{"id":241,"date":"2021-05-25T23:08:24","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T23:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cromarville.wordpress.com\/?page_id=241"},"modified":"2024-02-14T13:09:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T18:09:20","slug":"symbology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/williamcromar.com\/cromarbaile\/symbology\/","title":{"rendered":"Symbology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

People sort themselves into social groups at various scales. At a granular scale we find the family, then branch out to our neighborhood or town, then our region, and finally our nation. These social groups share collective resources and common interests, and provide protection from competing groups or external elements. Personal identification with the group, and the ability to identify others as members, can sometimes be a matter of survival, but it can also be a source of pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extended family<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Scottish clan system is a collection of extended family groups, taking surnames like MacDonald or Campbell. One doesn’t need to carry the same surname as a clan chief to pay fealty to him: a different surname associated with a clan name is known as a sept<\/em>. Cromar, for example, is a sept of Clan Farquharson. Clans are a vestige of the tribalism that organized societies in the European Middle Ages in the absence of a centralized imperial authority like that of Rome. As in other European societies, the evolution of the modern nation-state in Scotland was a matter of tribe leaders competing to become the head of larger alliances among tribes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dynamic created a system of monarchy, and the nation under a given chief-of-chiefs\u2014the king\u2014would take as its identity the symbol of that chief. The Royal Banner of Scotland, for example, is derivative from the armorial bearing of King William I, a member of the House of Dunkeld. This is the essential link between two symbology systems: heraldry and vexillology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"dunkeld\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"scotland<\/figure>\n
1 | In heraldry, the charge<\/a> is the figure that occupies the shield, known as an escutcheon. Here, a lion rampant<\/a>.
2 | The arms of Dunkeld, based on vector work found at Wappenwiki<\/a>.
3 | The Royal Banner of Scotland, vexel art by the author.
All artwork by the author CC-BY-SA.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heraldry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heraldry<\/a> signified family groups in the Middle Ages. Vexillology<\/a>, the study of flags, scales this grouping propensity to towns, counties (shires<\/em> in Scotland), or nations. In between these scales, symbology<\/a> relating to the Scottish clan system includes crest badges and tartans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In family trees, it became common to see heraldry as “logos” representing family groups as they marry and bear offspring. Respecting that tradition, I developed a set of flat graphic vector-based icons in a square format to use in my family tree. These tended toward the following social groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social group symbols<\/h3>\n\n\n\n