I’m not a big fan of the heraldry kiosks at the mall. I disapprove on a very fundamental level. That is, as Americans, we ought cast off the conventions of our overseas forebears and start our own traditions that incorporate the proudest achievements of our past with our vision of hope for the future. Also, I know diddly about my history.
As far as I know, I’m an American Mutt with ancestors across Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Poland and the Ukraine. Maybe others. The rest y’all are poseurs.
So, in the spirit of starting my own family tradition, I’ve been thinking about building my own family crest. As a base, I envisioned a stylized shieldbug (or stinkbug, same difference) instead of a traditional shield, since so many of the little critters co-habitate with us, they’re like family. As a family motto, I’d come up with some fake Latin, akin to Gen. Stilwell‘s classic “illegitimis non carborundum.” Lately, I’ve been thinking about something like “en bustum moveo,” which I think has a nice ring to it.
Of course, my crest isn’t done — I plan on building a wooden one and hanging it on the porch at stately Stinkbug Manor — but I’d like to hear some feedback about the motto.
Anyway, I saw this crest-generator from Scion/Toyota’s marketing geniuses, by way of the geniuses at Neatorama. Here’s my quick attempt to make something. I don’t own a Scion, so I made it for my Saturn.
If the folks at Scion were really geniuses, they’d sell you a stamped metal version of the crest you’d generate and create an easy way to use it to replace your car’s current scion medallion. 