A Heraldic Primer: Complex Lines

Lines of division and the edges of ordinaries need not be straight; they can take any of a number of decorative patterns. The more common ones are illustrated below:

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The example above showed embattlements applied only to the upper edge of the fess. This is the default practice for bends, fesses, and chevrons embattled, and presumably also for bends sinister embattled. I'm not sure about chevrons inverted, though. The upper-edge rule also seems to apply to fesses flory and trefly, chevrons grady and potent, and bends flory, though some might dispute these. But surprisingly, fesses and bends potent are decorated on both edges.

Indeed, in most cases, the default is for patterns to be applied to all edges of an ordinary. For instance, here is Sable, a pale wavy argent:


When all edges of a multi-edged ordinary are indented, the term "dancetty" is used. For instance, here is Sable, a pale dancetty argent:


Notice that waves and dents on opposite sides of the pale are "in phase" so that the width of the pale remains more-or-less constant. This is generally true of complex lines applied to multi-edged ordinaries. The one exception is bretessed which is identical to embattled except that the battlements on opposite edges are 180 degrees "out-of-phase" with one another. Here is Sable, a pale bretessed argent:


Chevrons, fesses, and bends bretessed, naturally, have battlements on both edges. To specify that a fess, chevron, or bend has embattlements on both edges that are "in phase", the term "embattled-counter-embattled" is used.

Engrailed and invected edges, because of their asymmetry, require special clarification. An engrailed ordinary has semi-circular "bites" taken out of it, whereas an invected ordinary has semi-circular "bumps" added to it. For instance, here is Sable, a chief engrailed argent:


Divided fields engrailed are defined as follows:

Sable, a fess dovetailed argent.	Per fess dovetailed sable and argent.	Sable, a fess embattled argent.
Per fess embattled sable and argent.	Sable, a fess engrailed argent.	Sable, a fess invected argent.
Sable, a fess rayonny argent.	Sable, a fess urdy argent.	Sable, a fess wavy argent.

Per fess engrailed argent and sable.	Per pale engrailed argent and sable.	Per bend engrailed argent and sable.
Per bend sinister engrailed argent and sable.

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Maintained by Codex Herald (Master Maol Mhichil mac Ghiolla Pheadair, OP, ODH)