Guidon de Sang
Description
The Award of the Guidon de Sang is a Baronial award given in the Barony of Ramshaven. The bearer of this award is given a red guidon - a type of heraldic pennon- with the Baronial populace badge in the top (or “hoist” in heraldic terms) and blank area where the recipient may add his or her personal arms in the bottom (or “fly”). It may be given for a variety of contributions to SCA life within the Barony, be it Arts and Sciences, Service, or the Arts Marshal, and is in many ways a recognition that the recipient stands as one of the Barony's members.
More noteworthy service within Ramshaven may be rewarded by an Award of the Guidon d'Argent, or with an Award of the Guidon d'Or.
Design
The registered heraldry for the Guidon de Sang is: Gules, in chief two ram's heads couped respectant argent. In layman's terms, this is a red field with the populace badge of Ramshaven, two white butting rams' heads, in the top third. As the award is called a “Guidon” it traditionally given as a guidon, which is a small military flag. The two thirds of the flag which are left as as red field in the registered version are to be filled with the recipient's personal arms.
Each Baron and Baroness of Ramshaven have awarded Guidons of a slightly different style. The original guidons given by Ramshaven's founding Baron & and Baroness, Coridigan & Diane, were oriented horizontally, with the populace badge in the hoist, the fly left white, and the border painted red, silver, or gold depending on the level of guidon (see Award of the Guidon d'Argent and Award of the Guidon d'Or).
In contrast, the guidons awarded by Vali and Ragnheithr (the second Baron & Baroness) were oriented vertically, with the populace badge on the top. They left the field red and gave subsequent award recipients the right to add the appropriate metallic border.
Davin & Martya (third Baron & Baroness) followed the format of their immediate predecessors.
Konrad and Alyce (fourth Baron & Baroness) used the vertical orientation, but painted guidons on white fields with a black background behind the rams' heads.
When Kolbjorn & Wencenedl (fifth Baron & Baroness) took the high seats, they combined the traditions of Cordigan and Vali in the opposite arrangment (horizontal orientation, red field).
Subsquently, Penda and Sibylla's Guidons (sixth Baron & Baroness) resemble the baronial arms, with the embattled division; the populace badge is in the red hoist section, with the recipient's arms to be painted in the white fly area.
The present Guidons of Penn and Lucia are similiar in style to their predecessors, with two notable differences: firstly, the bottom of the guidon has embattled dagging; and secondly, they are made of silk, rather than canvas or cotton like previous guidons.