APPROVALS 19 January XX (1986)

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE APPROVED:

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Andrew Fauconnier. Name only.

Brigitta Olavsdatter of Kiel (submitted as Brigitta Olavsdatter A'Kiel). Name only.

NOTE: A'Kiel combines an idiomatic (Old) English preposition with a German or Danish place name. This is inappropriate, and taken in conjunction with the latinized given name and the Norwegian patronymic, it combines too many in one name. We have substituted modern English of (which is "neutral" under the Lingua Franca rule). It would be better if the entire name were in one language.

Charitée Julienne du Bois. Name and device. Per bend vert and gules, a bend ermine between a fleur­de­lys and a lion's head erased Or.

David Evan McKuenn. Name change (from David of Elfsea).

Jurdi Thróndsson. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

NOTE: It is possible that the patronymic should be Throndarson, rather than Throndsson. According to Bassi, names ending in ­thrindr form a genitive in ­ar, and it does not seem unlikely that Thr6ndr would do the same. Batonvert feels the submitted form lies within the bounds of reasonable anglicization.

Leric Speltigh. Change of device. Sable, a comic mask argent, each eye distilling a goutte de sang, in chief two acorns inverted Or. NOTE: His old device is released.

NOTE TO VIRGULE: There is certainly nothing in Hal of the Mask's file to indicate that a change of name and arms were ever formally received.

William of Westbrook. Name only.

Wolfram of Thuringia. Name only.

Kingdom of Atenveldt

Christian Colter. Name and device. Or, a chevron embattled vert goutty d'Or, in base a horse's head couped vert.

Freygard Magnusdottir. Name only.

Frithjof Tryggvasson. Name and device. Sable masoned, two flaunches argent, each charged with a torch sable flaming gules.

Halla Brandsdottir. Name and device. Or, an eight­legged horse passant contourny within a bordure sable charged with dolphins naiant argent.

DISCUSSION: In general, adding extra limbs to an animate charge is a bad idea ­ it confuses the outline without adding much difference. This seems a reasonable exception, given the precedent of Sleipnir, the horse ridden by Odin in Norse mythology. We would allow at most a minor point of difference between this and a four­legged horse.

Isabeau de Briquesart. Name change (from Marie de Briquesart).

James Darkstar. Badge for the House of the Beached Whale. Or a compass­star elongated to base sable, on a chief triangular azure a whale argent.

Laura Elizabeth Edwards. Name only.

Madraut MacChlurain. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Moshe Mashughannah. Name and device. Or, a Star Of David azure within and interlaced with another vert.

DISCUSSION: Given the number of different "correct" spellings of meshuggeneh offered in exchange for the one submitted, I don't see that one more phonetic representation matters. He might want to note, though, that his own documentation (Leo Rosten's The Joys of Yiddish) says the ­eh ending is feminine. Wouldn't a male use meshuggener.

Renna of Battersea. Name and device. Or, estoilly an opinicus salient contourny, wings elevated and addorsed, bearing in its beak a morningstar, and a gore sinister all sable.

Rhianwen o Enrys Disberod. Release of badge for the House of the Beached Whale.

Rhianwen o Enfys Disberod. Badge. Per bend sinister, gules ermined argent, and gules, a bend sinister argent.

Wilhelm Steinbruch. Name and device. Per pale sable and gules, two crosses paty fitchy, on a chief argent an eagle displayed gules.

Kingdom of Atlantia

Black Diamond, Barony of. Order of the Fettered Crane (name only).

Black Diamond, Barony of. Order of the Silver Crocus (name and badge). Sable, a crocus argent between four lozenges in cross Or.

Black Diamond, Barony of. Badge. Or, a dagger sable point in base, the blade surmounted by a lozenge counterchanged.

NOTE: The proposed name (Order of the Tempered Blade) conflicts with the ORDER OF TEMPERED STEEL in Meridies. We have omitted the designation in order to register the badge.

Dafydd ap Morgan of Storvik (submitted as Dafydd ap Morgan). Name and device. Argent, on a bend sinister engrailed between six gouttes azure an arrow argent.

NOTE: The name is too close to that of DAVID MORGAN OF CLAI MORGAN. The addition of a distinguishing byname should be sufficient. We have used the name of his SCA branch, as a holding name, in order to register the device.

Iain Monlach. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Jean Charles d'Avignon. Name and device. Per fess embattled Or and sable, in chief three crosses potent sable.

NOTE: Very nice.

Niall McKennett. Name and device. Sable, on a dexter hand couped at the wrist apaumy fesswise Or a heart gules, a chief indented erminois.

DISCUSSION: A chief, being a single­sided ordinary, is said to be indented, not dancetty. See the discussion in the 28 August 1985 cover letter.

Phillippa of Herteforde. Device. Or, a bunch of grapes purpure slipped and leaved vert and in base a sinister hand couped and cupped azure, between two flaunches azure.

Kingdom of the East

Adam Jason Sauvitch. Name and device. Argent, a bend sinister azure and on a chief gules, a balance Or.

Aidan Cadwaladr of Gwynedd. Badge. A triskelion of dragon's heads within an annulet Or.

DISCUSSION: According to RFS V.1, two SCA badges need differ by only one point.

Alarice Blackhawk. Name only.

Alasdair Stuart Campbell. Device. Gules, a pale bendy sable and argent between four boar's heads erased close argent.

Aloric Everard. Name and device. Per pale argent and sable, semy of millrinds counterchanged.

DISCUSSION: In light of the available writings on period use of semy, I have decided to treat semy as a group of charges, rather than part of the field. This therefore does not conflict with BARINGHAM: Per pale argent and sable. (Papworth 1001) See the cover letter for further discussion.

Anne Eloise Whyte of Camville. Name only.

Arnoff Ragnarsson. Device. Or, on a bend sinister embattled counter­embattled between two dolmens azure, three suns Or.

Arthur of the Serpentine Trail. Name and device. Argent, on flames of fire gules a tower argent, a chief enarched sable.

Arval Benicoeur. Device. Per saltire Or and sable, a cross patonce counterchanged.

Calum Creachadair. Name only.

Coinneach MacKenzie. Name only.

Constance of Silverwood. Name only.

Cwenthryth y Doeth. Name and device. Purpure, a lion­headed wyvern guardant erect argent between three roses Or, barbed and seeded proper.

NOTE: According to Batonvert, "the initial consonant of an adjective mutates after a personal name, but not after the article L," so "the wise" would be Doeth, not y Ddoeth. We have corrected the name accordingly. "In normal use, the article would probably be omitted," so the more likely form is actually Cwenthryth Ddoeth.

Danyll du Cheyne. Name only.

Deirdre Schneider. Name and device. Purpure, a winged arrow bendwise sinister point to chief argent between in pale two butterflies Or, all within a bordure Or, papelonny sable.

Deonna von Aachen. Device. Per fess indented argent and sable, a dove migrant counterchanged bearing in its beak an oak sprig gules.

Donal Galbraith. Device. Quarterly argent and Or, a mullet of four points throughout sable between four thistles, slipped and leaved, proper.

DISCUSSION: This is on the borderline, but we feel it squeaks past DOUGAL MACDOUGALL.

Drachenwald, Principality of. Order of the Dragon's Jewel (name only).

Eleonora Vittoria Alberta di Calabria. Name only.

Elspeth FitzHugh. Device. Per bend sinister sable and Or, a garb Or and a peacock in its pride proper.

Emerald Glen, Shire of. Device. Or, a dragon dormant, tail sufflexed, sable within a laurel wreath vert, in chief three cedar cones vert, potted sable.

Emrys Cador. Device. Azure, a cross erminois, surmounted by a unicorn salient to sinister argent, armed, between in chief two mullets and in base two annulets Or.

NOTE: Name change withdrawn at request of Principal Herald.

Fael MacLoarn. Device. Per pale wavy sable and argent, a wolf passant counterchanged within a bordure embattled gules.

Falconshire. Name only.

Guillaume d'Essonne. Badge. Or, a delf voided gules, overall a cross formy voided, the ends embattled, purpure.

Helene du Vent of Raventree. Device. Per chevron sable and Or, in pale a moon in her complement and a unicorn passant to sinister counterchanged.

James Burnside. Device. Per saltire sable and ermine, a saltire Or between in pale two boar's heads couped argent and in fess two thistles azure, slipped and leaved vert.

James Schoen MacAndrews. Name and device. Gules, vêtu counter­ermine, a falcon displayed, wings inverted, maintaining a rod fesswise, argent, ermined gules.

NOTE: Is the last name correct? My understanding was that the terminal ­s is a patronymic suffix (Eldon Smith lists it in several places in his table of "Patronymical Name Elements"); so one might be "James Andrews" or "James MacAndrew", but not "James MacAndrews".

Joanna of Tregelyn. Name only.

Joseph Lawrence van der Cullen. Name and device. Argent, a ship in full sail sable, pennoned gules, and on a chief purpure, four plates.

Kathleen of Skara Brae. Name only.

Kilde Fredriksdotter av Knusslig Hamn. Name and device. Azure, a bend and in sinister chief a sun Or, within a bordure argent, semy of trefoils azure.

Lydia Oenothera. Name and device. Azure, four quatrefoils in cross Or, each charged with a cross couped gules.

DISCUSSION: This is quite distinct, visually, from DORTHEA RIBLOTTA: Azure, four buttercups, one, two, and one, inverted, slipped and leaved Or. I am not altogether happy with applying complete­difference­of­charge when one of the groups is itself charged, but the crosses here are so integral a part of the design that they do not detract from the distinctiveness of the primary charges (which is, after all, what we are looking for).

Lynnette de Clermont. Device. Azure, on a chevron between two swans rousant respectant argent, beaked and membered, and a fleur­de­lis Or, three mullets gules.

Madog ab Emrys. Name and device. Per pale argent and vert, a chevron inverted counterchanged and in chief an annulet engrailed on the outer edge gules.

Manfred of Silverwood. Name only.

Megan Gwendylon. Name only.

Morgan Catriona Bruce. Device. Argent, on a bend sinister wavy azure between two penannular broaches, openings to chief, pins bendwise sinister, sable, a penannular broach, opening to base, bendwise sinister, argent.

Morgan Catriona Bruce. Badge. Azure, on a bend sinister wavy argent a penannular broach, opening to base, pin bendwise sinister, sable.

Morgan Sheridan. Badge. Or, four mullets in cross vert.

Olaus Martinus Pictor de Holmia. Name only.

Quintavia, Shire of. Badge. Per fess indented of three points vert and argent, a pale counterchanged.

Quintavia, Shire of. Badge for Quintavia Company of Archers. Per fess indented of three points vert and argent, a pale counterchanged, overall two arrows inverted in saltire gules.

Raimund of the Strait. Badge for Lion's Tower Fighters. A dandelion of four flowers and four leaves proper. (Taraxacum officialis)

Retepert the Barbarian. Name change (from Peter the Barbarian); see RETURNS for badge.

NOTE: Nicely done!

Rhys ap Rhodri. Device. Vair, a wyvern passant, tail forked and terminating in mullets, within a bordure Or.

Rhys ap Rhodri. Badge. An oak tree eradicated proper within an annulet of flame azure.

Rikard Bengtsson Ormstunga. Name and device. Per pale argent and gules, a pall per pale sable and argent.

NOTE: Very nice.

Robin Argyll du Coeur Aila. Badge. Per pale gules and argent, a bunch of grapes counterchanged.

Ruaidhri the Reiver. Name only.

Severin Mattazanni. Device. Per pale purpure and argent, in pale a bunch of grapes and two swords in saltire, all counterchanged.

Sulieka MacGregor. Device. Azure, pendant from the stalk of a thistle fesswise, an owl close guardant inverted argent.

Tadhg ua hicidhe An­Artuil. Device. Vert, on a chevron Or, three sprigs of mistletoe sable, on a chief embattled Or, a brown bear sejant erect proper.

Theresia von Tux. Device (reblazon). Argent, a wolf passant reguardant and a base indented, crusilly at the points, azure.

Thorvald the Indomitable. Device. Azure, on a pile indented issuant from sinister chief Or, a wolf's head palewise erased gules.

Wanda von Halsstern. Name correction.

NOTE: The last name was spelled Hallstern in the 14 Jul 85 LOAR. [July 1981]

Kingdom of the Middle

Far Reaches, Shire of. Name and device. Azure, a laurel wreath and in chief three acorns argent.

NOTE: Lovely!

Galen of Newark. Name and device. Gules, a griffin segreant to sinister Or within a bordure Or mulletty gules.

Grey Hope, Shire of. Name only.

Gustaf Hansbruder. Name only.

Hugh Prescott. Name only.

Janos of Ratisbon. Device. Per pale argent and sable, a bull's head caboshed within a bordure counterchanged.

NOTE: Please make the halves of the bull's head solidly tinctured, not chased.

Kambreda the Quiet. Name and device. Argent, a natural salamander passant coward gules within an orle of ivy leaves in annulo, stems to center, vert.

Llywela o Landaff (submitted as Llywela ferch Llwyd o Llandaff). Name and device. Or, a pithon erect purpure.

NOTE: Llwyd is Welsh for "grey", and was not, to the best of our knowledge, a given name; so ferch Llwyd ("daughter of grey") is incorrect. In addition, the preposition o causes the initial 11 in Llandaff to mutate to a single L. We have amended the name accordingly.

Lucas Otto Gustav Oswald Stefan (submitted as Lucas ... von Schnecke). Name and device. Checky vert and argent, a partisan bendwise surmounted by a snail shell reversed Or.

NOTE: As I noted on the previous submission, Schnecke is the German word for snail", not a place name. According to Star,

if "Schnecke" is the name of his castle, then he would normally use "von Schneckenburg", "von Burg Schnecken", "von Kastell Schnecke", or one of the multitude of words in German used to translate "castle". Who is named "von Nurn" (of Nuremburg)? Or "von Augs" (of Augsburg)?

We have omitted von Schnecke in order to register the device.

DISCUSSION: Dragon has asked why I did not use a holding name on the previous submission. The answer is that the submitter had disallowed changes to grammar, spelling, and translation ­ all the options permitted him by the Middle Kingdom submission form. At the time I processed the original submission, my usual policy in such cases was to treat this as a general "make no changes without consulting me," and to return the name. (As I noted in my 29 December cover letter, I consider the submitter to have an absolute right to ask the heralds not to tamper with his name. Whatever the motivation, holding names are a form of tampering.) I later began using a very different holding name, to emphasize the fact that this was a temporary measure, not an unauthorized modification. ("Timothy of Carraig Ban" or "Lucas of Carraig Ban" is more obviously a temporary substitute than "Lucas ... Stefan".) The idea is to encourage the submitter to correct the problem himself.

I am going to assume in this case that Dragon has consulted with the applicant, and has made him aware of the nature of holding names; and that the latter has agreed to accept this.

I should note that, in the case of Master RSVP of Calontir, Lady Karina amended the von to a more grammatical des, so the preposition and its object would agree in language.

Orien Wenderson. Badge for the House of the Happy Hedgehog. Vert, a hedgehog statant to sinister argent.

Scarphedin Leifsson (submitted as Scarp Hedin Liefsson). Name and device. Per pale azure and gules, a sword inverted argent and on a chief raguly Or an armorer's hammer fesswise sable.

NOTE: Batonvert feels that Scarp Hedin is a reasonable Anglicized spelling of the Old Norse name Skarphedhinn, but she notes that "It is not obvious (unless one is versed in Norse sagas) that the first element is a byname," and that it would be better to register this in either hyphenated form or as one word, to avoid creating false precedent for "Scarp" as a given name. Brigantia has also noted that the normal spelling is Leif, not Lief. We have amended the name accordingly.

Steffan von Urwald. Device. Sable, a staple argent.

NOTE: Wonderful!

Teresa of Darkmoon. Name only.

Kingdom of the West

Aharon Rodriguez d'Aguilar. Device. Per pale sable and argent, two frigate birds close affronty, each on a branch, counterchanged, each throated gules, on a point pointed vert, a kraken with tentacles in base argent.

Alicianne de Montfort of Sprucewood. Badge. A unicornate winged turtle rampant vert, armed and winged argent.

DISCUSSION: I dislike creating new monsters by gluing unicorn's horns to their brows, and I have been unable to find unicornate in any dictionary, heraldic or otherwise, but ...

Angharad of the Coppery Shields. Name only.

Bjorn of Wolfs Hold. Device. Per chevron vert and gules, a chevron and in chief two swords inverted argent.

Claus Wernher von Bremen. Name and device. Per fess argent and gules, three keys bendwise, wards in chief, counterchanged.

Donnan the Truehearted. Device. Per pall inverted azure, vert, and argent, a mermaid in her vanity, facing and her tail flexed to sinister, proper.

NOTE: The body of the mermaid should be flesh­toned, not argent. Please correct the emblazon.

DISCUSSION: Although there are mundane instances of mermaids "proper", none of the references I consulted actually named the default tinctures. A perusal of the files suggests an SCA default of flesh­colored torso, green tail, and yellow hair, although normal practice is to speak of a "blonde mermaid proper" or a "mermaid proper, crined Or." I found a couple of instances of mermaids with argent torsos being blazoned "proper"; I consider this misleading, and therefore incorrect.

ADAM ELFCHASER's mermaid is in profile, providing a clear difference in position from this submission.

Flanna Dunwalton. Name and device. Quarterly gules and ermine, a rose sable between in bend two mullets argent.

Harvey the Blind (submitted as Harvey FFellyanDrac the Blind). Name and badge. A furison sable charged with three hawk's bells in fess Or.

NOTE: The documentation offered for FFellyanDrac is highly questionable. We have omitted that part of the name in order to register the badges.

Harvey the Blind. Badge. Per chevron barry wavy argent and azure, and Or, in base a puffin close proper. (Fratercula arctics)

John Claymore. Name and device. Or, an oak tree eradicated and a chief indented purpure.

Jon of Harriston. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Katrina Krffger von Brandenburg. Name and device. Azure, on a fess between four crosses paty, three and one, Or, two more azure.

NOTE: Star believes this should be Krffgerin (the feminine form), rather than Krffger. Please advise the submitter.

Leofryth Blair Moonsong. Name change (from Micheil Blair Moonsong) and badge. Per chevron Or and vert, a mullet counterchanged gules and Or.

DISCUSSION: This style of blazon turns out not to be an SCA invention after all. According to Julian Franklyn's Shield and Crest (p. 316):

The term "counterchanged" ' which in England applies when a field and its charges are counter­coloured, is, in Scotland, more widely applied. For example, what would in English blazon be described as "per pale Or and azure, a mullet also per pale vert and argent," might in Scottish blazon be, "per pale Or and azure, a mullet counterchanged vert and argent."

Matilda FitzRichard of Lochaven. Name and device. Azure, a fess embattled­counterembattled between an anteater statant and three marigolds, all argent.

NOTE: We believe Lochhaven is normally spelt with a second h.

Morgan Lyonel. Device. Argent, a saltire gules surmounted by a sea­lion statant, all between four mullets sable.

Myrddin Blacquemoor. Name and device. Purpure, a caltrap inverted between two pallets argent.

NOTE: I believe this spelling of black is an out­of­period affectation, but I have been unable to substantiate this.

Oriana Dreamweaver. Name and device. Or, a swan naiant to sinister, a chief arched rayonny sable.

Sionnaich Creag. Name change (from Corlaine of the Crags).

Stuart of Lindley. Change of device. Azure, a sun argent eclipsed sable, a chief argent. NOTE: His old device is released.

DISCUSSION: In mundane armory, "the sun or moon when borne eclipsed is drawn exactly as when in his glory, or her complement, but sable." (Parker 558) In other words, "a sun eclipsed" is the same as "a sun in his glory sable." In SCA blazon, a sun eclipsed has a large disk of a secondary color superimposed on it, with the corona and rays being in the primary color of the charge: a "sun Or, eclipsed sable" is gold with a black center. It has been suggested on a couple of occasions that the tincture of the disk is by default sable. I feel it is better to be explicit, to keep people from confusing the SCA and mundane definitions.

Susanna of the Keys. Name and device. Gules, in pale three keys fesswise argent, a bordure ermine.

Tarysa of Rivendell. Change of device. Azure, three triquetras Or. NOTE: Her old device becomes a badge.

Torvald Torgarson. Name change (from Thorbald of Skagnire).

Titus of Wormwood. Badge. In pale a jester's cap gules, belled argent, and an earthworm nowed azure.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE RETURNED:

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Jurdi Thr6ndsson. Device. Pean, a wolf's head caboshed argent, on the sinister eye a patch sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with FANDRAL SILVERFOX: Sable, a fox's mask argent. (SCA) There is a major point of difference for the field, and at best a minor between the heads. We also feel this is too close to the badge of STEFAN VON BERNHARDT: Per bend sinister azure and vert, a wolf's head cabossed argent. (SCA) The eye patch does not strike us as being particularly medieval or particularly heraldic, and contributes little, if any, difference.*

* Our source at the Firm advises us that Mr. Colesmith Briggs III will be sending a team out to reason with the submitter.

Tarl Godric the Brokentoe. Device. Per pale azure and vert, a stag's head caboshed within an orle of three wolves courant Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with ROBERT KINSLAYER: Vert, a stag's head cabossed within a double tressure Or. (SCA) There is a minor point for difference of field, and a major point for replacing the tressure with the orle of wolves.

Kingdom of Atenveldt

Madraut MacChlurain. Device. Gules, a winged stag rampant, wings elevated and addorsed, erminois.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with DANYELLE OF FARENDALE: Gules, a winged stag rampant and in canton a cross bottony argent. (SCA) There is a point for the tincture of the stag, and a minor for the cross.

Mykhail Nickolai Alexei Androkhev. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: According to the comments on this submission, the name is constructed incorrectly. A Russian name normally consists of a given name, a patronymic, and a surname, "with sometimes an epithet as well." Use of multiple given names appears to have been confined to members of the royal family.

Nikolai is also normally transliterated with either a c or a k, but not both.

Kingdom of Atlantia

Ann Corwin. Device. Argent, on a pile throughout engrailed azure, a rainbow couped throughout proper.

REASON FOR RETURN: Master Wilhelm ruled, in April 1983, that henceforth rainbows must be drawn in "medieval" [or heraldic] style, arching between two clouds. This supersedes the definition in the May 1982 cover letter, where a cloudless rainbow said to be a rainbow couped.

The device also conflicts with that of ROANE FAIREGAE OF LOCHLLAN: Argent, on a pile throughout azure, a seal haurient argent. (SCA) There is a major point for difference in line of partition, and a minor for change in tertiary (not secondary) charge.

Iain Monlach. Device. Or, a roundel engrailed sable surmounted by two piles embowed fretting each other counterchanged.

REASON FOR RETURN: The commenting heralds found both the blazon and the emblazon confusing, and questioned whether the design was consistent with medieval heraldic style. The only source I'm familiar with for this particular construction is Elvin's Dictionary of Heraldry (Pl. 6, f. 15), which is not a particularly good source for ideas.

Phillip of Ghent. Badge. On a fir tree eradicated vert, a hawk stooping argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with ALLANADALE OF THE EVERGREENS: Argent, a pine tree proper. (SCA)

Wolfgang the Rhinelander. Device. Argent, a fess wavy between two wolves courant azure.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with BELLAFILLA: Argent, a fess wavy azure. (Rietstap) There is a single point of difference, for the addition of a group of secondary charges. It is also a major and a minor point different from MARIA ELAYNE VON SCHWANGAU: Argent, on a fess wavy between two crosses fleury azure, a swan naiant argent. (SCA)

An SCA ensign has traditionally been pigeonholed as a badge, not a device, so this is clear of TRIMARIS.

Kingdom of the East

Alycia Genevive of Amrenth. Device. Argent, a grille and on a cartouche azure, a candle argent enflamed proper, all within a bordure azure.

REASON FOR RETURN: Our reading of the description in Woodward leads us to believe that a grille, or lattice, is a horizontal form of "fretty." What is drawn here more closely resembles a squared­off form of masoning. To form a grillage, the cross­pieces should be fewer and larger, and should also be fretted. Please have the submitter redraw this as either masoned or a true grillage. If she chooses the latter, she may want to consider making the cartouche a different color, so it stands out better against the background.

Bergental, Shire of. Device. Sable, a mullet of twelve points within a laurel wreath, all within a bordure Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with CIARRI MACBRAONIAN AN TAGHDACH: Sable, a sun between in cross four oak leaves, all within a bordure Or; and with ELERIC SONN HVITTANN: Sable, on a sun Or an anvil sable, within a bordure Or. (SCA) There is little, if any, difference between a mullet of twelve points and a sun.

Elaigne Kerr Benicoeur. Badge (appeal). A cur's head erased and sinister­facing per bend azure and ermine.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with CHARLES BRADFORD: Bendy Or and­gules, an alaunt's head sable erased, orbed gules. (SCA)

DISCUSSION: The question of difference of field between fieldless badges and other armory was addressed at length in the letter from the 20 Oct 85 Laurel meeting (RICHARD BLACKBURY, pp. 21­22).

Friedrich van der Delft. Badge for House Knusslig Hamn. Per pale azure and vert, a closed lock within an orle of four suns to dexter and four mullets pierced to sinister, all Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This is too complex for a badge. We do not feel it is a good idea to use more than one kind of charge in an orle.

Owen MacAlpin. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: The name conflicts with that of OWAIN AP ALBIN. "Owen" is cognate with "Owain", and "mac" with "ap". It is not clear whether "Alpin" and "Albin" are actually the same name, but the two are close enough to make us nervous, and we thought it better to err on the side of caution.

Retepert the Barbarian. Badge. A wyvern erect chequy argent and sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with KARINA OF THE FAR WEST: Azure, a wyvern argent. (SCA) There is a single point of difference, for the tincture of the wyvern.

Rowan de Belchant. Device (reblazon). Quarterly vert and sable, in bend two thrushes close to sinister, tails erect and singing Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: The emblazon in the files does not show the birds' tails as erect. She may change this if she wishes (I will waive the fee). Her badge does show the bird with its tail erect.

Seashire. Badge for the Company of the Sea Wolf. Gules, three arms conjoined at the shoulders and flexed in pall, armoured and gauntletted, each arm maintaining a sword, Or, surmounted at the conjunction by a wolf's head cabossed sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: The designation "Company of the Sea Wolf" conflicts with the title of Sea Wolf Herald. The device conflicts with TREMYNE: Gules, three dexter arms conjoined at the shoulders and flexed in triangle Or, with fists clenched proper. (Papworth 907).

Kingdom of the Middle

Bridget of the Flying Dragon's Cave. Device. Vert, an Emperor penguin in trian aspect proper.

NOTE: The penguin is in trian aspect, which is not permitted in SCA heraldry.

DISCUSSION: The device differs from that of MEGHAN PENGWYN OF WYNTERWOOD ("Gules, an Emperor penguin close to sinister proper") by one point for tincture of the field, and another for position of charge. While the penguin does not have exceptionally good contrast against the green field, it appears to fall within the definition of neutrality given in the discussion of Rule IX.5. Please note that black­and­green is one of the combinations permitted under some circumstances by Rule IX.4.

NOTE TO DRAGON: Your "formal protest" provided no corroborative detail or substantiation ­ just a "she said he said" in the letter of intent. You didn't even indicate which Laurel King of Arms the local pursuivant "appealed" to. (It appears from the forms that the device was originally returned during Master Wilhelm's tenure.).

My Lord Dragon, while I may answer questions from local heralds and submitters, and even dole out an occasional piece of advice, I make it a point never to "assure someone that a submission "has no problems." In fact, I usually over qualify anything I say outside of formal channels, in an effort to offset the guarantee that people are likely to assume is implicit in what I say. In addition, while I don't much care where corrections come from, I do not accept out-of­channels appeals. Period.

Saeric Scirham. Device. Sable, a comet fesswise Or enflamed proper within a bordure nebuly Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts visually with the BARONY­MARCHE OF THE DEBATABLE LANDS: Sable, a comet [fesswisel argent and in base a laurel wreath Or, a bordure embattled Or. (SCA).

DISCUSSION: This is not an heraldic comet; it is Halley's Comet as depicted in the Bayeaux Tapestry. I generally prefer that charges be represented in their traditional heraldic forms; but no comment was made on the previous submission, and this representation (or one very close to it) has been allowed previously for the Debatable Lands. Under the circumstances, it would seem to be acceptable.

Kingdom of the West

Jon of Harriston. Device. Or, a pegasus rampant sable, a bordure compony argent and sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with SALIUS: Or, a pegasus rampant sable. (Rietstap).

Torvald Torgarson. Badge. Per pale argent and sable, a stag's attires counterchanged.

REASON FOR RETURN: This infringes on RODLER: Per pale argent and gules, a stag's attires counterchanged. (Rietstap) The partial change in tincture of the charge derives from the field, so there is less than a full point of difference.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSION IS PENDING:

Black Rose, March of the. Name only.

NOTE: The name conflicts with the Fellowship of An Rose Dubh ("the Black Rose") in An Tir. We are holding this for a letter of permission.

DISCUSSION: We see no conflict with Blanch Rose Pursuivant. The two differ by an adjective, and are used in different contexts.

The term March has been used for many years as a branch title equivalent to Shire. I am not aware of any restrictions having been placed on the designation.