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Jack of Arrows

Feriunt Summos Fulgura Montes

Jack of Arrows

Lightning strikes the highest peaks. The youth who aims highest risks most—and gains most.

Lightning strikes the highest peaks. The young knight who aims for the summit draws heaven’s fire — whether as illumination or destruction depends on preparation and providence.

Paradin’s feriunt summos fulgura montes warned Renaissance youth that visibility brings vulnerability. The tallest tree catches the storm. Yet the emblem is not cautionary alone; it acknowledges that some must climb despite the danger.

The Jack embodies potential not yet tested. He looks upward, knowing the peaks are perilous, choosing altitude anyway.

Source: Paradin, Devises Héroïques, 1557, p. 132