The heraldry of Ravenclaw · 11:31pm March 2nd
Once upon a time Heraldry had been a hobby of mine.
OK, so this bit of rambling was inspired by speculation about the Ravenclaw heraldic blazon. Originally the shield was described as a bronze eagle on a blue field.
Blue and gold? Or is it blue and brown? Not to mention considerable division as to if it's an eagle or a raven.
Well, here's the thing, in proper heraldic iconography the Raven claw blazon would never have been an eagle and never blue with a bronze device because this description makes no sense. Bronze isn't even a proper heraldic color. Bronze can range from green to brown to golden. However, it is possible the bird may have originally have been black and had faded over time leaving people to think it had been a brownish eagle. The reason I say it would never have been an eagle is because the Raven simply fits the name. It would be far more likely to have a shield that better represents the name to a populace that would be largely illiterate.
Having a raven as the device just makes sense as it would be easily recognized and associated with the name Raven. Raven is a very old family name possibly of Saxon origins. The "claw" portion of the name would have little to do with claws, and everything to do with "clawu" which refers to a bend in a river... which would be a good spot for a stronghold. Ergo the Ravenclaw family blazon of a raven depicted on a blue field suddenly makes sense. The family Raven who reside on the river. And Raven is an existing real world name.
The Wizarding World web site says sky and eagle which is fair enough I'd imagine but would end up having little to do with the name Ravenclaw. At least by my way of thinking. That and a gold colored eagle on a blue shield is taken.
