MDDM18: Flower-de-Luce

[Dave Monroe]

"Dixon, as a Needle man anxious to obtain the latest
Magnetick Intelligence of the Region that awaits them,
Rumors reaching him of a Coffee-House frequented by
those with an interest in the Magnetick, however it be
manifested, shows up one night at The Flower-de-Luce,
in Locust-Street." (M&D, Ch. 30, p. 298)

Following up on an offlist request here. 
Flower-de-Luce, fluer-de-lys, not only ...

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/fdl.htm

But also ...

"At first, compass cards were marked out not in
degrees, but in points. There were 32 points, matching
the directions of winds which sailors would be
familiar with at sea. The four main points – North,
South, East and West – are called the cardinal points.

"Old compass cards are very ornamental, often covered
with decoration and painted figures. All cards have
the North point decorated with what is often called a
fleur de lys, like the old royal symbol of France. In
fact, the sign comes from a very decorated 'T' for
Tramontana, the Latin word for the North wind."

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/education/fact_files/fact_compass.html

"One of the most ancient compass point name
conventions was to call the cardinal points of the
compass by the standard winds. This may by the reason
the fleur-de-lis is used to mark north. North on the
wind name system was Tramontana. The T in Tramontana
became stylized into a fleur-de-lis as a decorative
item."

http://www.mcallen.lib.tx.us/staff/compcrd.htm

And see as well ...

http://bezzi.colletta.it/ETB121_125.html

Okay, a few more quick ones, and then ...



__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions! 
http://auctions.yahoo.com