theoldwolf | Coat of Arms - Order of the Couch

Much back-and-forth over at The Confusion Couch about a coat of arms, a motto, something that will represent our camaraderie and flights of fancy.

Bmonk has given us a crest to work with; his description: "Black shield with a white couch, and a jagged green border. Above the couch a gold star. Green = Pibgorn’s color for her world. Jagged border (“dancetty”) for the dance of the fairies, but also to indicate confusion. Black for the darkness of the confused surrounding the couch, and also for the faithfulness of the couch crew despite being in the dark. The gold star for the “favorites”, but also for the enlightenment that eventually comes to us."

I took the liberty of gussying it up a bit, with a cauldron for a helm, signifying all the good recipes we share, and Pib and Dru rampant, because I like to look at them. So there. No other reason. Motto: Omnes me confundit - "Everything confuses me".

Here's a place to gather together any and all suggestions. No sign-in is required to post a comment. No idea will be considered foolish, or too loony. Comments will be screened, however, and may take until the next morning to become visible if they are posted late in the evening.

Once we have something that everyone is either pleased with or can live with, I'm going to see what can be done about formalizing it.

Ready? Go!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

As mentioned at the Couch, the cauldron should be headwear, as you already know. BUT, if the cauldron's empty, it culd be turned upside down and used as a big hat. :)

Thanks for the place to gather heraldic ideas. I'll try to draw my thoughts and post here somehow??

Cheers,
Saskfan

Upside-down cauldron as a helm. Nice idea! Hey, if Don Quixote can use a shaving basin and Johnny Appleseed a saucepan, why not a cauldron?

Edited 2009-04-30 06:00 (UTC)

I like it...I like it!
From O.B.
(AKA Vic.)

Story Teller, here. May I suggest instead the motto "Always confused." Semper Confundit...? Or perhaps "It's all so confusing." Don't have my latin book handy for that one. I'd kind of like to see at least one of my squirrels, but that's not a deal breaker. The green border could be scaled back a touch, otherwise what you have is grand! Did you try having the gals backing the shield instead of facing it?

Well being British I whole hartidly agree with all of this .
I am all for it .can I have a picture of it when you finish it ?
I Will try and get it printed on a tee shirt for the couch and I bet no one over here in england will know who they are tee hee.

Very pretty (especially the ...um... "ramparts")

But the Latin is wrong. The plural subject and singular verb do not agree. Correct is either:
Omnis me confundit (singular, Everything confuses me)
or
Omnes me confundunt (plural, All things confuse me)

(Though I suppose letting it stet could imply that Latin and/or grammar are among those things which confuse?)

Very nice.

When I saw the post, my first thought was to have only the left side of the Couch clear, the right side fading off into smoke in the shape of a question mark. Fading off, because all know that the Couch is infinitely extensible, embracing even skulkers like the insignificant speck that is my humble self; and into smoke like a question mark to denote the confusion into which some enter at the door, and in which some of us perpetually wander ...

Not to gild [no I did not say geld!] the lily, but those were my first thoughts, before seeing the Old Wolf's most artistic design above.

[Any relation to Akela?]

jsdy

What, no chequy frog?

Cauldrons need not be inverted to be worn as headgear. There is precedent.

http://www.sfmoma.org/images/artwork/large/2001.88.127_01_b02.jpg

jsdy

Pardon my intrusion. While not a formal couch member, I have taken some voyeuristic pleasure from the posted conversations. You might considered me the lurker in the back garden with his nose against the glass. If you would permit me a minor suggestion with regard to the shield; perhaps a division - party per bend sinister (of course) - with the upper tincture Vert (Pibby's colours) and the lower Gules (for Dru.)

@ccdesan, I like the supporters and motto for the crest, but I agree that we should have a helm of some kind, or possibly a coronet, with the cooking crock as a crest. After all, we should be a proper Order, even if we are confuseled or comfounded or whatever. And I do like Saskfan's description of the bordure with dancetty orle, though I might suggest a tressure (thinner version), for a blazon thus:

Sable a couch argent, in chief a mullet or, with a tressure dancetty argent bordured vert. (Did I get that right, Saskfan?)

And I don't get uptight about the sizes--my sketch was just that, a first, rough effort with poor tools. I think the border is too wide and the charges (couch/star) too small, but they were what I had to get the effect.

Bmonk, Instigator

I like colors/signification and simplicity. The choice of girls, GREAT. Excellent Motto. I know everything has a meaning including the direction. What if the girls had their backs to the shield? What would that indicate?

Since the couch is Escherian, how about a Mobius strip with pillows instead of the central sofa? (I have no idea how to say that in heraldic language) - Jcordaro64

Naturally when it's finalized, it will be available to all. Zazzle and Cafepress do great T-shirts over here...

Did the girls facing out first, it doesn't look bad either way. Looked at "real" coats and usually the Lion and the Unicorn - for example - are facing the crest. Either/or... whatever folks like best.

In the back of my mind I had a feeling that the latin was punk - Exeunt omnes was shouting at me, saying "It's plural, you cretin!", but I was too tired to go look it up. "Omnis" is correct, of course, and thanks. I think the singular is probably better for this particular motto - others may invent something that is even better!

I love the concept of a couch fading off into the mists of confusion... don't know how that would look, but it's an imaginative idea...

Careful, dude, I'll bend a gules around your rampant sable...

Love it!

Don't stand out there in the rain, friend, pedo mellon a minno! You mean something like this?

You're the second to suggest the girls facing outward - I don't know if it would have meaning or not. As I said, I tried it both ways at first, and I liked this version - and this is just me - because of the way the... um... well... "legs", embraced the crest. It seemed more... "intimate".

Heh. To describe that, I think you'd have to get Mark Twain involved with his peculiar brand of heraldic imagery. Could one design a couch as a tesseract? Or a Klein bottle? What would a three-dimensional projection of a fourth-dimensional couch look like? Hmm...

This is what I posted before I saw the link.
I like Pib and Dru on the sides looks very elegant!
Since there has been diverse commentary the heraldic device… cookpot, fedora… seems to me since this is about the couch and all we do not what happens in the comic. that a chefs hat would be more appropo for us considering the about of interest we have in combustibles. But I really wish the couch could be drawn M.C. Escher style! Not that I could do it, just the idea of it makes me smile.
I know nothing about this sort of thing, but in the school of art 'I know what I like' I don't like that there is a big blank space under the couch... maybe if it was a MCEscher couch it would be diminished, but barring that maybe we need a couple of squirrels or lurkers there.......LOL
ToniAnne - who is not in the mood to create an account...need a good new name.

@Bmonk: I agree that we need a helm of some sort, but I haven't a clue what would be appropriate. Let's think a bit.

Nah. Traditional, but not relevant. Waitaminnit! We've got several options that might work:

Edited 2009-04-30 18:05 (UTC)

Chef's hat... not a bad idea. See bmonk's comment above, and my reply, for a few options - we could try a chef's toque, too, if you like.

Other thoughts?

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Coat of Arms - Order of the Couch

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The Coat Of Arms

Coat of Arms

The Hearaldry

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Gilding perfection

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Cauldron as helm

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further thoughts and observations

OTC Heraldry

Hmm..

Re: The Hearaldry

Re: Coat of Arms

no subject

Re: Gilding perfection

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Re: Cauldron as helm

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Re: OTC Heraldry

Re: Hmm..

Cookpot or Fedora or?

Re: further thoughts and observations

Re: Cookpot or Fedora or?