Goutte

From Cunnan

In heraldry a goutte is a charge in the shape of a drop of liquid. As with the roundel, the name of the goutte changes depending on the tincture. Note that if there is a semé of gouttes, instead of saying semé of gouttes d'eau, we would say either goutte d'eau or goutty d'eau.

Tincture	Name	Meaning	Image
Or	Goutte d'Or	Drops of Gold
Argent	Goutte d'eau	Water Drops
Azure	Goutte des Larmes	Tear Drops
Gules	Goutte de Sang	Drops of Blood
Sable	Goutte de poix	Drops of Tar
Vert	Goutte de Huile	Drops of (Olive) Oil
Purpure	Goutte de Vin	Drops of Wine

Throughout most of SCA period, the only gouttes are Goutte de Sang. Several Renaissance heraldic treatises state that red is the only colour that gouttes come in. John Guillim's A Display of Heraldry in 1610 mentions a few goutte variations:

• "Gutte de sang"
• "Gutte de larmes"
• "Gutte de Eau"
• "Gutte de Poix"
• "Gutte de Or"

In the SCA, you can use a specialized goutte name for any colour.