Okay, so, my last name is Branecky. As far as I know, it's Czech. And it means "Gatekeeper". I think. That's what I've learned from others. But, that's all I've found out.

I've looked all over the net for Branecky family history and stuff. One thing in particular, the family crest. Or the Coat of Arms. Never have found one.

So, I decided to create one. All I had was Photoshop and one word to go on.. Gatekeeper. This is the result. I've never tried something like this, but as far as I know, this is the first and only Branecky Family Crest/Coat of Arms. Someone else out there may have tried one, too.

A friend I was talking to when I got the idea asked, "If your medieval family were a class, what would they be?" I would say now, when I give it some thought, that we would have been Paladins.
Sure, Paladins are holy-warriors.. but they are also defenders of the poor and meak, the defenseless, and all things good and righteous. Kinda like Crusaders..

.. That's what I'd wanna be, anyway.

It was a fun project, and I would improve it if I thought it needed something else or a bit more on it.

If there are any Branecky's out there who may know more about the name/meaning/origin, please, PLEASE drop me a line or two.

My thanks for this project goes to:
Adobe for Photoshop.
The people at BioRUST.com for their custom APS Shapes. (The gryphons, unicorns, and other downloads I didn't use)
My ancestors. God rest your bones, be them weary or wound up.
Whoever thought up gates.
And pikes.
And shields.. all the stuff I used, let's just go with that.
And the fact that, when I get bored, I do things like this.