Dragon-Scythe: A Heraldic Pastiche
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This vector piece is something as special as a serious pastiche featuring and summarizing the essence of a heraldic artwork.
Motto: Per Draconem Et Falcem (“Through Dragon And Scythe”)
The blazon: “Rose, two dragon-headed scythe-blades Or in saltire their handles to base, surmounted at the fess point by a coronet of three points of the same.”
Heraldic terminology explained:
- The field remains “Rose” (a modern equivalent of gules).
- “Or” denotes the golden (metal) tincture of both scythe-blades and coronet.
- “In saltire” describes the crossed arrangement, handles to base.
- “Surmounted at the fess point” places the coronet centrally over the crossing.
It is very important to state, that heraldry is a form of art. It is an ekphrastic artform which includes both verbal art and visual art. Every coat of arms and every heraldic work consists of these two parts. The part which makes the piece, the shape or the coat of arms unique, is its “caption” in words, its blazon. If there is an artform based on text prompts, prompts in words to generate an image, then it is the blazon verse of heraldry. Each blazon is unique and results naturally only in one visual concept. This pastiche is nevertheless primarily visual, it features the characteristics of a “typical” heraldic symbol, without representing anything specific.
Features & Style
The central figure in this image does not represent any object or clearly defined concept — it is an abstract synthesis. The “blades” are drawn by combining a piece from a vector wave and a piece of a wing from a bat doodle into one shape, which has been doubled, flipped and merged into one symmetric shape. The flowing curves suggest a wave or wing, while the pointed extremities recall talons, blades, or horns. This ambiguity is quintessentially heraldic: in medieval arms, lions could resemble dogs, leopards could resemble lizards, and dragons could be little more than serpentine flourishes. The idea of the creature or object mattered more than zoological or mechanical accuracy.
This pastiche could be a real heraldic symbol, if it were possible to define in a blazon, but it isn’t because it is an abstract shape which can be described as various things. The shape is nevertheless such that it creates the general and typical visual impression of a heraldic symbol, which is also expected to come with significance and a history. The design achieves this with a visual balance between:
– Soft, sweeping lines — conveying refinement, grace, and the ornamental elegance of high heraldry.
– Sharp, aggressive points — signaling readiness, danger, and martial prowess.
This duality mirrors the motto’s juxtaposition of dragon (mythic power) and scythe (mortal inevitability).
Color & Composition
The choice of Rose and Or is not only harmonious but also historically plausible. Gold on red is a high-contrast pairing often used in arms of great prestige. The simplicity of the palette reinforces the heraldic principle of clarity at distance — a device should be recognizable from across a battlefield or a tournament field.
The “coronet” is drawn from four lightning bolt icons, rotated and merged into one shape, and is as such not just an abstract shape, but a subtle modern flourish, a nod to digital-era vector design while still reading as a legitimate heraldic ornament.
Blazon & Motto
The blazon text and the motto are displayed in the image together with the “symbol” just to emphasize the fact that this is not a real heraldic work but an artistic representation of the concept of a heraldic work. They are merely creating the impression that the central figure represents something, although it doesn’t. I have chosen the blazon as one possible of many, because no blazon in the world would result in this particular figure.
The motto on the other hand, Per Draconem Et Falcem — “Through Dragon and Scythe” — is a phrase of calculated menace. It speaks of conquest through both overwhelming force (the dragon’s fire) and inevitable fate (the scythe’s harvest). Whether imagined as the arms of a sovereign, a knightly order, or a fictional dominion, the motto radiates authority and an unspoken warning: resistance is futile, and dangerous. A heraldic symbol is often united with such signals, and a hint of history, tradition and stories. This pastiche captures this aspect of heraldry as well.
Possible Extensions
The current composition is self-contained, but invites speculation about how it might be expanded in full heraldic splendor. It could handle a crest, supporters and mantling, and they could all be as abstract, and functional. But the restraint shown here — the refusal to over-ornament — is part of this pastiche’s strength. It captures the essence of heraldry without drowning it in excess. Modesty can be a virtue in pastiche, it helps the work avoid becoming a caricature or irony.
The Dragon-Scythe is a meditation on heraldry itself. It distills the visual grammar of the medieval armorial tradition, refracts it through modern design sensibilities, and presents it with both reverence and playful subversion. It is a work that could hang in a gallery of heraldic art, not as a historical artifact, but as a commentary on the enduring power of symbols. In its essence, this pastiche is a tribute to heraldry, as one of the finest and highest forms of art; something I intend to write more about in SDL InnerSpace.
