Heraldry of the Order of the Holy Lakes

Heraldry in Hurmu has a long history.

Armigers

Under Hurmu law and tradition, armigerous people and institutions are:

• The Order of the Holy Lakes (the national government uses the coat of arms of the Order)
  • King among the Lakes, Queen among the Lakes
  • Prince among the Lakes, Princess among the Lakes
  • Knight of the Holy Lakes, Lady of the Holy Lakes, Esquire of the Holy Lakes
• States and districts of Hurmu
• Condominiums, the sovereignty of which are shared with Hurmu
• Municipalities of Hurmu

Traditions

Hurmu heraldry traditions have been influenced by Storish and New Britannic rules. While the following are not rules per se, they are considered traditions, and often adhered to:

• Escutcheons are inherited in the male line
  • People descended from the same ancestor in the male line may use the same escutcheon, but will usually differentiate in different ways (marks of cadence, defacement, different crests, etc)
• Women often carry lozenges (but not at all always)
• Married women often impale their arms with their husband's (this occurs also in same-sex marriages, also for men)
• A Babkhi shield is round, and some people of Babkhi extraction make display their shield round.
• For Elfinshi women, the shield is round, and for Elfinshi males, the shield is a lozenge.

With many members of the Order of the Holy Lakes stemming from other countries with other heraldic traditions, these traditions are also respected where applicable.