Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms
16308 SE 165th St
Renton, WA 98058-8221
+1-425-277-0763
herald@sca.org
For the January 2006 meetings, printed March 31, 2006
To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Elisabeth Laurel, Jeanne Marie Wreath, and Margaret Pelican, greetings.
The January Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Saturday, January 28, 2006 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, January 22, 2006. The meetings considered the following letters of intent: Laurel (2 Sep 2005), Gleann Abhann (19 Sep 2005), Middle (20 Sep 2005), Caid (21 Sep 2005), Drachenwald (23 Sep 2005), Ealdormere (23 Sep 2005), Siren (25 Sep 2005), Atlantia (27 Sep 2005), Outlands (27 Sep 2005), Atenveldt (28 Sep 2005), West (28 Sep 2005), An Tir (30 Sep 2005).
The February Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, February 12, 2006; the Estrella Roadshow held on Sunday, February 19, 2006; and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, February 26, 2006. The meetings considered the following letters of intent: Middle (15 Oct 2005), Laurel (l7 Oct 2005), Artemisia (25 Oct 2005), Æthelmearc (25 Oct 2005), Meridies (25 Oct 2005), Siren (25 Oct 2005), Caid (26 Oct 2005), Drachenwald (26 Oct 2005), West (26 Oct 2005), Atlantia (27 Oct 2005), Lochac (27 Oct 2005), An Tir (31 Oct 2005), Atenveldt (31 Oct 2005), Trimaris (31 Oct 2005).
The March Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Saturday, March 25, 2006 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, March 12, 2006. The meetings considered the following letters of intent: Northshield (30 Sep 2005), Middle (15 Nov 2005), Ansteorra (19 Nov 2005), Ansteorra (20 Nov 2005), Ansteorra (21 Nov 2005), Artemisia (23 Nov 2005), Atlantia (23 Nov 2005), West (23 Nov 2005), Æthelmearc (24 Nov 2005), Ealdormere (25 Nov 2005), Drachenwald (26 Nov 2005), Lochac (26 Nov 2005), Outlands (27 Nov 2005), Northshield (29 Nov 2005), An Tir (30 Nov 2005), Atenveldt (30 Nov 2005).
For the information about future scheduling please review the status table located on the web at: http://www.sca.org/heraldry/status.html.
Not all letters of intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this cover letter. The date of mailing of the LoI, date of receipt of the Laurel packet, or other factors may delay consideration of certain letters of intent. Additionally, some letters of intent received may not have been scheduled because the administrative requirements (receipt of the forms packet, receipt of the necessary fees, et cetera) have not yet been met.
REMINDER: Until all administrative requirements are met, the letter may not be scheduled.
From Laurel - New Roster Enclosed
Enclosed in paper copies of this LoAR please find an updated copy of the College of Arms roster.  Those wishing an electronic copy should contact me at herald@sca.org
From Laurel - Education Deputy Appointed
I am pleased to announce that Dame Gwenllian ferch Maredudd (contact information on the CoA roster, see above), Wreath Emerita, has agreed to act as Laurel staff education deputy for my tenure.  To this end, among other projects, she is moderating an e-mail discussion list whose topics will include how heraldic education is conducted in various kingdoms; the role of the College of Arms in heraldic education; ideas and suggestions for classes, symposia, handbooks, or websites; announcements of symposia; requests for assistance in finding educational materials or teachers, etc. Principal heralds and education heralds are particularly encouraged to participate, but the list is open to anyone with an interest in heraldic education, either continuing education of heralds, or of the general populace.  Subscription information may be found at http://lists.sca.org/listinfo/herald-education
From Laurel - Submissions Heralds Please Note
Many of you already do this, and I thank you.  For those of you who do not.at the end of your Letter of Intent, please be sure to summarize its contents, i.e. the number of new names, new devices, resubmissions, etc. and state the amount of the check that will be forwarded to cover that letter.s contents.  This will help the Laurel staff track inconsistencies, which have, unfortunately, been noted.
From Pelican - The use of the circumflex in French spellings
The issue of whether the circumflex accent mark was used in period French spellings was raised several times this letter. This diacritical mark, which resembles a carat (^) over a vowel, is used in modern French to indicate a missing consonant, usually an s, after the marked vowel. While some historians suggest that this accent mark was introduced into use in French writing in the 16th C, it does not become common until the 18th C. The first edition of Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, published in 1694, does not use the circumflex. In addition, the College has found no evidence for the general use of the circumflex in French writing during our period. 
Therefore, we must conclude that modern French spellings that use the circumflex are not representative of period French forms. While words that can be found with this mark in original period texts may be registered using this mark, French words that use the circumflex are not otherwise registerable.
From Wreath - On Ibexes
One of this month's submissions (Eleanor Chantrill) raised a question on the difference between an ibex and a reindeer.  John Vinycomb, Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art, with Special Reference to Their Use in British Heraldry, p. 215 defines the heraldic ibex as "an imaginary beast resembling the heraldic antelope in appearance, with the exception of the horns projecting from his forehead, which are serrated like a saw.  Perhaps it would not be erroneous to consider it identical with the heraldic antelope."  Vinycomb goes on and states the natural ibex "resembles a goat, but the horns are much larger, bent backwards, and full of knots, one of which is added every year."  Other authors have similar definitions for both the heraldic antelope and heraldic ibex.
Mountain goats are frequent in European armory, blazoned in French as bouquetin and in German as Steinbock; these translate to "ibex", but they're pretty obviously natural ibexes.  A heraldic ibex head is found in 1547, as the crest of Toke (Woodcock & Robinson, Oxford Guide to Heraldry, plate 9).  It has forward-sweeping horns, is most definitely an ibex (or ebeck as it is blazoned) and looks nothing like a natural ibex.
Based on the definitions, and emblazons, of heraldic antelopes, natural antelopes, heraldic ibexes, and natural ibexes, the following is list of what is worth a CD and what isn't.
	-	There is no difference between a heraldic antelope and a heraldic ibex.
	-	There is no difference between a natural ibex and a goat.
	-	There is a CD between a heraldic ibex and a natural antelope, stag, or deer.
	-	There is a CD between a goat and a heraldic antelope or heraldic ibex.
	-	There is a CD between a goat and a natural antelope, stag or deer.
	-	There is a CD between a heraldic ibex and a reindeer.
	-	There is a CD between a heraldic ibex and a natural ibex.
In order to ensure that the correct difference is granted between natural deer and natural ibexes (as opposed to heraldic antelopes and heraldic ibexes), we have to explicitly say natural.  An examination of the registered ibexes showed that they were all natural ibexes, rather than the expected heraldic ibexes.  Prior registrations of ibexes have been reblazoned as natural ibexes elsewhere in this letter.
Send What to Whom
For all Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera, send one paper copy directly to each of the Sovereigns of Arms, Laurel, Pelican and Wreath at their mailing addresses as shown on the College of Arms Roster.
Send Laurel office copies of all submissions-related paper, including
	-	Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera (note: such paper copies are in addition to the personal copies for Laurel, Pelican and Wreath mentioned above)
	-	Submission packets (one copy of each name form plus documentation, including petitions; two colored copies of each armory form plus two copies of any associated documentation, including petitions)
to the SCA College of Arms, PO Box 31755, Billings, MT 59107-1755.
Send the required electronic copies of all submissions-related files to submissions@sca.org. This applies to all LoIs, LoCs, LoRs, et cetera.
Cheques or money orders for submissions, payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms" are to be sent directly to the Society Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is temporarily acting as Laurel's chancellor of the exchequer, at Laurel Chancellor of Exchequer, 4N400 Church Rd, Bensenville, IL 60106-2928. 
Send roster changes and corrections to Laurel. College of Arms members may also request a copy of the current roster from Laurel.
For a paper copy of a LoAR, please contact Laurel, at the address above. The cost for one LoAR is $3. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms". For subscriptions to the electronic copy of the LoAR, please contact Laurel at herald@sca.org. The electronic copy is available free of charge.
For all administrative matters, or for questions about whom to send to, please contact Laurel.
Pray know that I remain,
In service,
Elisabeth de Rossignol
Laurel Principal Queen of Arms