Talk:raping

Heraldry

A number of works on heraldry mention this as a term (sometimes said to have already been obsolete by their time more than a century ago) to describe an animal which was either "seizing and eating prey"; or ravissant, i.e. about to seize and eat prey.

• 1726, John Guillim, The Banner Display'd; Or, an Abridgment of Guillim [...] by S. Kent, page 365:

  Let it then be noted, First, That all Beasts of ravenous Kind, when they are borne Feeding, you must term them in Blazon, Raping, and tell whereon.

• 1729, Abel Boyer, Le Grand théâtre de l'honneur et de noblesse. [assisted by John Innes?], page 113:

  RAPING, Adj. (is said of a Beast of Prey, that is devouring or feeding on any other Charge) Ravisant.

• 1854, Hugh Clark, Thomas Wormull, An Introduction to Heraldry, page 170:

  RAPING, an old term for ravenous beasts when represented feeding.

• 1908, Arthur Francis Pimbley, Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry: Together with an Illustrated Supplement, page 55:

  Raping - Applied to any ravenous beast represented devouring its prey. Ravissant - (rav'-is-sant) [French.] In a half-raised position, as if about to spring on prey. (Said of the wolf and such beasts when in the attitude saliant.)

However, it is rare; I only found one clear use:

• 1729, Abel Boyer, Le Grand théâtre de l'honneur et de noblesse [assisted by John Innes?], page 255:

  pages 254-255: GRATELOU, en Bourgogne, de Gueules au Loup ravissant d'Or. […] GRATELOU, in Burgundy, Gules, a Wolf raping Or.

And two less clear or related instances:

• 1735, Francis Nichols, The British Compendium: Or, Rudiments of Honour ..., pages 52, 59:

  [page 52:] also when Lions, Bears, Wolves, Foxes, or any other wild Beasts, are represented Feeding, in Blazon they are term'd raping, and tell whereon. […] [page 59:] 3. Gules, a Raven proper. In Armory this Bird (which was the Ensign of the Danes when they invaded England) is always black, and hath his Name from his raping Quality, whence other like Birds are term'd ravenous.

• 2016 July 19, Charles Walter Doughty, The Revelation Rainbow, Dog Ear Publishing, →ISBN, page 53:

  The word the Holy Spirit chose in association with the taking up of His people in both body and soul is harpadzo, "to seize, grasp firmly, catch away, take by force" (1Th 4:17). The word harpadzo is even used to describe a wolf raping a lamb. Harpadzo is derived from harpax and means “rapacious.” It is used in association with extortionist (Lk 18:11) and “ravening wolves” (Mt 7:15; Ac 20:29). It means to seize, […]

- -sche (discuss) 23:26, 11 January 2023 (UTC)