SUMMARY
In the heraldry of many European countries the motif of golden crescent moons and stars has been used since the very beginning of the Middle Ages, (in Polish heraldry the coats of arms: Bojomir, Cielatkowa, Drzewica, Leliwa, Sas). Known are also the charges representing two crescent moons turned away from each other (in Polish heraldry the coats of arms: Ostoja and Przegonia). The coat of arms of the Dressel family represents a motif well known from the earliest beginning of European heraldry.
"The oldest example of the coat of arms of the Dressel family comes from the seal of Johann von Bennhausen, Sept. 15, 1314. The oldest example of the Dressel arms used by a Dressel is the seal of Geunther von der Dressul on a document dated February 6, 1361. On the shield of this seal are two crescent moons (the points are turned away from each other), accompanied by four stars. These charges appear in all documents of the coat of arms of the Dressel family. Also found are variants in the color of the field of the shield and variants in the later drawings of the crest. These variants are shown in Jozef Pilnacek's, "Famillien chronik des Geschlechtes von der Dressel." The main variant consists in the various colors of the field, which in most cases is black, but in some documents is blue. Adam Boniecki in "Herbarz Polski," vol 5, for the Polish branch of the Dressel family gives the red color for their field, which is an evident mistake. At the Main Archive of Old Acts in Warsaw, there is preserved the original diploma conferring the rights of a foreign nobleman, Jerzy of Roszewo Dressel, Chorazy Bulawy Wielkiej (Standard Bearer of the Great Baton) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, enacted by King Stanislaus August on November 18, 1778. It presents the coat of arms on a black field.
The charges of the coat of arms of the Dressel family (i.e. two crescent moons and four stars) are in all examples gold. From the two basic color variants of the shield of the Dressel coat of arms (i.e. black and blue) the first one is natural for the charge which represents two golden crescent moons and four golden stars in the black night sky. This is so because the Dressel coat of arms draws the motif of its emblem from the observation of the astral phenomena, therefore, the heraldric preference is black.
Since the color of the field should be black with golden charges on it, then the mantling of the coat of arms should be black and gold.
The crest of the Dressel coat of arms in later documents also has variants, one has two arms in armor, the other has two arms in black clothing, but both pairs of arms are holding a black furled flag with two gold crescent moons and four gold stars, repeating the charges in the field. The flag is turned to the left. The variant of the crest with arms in black clothing is found in the work of Valentin Koenig, "Adelshistorie," 1727-1736, as well as in the quoted diploma conferring the rights of nobility on the foreign nobleman Jerzy of Roszewo Dressel from 1778.But the more correct chivalric variant is the crest with arms in armor because it represents the held flag as the early Dressel knights would hold it in battle.
The blazon of the Dressel coat of arms should represent on a field of black two crescent gold moons turned away from each other, accompanied by four six- pointed gold stars. The crest should represent two arms in armor holding a black furled flag turned to the left, with the charges being the same as on the shield. The mantling is black with gold lining. The gold of the crescent moons and the gold stars of the charges as well as the lining of the mantling can be replaced with the yellow color..."
Dr. Ottfried Neubecker, former president of the Wappen-Herold Deutsche Heraldische Gesellschaft, agrees with Dr. Kuczynski description of the Dressel Coat of Arms.
Two legends of the origin of the Dressel coat of arms are: in early German tribal history the Dressel ancestors were priests because the crescent moon and stars were symbols of the priestly cast, and when the tribes were converted to Christianity, the priestly families took the crescent moon and stars for their coat of arms; that the Dressel ancestors were members of the first Crusade against the Moslems, and when they returned to Europe, they took the crescent moon and the star as their arms, which is the symbol of the Moslems, to recall their service in the Crusades. There is no documentary evidence for either of these legends at this time.
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"The oldest example of the coat of arms of the Dressel family comes from the seal of Johann von Bennhausen, Sept. 15, 1314. The oldest example of the Dressel arms used by a Dressel is the seal of Geunther von der Dressul on a document dated February 6, 1361. On the shield of this seal are two crescent moons (the points are turned away from each other), accompanied by four stars. These charges appear in all documents of the coat of arms of the Dressel family. Also found are variants in the color of the field of the shield and variants in the later drawings of the crest. These variants are shown in Jozef Pilnacek's, "Famillien chronik des Geschlechtes von der Dressel." The main variant consists in the various colors of the field, which in most cases is black, but in some documents is blue. Adam Boniecki in "Herbarz Polski," vol 5, for the Polish branch of the Dressel family gives the red color for their field, which is an evident mistake. At the Main Archive of Old Acts in Warsaw, there is preserved the original diploma conferring the rights of a foreign nobleman, Jerzy of Roszewo Dressel, Chorazy Bulawy Wielkiej (Standard Bearer of the Great Baton) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, enacted by King Stanislaus August on November 18, 1778. It presents the coat of arms on a black field.
The charges of the coat of arms of the Dressel family (i.e. two crescent moons and four stars) are in all examples gold. From the two basic color variants of the shield of the Dressel coat of arms (i.e. black and blue) the first one is natural for the charge which represents two golden crescent moons and four golden stars in the black night sky. This is so because the Dressel coat of arms draws the motif of its emblem from the observation of the astral phenomena, therefore, the heraldric preference is black.
Since the color of the field should be black with golden charges on it, then the mantling of the coat of arms should be black and gold.
The crest of the Dressel coat of arms in later documents also has variants, one has two arms in armor, the other has two arms in black clothing, but both pairs of arms are holding a black furled flag with two gold crescent moons and four gold stars, repeating the charges in the field. The flag is turned to the left. The variant of the crest with arms in black clothing is found in the work of Valentin Koenig, "Adelshistorie," 1727-1736, as well as in the quoted diploma conferring the rights of nobility on the foreign nobleman Jerzy of Roszewo Dressel from 1778.But the more correct chivalric variant is the crest with arms in armor because it represents the held flag as the early Dressel knights would hold it in battle.
The blazon of the Dressel coat of arms should represent on a field of black two crescent gold moons turned away from each other, accompanied by four six- pointed gold stars. The crest should represent two arms in armor holding a black furled flag turned to the left, with the charges being the same as on the shield. The mantling is black with gold lining. The gold of the crescent moons and the gold stars of the charges as well as the lining of the mantling can be replaced with the yellow color..."
Dr. Ottfried Neubecker, former president of the Wappen-Herold Deutsche Heraldische Gesellschaft, agrees with Dr. Kuczynski description of the Dressel Coat of Arms.
Two legends of the origin of the Dressel coat of arms are: in early German tribal history the Dressel ancestors were priests because the crescent moon and stars were symbols of the priestly cast, and when the tribes were converted to Christianity, the priestly families took the crescent moon and stars for their coat of arms; that the Dressel ancestors were members of the first Crusade against the Moslems, and when they returned to Europe, they took the crescent moon and the star as their arms, which is the symbol of the Moslems, to recall their service in the Crusades. There is no documentary evidence for either of these legends at this time.
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