Polish Heraldry Puns

Are there any books on Polish heraldry in english? I can only find Polish language books. Does anybody konw of any? Please help!

While reading about the noble families of Poland, I've noticed that many houses used other houses' coat of arms or a location's coat of arms. House Czarniecki, for example, used the Łodzia coat of arms—many families used the Łodzia coat of arms. How and why did coat of arms spread, especially during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth? Marriage and alliances? Geography? Rewards?

This question, of course, may apply to medieval Europe in general, though I have particular interest in Poland. Book suggestions would be great.

First part: https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/s2nk24/conjunction_part_1/

***

Caden leaned over the yellowed parchment as the Master gestured to the map that had been drawn onto the aged scroll. It showed the world as it had been known at the time, the continents and landmasses oddly shaped, not quite true to their real-world dimensions. They were still recognizable, but it didn’t exactly fill Caden with confidence. The Master had placed a more modern map beside it and was using it as a reference to make better sense of what they were seeing, turning to his mountain of notes as he translated the place names.

“Our kingdom did not exist during the fourth age,” he began. “The territory that we now inhabit was home to several smaller city-states. It is hard to say whether these coastlines have changed significantly over time, or if the cartographers of the era simply did a poor job of reproducing them. The borders of our kingdom end here,” he said, gesturing to the old map with his bony finger. “Although we are on good terms with neighboring powers, the roads can be treacherous. In these trying times, banditry is on the rise, and the more remote areas are reported to be plagued by highwaymen.”

“That is why you thought it necessary to arm me,” Caden muttered, his mentor replying with a solemn nod.

“Avoid the cities and large towns as you head East. Follow the roads, the more well-trodden, the better. There are many small villages and hamlets along the route where you might seek shelter in taverns and inns. Remember, you must not advertise the nature of your quest. Tell no one who you are or where you are headed. Assume a new identity if you must.”

He slowly dragged his finger to the right, referencing the modern map as he went.

“This land bridge connects our continent to the Eastern peninsula. From there, our knowledge grows spotty.”

Caden looked over the parchment, the depictions of green forests and hills gradually giving way to sandy deserts and barren wilderness.

“There are other kingdoms even further East that are said to be civilized,” he continued, “but this expanse of desert is oft-rumored to be inhabited by tribes of savages and feral beasts that have made establishing trade routes over land impossible. None now venture there, save for a few brave explorers who have brought back word of harsh conditions and hostile natives.”

“And...my destination is right in the middl

Former republicanist here. I used to LOVE republics up until I realized they're either no better, or far, far-worse/elitist than the "evil monarchies" they tried to overthrow. I've taken a radical switch, go monarchies! My personal list of favorite empires (although I understand, many of them rivaled or even intertwined, still fascination for their history, heraldry and heritage still gets my political hormones going):

• Russian Empire
• German Empire
• Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• Austro-Hungarian Empire
• Srivijaya & Majapahit Empires
• Pre-communist & Pre-Kuomintang China
• Mongol Empire
• Byzantine Empire
• Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates
• Pre-Spanish Philippines & Southern Philippine sultanates
• Malay sultanates
• Mughal Sultanate

Yours?

Hi folks,

I've been interested in heraldry and the medieval period since I was a kid. I remember my Dad showing me some paperwork he had regarding our "family coat of arms" (this predated the internet). I've see the same arms used as the most common example on various websites, which I believe you here call "bucket sellers." Now that I have a better understanding, largely from lurking here, and watching a few YouTube videos, I'm pretty saddened that these arms likely have nothing to do with me or my family. Even if they did belong to some very distant ancestor I likely wouldn't have any claim on them. Especially disheartening as I had some rather expensive custom cufflinks made using those arms. Womp womp.

In any event, now that I'm better informed, I'm interested in developing my own self-defined arms. I'm an American with at least 25% Italian, at least 12.5% Polish, some amount of English is presumed along with some German, and then who knows what else. My surname supposedly comes from English ancestors. My questions are:

1. How long did you spend researching before you defined your personal arms? Where did your inspiration for the design you went with come from?
2. Have you changed them much since the original definition? How much/how frequently? If not, are you ever tempted?
3. Did you use any elements from your supposed "family coat of arms" or did you come up with something entirely unique?
4. How did you decide which country's guidelines to follow? Do most mutts like myself go with the English rules/styling, or just whichever set they like best?

I've seen some really great examples on this sub that I admire, but whenever I sit down with a tool like http://drawshield.net I can never land on anything that "feels right." I always end up thinking of a different design I might like better later. Any tips? Ultimately I'd love to have one of the wonderful artists here emblazon whatever we come up with, then order new cufflinks, a wax seal, etc.

I don't want to step on anybody's toes here, but the amount of non-dad jokes here in this subreddit really annoys me. First of all, dad jokes CAN be NSFW, it clearly says so in the sub rules. Secondly, it doesn't automatically make it a dad joke if it's from a conversation between you and your child. Most importantly, the jokes that your CHILDREN tell YOU are not dad jokes. The point of a dad joke is that it's so cheesy only a dad who's trying to be funny would make such a joke. That's it. They are stupid plays on words, lame puns and so on. There has to be a clever pun or wordplay for it to be considered a dad joke.

Again, to all the fellow dads, I apologise if I'm sounding too harsh. But I just needed to get it off my chest.

Do your worst!

I've tried three subreddits and I still don't know what this is. I'll try to provide as much context as possible.

I was going through my grandparent's stuff and I found this medal next to my grandfather's war badges/decorations. It's on a silver 8 pointed star that's on a very small chain. If it were to be worn around the neck, it would be like a choker. r/Militariacollecting and r/whatisthisthing told me it was some kind of heraldic symbol. I tried r/heraldry and they can't figure it out either. From what I've researched the correct term would be lion rampant, tail nowed and double-queued on a blue shield.

The medal in question: https://ibb.co/MCFrznw

My grandfather served in the US Army in WWII (49th Anti-Aircraft Battalion) and the Korean War. I would say it belonged to my family but here's the thing: my grandfather was an orphan, and I don't know if he met his real father. He was born out of wedlock and given up for adoption to his mother's relatives in Canada where they used him for free farm labor. He ended up running away from home to the USA, so I would be surprised if he kept anything associated with his adopted family. I know he sought out his real mother at some point, so he must have had some interest in learning his heritage. So it could very well be from either family.

My grandfather's adopted family/mother's family is of British/Scottish heritage. His real father was of German descent. So imagine my surprise when people kept telling me it's Czech. As far as I know, no one in my family is Czech. My grandfather's wife was German-American. The closest thing to Czech would be my mother's father, who is Polish. My Slovak friend is telling me it's British, but my British friends are saying it is absolutely not. Some of them are still insisting it's a war medal. I still don't know what this is and it's really driving me nuts. I don't know if it was from my Grandfather's family, adopted family, or something he picked up during the war, as he collected a lot of things like stamps and old coins.

Thank you very much. This means a lot to me.

I'm surprised it hasn't decade.

On the morning of the 6th of June, 1504;- Gaston de Foix awoke to a vastly over-scheduled routine. Today would not be one for signing treaties at breakfast, or for some leisurely reading: practice of the King's education, but it was a day of tightly packed meetings, greetings, dressings and re-dressings, for today; today was his wedding day.

His valets had him bundled from his bed, to his dressing room, to be dressed in a fresh set of clothes: the finest garments made specially for the occasion. The King stood atop a crossroads in the world of fashion, from one road the courts of his birth and upbringing, the other the expectations of the Italian courtly style. A noble of the sword like himself was expected, like all French nobility, to dress in a chaste and practical manner: colours, and arms existed for identification, and communication, not frivolity. But this was not France, nor were his subjects expecting the same dour respect of plainness. From the moment of his coronation, Italians gifted him fine clothes, other guests their own traditional items which each stood out as lavish oddities against the humble wear of the King.

And so such things would need to change, and a road either chosen, or made.

Gaston was always suspicious of living up to namesake, and being a Stranger to his own lands; his education had taught him the importance of symbols, of personal edifice, in the aesthetic of rulership - he was a figure that others would seek to emulate - thus he needed to be worthy of emulation. He needed to strike a figure that was unique, and different from both the lands of his father, and of his new home. He donned tight-fitting silk garments, loose at the shoulders but more plain in style, dyed a near navy blue colour, and decorated with a sash of alternating red, and gold stripes along with white breeches, and cavalier boots. It was not quite as audacious as its Italian counterparts, and whilst inspired by the dress of both the professional landsknechte and condottieri, Gaston's own choice was in his mind a more practical option.

There was another more morose logic to these clothes, that Gaston had internalised in his own designs; none were present in a n

For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.

I said "hey look, an escaPEA"

No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!

Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies 😂

It really does, I swear!

1505 MARCH-APRIL

Finally free from Lithuanian chains, Prince Shuisky can set things right by fully separating Ruthenian people of Little Russia from the poisonous influence of Bishop of Rome and his evil lackey Grand Duke of Lithuania-Samogotia. The new Duke is likely to declare war on Kyiv for splitting away, but Prince's friend and lord Tsar Dmitry Ivanovich Rurikovich will defend the Principality from its mortal enemies. During the beginning of the independence the Principality started of as a blank state, it was liberated from hands of Grand Duke Aleksandras who in turn had conquered it from Semyon Slutsky, former Prince of Kyiv. Now with de facto independence, Prince Vasiliy can institute major reforms to turn Kyiv from blank state into a proper Russian principality the way it was meant to be!

New Reforms:

1. Adapting old Rus' law:
   As in Muscovy, Kievan Principality shall adopt an old Russian law that existed back in time of great Yaroslav the Wise, may he rest in heaven, to split away from Lithuanian way of administration. Though they did adopt lots of old Russian customs, Lithuania was moving close to Polish way of administrating its kingdom and we cannot continue to use the old system of schismatics.
2. Establishing Kyivska/Kievskaya Rada:
   The nobility of Kyiv is rather mixed, many are the magnates that lived under thumb of Grand Duke's voivodes, some are recently arrived Russian nobility who came with purpose of liberation and returning old way of life. That is why first thing is to establish a Rada, the advisory council consisting of few most important nobles and Metropolitan of Kyiv in the Principality to advice on the rule and propose new legislations, new laws and administrative reforms. As in Russia, the Rada can be overruled by the Prince and the only voices that matter are those of most prominent families in Rada.
3. New currency:
   Many Western realms under thumb of Bishop of Rome and traitorous merchants of Venice, Genoa, Florence use florins to trade, buy and sell merchandise. We, however, must not fall under economic influence of these states and instead follow example of our protector, Tsardom of Russia. It is the decision of Prince and the Rada to introduce denga and grivna as new currency in Kyiv. The foreign currency would be used to trade with outside world, but within the state Ruthenian people will use the currency of Grand Principality of Kiev and its successor Muscovy.
4. Starostas of Kyiv/Kiev:

>Prompt: The King has finally stopped sending knight to kill the dragon lingering in a cavern nearby the castle, and began sending sellswords instead. Not because the knights were torn to shreds by her, but because the dragon has been found to have a thing for knights in shining armor.

The hall to the dragoness’s lair was littered with half-devoured skeletons and seemed to be permeated with the smell of rotting meat and mold. The corpses were of various kinds—animal, hominid, even one that appeared to be a young drake, though it could have been an errant basilisk. A dark, low-hanging mist reminded him of the stories his Nan used to tell him of the ghosts and ghouls that followed the dark hearts of dragons, feeding on the death and decay left in their wake.

Once, this castle would have been grand, Pol knew that despite his own humble upbringing, but after years of the dragoness’s occupation, it had been reduced to rubble and decay. The walls were half-crumbled, and a peculiar dark slime grew on the cobbles underfoot.

“Do you see anything, Pol? Any signs of where she could be? You’re the tracker, right?”

A voice came from Pol’s right, belonging to Henrik, the eldest of the five-man sellsword party. They had initially numbered nine, but after hearing of the mark that Henrik had accepted, nearly half of their number had elected to remain in the small mountain village at the base of the castle, where they would wait to see if the attempt was successful. The dragoness was known throughout the land for being a man-killer, one who slew without regard.

Pol half-wished that he had joined them, but instead, he shook his head. “This area looks like no one has been through here in years,” he whispered, his youthful voice a shade deeper than his companion, but warm and unriddled by the stressors of age. “Nothing has even been dragged, you can see by the slime.” He put a dark-booted toe into a pile of the green muck, drawing a line in the slime—it parted easily at his touch, revealing that it would hold any footprints of passing travelers or dragons. “She must be further in.”

Henrik grunted.

It wasn’t an approval, but it was damn-near close, and Pol grinned in the dark, dim light. Only for a moment, though, because Henrik was quickly moving out, shouting a gruff, “C’mon,” to the other three men who had braved this suicidal mark.

Their reasons for coming were their own. They were not a particularly close-knit band, taking odd jobs here or there without c

They’re on standbi

Pilot on me!!

Nothing, he was gladiator.

Dad jokes are supposed to be jokes you can tell a kid and they will understand it and find it funny.

This sub is mostly just NSFW puns now.

If it needs a NSFW tag it's not a dad joke. There should just be a NSFW puns subreddit for that.

Edit* I'm not replying any longer and turning off notifications but to all those that say "no one cares", there sure are a lot of you arguing about it. Maybe I'm wrong but you people don't need to be rude about it. If you really don't care, don't comment.

When I got home, they were still there.

What did 0 say to 8 ?

" Nice Belt "

So What did 3 say to 8 ?

" Hey, you two stop making out "

I won't be doing that today!

[Removed]

You take away their little brooms

This morning, my 4 year old daughter.

Daughter: I'm hungry

Me: nerves building, smile widening

Me: Hi hungry, I'm dad.

She had no idea what was going on but I finally did it.

Thank you all for listening.

There hasn't been a post all year!

Why

It’s pronounced “Noel.”

After all his first name is No-vac

What, then, is Chinese rap?

Edit:

Notable mentions from the comments:

• Spanish/Swedish/Swiss/Serbian hits

• French/Finnish art

• Country/Canadian rap

• Chinese/Country/Canadian rock

• Turkish/Tunisian/Taiwanese rap