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shields (fwd)
Here is a Gallery page i wrote several years ago , i am sending it for
Mary to read . mirjam -------------------------------- Shields for Magen "A thousand bucklers hang on it, All the shields of the mighty men" says the Song of Solomon 4:4. Magen Friedman, of blessed memory, the son of our friend Tony, fell in Lebanon. At that time were already thinking of an exhibition around the theme of Coats of Arms. Shocked by the tragedy, we put the exhibition aside for a while, after a long hesitation, we asked for Tony's permission, and she gave it, to dedicate this exhibition to the memory of Magen, whose first name is also the Hebrew word for shield. In many languages, the term Coat of Arms, refers to both a standard and a shield, it surprised me to see how closely these two concepts are throughout so many cultures, but the more I searched, the realization grew in me that this is probably an early human instinct. As far back as ancient times, people made sure to mark each individual of the community/tribe with visible markings, first and foremost, so that the other members of the tribe won't hurt him, during the hunt, or during skirmishes with foreigners, and also in order that the wounded would be identified and taken care of respectfully by their successors. Perhaps this was the beginning of the link between the symbol=identifying markings, which protect the body in times of danger, and later identifies the name and protects from oblivion. Throughout history, the shield developed into a certain form that protected the center of the body while the limbs were free to move, and the identifying markings, were moved to the front of the shield, using shapes which would be clear and visible to a person charging at the shielded person. Gradually, an entire visual 'language' developed, which could relate even to a viewer who could not read, or could not speak the language, who the person facing him is, and what his social status is, and his genealogical history. The Coats of Arms, along with various economical privileges, were granted by kings to any one who provided them with services, at first to warriors, and later on to the great merchants. Around the 14th century, the six pointed star becomes a Jewish symbol, following a tradition that this was the symbol carved on the shields of King David's warriors. It would have been more appropriate to use the five pointed star which was the symbol of King Solomon. Lest we forget the Jewish nobleman with the red Coat of Arms, Rothschild. Nowadays we are surrounded by signs=symbols=logos, many of them retain a form reminiscent of the Coat of Arms. Countries, cities, religions, and nowadays commercial companies as well, rely more on our eyes, fleeting for but a moment over their symbol, and identifying it, setting it in our minds, rather than relying on our auditory memory. In fact, even our road signs are designed on the principle of quick recognition of the visual symbol. In our society, as in the rest of the world, the determination of personal identity has become very important for us. We thought that after the group education, and the search for our roots, many people might want to present themselves visually, and create a new, contemporary Coat of Arms for themselves. Translated by Uri Bruck |
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