World of Greyhawk shield devices

[Quasqueton]

There is a strange symbol/rune on some shield devices of the WoG nations. You can see the symbol on at least five shields in the 1983 books. The symbol isn't as easy to see (or is not present) in the 2001 LGG.

The symbol is a diamond (square standing on its corner) with an X through it. The realm shields I can see it on are: Onnwall, Idee, Lordship of the Isles, County of Sunndi, and City of Irongate.

I can't find this symbol, or reference to it, in the books (even the section on Oerth runes). Can anyone shed some light on this symbol? Erik Mona? grodog?

Quasqueton

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Sounds like an Iron League designation in the heraldic device just purely by the list of nations.

 

[Arkhandus]

Yeah, seems like it to me, too. Odd that it isn't seen on the emblems of Sunndi and the Lordship of the Isles in the LGG. It might be mentioned in the Dragon Magazine article that described some stuff about the Iron League, but I can't remember what issue it was. It was sometime in the past year or two.....

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

The Lordship of the Isles more or less punted from the Iron League when they became a puppet state of the Scarlet Brotherhood, right?, and Sunndi dropped itself from membership though they affirm Irongate and Onnwal as allies.

 

[grodog]

There is a strange symbol/rune on some shield devices of the WoG nations. You can see the symbol on at least five shields in the 1983 books. The symbol isn't as easy to see (or is not present) in the 2001 LGG.

The symbol is a diamond (square standing on its corner) with an X through it. The realm shields I can see it on are: Onnwall, Idee, Lordship of the Isles, County of Sunndi, and City of Irongate.

Good eye, Quasqueton! I haven't ever noticed that symbol before. I think you've hit upon the long-lost symbol of Iron League!

I looked in the runes in the Folio as well as the '83 box set, and while it's not really present in either, that symbol is an approximation of the 1983 rune for "evil/evil pursuer" (page 17, Glassography, same on page 29 of the Folio). But, in the heraldic devices, the lines of X in the diamond extend beyond the edge of the diamond, and they don't in that rune. Perhaps the shift in direction of the + to an X indicates some sort of heraldic rule that turns the sign into something that wards evil off, or opposes it (which would be appropriate for the Iron League, of course). I don't know classical heraldry rules at all, though, so someone else would have to chime in there. (Or perhaps it's a rune in Ferral ).

 

[Arkhandus]

I figure it's something like representative of crossed swords over a shield, or somesuch.

 

[Quasqueton]

Sounds like an Iron League designation in the heraldic device just purely by the list of nations.

I hadn't considered it, but that makes sense. Thanks.

Good eye, Quasqueton! I haven't ever noticed that symbol before. I think you've hit upon the long-lost symbol of Iron League!

I had noticed the symbol years ago, but never noticed it was on several devices, until yesterday. And the relationship between the nations with that symbol never dawned on me.

Quasqueton

 

[Rhun]

It is certainly the symbol representing the Iron League.


I can't remember, but the symbol might actually correspond to the rune given in the book for Iron, as well. I'll have to check my books when I get home.

 

[grodog]

I didn't do a systematic comparison across printings of the folio and box set, so if you find something, Rhun, please chime in!

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

It definitely is not the iron rune. It could be a combination of the gold rune overlaid with the poison antidote rune. Not sure how that could fit though. Zilchus (gold) was widely worshiped in Ahlissa, and the Iron League is the counter (antidote) to Ahlissa?

Though this sounds like a question for Gary Gygax, if any of the Col. Pladoh threads are around.