In the last entry, I presented the history of my arms and how I came about adopting the specific shield. In this entry, I’ll go over the history of my crest, the blazon of which is
Issuant from a torse Argent and Azure surmounting an Ionic Capital Argent an open book Argent bound Azure the dexter page charged with a Saltire the sinister with an Acorn slipped and leaved Azure
and my badge
An Athenian Owl holding in its sinister talon an open book Argent bound Azure the dexter page charged with a Saltire the sinister with an Acorn slipped and leaved Azure
This story is less involved than that of my arms as I already was picturing it in my head while developing the shield.
As it is evident, the same theme of my arms is repeated in my crest.
My Greek heritage is represented by the ionic column supporting the book. I had already decided I would use a book and wanted to make it so that it would appear natural – what better choice than a column’s crest? I chose the Ionic capital over all the other styles as it is, to me, the most attractive of them all and it also has the distinction of representing Athens, the city in which I grew up. The Ionians were one of the three main branches of the Greeks (the other two being the Dorians and Aeolians) and as Herodotus says
ταῦτα δὲ ἦν γινόμενα ἐν Μιλήτῳ. βασιλέας δὲ ἐστήσαντο οἳ μὲν αὐτῶν Λυκίους ἀπὸ Γλαύκου τοῦ Ἱππολόχου γεγονότας, οἳ δὲ Καύκωνας Πυλίους ἀπὸ Κόδρου τοῦ Μελάνθου, οἳ δὲ καὶ συναμφοτέρους. ἀλλὰ γὰρ περιέχονται τοῦ οὐνόματος μᾶλλόν τι τῶν ἄλλων Ἰώνων, ἔστωσαν δὴ καὶ οἱ καθαρῶς γεγονότες Ἴωνες. εἰσὶ δὲ πάντες Ἴωνες ὅσοι ἀπ᾽ Ἀθηνέων γεγόνασι καὶ Ἀπατούρια ἄγουσι ὁρτήν. ἄγουσι δὲ πάντες πλὴν Ἐφεσίων καὶ Κολοφωνίων· οὗτοι γὰρ μοῦνοι Ἰώνων οὐκ ἄγουσι Ἀπατούρια, καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ φόνου τινὰ σκῆψιν.
translation:
The kings, too, whom they set over them, were either Lycians, of the blood of Glaucus, son of Hippolochus, or Pylian Caucons of the blood of Codrus, son of Melanthus; or else from both those families. But since these Ionians set more store by the name than any of the others, let them pass for the pure-bred Ionians; though truly all are Ionians who have their origin from Athens, and keep the Apaturia. This is a festival which all the Ionians celebrate, except the Ephesians and the Colophonians, whom a certain act of bloodshed excludes from it.
The book symbolizes my love for knowledge, of books and reading. I chose a book over an owl as I wanted to minimize whatever repetition of charges in the crest. Originally, I was thinking of an open book bound and clasped [img of such book] but didn’t like it much.
The open book symbolizes the search of knowledge while the charged pages are for the two lines of Andreou (saltire) and Vergara (acorn from an oak tree) coming together in me.
Continuing to my badge, the symbolism is repeated once again only this time, an owl is holding the book as if it were reading it.
The choice of the owl from my badge may seem to contradict what was said above regarding my wish to minimize whatever repetition of charges, however the badge is used independently of the shield whereas the crest is always shown with the shield in an emblazonment.
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