Coat of arms of Durland

Coat of arms of Durland
Coat of arms of Durland
	Greater (royal) version
Versions
	Middle version
	Lesser (state) version
Armiger	Carilla, Princess of Durland
Adopted	Initially adopted on 14 August 1876. Modified 1877. Readopted 9 April 1928.
Torse	tasseled strings Or
Blazon	Quarterly, I and IV Per pale Azure and Or btween three leopard heads caboshed all countercharged. II and III Argent a lion rampant Gules within a bordure Sable impaling Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered Gules and Crowned Or.
Orders	Order of Prince Jora
Other elements	The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantle gules lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a pavilion gules again topped with the royal crown.

The coat of arms of Durland is the arms of dominion of Princess Carilla of Durland, and is used to represent both the monarch and the state. The shield quarters the attributed arms of Prince Jora and the House of Leps, representing the state and the ruling house respectively.

The coat of arms is used to represent the authority of the state; the monarch, government, and Supreme Court all use versions of the arms to assert their legitimate authority. The government uses a variation of the arms without mantle or order, which is known as the state arms. Members of the Princely Family maintain their own arms for use in a private capacity.

History

Prior to Garindinian colonisation, Durland was a collection of petty principalities united under the common rule of a Grand Prince. There were various armorials used by and attributed to these rulers. Prince Jora, who reigned as Grand Prince between 1527 and 1574, adopted a vertically-divided shield of blue and gold countercharged with three leopards heads. Jora's successors (including both legitimate descendants and unrelated rulers) continued to use these arms until Durland's eventual colonisation.

On Durland's independence, the government resurrected the arms of Prince Jora, claiming direct continuity with the pre-colonial Durlish principalities. With the election of Farnar II as prince, these arms were quartered with those of the House of Leps, the new ruling dynasty. The arms of the House of Leps itself is quartered; to simplify the design, Farnar directed these arms to be impaled within the second and third quarters, rather than remain quartered. The eventual design, including crown and mantle, were designed by Farnar himself; an amateur herald and artist, he reportedly designed the arms on the back of an envelope whilst en route to Herran. Although in use from 1875, the arms were not officially registered until 1876. On the creation of the Order of Prince Jura the following year, the arms were amended to include the order as a circlet around the escutcheon.


The Arms of Prince Jora	The Arms of the House of Leps

In 1922, following the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Second Durlish Republic, the coat of arms was redesigned to remove all references to the monarchy. The armorial of the House of Leps was removed, as was the crown and order. The mantle was replaced with a wreath, with the princely crown replaced by a mural one. Proposals for a wholly new emblem severing all connection with the previous regime were initially made, but never carried through.

On the restoration of the monarchy in 1928, the princely arms readopted. In 1967, new regulations established a new state coat of arms consisting solely of the arms of Prince Jora, redesignating the quartered arms as the arms of the princely house. Nonetheless, the greater arms continues to be the arms of the state as a symbol of the Crown's role as embodiment of the state.

Design

The arms, whilst initially designed by Farnar II, was formally designed by the painter Halnar Freesdat, who the prince personally selected for the task. The design he presented was closely aligned with Farnar's original vision, and was approved with little debate.

Two main versions of the coat of arms have been established for use. Their use is regulated by law, and both feature the arms of Prince Jora.

The main version is known as the "Princely Arms" and are those of the monarch. This version consists of the shield quartered, bearing both the arms of Prince Jora and the arms of the House of Leps. This version is intended for use by the monarch and members of the princely family, with the latter using the arms differenced. These arms are generally seen as part of an heraldic achievement, along with mantle, crown, and order. Although the Armorial Act 1967 designated these arms as dynastic rather than national, they nonetheless continue to be arms of dominion.

The second version consists of only the arms of Prince Jora, usually with a princely crown. These arms are used by the government and represent the state's authority. The crown is the sole monarchical element, with the achievement featuring no mantling or order. Occasionally, this version is unofficially referred to as the "lesser arms" or the "government arms". It appears on government documents (including passports) and in the logos of government ministries.

As per the registration with the Court of Arms, the full achievement is blazoned: Quarterly, I and IV Per pale Azure and Or between three leopard heads caboshed all countercharged. II and III Argent a lion rampant Gules within a bordure Sable impaling Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked and membered Gules and Crowned Or. The shield is surrounded by the insignia of the Order of Prince Jura, and all surrounded by mantling Gules doubled ermine, crowned with the royal crown and tied up with tassled strings Or.

Charges

Arms of Prince Jora

Three leopard faces have long been associated with Durlish heraldry, and variations of the design have been observed stretching back to the fifteenth century. Prince Jora adopted as his arms three leopard faces countercharged on a vertically-divided shield of blue and gold. The colour blue is a Durlish national colour and has featured in Durlish flags and banners for over a millennium, whilst gold had appeared in various arms within the Maagbilra dynasty.

The origin of the panthers is probably linked to the mythical lanlan, a cat-like creature in Durlish folktale. The taming of the lanlan marked the assumption of supreme political power, with the design representing Jora's rule over the three senior petty Durlish principalities.

Arms of the House of Leps

The arms of the House of Leps consists of the arms of the Princes of Leps impaled with those of the Counts Yudin. The Leppian arms (colloquially known as the "Leppian lion" consists of a red lion rampant on a white shield differenced with a black border. In medieval Garindinian heraldry, borders were used to denote children of the armorial bearer, with black usually assigned to the third-born son. Little is known about the origins of the arms, although various ideas have been proposed.

With the marriage of Selena, Countess Yudin to Prince Demian Leps, her arms were impaled with those of the Leps family, of which he was head. The Yudin arms consists of a black eagle on a golden field. Although Farnar II, born Prince Tomas Leps, bore the two arms quartered as the head of both houses, he amended this design to impale them for use in Durlish heraldry.

Arms of Selena, Countess Yudin on her marriage.
Arms of the House of Leps, as originally used by Prince Tomas Leps

Usage

The proper use of the Durlish coat of arms is regulated by law. The National Sybols Act 2003, which updated and consolidated existing legislation relating to the coat of arms, identifies three types of arms used in Durland: the great coat of arms, the state coat of arms, and the shield of arms (or escutcheon).

The state coat of arms as it appears on the Durlish passport.

The great coat of arms is the arms of dominion of the Durlish monarch, and subsequently serves as the coat of arms of the Reigning Prince(ss) and also of the state. It is used to represent the Crown and the nation. The quartered shield, when used in a state capacity, represents the Crown as the embodiment of the nation.
The lesser coat of arms is the crowned arms of Prince Jora, and is used by the government and other state authorities.
The shield of arms is the general design of the escutcheon, as used in either the great or state coat of arms or as part of the personal arms of individuals.

The distinction between the great coat of arms and the state coat of arms is not clearly made. The great coat of arms generally represents the monarch and non-executive state institutions (e.g., Parliament, the courts, the armed forces etc.), whereas the state coat of arms represents the government and state. The Durlish passport, as government property, uses the state arms.

Variants

Princely family

Members of the Princely Family are granted their own personal arms. The arms of the monarch are those of the state (arms of dominion). Children of the monarch are able to bear their own arms, which are usually granted on their twenty first birthday unless eligibility precedes this age, which consist of the monarch's arms differenced with a white label. Other members of the princely family may be granted arms at the direction of the monarch. In accordance with rules established by Farnar II, the arms of the monarch's children are differenced with a three-point label, whilst those of grandchildren are differenced with a five-point label. The labels are always white and include individual marks to form the particular difference.

Princess consorts and the wives of the monarch's sons also have their own personal arms, which consists of the arms of their husbands impaled with either their own or their father's arms. Males who marry into the princely family display their own arms as an inescutcheon.

Currently the following members of the princely family have their own arms based on the royal arms:

Coat of arms	Bearer Relation to the monarch	Description
	Prince Olar, Prince Consort Spouse	The arms of the monarch differenced with an inescutcheon bearing Prince Olar's personal arms granted prior to marriage. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora. Olar's personal grant reflects his private and public life: the two lions hark back to the logo of Zummaer Company, which he founded, with the Doe representing his family's history as herders.
	Hereditary Princess Ingdil, Marquise of Crara Daughter	The arms of the monarch differenced with a white label of three points. The crown is that of the heir to the throne. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Prince Rardan, Marquis of Crara Son-in-law; husband of Hereditary Princess Ingdil	The arms of Hereditary Princess Ingdil differenced with an inescutcheon bearing Prince Rardan's personal arms granted prior to marriage. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Helana, Marquise of Geillen Daughter-in-law; wife of Prince Helana	The arms of Prince Rardan impaled with those of her father, Enajar Nejede. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of a Grand Commander of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Princess Theyra, Princess Dowager of Durland Mother; widow of Garmaanas II	The arms of the monarch impaled with those of her father, Count Ermerlat Ganna. The crown is that of the monarch of Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Prince Sarnar, Marquis of Mardan Son	The arms of the monarch differenced with a white label of three points, the middle bearing a red crescent. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of the Grand Cordon of the Order of Prince Jora.
	Maithlen, Marquise of Mardan Daughter; wife of Prince Sarnar	The arms of Prince Sarnar impaled with those of her father, Piertar Dayrel. The crown is that of a Prince in Durland. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of a Grand Commander of the Order of Prince Jora. The arms of Piertar Dayrel is a pun on the family name, which closely corresponds with the phrase "dee reeile" ("two bars").
	Prince Eirmar Grandson; son of the Marquis of Mardan	The arms of the monarch differenced with a label of five points, the second and fourth bearing blue lozenges, evoking the arms of his mother. The crown is that of a Prince of Leps. Surrounding the shield is the circlet of a Grand Commander of the Princely Leppian Order.
	Johamara, Princess Eirmar Granddaughter-in-law; wife of Prince Eirmar	The arms of Prince Eirmar impaled with those of her father, Freedal Kelhite. The crown is that of a Prince of Leps. The arms of Freedal Kelhite is a reference to the family's origins in Bamerin County, the traditional colours of which are red and white, and in Letdi, which traditionally uses five hearts.
	Arms of a member of the Princely Family	The arms of the monarch differenced with a border of ermine. The crown is that of the monarch.