Lightning flash

Once allowed in SCA heraldry, the Lightning Flash (sometimes disparagingly called a Shazam) is now a restricted charge, being considered out of period by the College of Heralds.

By contrast, a lightning bolt is an embattled stripe with arrowheads on each end and is considered the period European depiction of lightning, which is permitted. The restricted flash is a dancetty or sawtoothed stripe tapering to a point on one or both ends.