Listed on the LoI as Aron Wyth, the name was originally submitted as Aron the Sinister, and changed in kingdom because no documentation could be found for the Sinister. Commenters were able to find a version of the byname which is closer to the originally submitted form. Noir Licorne notes:
Senestre is closer to his originally submitted name:
"Submitted as Edward the Sinister, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th to 14th C and allowed minor changes. The LoI provided documentation for this byname from Weekley, Ernest, M.A., Surnames, (p. 304, footnote 3) which states: "Cf. Sinister, O.F. senestre, left-handed, awkward [Simon Senestre, of Dieppe, Close R.]. Lefthand is a ME. name." The LoI also noted that the Close Rolls dated to 1205. We have changed the byname in this submission to use the documented form Senestre in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity." [Edward Senestre, 02/2003, A-Caid]
Siren adds to this:
I found a 1457 citation of a French <Colin Senestre>. It's from the Comptes du domaine de la ville de Paris, publiés par les soins du Service des travaux historiques de la ville de Paris, edited by Alexandre Vidier (Paris, Impr. nationale, 1948-). This is from the 1457-8 Comptes.
I'd say that this together with the English citation Jeanne Marie mentions should be enough to allow <Senestre>. The MED (s.n. senestre) gives this as a header form, but also dates <sinister> to 1474 (in the deceitful sense) and dates <sinistre> and <senester> to a. 1500 in the "left" sense. This should be enough to allow the spelling <sinister>, which is also the Latin spelling, as the MED notes.
On the basis of this information, Sinister is a plausible variant of the documented byname Senestre. We have changed the name to Aron_Sinister to make the byname closer to the originally submitted form.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the charges larger so as to better fill the available space.
This is clear of the device of Aurelia von Falkenstein, Azure, mulletty Or, three bars argent. There is a CD for the difference between a stick shuttle and a bar, and a CD for changing the number of primary charges.
The submitter requested authenticity for pre-12th C Irish. Both elements can be found numerous times from the 7th to 13th centuries, so this is an excellent Irish name for his desired period.
Submitted as Frederick of Driesen, the submitter noted he preferred the byname von Driesen if possible. Unfortunately, the only documentation provided for the spelling Driesen was a modern map and a modern history book, both of which use the standard modern forms of place names. No evidence was provided, and none could be found, that Driesen is a period form of the place name. Lacking evidence that Driesen is a period spelling, it is not registerable in the context of a locative byname. On Blaeu's atlas of 1645, the place is spelled Dresen, and Brechenmacher, Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen, s.n. Dresen dates Dominikus Dresen to 1501. We have changed the name to Frederick von Dresen in order to partially comply with his preference.
The only documentation provided for Frederick was the statement that it is an "English spelling of 15th century German male given name." However, no sources were cited to back up this claim, so this is not adequate documentation for Frederick. The spelling Frederick can be found in the Low Countries in the 15th and 16th centuries according to Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Names from Dutch Records Between 1584-1585" and "15th Century Dutch Names". Using this documentation, the submitted name combines Dutch and High German, which is a step from period practice.
The submitter has permission to conflict with Julia de Montoya, Azure, two scarpes between three mullets of four points and a tower Or.
Listed on the LoI as Grímr Þurs, both the forms and the documentation list the byname as þurs, with the lower-case thorn. We have made this correction.
This was pended on the October 2008 LoAR.
His previous name, Edericke Lorry, is released.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the swords thicker and more prominently, so they can be more easily identified.
Commenters asked if this was in conflict with the device of Alexandria of Marinus, Sable, an escarbuncle of six arms and on a chief argent three escarbuncles of six arms sable. It is technically clear by X.2, since swords and escarbuncles are substantially different. Visually, they appear similar, but the similarity does not rise to the level required for visual conflict under section X.5 of the Rules for Submission.
We are overturning the precedent on the use of secondary charges on a design with a couched chevron being a step from period practice:
Barring evidence of couched chevrons sharing a field with other charges in period heraldry, this design motif is a step from period practice. [Katrín in hárfagra, May 2008, A-Gleann Abhann]
Volume II of Raneke's Svenska medeltidsvappen ("Swedish Medieval Arms") has examples of a chevron couched from dexter base and in dexter base three roundels and a chevron couched from sinister base between seven roses. Both are found on page 819. Henceforth, secondary charges are permitted with couched chevrons.
A concern was raised that the submitted design violates Section VIII.1.b of the Rules for Submission, which says that "Armory must arrange all elements coherently in a balanced design." Were the position of the roses not forced by the shape of the escutcheon, this design would be no less unbalanced than any other using secondaries around a couched chevron, and it is policy of this office not to penalize submitters for things forced upon them by our administrative requirements, such as the shape of the emblazon space on the submission forms, per past precedent:
There were some calls to return this for the use of an escutcheon of pretense. The submitter did not blazon this as an inescutcheon; the fact that it even resembles an inescutcheon of pretense is an artifact of the submission form. We must ask ourselves: If this had been submitted as a badge, would the issue of pretense have even been raised? No, because then the orle would have been shaped as a square, not an inescutcheon. If we would register this as a badge (square form), should we penalize the submitter for submitting it as a device (escutcheon form)? We do not believe so. This is in keeping with past precedent:
[Argent, on a roundel azure a wolf sejant ululant argent] Because this was submitted on the required badge form, some thought that it should be reblazoned as Azure, a wolf sejant and a bordure argent. Elsbeth Laurel ruled:
[Azure, a sun within an orle argent] The device is clear of ... Azure, an estoile of eight rays within an annulet and a bordure all argent. Even though an orle looks like an annulet on a round field, they are nonetheless separate charges: if this were drawn on the standard shield shape the difference would be given automatically and it is unfair to penalize the drawing when it is forced to be circular by administrative requirements. [Taliesin de Morlet, 03/01, R-Caid]
In the same manner Argent, a roundel azure and Azure, a bordure argent are not interchangeable, though they give that appearance when displayed on a round field. We decline to penalize the submitter for using the circular shape specified by our administrative requirements. [Rotheric Kynith, 07/05, A-Caid]
We decline to penalize the submitter for submitting a device rather than a badge and are registering the submitted device. [Robyn FitzOsbern, October 2007, A-Caid]
Similarly, we decline to penalize the submitter in this case for submitting a device rather than a badge and are registering the submitted device.
Listed on the LoI as Úlfr Arnfinnsson, the name was originally submitted as Ulf Arnfinnson and changed in kingdom to correct the grammar of the byname and because no documentation for Ulf was found.
The given name Ulf is dated to 1095 in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Ulph. We have changed the name to Ulf Arnfinnsson to restore the originally submitted form of the given name. Combining English and Old Norse is a step from period practice.
Submitted as Ysabella inghean uí Giolla Chatáin, Gaelic grammar requires that both elements of the compound name Giolla Catáin be lenitied, e.g., Ysabella inghean uí Ghiolla Chatáin. We have made this correction.
This name combines Scots and Gaelic in the same name, which is a step from period practice. If the submitter is interested, a wholly Scots form of the name would be Ysabella MacYlle Cattane; MacYlle Cattane is an expansion of the abbreviated form M'Ylle Cattane, which is dated to 1540 in Black, The Surnames of Scotland, s.n. MacGillechattan. A wholly Gaelic form of the name would be Isibél inghean uí Ghiolla Chatáin; Isibél is dated to 1441, 1505, and 1583 in Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals".
Submitted as Order of the Gryphon's Hammer, the order pattern <animal's> + <object> has been disallowed for many years, except when the object is something closely associated with the animal:
[Order of the Dragon's Pheon] This name is being returned because it does not follow period style of order names, nor does it follow the pattern of previous order names of the barony. ... Dragon's is not a reasonable adjective to modify a pheon. [Dragonsspine, Barony of, 08/99, R-Outlands]
[Award of the Griffins Sword.] By precedent, Order names using the pattern "beast/monster's+attribute" must use an attribute normally associated with that beast or monster:
Order of the Griffin's Flame- A flame is not an attribute associated with a griffin, therefore we need to see evidence that Griffin's Flame is a reasonable name for an order (January 2000)
A sword is not an attribute normally associated with a griffin. [Northshield, Principality of, LoAR 01/2005, Northshield-R]
Likewise, a hammer is not an attribute normally associated with a griffin.
While the submitters do not allow major changes, the change from Gryphon's Hammer to Gryphon and Hammer was explicitly allowed. Juliana de Luna, "Medieval Secular Order Name", has examples of order names following the pattern <heraldic charge> + <heraldic charge>, including, Camail and Porcupine, Fish and Falcon, Hound and Wreath, and Unicorn and Maiden. On the basis of these examples, Order of the Gryphon and Hammer is a reasonable order name. We have changed the name to Order of the Gryphon and Hammer in order to register it.
This does not conflict with James the Fox. Because articles such as the do not contribute to difference, per RfS V.1a.ii, the bynames are considered equivalent. When pronounced as they were before 1600, Jane has one syllable while James has two, which makes these names significantly different in sound. The members of Pelican staff were agreed that there is just enough difference in appearance between Jane and James that when combined with the significant difference in sound the given names do not conflict.
Submitted as Bearach Black of Clan Lamont, bynames of the form of Clan X have been disallowed for over a decade:
... the construction of Clan X has been disallowed since June 1998. [Aeron Aschennen of Clan MacKenzie, 05/00, R-Ansteorra]
There are several problems with the name...there is no evidence of the use of Clan <X> in names... [Brenna Michaela Sine Macghie of Clan MacKay, 04/00, R-Atenveldt]
No new documentation was provided for the use of of Clan X bynames, so they continue to be unregisterable.
The LoI noted that if of Clan Lamont was not registerable, the submitter would accept of Lamont instead. However, of Lamont is not a correct construction. Black, The Surnames of Scotland, s.n. Lamond derives Lamont or Lamond not from a place name but from Old Norse l{o,}gmaðr 'lawman, lawyer'. As an inherited surname, Lamont cannot be combined with the inherited surname Black because of this precedent:
No documentation was provided and none found for multiple inherited surnames in Scots in period. Barring such documentation, double inherited surnames in Scots are not registerable. Names of the form "given+surname+of locative" are common in the 16th C. As Leslie is originally a locative byname, we would change this name to Robert MacAlister of Leslie. However, the submitter will not accept major changes such as reordering the name phrases. We note that Robert Leslie and Robert MacAlister are both registerable forms of this name. [Robert Leslie MacAlister, LoAR 01/2005, Atenveldt-R]
As the submitter allows all changes, we have dropped the problematic element to register the name as Bearach Black_. This name combines Gaelic and Scots, which is a step from period practice.
Nice 13th C English name!
The use of lightning bolts by themselves, and not as part of a thunderbolt, is a step from period practice. Please instruct the submitter to draw the pegasus so that the legs are not aligned with the lightning bolts, to promote identifiability.
The given name Draco was documented from Seibicke, Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch. However, no photocopies were provided for this source. As Seibicke is not listed on Appendix H of the Administrative Handbook, failure to provide copies is grounds for return. In this case, we are able to register the name because Siren provided alternative documentation for the name:
In 9/08, <Draco of Brockore> was registered on the basis of these docs: "The given name is documented from the name of Draco Malafortini who appears dated to 1435 - 1455 in a list of prebendaries of Ratfyn derived from the Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300 - 1541, Volume III Salisbury Diocese, pp. 79 - 82 which can be found online at www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=32358."
Using this documentation, this name combines English and German, which is a step from period practice.
Submitted as Sabiha al-Nahdiyah, this used two different transcription systems in the same name, representing the same Arabic letter with both a and ah. Since the given name uses the a version, we have changed the byname to al-Nahdiya in order to register the name. We note that the transcription Sabihah al-Nahdiyah is also registerable.
Her previous name, Sibilla of Atenveldt, is retained as an alternate name.
Submitted as Safaya bint Ahmet ibn Abdullah, the submitter requested authenticity for a 16th C Mamluk born in Egypt. No documentation was provided for the spellings Safaya or Ahmet, and none could be found by the commenters. For a 16th C Mamluk born in Egypt, the standard medieval Arabic spellings of the name should be appropriate; these are Safiya and Ahmad. We have changed the name to Safiya bint Ahmad ibn Abdullah in order to register it and to meet her request for authenticity.
The submitter requested authenticity for 14th C England. As all elements are dated in the 1380s, this is a fine 14th C English name, though the use of two bynames instead of just one is unusual.
The given name Mariah was documented via the legal name allowance, but Edelweiss provided examples of this spelling from late-period English parish registers, including the baptism of Mariah Busshell in 1570 in Wiltshire, and the baptism of Mariah Bery in 1637 in Cambridge. Given these examples, recourse to the legal name allowance is not required to register this name.
The given name Sybella was documented as a hypothetical variant on the basis of various forms in Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, s.n. Sibyl. Edelweiss found an example of this specific spelling in late-period English parish registers, Sybella Smith, baptised 1591 in Yorkshire. Thus, there is no doubt that Sybella is a reasonable English spelling of the name.
As noted in the Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry, a book proper has bindings of brown leather. The tincture of an open book is determined by the pages, which tincture must be specified. While the tincture of a book's binding is blazonable, the binding need not have good contrast with the field.
This is clear of Yale University, Azure, an open book argent charged with Hebrew letters sable. Current precedent says:
This submission generated much discussion on the nature of words on books. The letters on Yale University's arms, Azure, an open book argent charged with Hebrew letters sable, have previously been ruled to act as tertiary charges. Laurel has also ruled "In general, open books may be drawn with numerous small writing marks as artistic license, the writing so small that it could not be read from any distance, but such writing would not be blazoned. [Branwen filia Iohannis de Monmouth, 04/02, A-East]".
The question becomes, when does the writing become so small that it cannot be read? In general, more that [sic] 10 or 11 letters on a single primary charge will be considered unreadable and will not count for difference; for a secondary charge (or multiple primary charges) this number will be reduced due to the smaller size of the books. More than two or three letters on a tertiary charge will be too small to read. In SCA arms, such small writing will not be blazoned. In the case of important non-SCA arms this writing may be blazoned even if it does not count for difference. Thus, the letters on Yale University's arms constitute a tertiary charge group while those on Oxford University's arms (DOMINUS ILLUMINATIO MEO) do not. [Eibhlín inghean Chiaráin, January 2007, A-Atlantia]
Therefore, the letters on Yale's armory count as a tertiary charge. There is, therefore, a CD for fieldlessness and a CD for the change of type and number of the tertiary charges.
This badge was to be associated with the Order of the Shining Star, returned elsewhere on this letter.
Parker, in A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry, p.343, notes that the part you hold while using the key is called the bow, not the guard.
Blazoned on the letter of intent as quill pens, the charges have no nibs and do not have stripped shafts so they can be easily held. As they lack the identifying features of pens, they are feathers.
Sanderling is the period term for the bird modernly called a sandpiper.
Submitted as Maluchka Korotkova, the documentation spelled the given name Malucha. We have made this correction. While the name Malucha was listed under the header name Maluchka in Paul Wickenden, A Dictionary of Period Russian Names, not all of the header names in this source are dated. As with other sources, undated header names in Paul's dictionary are only registerable if independent evidence is provided that they are either period or consistent with period spellings.
In SCA heraldry, astrological symbols have been considered a step from period practice. Astrological symbols are abstract charges, no more and no less than are musical notes. While neither is attested in period armory, both of them are seen as details on crests. If we are to be fair, both of them or neither of them should be a step from period practice. Henceforth, the use of astrological symbols in armory will not be considered a step from period practice.
Submitted under the name Ném Aibhann Rua.
The use of a lightning bolt is a step from period practice.
This name combines Gaelic and English, which is a step from period practice.
This name combines Latinized Italian and German, which is a step from period practice.
Submitted as Stefanus Calise di Livorno, the standard preposition in Italian locative bynames is da, not di. We have made this correction.
A bird that appears to be cockatoo is in the painting Madonna della Vittoria (Our Lady of the Victory), by Andrea Mantegna, painted in 1496. It can be seen at http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/mantegna/mantegna_vittoria.jpg.html with the cockatoo at the very top, about one-third of the way from the left. Thus, the cockatoo was known to period Europeans and is registerable. However, as it is non-European fauna and not depicted in period European heraldry, its use is a step from period practice.
Her old badge, (Fieldless) A popinjay gules beaked, winged and tailed argent, is released.
The use of a non-European cockatoo is a step from period practice.
This device is not in conflict with that of Eldred Ælfwald, Argent, a wheel, a bordure embattled azure. There is a CD for the type change between a base wavy and a bordure embattled. There is another for the difference between a cogwheel and a default wagon wheel. Both types of wheel were seen in period heraldry (Siebmacher has some examples on plates 74 and 86), so we rule that there is significant (CD), though not substantial (X.2) difference, between the default wagon wheel and a cogwheel.
This name was listed on the original LoI as Aktay al-Firas ibn Abdallah al-Jarakisa, with a note that the name had originally been submitted as Aktay al-Firaas Ibn Abdallah al-Jarakisa, and changed in kingdom. However, the name was in fact originally listed on the forms as Aktay al-Firas ibn `Abdullah al-Jarakisa. This submission was pended on the November 2008 LoAR to allow Ruby the chance to clarify the situation so that the commenters could comment on the correct form.
The form listed on the LoI as the original form, Aktay al-Firaas Ibn Abdallah al-Jarakisa, was not in fact ever submitted, and so we are disregarding it.
Neither the originally submitted spelling, Aktay al-Firas ibn `Abdullah al-Jarakisa, nor the spelling that was submitted on the LoI, Aktay al-Firas ibn Abdallah al-Jarakisa, is registerable, because the byname al-Jarakisa is not correctly constructed. This byname was intended to mean "of the Circassians". Siren explains the problem with the construction:
The last byname is almost assuredly incorrect...<al-Jarakisa> means "Circassia." The form meaning "the Circassian" is <al-Jarkas{i-}>, which can be seen, for example, on p. 171 of Peter Malcolm Holt's Studies in the History of the Near East (http://books.google.com/books?id=PLm6B5KU8yAC).
The originally submitted spelling of the patronym is also not quite correct because it mixes transliteration systems; Loyall notes:
<`Abdullah> strikes me as a weird transliteration: I would expect either the more scholarly <`Abd Allah> or the less scholarly <Abdullah>.
We do not require that the most scholarly transliteration be used for the registration of Arabic names, but we do require that the transliteration be consistent. The rest of the elements of the name use a relatively non-scholarly transliteration system, which when used throughout the name would give Aktay al-Firas ibn Abdullah al-Jarkasi. We have changed the name to this spelling, correcting the grammar of the final byname and using a uniform transliteration system throughout, in order to register the name.
Submitted as Ceridwen the Empiric, the spelling empiric was not dated on the LoI. The earliest citation that we could find for this spelling was 1667, which is outside of our grey area. The most similar period or grey area spelling that we could find is emperic, which is dated to a1425 in the Middle English Dictionary s.v. emperk. We have changed the name to Ceridwen the Emperic in order to register it.
The given name Ceridwen was documented as SCA-compatible. However, as noted on this month's Cover Letter:
[W]e declare that no new name elements or name patterns will be ruled SCA-compatible, that all names previously ruled SCA-compatible are no longer SCA-compatible and that in order for them to be registered, documentation meeting the same standards as for non-SCA-compatible names will be required.
This submission is being considered as a hardship case. The name was originally submitted in September and if it had been processed in a timely fashion, it would have appeared on a Letter of Intent dated December 2008, and would have been considered at the April 2009 Laurel meetings, when Ceridwen would still have been registerable as an SCA-compatible name. However, computer issues prevented Ruby from being able to publish what would have been the December Letter of Intent until early January. Since this delay is no fault of the submitter's, we are unwilling to penalize her for it, and will make an exception in this case to the new standards and register Ceridwen to her.
Please instruct the submitter to better center all of the charges on the field. Centering only the chalice forces the jambe into sinister base. They should both be moved up and to the left on the field.
None of the members of the House of Bourbon named Charles either had the second given name Pierre or a father named Pierre, so this name is not presumptuous.
This is clear of the device of Ah Kum of the Ger-Igren, Per fess argent and vert, a Mongolian yurt azure. Ah's tent is in the center of the field, so there is a CD for the field and a CD for the unforced move of Ebrahim's tent to base.
The use of the non-European Mongolian yurt is a step from period practice.
Submitted under the name Ebrahim al-Jabal.
Widcombe was documented as a subsidiary header in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Widdecombe. Subsidiary headers in Reaney & Wilson are only registerable if they are demonstrated to be consistent with period spellings of the name. Mills, The Place-Names of Dorset, p. 259 dates Wydcombe to 1461 and 1559 and Widcombe to 1486, so the submitted form is a fine period spelling.
Submitted as Otto der Waffenschmidt, the documentation provided spelled the byname Waffenschmid. We have changed the name to match the available documentation.
Natalya de Foix has granted blanket permission to conflict with her device, Sable, a lion couchant, its head a sun in splendour Or, for any item one countable step different. There is a CD for the addition of the caltrops. That CD, combined with the permission to conflict, allows us to register this device.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the bordure with fewer, larger embattlements.
We remind submissions heralds to please give both the title and the author of all websites cited, in addition to the full URL. Failure to give a complete summary of the documentation can be grounds for pend or return of a name, as outlined on the December 2008 Cover Letter.
Submitted as Clara d'Èste, the byname d'Èste was documented from de Felice, Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. The accents in de Felice are pronunciation guides only, and should not be included as part of the registered spelling of a name. We have dropped the accent to register this name as Clara d'Este.
The use of compass stars is a step from period practice.
Blazoned when registered as Purpure, on a plate between three mullets argent a crow volant bendwise sinister sable, the bird is drawn as a generic bird.
Submitted as Godelieve Blaubloeme, the submitter requested authenticity for Flanders. While the LoI and many of the commenters note that Godelieve is used in modern contexts as the name of the patron saint of Flanders, who lived in the 11th century, this does not appear to be the saint's real name. Godelieve is not a Dutch name, but an English one, deriving from Old English *Godléofu. Other sources give the saint's name as Godelina; this is a Continental Germanic name which can be dated to 1148 in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Godelin. In order to meet her request for authenticity, and to retain the connection to the Flemish saint, we have changed the name to Godelina Blaubloeme.
Listed on the LoI as Guillaume Lefurye, both the forms and the documentation spelled the name Guillaume Lefuryc. We have made this correction.
Her old device, Argent, a rat rampant within a orle sable, is retained as a badge.
The submitter has permission to conflict with the device of Rosatrude the Shrew, Or, a water shrew statant to sinister sable marked argent.
A step-cut gemstone is a CD from a billet or delf. Since there is a CD for this difference, this submission is clear of the badge of Ekaterina Iadorovna Kharlampieva, Argent, on a delf throughout vert an elephant statant proper. There is a CD for the removal of the elephant and a CD for the difference between the gemstone and a delf.
We remind submissions heralds to please give both the title and the author of all websites cited, in addition to the full URL. Failure to give a complete summary of the documentation can be grounds for pend or return of a name, as outlined on the December 2008 Cover Letter.
Her old device, Per chevron inverted azure and paly Or and vert, is released.
The given name Quintin is grandfathered to him. The surname Gawain is his legal surname.
His previous name, Quintin Wynn, is released.
His old device, Vert, on a chevron between three wolf's heads erased argent the phrase "Non Sibi Sed Todo" sable all within a bordure embattled Or, is released.
Submitted as Sabina du' Maine, no documentation was provided for including the apostrophe with the preposition. We have removed it in order to register the name.
The submitter requested authenticity for 14th C French, but this authenticity request was not mentioned on the LoI. We remind submissions heralds that failure to note an authenticity request will usually result in the name being pended so that the commenters can address the request. In this case, the commenters provided information about the authenticity of this name. Noir Licorne said:
Well, I've got Sabina in the 12th-13th C. in England (S. Gabriel, 3329), 15th C. in Russia (Wickenden), and 16th C. Venice (Juliana de Luna) but I haven't found it in 14th C. France.
Academy of S. Gabriel Report #3329, footnote 2a citing Morlet, Les Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siecle III:174a says:
Modern places <Sainte Sabine> appear in medieval records as <ecclesia Sanctae Sabinae> c.970, <Parrochia de Sancta Sabina> 1257) and <Sainte-Savine> (<Sancta Savina> 1071, <Villa Sancte Savine> 1178, <Sancta Sabina> 1248, <Saincte Savine> 1339.
The report also says:
You asked for our opinion of <Sabine> as a 13th-15th century French given name...
We cannot find specific examples of <Sabine>, but we can theorize that it was in use during the early part of your period. In England, we find the name <Sabina>, a Latinized form, in the late 12th and early 13th centuries [1]. The name was used early in the Middle Ages in France as well...The use of the diminutive <Sabelina> some time after the late 12th century England suggests that some form of the name was used in France around the time of the Conquest [1]. <Sabine> was probably a learned form based on the Latin <Sabina>; the French form of the name was most likely <Savine>.
We have changed the given name to Savine to meet her request for authenticity.
The byname of Amasya is a lingua anglica rendering of the constructed Turkish byname Amasyeli 'of Amasya'. Since Amasya is frequently found in modern English contexts in this form, it meets the standards for application of the lingua anglica allowance laid out on the January 2009 Cover Letter. This name combines Latinized English and Turkish, which is a step from period practice.
The submitter noted that she preferred the spelling Amaseia if that was possible. Amaseia is the Greek name of the city, found in Byzantine records. However, the byname of Amaseia is not registerable because combines English of and Greek Amaseia in the same phrase, violating RfS III.1.a Linguistic Consistency. Since Amaseia is not a non-English place name which is "frequently used in English in its original form" [CL 01/2009], it is not eligible for use via the lingua anglica allowance.
This name combines German and English, which is a step from period practice.
The only documentation provided for the byname Mignot on the LoI was "Dauzat, Noms de Famille et Prénouns de France. SN". This is not an acceptable summary of the documentation, since it does not properly identify which of Dauzat's works is being cited (the correct title of the book is Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et des Prenoms de France), give a page number or a header name for Mignot, or provide any information about what the source says about the byname. Without this information, the provided documentation is not sufficient to register the byname.
Ragged Staff provided alternative documentation for Mignot:
The byname <Mignot> appears 3 times in Aryanhwy's Names in the 1292 census of Paris, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/1292paris.pdf, and once in her "Names Found in Commercial Documents from Bordeaux, 1470-1520", http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/bordeaux.html.
This information allows us to register the name.
Submitted under the name Tangwystl Ysginydd.
Please instruct the submitter to draw bigger and bolder triquetrae.
Submitted under the name Ulrich Magnus.
Mugmort is the registered name of an SCA branch.
Both Villegas and Villena were documented as place names, but no documentation was provided for the use of an unmarked locative byname followed by a marked locative byname in Spanish. However, previous precedent says:
Bynames combining two placenames were not found in Spain until late in our period. Therefore we cannot make her name authentic as requested. Her name as submitted is a reasonable 16th C name, though the more typical form would be Damiana de Almodóvar y Sevilla, given that both bynames are derived from placenames. [Damiana Almodóvar de Sevilla, 11/2003, A-East]
This implicitly says that the use of an unmarked locative byname followed by a marked locative byname in Spanish is acceptable. While a more likely form of the name would be Vidal de Villegas y Villena, the name is registerable as submitted.
The only documentation provided for the byname Navarre on the LoI was "Navaree - Mortlet, Dictionnaire etymologique des Noms de Famille p.723 header name." This is not an acceptable summary of the documentation, since it does not provide any information about what the source says about the byname. Without this information, the provided documentation is not sufficient to register the byname.
Rowel and Noir Licorne provided alternative documentation for the byname which allows us to register the name:
Hercule Geraud [sic], Paris sous Philippe-le-Bel: d'aprés [sic] des documents originaux et notamment d'aprés un manuscript contenant Le Rôle de la taille imposée sur les habitants de Paris en 1292 lists:
Page: Col: Entry:
36 1 Rogier Navarre
52 1 Mestre Jehan, le Navarrois, mire
130 2 Robert Navarre
Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "French Surnames from Paris, 1421, 1423 & 1438" has one instance of Navarre dated to 1421 (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423surnames.html).
The blazon term tabby cat is grandfathered to the submitter. As was done when her device containing a tabby cat was reblazoned from a tabby cat proper to a tabby cat Or, we are retaining the term tabby as a courtesy and a direction to the artist, with the understanding that it is form of diapering that does not contribute to difference.
A chatloup is a charge from Tudor heraldry, defined as a monster with a wolf's body, a cat's face, and antelope's horns. It was granted as a badge in 1513; chatoup's heads were used in the canting arms of Cathorne, 1553. (Dennys, The Heraldic Imagination, p.153; Gwynn-Jones, The Art of Heraldry, pp.76-77.)
While we do not normally blazon young or baby animals, lambs were blazoned as such in period, so the SCA uses the term even when a cant isn't involved. We note that the Latin word agnus means lamb, so this is only a slightly veiled cant.
Submitted as Cecilia de Courcy, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th C Norman. Academy of Saint Gabriel Report #3009 lists Cecilia in a list of "feminine names from late 11th- and early 12th-century Latin documents in and around Normandy", taken from Leopold Delisle, ed., Rouleaux des Morts du IXe au XVe Siècle (New York: Johnson Reprint Corporation, 1968 [1866]). The byname de Courcy was documented as a standard modern form; so far as we have been able to determine, that spelling is not appropriate for the 12th C. Dauzat & Rostaing, Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Lieux de la France, s.n. Corcy have only one dated form of the modern place name Courcy, and that is Latin Curceium 1035. Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Decourcy date de Curci to c. 1150-60, deriving this from the French place. It is likely that Curci is appropriate for Norman-French contexts as well as Anglo-Norman contexts in the 12th C. We have changed the name to Cecilia de Curci in order to meet her request for authenticity.
This was pended on the October 2008 LoAR
Submitted as Caoilinn ingen Chaoimhin Ó Taidc, there were numerous problems with the name.
First, the given name Caoilinn was documented only as a modern Gaelic form. Modern spellings of Gaelic names are only registerable if it is demonstrated that they are also appropriate for the end of our period. Since Gaelic underwent two substantial spelling changes after 1600, once around the early 18th century and again in the middle of the 19th century, modern spellings of Gaelic names are very rarely also appropriate for before 1600. Earlier forms of Caoilinn are Cáelfind or Cáelainn; these are both early Irish forms. The only examples of Cáelfind or Cáelainn that we could find are of a saint who lived in the 6th or 7th C; she had a place named after her in the 13th C, so we know that the saint was known throughout the Old and Middle Irish era (c. 700-c.1200). This means that Cáelfind or Cáelainn is registerable as a saint's name in Old or Middle Irish contexts. Of these two spellings Cáelainn is closer to the submitted Caoilinn than Cáelfind is.
There are two problems with the byname ingen Chaoimhin Ó Taidc. First, it violates RfS III.1.a Linguistic Consistency by combining Old or Middle Irish ingen and Taidc with Early Modern Irish Ó and Modern Irish Chaoimhin in the same phrase. The Old or Middle Irish form of Chaoimhin is Cháemgen, and the Old or Middle Irish form of Ó is hua. Additionally, following ingen, both Cháemgen and hua need to be in the genitive case, and Taidc needs to be lenited, e.g., ingen Cháemgein hui Thaidc.
We have changed the name to Cáelainn ingen Cháemgein hui Thaidc in order to register it.
As documented, the name was two steps from period practice.
The byname Half-Hand was documented as a lingua anglica translation of Old Norse hálfhendi, a constructed byname. As noted on the January 2009 Cover Letter, "[f]or purposes of determining linguistic compatibility, the translated byname is treated as if it were still in the original language", i.e., in the case of the current submission, Old Norse. The given name Halvar was documented as Norwegian and dated to 1554. The combination of Old Norse and Norwegian is a step from period practice (v. Máría Abramsdottir, LoAR 12-2006). There is a second step from period practice for temporal disparity: Old Norse was diverging into Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish by the 11th C, and the differences in the dialects were marked by the middle of the 12th C. The latest it really makes sense to talk about an "Old Norse" element is the end of the 12th C or the beginning of the 13th C. However, the given name Halvar can be found earlier; it appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, vol. 8, no. 214, dated to 1388. This removes the temporal disparity between the elements, leaving just the one step from period practice caused by combining Old Norse and Norwegian.
Nice 16th C English name!
Blazoned when registered, in December 1991, as Gules, a wolf's head erased and in chief three Lithuanian crosses argent, this is the sole registration of a so-called Lithuanian cross, which is a cross couped that has two horizontal crossbars of equal length each equally distant from the ends of the vertical bar. No examples were given of the use of the term Lithuanian cross, in heraldry or elsewhere. Since this registration, we have consistently registered the same cross using the blazon term double cross, so we are reblazoning it to match more recent registrations.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Danish state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Danish state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the United Kingdom today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
While this order name has not been included in the Ordinary and Armorial before, it has historically been considered important enough to protect from conflict:
[House of the Dragon] Under both sets of rules, this name clearly conflicts with the title of the Dragon Principal Herald and with the medieval Order of the Dragon, cited by Brigantia. [James the Wise, Atenveldt-R, LoAR 11/1989]
While the Order of the Dragon does not appear in standard encyclopedia resources, such as the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, either in this form or in any common translation, many commenters argued that it should be protected on the basis of its most famous member, Vlad II Dracul, the father of Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Dracula. The byname Dracula means 'son of the dragon', and was a reference to his father's membership in the order. As Metron Ariston notes, "Because of the many mentions of Vlad Dracul this is probably the most famous eastern European order in period." While having important people as members is not generally a guide for determining the importance of an order, in this case the association between Dracula and the Order of the Dragon is well-known and would be familiar to anyone who has read traditional vampire literature.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Polish state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Polish state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Pope today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Portuguese state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Portuguese state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Portuguese state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Portuguese state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
As membership in this order is still given out by the Portuguese state today, this order is important enough to protect from conflict.
This is an earlier name for the Order of the Annunciation, which we currently protect.
This is an earlier name for the Order of the Annunciation, which we currently protect.
Submitted as Alessandra Dellaluna, the byname Dellaluna was documented from David Herlihy, Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, R. Burr Litchfield, and Anthony Molho, "Florentine Renaissance Resources: Online Catasto of 1427". This source removes spaces in surnames recorded with preposition/articles and records names in all capital letters. The name DELLALUNA in this document represents della Luna from the original source material. We have changed the name to Alessandra della Luna to match period forms of this name.
Please instruct the submitter to use less internal detailing on the bird, so that it is clearly Or and not sable.
The only documentation provided for the byname de Agincourt was a reference to Webster's Geographical Dictionary, p. 12. This source uses the standard modern names of place names, and generally does not provide any information about what these places were named during our period. The Pelican staff were able to provide alternative documentation for the byname; Agincourt is dated to c1475 in the Middle English Dictionary, s.v. viage. There was some question whether the correct locative byname formed from Agincourt is de Agincourt or d'Agincourt. In French contexts, the preposition de does elide before vowels, but of English contexts, precedent says:
Browsing through Reaney & Wilson or Bardsley finds that de was the normal form in English records even much later than DB: at random we find: de Averle 1279, de Eskelby 1327, de Athertone 1332, de Arundel 1268, etc. [Christiana de Avochelie, LoAR 08/1997, Middle-A]
Since Agincourt is documented in English contexts, de Agincourt is grammatically correct.
This name combines French, English, and Occitan. This combination has previously been ruled registerable:
As documented, this name mixes English, French, and Occitan. This combination is registerable. [Katerine la Petita d'Avignon, LoAR 07/2005, Caid-A]
Submitted under the name Estavon De La Vega.
Please instruct the submitter that a rose proper should be drawn with distinct vert barbs, it should not be drawn as if the gules portions are on a vert roundel.
Submitted under the name Svala Grímsdóttir.
Listed on the LoI as Rittavvecs maggas Dunaidonas, both the forms and the documentation spell the particle maqqas, and Lymphad confirmed that the appearance of maggas was a typo. We have corrected the name to Rittavvecs maqqas Dunaidonas in order to register it.
This name combines Gaelic and English, which is a step from period practice. If the submitter is interested in a wholly English name, we recommend Brigid Draweswerd; Brigid is the expected English vernacular form of Latin Brigida, which appears in Talan Gwynek, "Given Names from Early 13th Century England".
Submitted as Hallbiörn Erlændr, there were two problems with the name. First, the given name Hallbiörn used ö to represent the o-ogonek, {o,}. Using o-umlaut (ö) instead of the o-ogonek ({o,}) is a later convention that really only gained popularity in modern times because of the limitations of standard typefonts. To follow our normal transliteration standards for Old Norse, the appropriate form of the given name is Hallbi{o,}rn.
Second, Erlændr can only be interpreted as either a second given name or as an unmarked patronymic byname. However, neither of these constructions were documented as being used in Old Norse contexts. Lacking such evidence, they are not registerable. A marked patronymic byname formed from Erlændr is Erlændar son. We have changed the name to Hallbi{o,}rn Erlændar son in order to register it.
The submitter requested authenticity for 12th C French. Both elements of the name were documented from the 1292 Paris census, which puts them at the end of the 13th C. We have been unable to find any 12th C forms of the given name. Morlet, Les Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siècle, II:65b lists one 11th C form, Latin Johanna dated to a. 1009-1023 and env. 1050. It's likely that some form of the given name was used in the 12th C, but we do not have the information to determine what the form is. Similarly for the byname - the earliest citation that we have is Wilekin Rous, dated to 1225 in Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Rous. This byname is from Anglo-French rous (masc.) or rouse (fem.). Again, it is likely that this byname was used in French in the 12th C, but we do not know what the appropriate form would be.
The byname FitzRoberts is grandfathered to him. It is the registered byname of his mother and sister.
Submitted as Loy Schiemann der Klein, German grammar requires that Klein become Kleine following the definite article der. We have made this correction.
This name combines Dutch and High German, which is a step from period practice.
Submitted as Maura d'Oré, the only documentation provided on the LoI for d'Oré was the statement that d'Oré "is the French translation for "Golden"," but did not provide any documentation to back up this assertion. Documentation by assertion has long been held to be insufficient for registration.
Ragged Staff provided information about French bynames meaning "golden":
A byname meaning "gold" can be found in the 1292 Paris census (see http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/1292paris.pdf): <l'Or>. There are also three examples of <le Dore> 'the gilded', which is noted as probably a nickname for a goldsmith.
However, changing d'Oré to l'Or or le Dore is a major change, which the submitter does not allow. Elmet notes that:
"French Names from Paris, 1421, 1423, & 1438" by Aryanhwy merch Catmael (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423.html) gives us the surname Doré dated to 1438 and the surname Dor dated to 1421 (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423surnames.html).
We cannot confirm that Doré means "golden" in medieval French (though it does in modern French), but as the change from d'Oré to Doré is minor, we are able to change the name to Maura Doré in order to register it.
The submitter requested authenticity for 12th C French. Precedent concerning the given name Maura says:
Dauzat and Rostaing (p. 636 s.n. Ste-Maure) date S. Maura as a form of this placename in 1136. Therefore, at least one saint (probably the saint known as Maura of Troyes, d. 850) was certainly known by this name in France in the 12th C. As such, the name Maura may be registered in the context of a 12th C French name. [LoAR 09/2001]
On the basis of this citation, Maura is registerable as a 12th C French name, but lacking evidence that it actually used in the 12th C, it is not authentic for that period. Likewise, lacking evidence for Doré in the 12th C, the byname is also not authentic for her period.
Submitted as Medb inghean Rónáin, the byname inghean Rónáin violated RfS III.1.a by combining Early Modern Irish inghean with Middle Irish Rónáin. We have changed the name to the wholly Middle Irish form Medb ingen Rónáin in order to register it.
This is clear of the device of Tatsumi Tomoko, Sable, in chief an Oriental dragon passant pendant from its sinister foreclaw an open scroll argent and a base wavy barry wavy argent and sable. There is a CD for the change of tincture of the base and one for the removal of the dragon's wings.
This does not conflict with Michael van Bergen. Per RfS V.1.a.ii, prepositions and articles such as an der and van do not contribute to difference. Comparing burg and Bergen with respect to their sound and appearance, the two words are significantly different in appearance. They differ in sound by the quality of the vowel in the first syllable and by the addition of an unstressed syllable. The latter change alone has been ruled not significant:
[Award of the Silver Decrescent] Aural conflict with Order of the Silver Crescent, registered August 1979 to the Kingdom of the East. The names are nearly identical in sound; the only difference is the unstressed leading syllable. A survey of some 15 heralds found 15 who believed it was a conflict. [Hawkwood, Barony of, LoAR-04/2005, Atlantia-R]
While inghean and inghean uí differ in appearance, they differ by only one unstressed syllable in sound; therefore, identical given and patronymics that differ by only these particles conflict. [Sorcha inghean Mhaoláin, LoAR 04/2007, Atlantia-R]
However, it was the consensus of the commenters that the addition of the unstressed syllable in conjunction with the change of the vowel is a significant difference in sound in this case.
Nice name!
- Explicit littera accipiendorum -
This device is returned for conflict with the device of Steven of the Winged Hills, Sable, on a plate between three mullets argent an eagle displayed and sinister facing sable. There is one CD for changes to the field. Under the standards set on the Cover Letter to the November 2003 LoAR, "The two types of bird must have been drawn in fashions that were consistently very different from each other throughout period heraldry" if they are to have substantial difference. The primary difference between eagles and hawks in period heraldry is that eagles were nearly invariably drawn in the displayed posture and hawks were nearly always drawn as close, but there does not appear to have been much else that was different. According to Parker, "There are no conventional ways of representing the difference of the species of birds of prey in heraldic design." He also says that falcons and hawks are usually "represented with the appurtenances which belong to the art of falconry, that is, it is blazoned frequently as belled and jessed." Given that appurtenances are required to tell the difference, we conclude that the birds were not drawn differently. Since the bird types were not drawn differently in period, there is not significant difference between the two. Since only the posture is changed, there is not a CD under X.4.j.
It is also in conflict with Collette Ange de Helleville, Purpure, on a plate between three mullets argent a bird volant bendwise sinister sable, reblazoned elsewhere in this letter. There is one CD for the field. Since the bird in Collette's armory is drawn as a generic bird, there is no difference granted for just the change in posture.
It is not a conflict with the device of Thomas von Wörth, Azure, on a plate between four mullets, two and two, argent an owl sable. There is a CD for the change in number of mullets and a second CD for the change of type and posture of the bird.
This order name was pended on the November 2008 LoAR to obtain the College's commentary on the use of color terms in order names, and to discuss which of two contradictory precedents should be upheld. On the basis of period evidence, as found in Juliana de Luna's new article, "Medieval Secular Order Names", we are upholding the precedent set on the August 2005 Cover Letter which requires that the ordinary color name for a tincture be used. For a full discussion of the issue, please see this month's Cover Letter.
While the term azure is found in English contexts as a color term, and not just as a heraldic tincture name, azure is not the ordinary English name for the color denoted azure in heraldic contexts. The ordinary English name for that color is blue. In accordance with the precedent set on this month's Cover Letter, this order name would be registerable as Order of the Blue Glove. However, changing Azure to Blue is a major change, which the submitters do not allow.
This order name was pended on the November 2008 LoAR to obtain the College's commentary on the use of color terms in order names, and to discuss which of two contradictory precedents should be upheld. On the basis of period evidence, as found in Juliana de Luna's new article, "Medieval Secular Order Names", we are upholding the precedent set on the August 2005 Cover Letter which requires that the ordinary color name for a tincture be used. For a full discussion of the issue, please see this month's Cover Letter.
While the term sable is found in English contexts as a color term, and not just as a heraldic tincture name, sable is not the ordinary English name for the color denoted sable in heraldic contexts. The ordinary English name for that color is black. In accordance with the precedent set on this month's Cover Letter, this order name would be registerable as Order of the Black Sleeve. However, changing Sable to Black is a major change, which the submitters do not allow.
The household name is returned for conflict with the real-world placeSan Sebastián, capital city of the province of Guipuscoa in the Basque Country, Spain. The Administrative Handbook III.A.5 notes that "a geographical location will be considered significant if it is associated with important administrative, social, political or military events (e.g., a capital city, the site of a major treaty or battle, etc.)." As a capital city, it is important enough to protect from conflict.
Some commenters argued that the two names were clear, because we do not do "conflict through translation". This is only partly the case. When the translated form of a name is significantly different in sound and appearance from the original, then they will not conflict. But when the translated form is not significantly different in sound and appearance, the mere fact that one is a translation of the other is not sufficient for them to be clear. Precedent from July 2003 addresses a similar case:
[Order of St. Barbara] This order name conflicts with three real-world locations, as noted by Argent Snail:
This conflicts with Santa Barbara, the city, which is found in Honduras, California, and the Santa Barbara Islands also found in California. Each of them has their own entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica hard copy, 1962 edition.
Since branch name references are transparent for conflict purposes, a name such as Order of Saint Barbara of Bright Hills would conflict with the same real world locations as Order of Saint Barbara. However, geographical references that are not the name of an SCA branch count for difference. Therefore, a name such as Order of Saint Barbara of the Hills would be clear of these real world locations. [Bright Hills, Barony of, LoAR 07/2003, Atlantia-R]
The difference between Saint and San is even less than the difference between Saint and Santa; if the latter conflict, the former certainly do.
As for the badge, there was some question of whether it was registerable as having an escroll. The SCA definition of an escroll is from the registration of Ieuan Gower, April 2006, which said: "Brooke-Little, An Heraldic Alphabet, defines 'escroll' as 'A ribbon or scroll, usually bearing a motto'. We will use 'escroll' only for a small scroll or strip transfixed by or perhaps connected to a much larger charge, rather like a maintained charge." This one is of comparable size to the arrows, and thus may not be considered an escroll. It is, instead, a ribbon fesswise. Ribbons, as charges, have been disallowed for some years now:
A ribbon is not registerable as a stand-alone charge; that is, as a primary, secondary, or tertiary charge. However, in this case [on a fox's tail] the ribbon is equivalent to a hawk's jesses: a blazonable detail or ornamentation, rather than a charge in its own right. As such, the ribbon is registerable, though submitters should be aware that the exact depiction of such ribbons will be considered an artistic detail. [Bronwen Selwyn, June 2005, R-Ansteorra]
The ribbon in this submission is an overall charge, which is neither ornamentation nor merely a blazonable detail. It is a charge in its own right, therefore, this submission must be returned.
This conflicts with Brenna MacGrioghair. The bynames are not significantly different, and the change in appearance from Br to G is also not significant.
None.
Sadly, this gorgeous armory must be returned for conflict with Harold of Kenneydell, Vert, two bendlets sinister sable fimbriated argent. There is a single CD for the change of tincture of the scarpes; there is nothing for removing the fimbriation.
This device is returned for lack of identifiability. The charge in chief was blazoned as an ostrich plume quill pen on the Letter of Intent, but none of the commenters could identify it as such. The resemblance of the charge to an alembic flask was far too strong.
On resubmission, the submitter should draw the charge clearly as either a quill pen (with a visible nib and most of the vanes removed so it can be held comfortably) or as an alembic flask.
None.
This is returned for lack of documentation that it follows patterns of period order names.
The LoI documented the name as following the order name pattern "adjective" + "noun" found in Meradudd Cethin's "Project Ordensnamen". However, while Meradudd's article does include examples of names which use this grammatical pattern, these examples do not support this construction as a general pattern--there are many phrases which follow the pattern <adjective> + <noun>, such as green idea and smart rock, which are not plausible medieval order names. Additionally, many of the order names included in Meradudd's article are listed only in their modern forms, or are apocryphal, or are post-period orders with fabricated medieval histories. Because his article does not differentiate between modern names of actual, historical orders; medieval names of actual, historical orders; and modern names of apocryphal and/or legendary orders, it is not a reliable source for information about medieval order names. Seven years ago, when the article was first published, there were few articles on this topic that were easily available, but since its publication, a number of more reliable sources have been published, including a revised and expanded version of D'Arcy J.D. Boulton, The Knights of the Crown; Kwellend-Njal Kollskeggsson, "Period Order Names" (in the proceedings of KWHS 2001); François Velde, "History of Orders of Chivalry: a Survey"; Ursula Georges, "Medieval Names of Some Knightly Orders" and "Secular Orders, 1604"; and most recently, Juliana de Luna, "Medieval Secular Order Names". Because these sources differentiate between real and apocryphal order names and also in many cases provide dated citations of period forms, these articles are much more reliable than Meradudd's, and any information cited from Meradudd's articles should always be substantiated with citations from these, or other, articles that do not suffer from the same problems associated with "Project Ordensnamen".
Of the meta-patterns for order names outlined on the August 2005 Cover Letter, there are only two which could possibly support the submitted order name: orders named for objects of religious veneration and orders named for heraldic charges or for items that, while not found in period as heraldic charges, may be used as heraldic charges. While a "star" is certainly a period heraldic charge, shining is not a heraldic term nor descriptive of a heraldic term. Thus, the compound Shining Star does not follow the pattern of orders named for heraldic charges.
Some commenters suggested that Shining Star could be seen as a reference to the Bethlehem star that the three wise men followed. While we have evidence that this star was sometimes referred to in our period as a "shining star", e.g., in Foxe's 1583 Book of Martyrs, which calls it "the celestiall shining starre", we do not have evidence that the Star of Bethlehem was an object of religious veneration in the way that other objects for which orders were named were. Siren explains:
I will confess that I'm not convinced. The fact that the star from the Christmas story is occasionally described with the adjective "shining" doesn't mean that "shining star" is a term that would be used to describe the star of Bethlehem as an object of veneration.
We need to be a little conservative about the patterns we encourage. The only real pre-1600 examples I can think of immediately of "objects of veneration" are the French True Cross and the German shield orders (Saint George's Shield, Saint William's Shield, and Saint George's and Saint William's Shields). The Dannebrog is almost assuredly postperiod (according to Boulton). The Holy Vial isn't an order; it's an honorific for the group of four barons who escort the vial of oil with which the French king is annointed at his coronation.
When we move to the gray period, we add the Mantuan Order of the Precious Blood. The only hits google gives for "Celestial Collar of the Rosary" or "Collar of the Rosary" are those in Meradudd's article, so I think we have to discard it (I suspect it's associated with the Dominican rosary movement and is not an order as well).
Both the True Cross and the various shields are concrete, physical objects, and so they are relevantly different from something more abstract like the star of Bethlehem.
The Order of the Star, without the adjective, would be a fine order name following the heraldic charge meta pattern. However, we cannot drop the adjective Shining, since Order of the Star would conflict with Star Principal Herald and Star Signet, both registered to Ansteorra, the household name Star Tower, registered to Leiannka Zorya Zelolev, as well as the real-world Order of the Star, belonging to France.
This is returned for X.5 visual conflict against Dragonship Haven's badge, Azure, a hawk's bell within a bordure embattled argent. While these devices are technically clear under X.2 for substantially changing the type of the primary charge, the overwhelming visual similarity between the acorn and the hawk's bell, as drawn, require that we return this submission. At a glance, the two badges appear identical.
This device is returned under section VIII.4.b, Modern Insignia, which says that "Overt allusions to modern insignia, trademarks, or common designs may not be registered." The device is too reminiscent of the symbol of Marvel Comics' X-Men logo. While the original logo was sable on Or, not argent on sable, it has been depicted in various tinctures over the years. The version depicted in this device was the symbol that was used in the movie released in 2000.
This is returned for lack of documentation that Aibhann Rua follows period patterns of Gaelic bynames. The phrase Aibhann Rua was intended to be a constructed Irish place name meaning "red river". However, the only documentation provided for either Aibhann or Rua were examples of modern Irish place names. The presence of these elements in modern placenames does not demonstrate that the elements are also appropriate for medieval placenames. In particular, the spellings Aibhann and Rua are modern Gaelic spellings and not appropriate for pre-1600 context. In Early Modern Irish (c. 1200-c. 1700), these words are spelled Abhainn and Ruadh.
None of the commenters were able to provide any evidence for the pattern 'river' + <color> in period Gaelic placenames. Even if such evidence was found, this doesn't necessarily mean that a locative byname based on such a place name would be appropriate in Gaelic contexts. Locative bynames of any type are rare in Gaelic, and the only one that we've found deriving from a river name omits the word for river: na Leamhna 'of the Laune', deriving from the Laune River, is dated to 1513 in Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals".
Lacking evidence that Aibhann Rua is a correctly constructed pre-1600 Gaelic placename or that a byname meaning "red river" or "of the red river" is plausible in pre-1600 Gaelic, this byname is not registerable.
Her device has been registered under the holding name Ném of the Angels.
None.
The byname al-Jabal is not correctly formed. The submitter intended it to be a locative nisba meaning "of the mountains", but the phrase al-Jabal literally means "the mountain". An Arabic man who was from al-Jabal would have used the byname al-Jabal{i-}. This byname is found in Juliana de Luna, "Arabic Names from al-Andalus". We would change the name to Ebrahim al-Jabal{i-} in order to register it, but the submitter allows no changes.
His device has been registered under the holding name Ebrahim of Ardanroe.
This device is in conflict with the device of Paul of Bellatrix, Sable, on a bend Or three compass stars palewise gules. There is only a single CD for the multiple changes to the tertiary charges.
It is also in conflict with the device of James the Tavernkeeper, Sable, on a bend between two mugs Or, a mace sable. There is a single CD for the removal of the mugs. The depiction of the mace is too close to the depiction of the hammer for us to consider them substantially different, which would be required for there to be a CD under section X.4.j.ii of the Rules for Submission.
Unfortunately, this name must be returned for violating RfS III.1.a Linguistic Consistency by combining English of and French Jehanne in the same name phrase. We cannot change the phrase to the wholly French de Jehanne as this would be a major change, which the submitters do not allow.
In resubmitting, the submitters might consider using a wholly French form of the order name, Ordre du Cygne d'Argent de Jehanne.
This is returned for non-period style. Blazoned on the LoI as a faceted gemstone, the charge is actually a brilliant cut gemstone. Precedent says:
The device is returned for non-period style. Blazoned on the LoI as a set cut gemstone, the charge in base appears rather to be a brilliant cut gemstone. Our rules (RfS VII.3) allow artifacts known in the period and domain of the Society to be registered as armorial elements provided they are depicted in their period forms. The brilliant cut, being developed in the 17th Century, is post-period and not registerable.
The other problem is that the gemstone is in profile. Batonvert noted: "However, be it known that my sole example in period heraldry of a gemstone used as an independent charge (i.e., not attached to a ring or other piece of jewelry), in the civic arms of Beihlstein (Siebmacher 226), shows the gem from above, not in profile. A set gem would be likewise seen from above. Neither in its natural setting (as it were) nor in heraldry would a gemstone be seen in profile. Granted that we've registered gemstones in profile once before (in the arms of Theresa Yolanda Cabeza de Vaca, April 2005), it remains a poor practice, and I see no reason to perpetuate it." Theresa's device was blazoned Argent, two chevronels braced and on a chief rayonny sable three faceted gemstones in profile argent. However, she also submitted documentation showing that style of gem cut (with a flat top, or table, with eight supplementary facets) was developed in 1380. No such documentation has been adduced here.
A non-period cut for a gemstone is not registerable. Depicting a gemstone in profile is a step from period practice. [Taran MacThamhais, Feb 2007, R-Northshield]
This submission has the same problem, and is therefore returned for the same reason.
Please instruct the submitter that any resubmission that addresses the issues with the gemstone should have the bordure drawn with fewer, larger embattlements.
This device is returned for conflict with the device of William of Wolverhampton, Sable, on a chief embattled Or three arrows fesswise gules. There is a single CD for the changes to the charges on the chief.
This is returned for lack of documentation that House Gawain follows period patterns of English house names. A number of recent household name submissions have triggered commentary saying that the pattern House + <inherited surname> should not be registerable, barring examples of this pattern in period English place names. In response to this, other commenters have noted that precedent from December 2002 says:
Nonna the Midwife. Household name House Njalsson. No documentation was presented and none was found that House Njalsson follows a pattern "of period names of organized groups of people" as required by RfS III.2.b.iv. Examples of House + [inherited surname] are found in English and other languages in late period. In these cases, the house name refers to the inherited surname shared by members of this family. Since Norse used literal patronymics in period, different members (generations, et cetera) of a family would not necessarily have the same byname. Lacking evidence that house names would be derived from a patronymic byname in Old Norse, this name is not registerable. [Middle-R]
However, a perusal of the commentary on House Njalsson did not show any examples of the pattern House + <inherited surname>; we are not sure on what basis the statement in this ruling was made. While this pattern was accepted as period practice for many years, recent research has revealed that this pattern is not in fact supported by period evidence. We hereby overturn the December 2002 precedent, and rule that, lacking examples of the pattern House + <inherited surname>, household names following this pattern are not registerable.
The pattern House of <inherited surname> continues to be registerable in English on the basis of period examples such as the house of Lancastre 1464, in the Middle English Dictionary, s.v. hous.
Siren notes that
There are examples of buildings (and perhaps by extension, of those who dwell within) known as <X House>, where X is a name element:
Michael House
Peter Houwse
(both from my and Mari's "Names of English Colleges" http://www.medievalscotland.org/kmo/Colleges/)
Either House of Gawain or Gawain House would be registerable. However, either adding of or switching the order of the elements is a major change, which the submitter does not allow, so we are forced to return this name.
The byname Ysginydd was documented from Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, A Welsh Miscellany. On the April 2007 Cover Letter, Pelican ruled:
Therefore, the names list in CA #66, A Welsh Miscellany, is no longer acceptable as sole documentation for Welsh names. Any name documented from this source must also be documented from another source that does not have the problems associated with A Welsh Miscellany.
Harpy comments that:
Although the initial vowel of the byname is most commonly dropped in Anglo-Latin documents [1], an older spelling of the full version can be seen in the citation of "Mad' ap Yriskynit" (i.e., Mad[og] ap yr Iskynit) from the 1320 Extent of Aberffraw (Seebohm, appendix Af).
[1] Medieval Welsh doesn't allow the initial consonant clusters "sg-", "st-" , "sb-" etc. and added an epenthetic vowel before the cluster, either in the evolution from a previous stage of the language (that allowed them) or when borrowing words beginning in these clusters from other langauges.
We would change the name to Tangwystl Iskynit in order to register it, but the submitter does not allow any changes.
Her device has been registered under the holding name Tangwystl of Eastwatch.
This conflicts with Magnus Ulric. As Metron Ariston explains:
Normally, one would consider this name to be clear of that of Magnus Ulric, registered through Atlantia in January, 2006. However, given the fact that the Magnus can be considered not only an unmarked patronymic or second given name but also a Latin descriptive which could be prepositive or postpositive, one could make a case that the two names are in fact equivalent.
If considered as a descriptive byname, Magnus is most likely as a translation of a byname meaning "great", such as German Groß. Examples of Groß being used as a prepended byname can be found in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "German Names from 1495" and Schwarz, Sudetendeutsche Familiennamen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts, s.n. Groß(e), among other places.
In other situations where it is ambiguous as to whether a name is of the pattern <given name> + <post-pended byname> or <prepended byname> + <given name>, Laurel has ruled that the name must be conflict checked both ways:
We note that it is not easy for the everyday herald, or even for the Sovereign of Arms, to recognize Hungarian forms when such a name appears in isolation or to recognize the name order. This raises a specter of conflict checking names both backwards and forwards -- how do you tell if a which [sic] element is the given name and which the byname?
...It is unfair and contrary to Corpora and to the scholarly aims of the College of Arms to refuse to register a name correctly simply because it makes our job harder. Therefore, we are overturning the precedent that forbids registering Hungarian names using unmarked patronymics in surname + given order because we now have evidence that such names are found in period Hungarian documents. Names combining a Latinized given name with a Hungarian surname must still be registered in given + surname order because all the evidence we have states that this is the correct order for these types of names.
Given this change, we remind submitters and heralds, when a Hungarian name (or a name they suspect may be Hungarian) is submitted, to check for conflict in both forward and reverse order. [Miklós Magdolna, LoAR 06/2005, Middle-A]
The case here is analogous.
His device has been registered under the holding name Ulrich of Shadowed Stars.
The name is returned for lack of documentation for the byname. The LoI documented Entenwirth 'proprietor of Ducks Inn' on the basis of the listing of Schanenwirt(h) 'proprietor of the Swan Inn' and Adlerwirt(h) 'proprietor of the Eagle Inn' found in Oliver Weiss & Ingeborg Brigitte Gastel Lloyd, "Old German Professions, Occupations and Illnessess". However, this article does not provide any dates for any of the elements discussed there, nor any citations of their references. The list includes many occupations which are definitely not period, such as Abnehmer 'photographer', Baumsiedemacher 'cotton weaver', Baumwollenspinner 'cotton spinner', Feuergeschworener 'fire engine maintenance man', and Impfartz 'vaccinating physician'. Because this list does not differentiate between occupations used before 1600 and those used after 1600, it is not a reliable source for documenting SCA names.
The commenters were unable to find any period examples of the construction <inn name> + wirt in German. Bahlow, A Dictionary of German Names, s.n. Wirth glosses the word as 'innkeeper, tavern owner, householder, husband', and has examples of Michel wirt 1398, Hans Wirtchen 1383, Steffel Wirtel 1414, as well as the compounds Sebinwirt 'seven hosts' 1350 and Suchenwirt 1380 'search for the host'. There are also examples of bynames deriving from inn names or inn signs in German; Bahlow s.n. Adler cites Wernher ze dem adeler 1316, owner of the Black Eagle House in Freiburg, and K. Bletz zem adeler 1300. On of the basis of these examples, we would expect the inn keeper of Ducks Inn to have a byname such as Wirt, ze dem Ente, or zem Ente, but not the compound Entenwirth.
We would change the byname to one of these forms, but the submitter does not allow major changes, which any of these would be.
This device is returned for lack of contrast between the chief and the field. As depicted, the vert chief lies entirely against the gules portion of the field. Precedent says:
The sable chief does not have sufficient contrast with the per saltire gules and argent field, because the sable chief entirely adjoins a low-contrast gules portion of the field.
The problem [of lack of contrast] is not unique to this field division: Per bend gules and Or is a neutral field, but Per bend gules and Or, a chief sable still suffers a lack of contrast. (LoAR June 1993)
[Þorfinna Grafeldr, June 2002, R-Ealdormere]
This submission has the same problem: the vert chief lies entirely against the gules portions of the field.
Please inform the submitter that, were the Or sections of the field against the vert chief, this would be registerable.
This device is returned for conflict with a badge for the Barony of Caer Mear, Gules, atop a grey granite tower a copper brazier enflamed proper. The brazier is a maintained charge, so there is only a CD for the change of number of towers.
It is not a conflict with Valencia, Gules, a city argent. There is a CD for the difference between a city and a tower, and a CD for the change of number of primary charges.
As documented, this name contains one surname, Xu, and two given names, Xiong and Mao. However, no documentation was provided for the use of two given names in Chinese contexts, or that Xiong Mao is a plausible compound given name. Lacking such documentation, this name is not registerable as submitted. Because the submitter allows no changes, we cannot drop one of the given names.
None.
This is returned for lack of documentation that it follows patterns of period order names.
This was an appeal of a kingdom return. The appeal read:
This order name was rejected based on the August 2005 LoAR expansion of the forms of order names (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2005/08/05-08cl.html). It was rejected on the basis of the use of "Bell" as an heraldic charge and thus "Bronze" being seen as a tincture and thus invalid.
The intent of this submission is not to refer to the "Bell" as the badge of the order but rather to a specific "Bronze Bell" as an "object of veneration". This bell (named 'Antares Kano' after the Heart of the Scorpion and the Norse rune of 'light and clarity') is a 10" diameter, 50lb. bell forged by members of the Barony (as the more medieval answer to a clock and an air-horn) and cast in bronze at a local foundry. It is rung to tell time at events and to welcome people to them. Further information on this bell can be found here: http://www.rencentral.com/archives/Belling_Barony.shtml.
As such, the Barony would like to appeal the rejection of the award name and ask that it be reconsidered. 'Order of the Bronze Bell' satisfies both the LoAR precedent cited above by being named for an object of veneration and the requirements of Project Ordensnamen as being named after the third most common form in that document, a 'thing'.
While the appeal provides no evidence that a bell is the type of object that would have been religiously venerated by medieval people, Loyall did find such evidence:
The British Museum preserves the Irish Saint Conall Cael's bell, an iron bell with a brass mount added c. 1000: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/s/st_conall_caels_bell.aspx
A bronze-coated iron hand bell traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick is in the National Museum of Ireland: http://www.museum.ie/en/list/artefacts.aspx?article=ef57cb25-4f1d-4e43-93eb-237485253f35
However, this only provides evidence that bells are possible objects of religious veneration; it does not support the use of Bronze in the name of an order named after such an object. As Siren commented on the submission of Order of the Brazen Blade (Meridies-R, LoAR 04/2009):
There are no order names that have a term for a sort of metal (except golden, which is used to refer to the heraldic tincture as well). Instead you see color, number (once, perhaps), and devotional terms (holy, for example).
There are inns and houses with brass in the name:
Margaret's cited <Brazen serpent> as an inn
<Brasen nose colledge> for modern Brasenose is dated to 1564 in Mari and my "Names of English Colleges"
<Pot d'estain> 'tin pot/jar' and <plat d'estain> 'tin plate' from the 1457-8 Comptes du domaine de la ville de Paris, which I'm mining house/inn names from right now
But this justifies <Brazen Sword> (<sword> being found in Mari's "English Sign Names") as an inn name or house name, but it doesn't justify it (or <Brazen Blade> as an order name.
As she says on this submission:
The same is true here; <Bronze Bell> doesn't match the period examples of order names whether we consider it "color+charge" or "object of devotion." <Golden Bell> does, and it seems to be clear.
We would change the order name to Order of the Golden Bell, but this is a major change, which the submitters do not allow. We also note that Order of the Bell of al-Barran follows period patterns of order names, and would be registerable with permission to conflict with the East Kingdom's Bell Pursuivant.
This device conflicts with the device of Roane Fairegae of Lochlann, Argent, on a pile throughout azure a seal [Phoca vitulina] haurient argent, and with the device of Richard FitzGilbert, Argent, on a pile throughout azure a sun Or. In each case, there is a single CD for the changes to the tertiary charges. It also conflicts with the device of Aubree Duquesne de Bellemare, Argent, on a pile throughout issuant from sinister azure, a fleur-de-lys Or with a CD for the change of position of the pile, but no CD for the change of only the tincture of the tertiary charge.
Conflict with Elynor of Glastonbury. Elena and Elynor are variants of the same name, and they are not significantly different in sound. Glæstingeberia is an earlier form of Glastonbury, and these two forms are also not significantly different in sound.
The LoI noted that the byname was originally submitted as of Glastonbury, but changed in kingdom when no dates for Glastonbury could be found. Pelican Emeritus notes that "An anthology of Chancery English has <Glastonbury> in a document dated "before 1421", which means it's sometime in the early 15th C."
This badge conflicts with the badge of Loren of Blackthorn, (Fieldless) On a compass star elongated to base argent a garden rosebud azure, slipped and leaved vert, and the device of Lind Rachael Fessel of the Falconshield, Vert, on a mullet of six points argent a falcon displayed, wings inverted, azure. In each case, there is a CD for fieldlessness. Compass stars are not suitable for purposes of RfS X.4.j.ii to apply, so there is no second CD for changing only the type of the tertiary charge. The slipping and leaving of Loran's rosebud does not count for difference.
It also conflicts with the badge of Micheila nic Fhionghuin of Skye, Azure, a sun argent eclipsed azure charged with a mullet voided argent and the device of Conner McAuliffe FitzJames, Sable, within a sun throughout argent, eclipsed azure, a goshawk displayed argent. In each case, there is the CD for for the field. We consider suns and compass stars to be equivalent for purposes of conflict. Again, the compass star elongated to base is not suitable for purposes of X.4.j.ii, there is not a CD for the change of only the type of the tertiary charges, from an hourglass azure to a roundel azure on both registered pieces of armory. The voided mullet and the goshawk, being quaternary charges, are treated as if they did not exist for purposes of conflict.
Please advise the submitter that the use of compass stars is a step from period practice.
No evidence was provided that this historical order meets any of the requirements for protection laid out in Administrative Handbook III.A. AH III.A.8 Orders of Chivalry and Heraldic Titles says:
Contemporary or historical orders of chivalry, heraldic titles, and similar organizations may be considered significant if they appear in general histories or in standard references such as an encyclopedia. The names of entities which do not appear in standard references due to the age and scope of these works may also be protected on a case-by-case basis.
As far as we can determine, the Orden de la Banda does not appear in standard encyclopedia resources, such as the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, either in this form or in the English form Order of the Band. No other standard references were cited as containing an entry for this order, and no argument was presented that this order name is otherwise important enough to protect from conflict.
The pegasus is not identifiable in this posture. Precedent on the use of pegasus says that:
The posture volant affronty has been ruled unsuitable for use in heraldry on at least two occasions (Sept. 1992 LOAR, p.48; Oct. 1992 LOAR p.23) on the grounds that it is "inherently unidentifiable" [Adeladie Ehrhardt, Feb 1998, R-Outlands]
Commenters were nearly unanimous in being unable to identify this as anything other than a pair of wings conjoined to something, but none of them could identify what the winged object was. Therefore, this device is returned for violating section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submissions, which requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance."
This device is returned for conflict with the device of Constance von Messer, Argent, a butterfly azure marked proper. There is a single CD for the change of number of charges.
This conflicts with the painter Domenico Greco, better known as El Greco. We protect the names of important historical figures in all forms in which they are found, and El Greco appears as Domenico Greco in both Spanish and Italian sources. The slight change in pronunciation of the two given names is not a significant difference.
This is returned for lack of documentation for both the given name and the byname. The given name Estavon was documented on the basis of the patronymic byname Estevenez, cited from p. 370 of Diez Melcon, Apellidos Castellano-Leoneses: Siglos IX-XIII, ambos inclusive. No argument was given for the change of the two es to a and o. Additionally, the citation for Estevenez is from the index, not from the dated material. Magnus von Lübeck provides the period citations from Diez Melcon:
The index in Melcon refers to sections not page numbers.
Section 99. Sisberto Estevano 961.
Section 144. Sol Estevanez 1173, Domingo Esteuanez 1245, Maria Esteuanez 1253.
Section 176. Vita Estefaniz 1082, Johan Estevaniz 1242, Johan Esteuaniz 1243.
Section 35 page 54 s.n. Alexander: Estevan Alexandre 1128.
These examples support spelling the given name Estevan, Esteuan, or Estefan, but not the submitted Estavon.
The byname de la Vega can be found in Juliana de Luna, "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century". No justification was provided, and none could by found by the commenters, for the capitalization De La Vega.
This information supports Estevan de la Vega as a registerable form of the name. The Pelican office received two copies of the name form, which were identical except that one had the "no minor changes" box checked and the other had none of the check boxes checked. Correspondence with the submitter confirmed that the "no minor changes" version was correct. Since he does not allow changes, we cannot change this name to the registerable form.
His device has been registered under the holding name Ernest of Wyvernwoode.
This device is returned for violating Section VIII.3 of the Rules for Submission, which says that "Voiding and fimbriation may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design." While a cartouche is a simple geometric charge, it is not in the center of the design. The submitter appears to have misunderstood Wreath's descriptive statement in returning the previous submission of this device, on the May 2008 LoAR, that "what we have here is, in essence, a cartouche fesswise voided", as saying that the charge was acceptable and registerable in this design under that blazon. A single link of chain is not identifiable when separated from the rest of the chain. While we can blazon it, it is not registerable under our rules.
It is also returned because the chain is not recognizable due to its being nearly entirely obscured by the overall fleur-de-lys. Section VII.7.A of the rules for submission requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." So much of the chain is obscured that it is rendered unidentifiable.
The name conflicts with Svana Grímarsdóttir. Svala and Svana are not significantly different in appearance. The bynames Grímsdóttir and Grímarsdóttir, deriving from the distinct given names Grímr and Grímarr, differ in sound only by the addition of an unstressed syllable in the middle of the phrase. This has previously been ruled insignificant:
We have held in the past that an unstressed syllable of this sort, especially appearing in the middle of a name, may not be sufficient to clear conflict. [Brighid inghean Ríoghbhardán, LoAR 01/2007, Caid-R]
Because neither the given names nor the bynames are significantly different from each other, these conflict per RfS V.1.b.
Her device has been registered under the holding name Svala of Darkwater.
This device is returned for fimbriating the chief. Section VIII.3 of the Rules for Submission says that "Voiding and fimbriation may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design." Since a chief is a peripheral ordinary, it is not suitable for either voiding or fimbriation.
Considered without the fimbriation, it violates section VIII.2.b of the Rules for Submission, Contrast Requirements, which require that "The field must have good contrast with every charge placed directly on it and with charges placed overall." Chiefs are considered to be placed directly on the field.
This badge is returned for a redraw due to the lack of identifiability of the charges. While it is a resubmission with an added bordure to clear the original conflict, the charges on the original submission were not nearly as pixilated as they are on this submission. This submission has severe enough pixilation to render the charges unidentifiable at any distance.
The badge is returned for conflict with Odinel Reidleck, Quarterly gules and sable, a dragon passant contourny and a bordure argent. There is only a single CD for the change of the field. We grant no difference between dragons and wyverns.
This device is returned for non-blazonability of the crosses. They aren't formy fitchy, which would replace the entire lower limb with a spike. Neither are they formy fitchy at the foot, which would have the spike issuant from the center third of the lower limb's bottom edge. The crosses in the submitted artwork have the spike take up the entire bottom of the lower limb: among period crosses, only the cross of Santiago has that treatment of its lower limb, and the submitted crosses are obviously not crosses of Santiago.
- Explicit littera renuntiationum -
- Explicit -
Created at 2009-08-29T01:06:55