3 Las Palomas
Orinda, CA 94563
12 December 1975 (A.S. 10)
Karina of the Far West, Laurel Queen of
Arms,
to the Principal Heralds of the several
Kingdoms,
Greeting.
With the great help of my privy clerk, Dorothea
of Caer-Myrddin, I have finally put the files into such order
that I can begin issuing acceptances.
The present list is devices submitted sometime
in the near to distant past, I have accepted some that ordinarily
I would prefer to send back for more work, as they are probably
in use already. A number of notes on these follows the list of
devices accepted.
The practice of awarding Brownie Points
is discontinued. It was originally a merely oral expression of
approval (or the reverse), but a too-literal member of the West
College assumed that they were recorded. This idea spread to some
of his correspondents, including Lord Locksley. Don't worry --
I will note strong reactions to devices!
MIDDLE
Alphia Bonadea. Sable, a leopard's head couped Or, fimbriated ermine.
I would not have accepted the name Bona
Dea (Good Goddess), considering it a sacrilegious use of a title
belonging to a Divinity worshipped by many SCA members. However,
the damage was already done when Beryl Bonadea was accepted. As
for the device: Why is the leopard's head fimbriated? This is
not necessary for differing from Cletherow, Morely, etc.
Asdis Stefansdottir. Per fess azure and vert, a garb Or, embrued.
This is lawful but UGLY.
Benson of Stannington.
Per pale azure and argent, a sword proper, embrued.
Brusten de Bearsul. Per fess embattled azure and vert, a tower Or.
This is closer than I like to Headless
House.
Cyprian of the Wheel. Argent, a wooden cart-wheel of twelve spokes, proper.
Nice and simple! I have altered the blazon
to "cart-wheel" because the Catherine wheel is so much
more common.
Dumnonia, Barony of. Vert, semee of fusils Or; on a chief wavy azure a laurel wreath Or.
The blazon has been altered from "fusily"
which signifies a tesseltaion, analogous to "checky".
Hal of the Mask. Sable, a tragic mask Or, featured sable.
Very nice.
Hrafn Egilsson Tolftungr.
Gules, two ravens rising addorsed sable fimbriated argent.
Lars Vilhjalmsson Per pale sable and vert, a snowy owl (Nyctea scandiace) affrontee proper perched on a sword fesswise reversed.
No genus & species was given for the
"Arctic" owl and I was unable to find it in the 11th
Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (EB 11). I judged by the
drawing that the Snowy Owl was intended.
Nicolai of Everworry. Azure, on a bend nebuly Or a rose sable, barbed and seeded proper.
Pretty.
Penelope of Barataria. Per fess vert and azure, in chief a unicorn couchant upon the line of division argent; in base a crack-willow (Salix fragilis) upon a mount proper.
Again, genus & species were omitted.
The drawing clearly showed a pollard willow, and consulting EB
11 I found the crack-willow was the species most commonly so treated.
Philippe de Souraine. Sable, a pale argent, overall a chevron gules.
Nice.
Ragnar Norstrom. Gules, a giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) countersejant guardant proper maintaining a Bowen knot Or.
The word Giant is added to distinguish them
from the Lesser Panda or Cat-bear, also called Common Panda, Ailurus
fulgens. The term "sejant", in the case of bears
and pandas, means sitting erect with the forepaws raised.
Ragnar Norstrom.
Badge. Azure, within a Bowen knot expanded a lightning bolt bendwise
Or.
Sarah bat-Ehezshkal.
Azure, a giant panda sejant guardant proper, maintaining a seal
of Solomon Or.
Richard of Alsace. Vair, a Latin cross fleury Or.
Very pretty.
Tarot Guild. Argent between a bezant inscribed of a pentacle sable and a cup azure, in saltire a wand slipped proper and a sword gules quillioned sable; in chief an eye argent fimbriated irised pupilled and radiant sable.
If I were giving brownie points, this would
rate -25 for Ugly.
Thorbjorn the Greysides. Argent, within a bordure sable, in saltire a single-bitted axe and a hammer inverted hafted of a lightning bolt, gules.
And this one I'd like to reject for infringing
on the prerogatives of Thor -- who also has worshippers in the
SCA.
The above format is intended to be clipped
and pasted, or copied in pica type, onto 3x5 file cards with equal
simplicity. I recommend typing rather than pasting, personally.
EAST
Bartolomeo della Rocca. Argent, on a rock issuant from base a long cross potent gules.
Correct from earlier mistake.
College of Heralds. Seal. Two trumpets in saltire between four mill-rinds.
Since the delay has been so long, I am granting
this, but only to be used as is the badge of the College in the
Middle Kingdom: to wit, as a seal. Most titled pursuivants and
heralds in the West have individual seals. The sole emblem of
his particular office worn by a herald in the West is a
disc-shaped pendant with crossed trumpets and the name of his
office (e.g. Vesper, Green Cloak).
Debatable Lands, March of.
Sable, a comet argent and in base a laurel wreath Or; a bordure
embattled Or.
Frederic of Feoliddwyn. Or, a tortoise tergiant in fess proper, charged upon the shell with a fret Or.
This tortoise is correctly blazoned tergiant,
signifying that the entire back (L. tergum) is visible.
Passant is said to mean the same position; however we have
in the SCA the example of Kathleen the Forgetful's "Argent
a turtle statant vert" which is shown in profile, like any
passant or statant lion or griffin. Passant, therefore,
ought not be considered synonymous with tergiant in Society
heraldry.
Michael of York.
Gules, a sheaf of three arrows bound by a serpent counterguardant,
all Or.
Myrkfaelinn, Dominion of.
Sable, a candle enflamed and environed of a laurel wreath proper.
ATENVELDT
Lothar (no surname). Or, between two flaunches azure a sword fracted erect sable, hilted gules.
See that he gets a surname.
Eric of Sheffeald. Per chappe Or and vert, a sea-lion counterrampant enhanced Or.
Note that this is a Monster, not a Pacific-eared
seal.
Terryl of Talavera. Argent, a triskelion arrondi azure, between in pale two roundels gules.
ART WORK HERE
MIDDLE
Blackhawk, House. Or, a hawk volant sable.
Conflicts with Williams: Or, a hawk
volant sable. (Papworth, p. 304).
EAST
Temudai al-Temnij &c.
Conflicts with Pwyll pen Tyrhon,
Sable, on a pale argent a crescent gules. Explain the name when
he resubmits.
Zaragoza San Solomon Puertolano de Belacazar.
This is a very interesting travelogue but
there is no personal name in it. "Zaragoza" is a city
and province in Spain, formerly Caesarea Augusta. He might as
well call himself Pittsburgh.
This, to the best of my knowledge, takes
care of those folders that were sent to me without ever having
been acted on. (There is a small group from the Middle Kingdom
not reported on here, concerning which we are sending some queries
to the Lord Dragon.)
I know this isn't all, though. There are
a great many missing submissions from the West. Of these I already
have a list. I would like duplicate submissions from the other
Kingdoms, giving if possible the date of the original submission.
The Computer Ordinary is programmed and
we have begun the input. This will take longer than we had hoped
because we have access to the computer for only a few hours a
week. However, we have now completed the card-file Ordinary (courtesy
of Vesper, to whom it belongs). To the best of our knowledge this
covers everything listed by Lord Locksley in his armorial of 31
January 1973 or accepted by him later. If you know of any earlier
arms please notify me, with whatever documentation you can find.
Department of Vital Statistics: Born to
Hal Ravn and Dorothea of Caer-Myrddin on 27 November, Margaret
Astrid, eight pounds ten ounces. Everybody is doing nicely and
Dorothea has lost twenty-six pounds (envy).
I remain, etc.,
Karina of the Far West
Laurel Queen of Arms
KFW/mp