock feathers and some other forms such as wings
or horns were commonly used and in particular the ostrich feathers
became a bit of a default option in Polish heraldry. The other fall back
was the repetition of the main device of the shield in the crest. In
Polish heraldry relatively little regard seems to be given to the crest,
there being sometimes great diversity among crests even within the same
arms. I would not read any significance to peacock v. ostrich feathers
or to their numbers.

Kind regards,
George Lucki


> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Zincavage [mailto:]
> Sent: August 5, 2003 8:42 AM
> To:
> Subject: Re: Peacock Feathers
>
> I expect if you were not artistically inclined, lacked the means to
> commission a headgear masterpiece, or simply thought having some kind
of
> wooden bird or animal stuck on top of your helmet looked silly, you
were
> probably perfectly happy to settle for the simpler crest of a few (3
or 5)
> ostrich or peacock plumes. Peacock plumes cost more than ostrich, and
were
> clearly a form of conspicuous consumption. The knights of the
Teutonic
> Order were known to favor peacock plumes, and their use by a Polish
knightly
> may possibly commemorate some victory over a knight of that Order, or
> participation in the victory at Grunwald, or --of course-- may have no
> significance at all beyond a personal preference.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 7:19 AM
> Subject: Peacock Feathers
>
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > Interesting enough the Odrowaz Coat of Arms also has three peacock
> feathers.
> > Do you know if this has any association, or is it just that Peacock
> feathers
> > were popular?
> >
> > Inquiring minds would like to know. :-)
> >
> > Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewski, B.F.A., Clan Malcolm, PGSA, PGSM.
> > <A
HREF="http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/9538/syptab.html">The
> Sypniewski Family-Table of Contents</A>
> > <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/auch2000/index.html">Auch 2000's
> Scottish Pages </A>
> >
> > In a message dated 8/5/03 10:12:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> > writes:
> >
> >
> >
> > > > Five ostrich feathers that symbolized the Godzdawa crest <
> > >
> > > The Gozdawa crest is usually depicted as a sheaf of peacock
feathers
> > > with the double lily superimposed upon it. Two variants substitute
3
> > > ostrich plumes. One variant known to Ostrowski had 5 ostrich
plumes, but
> > > he doesn't know which family used it. Five ostrich plumes could be
the
> > > crest of hundreds of other coats of arms. No surviving medieval
Gozdawa
> > > specimens have a crest. The familiar Gozdawa peacock crest emerges
in
> > > the 16th century. According to Leszczyc the Pacewicz family is a
branch
> > > of the Pac family, whose crest had a sheaf of peacock feathers.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>



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