APPROVALS 1 18 May XXI (1986)

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE APPROVED:

Kingdom of An Tir

Adela de Mandeville. Name and device. Gyronny vert and gules, a dove rising reguardant displayed bearing in its beak a sprig of leaves within a bordure Or.

Amanda Beatriz. Name and device. Pean, a unicorn rampant argent and in chief two roses gules within a bordure embattled Or.

An Tir, Kingdom of. Title for Electrum Herald.

An Tir, Kingdom of. Title for Sable Sable Pursuivant.

DISCUSSION: No, this is not a typo. As several of the commenting heralds noted, this is rather silly, but I don't believe it will do any harm.

An Tir, Kingdom of. Title for Sinister Gauntlet Herald.

Fiona Drummond of Perth. Device. Argent, an oak tree bendwise eradicated sable within a bordure vert semy of holly leaves argent.

Geoffrey Geometer. Device. Per bend sinister sable and Or, a tree blasted between in fess two mascles and in base a triangle inverted all counterchanged.*

DISCUSSION: A tree 'eradicated is usually depicted with an exaggerated root system, the result of tearing the poor thing from the bosom of mother Earth. What is shown here is what you would see if it were still rooted in the sod, which is neither couped nor eradicated.

* Motto: "Oh, Eu Clid!"

Gerald Grimmwald of Bavaria. Name and device. Gyronny sable and gules, a ram's head erased affronty within an annulet Or.

Gwynne y Mordwyol. Name and device. Per chevron purpure and argent, issuant from the line of division a demi­sun Or, in base a spray of lilac purpure, slipped and leaved vert, within a bordure counterchanged.

NOTE: Normal Welsh usage, I am told, would be to omit the y -- Gwynne Mor wyol -- although the above form is not incorrect.

Harold Thorgoodson von Rheinhold (submitted as Harold Thorgoodson von Rein Hold). Name only.

NOTE: The German spelling of Rhine is "Rhein", and place names are normally compounded. We have corrected the byname to the form shown in the submitter's documentation.

Hlutwige Wolfkiller. Name only.

James NicEdom. Name only.

Koressa Thokubjalla. Badge. Or, on a pall cotised gules a sword inverted Or.

Laurel Venustas di Firenze. Device change. Sable, a rainbow proper between in chief two crosses crosslet fitchy and in base a rose slipped and leaved Or.

NOTE: Her old device is released.

Margaret nic Cadain Armagh of Ayre. Name and device. Per saltire azure and purpure, a unicorn's head erased argent armed Or within a triquetra inverted argent.

Sophia de la Mer. Device. Argent, a seahorse erect vert within an orle flory azure.

Tancred de Brus. Device. Argent, a chevron embattled vert, in base a ram's head caboshed, and on a chief sable a ladder fesswise Or.

Terence Irondragon. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Vergil William de Comyn. Device change. Per pale and per chevron vert and Or, a fleur­de­lis sable within a bordure counterchanged.

NOTE: Nice! His old device is released.

Y Blackhand. Name change (from Errold of Lithostone, called Blackhand).

DISCUSSION: Batonvert tells me this is legitimate: it's a form of the given name Aodh, pronounced "uh." It looks as if Sir ... uh ... Blackhand ... has finally gotten away with it.

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Adella Desmond. Device. Quarterly per fess embattled sable and gules, in bend two bells Or.

DISCUSSION: I am granting an exception from the rule [IX.4) prohibiting complex lines of division on fields divided of two colors. The underlying coat is simple, and the color combination is one of those we consider to have heightened contrast. I also find myself wondering at the provenance of the rule: is it based on principles derived from mundane armory, or is it due more to the biases of certain SCA heralds?

Adelinda of Hildesheim. Name only.

Alaric Griswald de Toledo. Name and device. Vert, a horse rampant, on a chief raguly Or three mullets vert pierced Or.

Arthur Hammerhand of the Eldern Hills. Name only.

Geta Alexandra din Wallachia. Device. Per chevron Or and gules, a pair of leather dancing shoes in chevron addorsed proper and a needle Or.

DISCUSSION: The default position of a sewing needle in SCA armory is with point in base. Of the dozen examples I pulled from the files, only two departed from this custom: Catriona nic Chlurain (an old coat), with points in chief; and Fiona Ramsay, with points in base but blazoned "inverted." Needles appear to be an uncommon charge in mundane armory; I could find no indication of a mundane default in the references I consulted.

Gretchen of the Far Pines. Name and device. Azure, a sea­pegasus erect argent within a bordure wavy Or.

DISCUSSION: Gretchen is her mundane given name.

Karel van de Deken. Name correction (from Karel van der Deken).

Melgin Blac (submitted as Melgin Blaq). Name only.

NOTE: Neither French nor English (nor Welsh, according to Brigantia) uses q as a terminal letter. The French word for "black" (which the documentation says Blaq is supposed to be) is noir; according to the OED, the English word comes from Old English blaec. The applicant did not indicate a preference, so I have substituted the archaic form blac, which was the closest I could find in spelling and pronunciation to what was submitted.

Mikael of Monmouthshire. Name and device. Per bend sinister azure and gules, a bend sinister and a chief embattled Or.

DISCUSSION: In answer to a question posed by Brigantia, I would be inclined to allow a minor point (perhaps a strong minor, depending on the composition of the rest of the device) for the addition of a semy to half a field.

Theodric der Sucher. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Theresa de Foxton. Name and device. Per chevron azure and argent, two horses combatant argent, and in base a garden rose sable slipped and leaved vert.

Kingdom of Atenveldt

George of Port Kar. Badge. Sable, a tongue of flame gules, fimbriated, within an annulet sundered in chief argent. [April 1973]

John the Idiota. Badge. Gules, a woolly spider monkey rampant proper grasping with its upraised tail a pouch Or.

NOTE: This badge was omitted from the Armorial. [August 1982].

Kiriel of Windhover Cliff. Device (reblazon). Vert, a sword inverted, overall an American kestrel hovering affronty proper. (Falco sparverius sparverius)

DISCUSSION: The kestrel is not stooping ­ a head­down position ­ but hovering; the lady has documented the posture. See the cover letter for more on stooping.

Kingdom of Atlantia

Atlantia, Kingdom of. Badge for Clerk Signet. Per pale wavy argent and azure, a penner and inkhorn counterchanged.

DISCUSSION: A "penner and ink horn" are conventionally shown joined by a length of cord; see Parker, P. 453, and Brooke­Little's ' Heraldic Alphabet, p. 161. Atlantia's Clerk Signet already has a seal, registered in 1982; we wonder at the need for a second badge for the office.

Caitlin ni Cailean de Bri. Badge. A male griffin sejant to sinister vert.

DISCUSSION: See the cover letter for a discussion of the term "keythong" as an alternative to "male griffin." The charge is called a "male griffin" in her arms, which is ample reason to call it such in her badge.

Caitlin ni Cailean de Bri. Badge. Argent, a raven close sable perched upon a rowan branch leaved and fructed proper. (Sorbus aucutaria).

Cara Marie of Carlisle. Device. Vert, a snowy owl affronty argent marked sable and on a chief Or, three roses gules.

Catherine Seabrook of Kent. Name only.

Eilwen Cyflym. Device. Per chevron ployé azure and ermine, in chief two hawks striking respectant argent.

DISCUSSION: The hawks are most certainly not stooping; we have substituted striking for lack of a better term (see the discussion in the cover letter).

Heralds' seals. Seal for Ibis Herald. Two straight trumpets in saltire, bells in chief, surmounted by an ibis close.

DISCUSSION: I am approving this as a hardship case. The Egyptian crown is not an appropriate charge for use in a herald's seal. It has been omitted, in accordance with the permission received from Ibis and Triton.

Jahn of Outman. Joint badge (with Tuiren de Lisle). Vert, on a bend between a winged unicorn salient, wings elevated and addorsed, and a unicorn salient regardant argent, an arrow point in chief sable.

NOTE: Unicorns have beards! Please correct the emblazon.

John of Fordington. Name change (from Sean of Bedford).

Martelle von Charlottenburg. Name and device. Vert, three escallops inverted within a bordure Or.

Mattina d'Oro, Shire of. Name only.

Morgaine de la Flamme. Name change (from Maeve of Caernarvon) and device. Sable mullety and on a pall argent, three hearts, points outward, gules.

Morgause du Foret. Device. Gules, on a compass star argent a roundel sable, a chief ermine.

NOTE: A compass­star has four greater and four lesser points. Please correct the emblazon.

Nikolaus Josef von Silbernsee. Name and device. Sable, on a fess engrailed argent a fess vert.

NOTE: It is our understanding (i.e., it has been ruled in the past) that hyphenated given names, at least in German, are out of period.* We have omitted the hyphen in order to register the device.

DISCUSSION: Silver Trumpet and Treblerose both noted ROUSE: Sable, two bars engrailed argent. (WoodOrd 4) I note two general differences, one in the tincture of the center third of the field, and one in the outline of the parallel lines. I can see treating these as either two strong minor points, or else a major point for the line of partition of the "bars", and a minor for the change in tincture. Master Wilhelm stated during one of the discussions at TYC that he would allow two strong major points of difference to add to the "major point plus" needed against mundane arms, so either of these point counts would yield sufficient difference.

*Treblerose has noted a few rare instances in Gascony: Bernard­Ezi d'Albert (d1359), Arnaud­Amanieu d'Albret (d14Ol), and Guilhem­Sence de Pommiers (d1377). This might be worth pursuing.

Takenoshita Naro. Name and device. Sable, in fess two spiders palewise in profile respecting each other argent.

NOTE: The spiders' legs should not be conjoined. Please correct the emblazon.

Thomas of Dinbych. Name and device. Per fess embattled gules, and argent masoned sable, in chief a castle triple­towered argent.

Tuiren de Lisle. Joint badge (see Jahn of Outman).

Veleda of Isenfir. Name and device. Sable, three bendlets sinister wavy argent between two sprays of lilies of the valley Or.

DISCUSSION: Of the term scarpe (suggested or insisted upon by a couple of the commenting heralds), Brooke­Little's Heraldic Alphabet says, "A diminutive of the bend sinister. 'Bendlet sinister' is the term in common use."

Heraldry is a field in which there may very well be more than one correct answer to a given question. We're not dealing here with laws of the universe or other immutables, but with a composite view of something that varied considerably between cultures and over time. A given charge or practice may have more than one name; a name may have different meanings depending on place or time of use; a term may be used indiscriminately to mean more than one thing; the meaning of a term may change. If we were still adherents of the Calipers school of armory, I could gleefully point out that a scarpe is one­half the width of a bend sinister, so you couldn't possibly have more than one of them; ergo, these must be bendlets sinister. What's the point? In our system of nomenclature, the two both mean "diminutive of a bend sinister (drawn skinny because you have more than one of them)", and can be used interchangeably.

This doesn't mean that one blazon can't be preferable to another. A readily accessible term is better than an obscure one; a euphonious blazon is nicer than one that stumbles along; we ought to favor the short and simple over the long and complex, the traditional form over the neologism, the generic blazon instead of the bloodcurdling precise one. These preferences don't always work in concert, and we often have to trade off one thing for another. (For a recent example, see the discussion on SEBASTIAN DE GREY in the April LOAR.)

When everything balances out, though, and one term or practice appears equivalent to and no less desirable than another, I try to defer to the choice made by the Principal Herald. If Lord Triton chooses to call the charges in question bendlets sinister, then bendlets sinister they shall be.

Kingdom of Caid

Ademar Wynne of Dragunwodde. Name and device. Azure, three dragon's heads erect erased Or, each vorant and pierced of a sword palewise inverted proper, all within a bordure dovetailed Or.*

*According to milord mortant, in Outlandish heraldry, these would be blazoned en brochette.

Alexandra Idonea. Name and device. Barry wavy argent and azure, a brunette mermaid affronty proper, dexter hand raised, and a chief wavy counter­ermine.

DISCUSSION: By default, a mermaid "proper" is assumed to have a flesh­colored torso, green tail, and yellow hair, although the color of the hair is usually mentioned explicitly. (BoE, 19 Jan 86, p. 8).

Antara al­Aqrab. Name change (from Antara Dawntreader of Dawnhaven) and device change. Sable, a lion dormant Or between two mullets and a scorpion argent.

NOTE: Her old device is released.

NOTE: According to Obelisk, Arabic al should be joined to the following word with a hyphen.

Ciaran Faol­lonn. Device (reblazon). Argent, a wolf sejant to sinister sable, maintaining a garden rose gules, slipped and leaved vert, between in chief three roses in fess gules and in base two garden roses gules, their stalks entwined vert, all within a bordure engrailed gules.

NOTE: This reduces the blazon to something shorter than 256 characters, the significance of which should be obvious to the golem­keepers in the audience.

Dun Or, Canton of. Name change (from Dun Calma).

Eowyn Amberdrake. Release of name for House Drachengau.

Eowyn Amberdrake. Badge. Three dragons in triquetra, passant outwards, tails interlaced Or.

Eowyn Amberdrake. Release of badge. Vert, three dragons in triquetra, tails interlaced through an annulet, passant outwards, Or.

Marthen of Kells (submitted as Marthen an Ceanannus Mor). Name and device. Gules, a harp Or pierced by a quill bendwise sinister argent, a chief argent fretty gules.

NOTE: There are two problems with the name. First, an means "the, so the name as submitted translates as "Marthen the Kells." Kells is a place, so what is actually needed is the Irish word (or words) for "of", making this "Marthen of Kells." Second, Irish is an inflected language. This means that the form &f­a word changes depending on how it is used. Ceanannus Mor is in the "nominative" case. This is the form a noun has when it is the subject of a verb. Because it is being used as the object of a preposition ("of"), the place­name needs to be in the "dative" case.*

Unfortunately, the heralds who objected to the name didn't offer any concrete suggestions, and I don't have sufficient knowledge of Irish to venture one myself. We have used the English form ("of Kells") as a holding name, in order to register the device.

* A brief grammatical example: In the sentence "He gave the ball to me", he is the subject of the verb gave. In "I gave the ball to him", him is the object of the preposition to. Notice how he becomes him and I becomes me depending on how the word is used. The pronouns are being inflected on account of case.

Morgaine FitzStephen. Name and device. Vert, a mullet Or within a dolmen argent, a chief embattled Or.

Penelope of Calafia. Name and device. Argent, a garden rose purpure, slipped vert, between two flaunches purpure, the dexter charged with an increscent and the sinister with a decrescent argent.

Reinwald Sigbrand. Name and device. Per bend sable and sable estoilly argent, on a bend gules, fimbriated Or, a sword inverted argent, in chief a sun in his splendour Or.

Rhiwallon the Wanderer. Name and device. Quarterly gules and purpure, two lutes in saltire edge­on and a bordure Or.

DISCUSSION: In the case of musical instruments, I happen to be of Karina's opinion: "[They] should be placed in their most recognizable aspect ­ in this case, strings front." (22 Oct 76, p. 12) Unfortunately, one of the submissions registered earlier (during Ioseph's tenure) had a lute edge­on, and this was subsequently admitted as precedent. (WvS, 20 Apr 81, p. 3) The default is still affronty, so the fact that these lutes are edge­on must be specified.

Southron Gaard, Shire of. Name change (from Southron Guard).

NOTE: Appeal sustained.

Susana of Dunstan. Transfer of badge (for Haus Katzensprung) from Wilihelm Roderick FitzLovel. Per pale argent and azure, a lily between in chevron inverted two lightning flashes conjoined, all within a bordure embattled counterchanged.

Tetchubah of Greenlake. Name change (from Tetchubah of Green Lake) and device change. Per chevron vert and Or, two quills in chevron Or and a rose sable.

NOTE: Her old device is released.

Thomas Archer. Name change (from Roland MacDonnel).

Tristan Keck. Name and device. Per pale azure and gules, a chevron sable, fimbriated, between two lions combattant queue­forchee and a lion passant guardant Or.

Wilihelm Roderick FitzLovel. Release of badge for Haus Katzensprung (transfer to Susana of Dunstan).

NOTE: This badge is being transferred to make room for another. The Laurel office acknowledges that Lord Wilihelm has one "badge slot" open to him.

Kingdom of Calontir

Damien MacGavin. Device. Per bend gules and Or, three acorns and a tree counterchanged.

Kingdom of the East

Alistair Malcolm MacAlpine. Badge. Argent, an oak leaf fesswise reversed gules.

NOTE TO MONSHO: I didn't have time to pursue the question in depth, but the earliest reference I could find to rotation counting as a point of difference is in the October 1981 edition of the Rules for Submissions. Under article XIV.5, The individual positions or orientations of the charges, it is stated that "A sword palewise is one major point of difference from a sword fesswise." (p. 17) This item does not appear in the July 1981 draft, which suggests that it was introduced in the interim. The principle may be found in its most recent form in article XIII.5.b of the August 1984 edition of the rules (p. 28).

Andre of Branswatch. Device. Per chevron sable and vert, a stag's attire Or and in chief a mullet argent.

Andreas Syndikus Drachenfreund. Device. Per fess with a left step gules and sable, two dragons combattant in bend argent within a bordure Or.

Black Rose, March of the. Name only.

NOTE: The Crown of An Tir has most graciously waived any claim of infringement on the part of the Fellowship of An Rose Dubh ("the Black Rose").

Brian de Northwode. Name only.

Carillion, Barony of. Device change. Or, a bell within a laurel wreath sable.

NOTE: Their old arms are released.

Deonora Riddyhough. Name only.

Drachenwald, Principality of. Name for Order of the Companions of Albion.

Elain de Northwode. Name only.

Eva van Oudeachterkol. Name change (from Embla Willsdottir).

NOTE: The policy of the College of Arms is that secondary names (household names and alternate personas) may be registered only in conjunction with a badge. If she wishes to protect her former name, she will need to associate it with a badge.

Gideon Wynsbane. Name only.

Jenna Megan Trevelyan. Name only.

Joseff Neyland. Name only.

Justin Meteora. Name only.

Kynan Wyllt. Name change (from Gawain of the Wolf Brotherhood) and device. Gules, a snow leopard couchant, tail and head elevated, proper, on a chief pean a mushroom argent. (Felis uncia).

Lorenzo Dragone della Grotta. Device. Argent, a dragon rampant azure maintaining a torteau, on a chief sable three open books argent.

NOTE: To the best of our knowledge, "open books" are always opened flat, not partially open. Please correct the emblazon.

Madoc Arundel. Badge for the Guardians of the Crossroads. Chevronnelly argent and gules, a hound passant sable.

Marco Massimi. Device. Vert, three bezants in fess between a cross couped and a base embattled Or.

Marianna Donofrey. Name only.

Padruig Wulfstan. Name and device. Vert, on a bend sinister wavy between two crescents argent, a wolf statant ululant to sinister sable.

NOTE: Please make the bend sinister wavier, and draw real heraldic crescents.

Pawel Aleksander od Zerania. Device. Azure, a man armed cap­a­pie and maintaining a lance and shield argent, between in chief two plates.

DISCUSSION: Virgule cited a potential conflict from Rietstap for which one of the tinctures was missing. The usual practice in such cases is to grit one's teeth and give the submitter the benefit of the doubt.

Peter Raventree. Device. Erminois, a tree eradicated and blasted, between two towers in fess sable.

Phillipia Cupbreaker. Device. Per bend Or and lozengy Or and vert, in bend sinister a sprig of three pomegranates inverted gules, slipped and leaved vert, and an annulet sable.

Richard Gilchrest. Device. Vert, a chevron rompu between three crosses formy in fess and a bicorporate lion Or.

Sion Gwyrddcalon ap Rhydderch. Name change (from Evan ap Rhydderch).

DISCUSSION: Although the argument given in the appeal is not conclusive; taken in conjunction with the extenuating circumstances, I am willing to give the submitter the benefit of the doubt.

Vanora Wulfstan. Name only.

William of Ravenwood. Name only.

Willow of the Dancing Heart. Name only.

Wolf Dietrich von Hohenwald. Badge for House Hohenwald. On a pine tree gules, a harp Or.

Kingdom of Meridies

Alessandra Alegretti. Device. Per bend Or and sable, a honeybee rising and a honeysuckle blossom distilling two gouttes counterchanged.

Arielle Tharsis of Foxlea. Name and device. Per fess azure and sable, a fess dovetailed between a fox's mask argent and two fox's paw prints in fess Or.

Arielle Tharsis of Foxlea. Badge for House of the Silver Fox. Argent, a fox's mask sable within a bordure azure.

Colin Hugh O'Duncan of Eagle Haven. Device. Argent, a cross between four mullets and on a chief indented azure a pair of wings displayed inverted argent.

Colin Hugh O'Duncan of Eagle Haven. Badge. Azure, an eagle displayed argent within an orle argent, mullety azure.

Damien the Swift. Device. Erminois, a swift migrant to dexter azure between three mullets gules.

Damon of Dragunfen. Name and device. Argent, a female centaur salient to sinister gules, armed with a bow and arrow, within a bordure potenty sable.

DISCUSSION: This could also be blazoned as a female sagittary ­ a "centaur with bow and arrow". (An Heraldic Alphabet, p. 181)

Draco Vulkea. Name and device. Sable, a cross pointed argent, overall in base a tyger passant erminois, and in dexter chief a seraph's head argent.

DISCUSSION: Draco, or Dracon, was an Athenian politician and law codifier who flourished around 621 B.C. (NCE 791)

Duncan Mahieu. Name and device. Sable, a pall inverted argent voided gules between three eagles' legs erased within a bordure argent.

Eric Thordsson. Name and device. Argent, a pale between in chief a decrescent and an increscent gules and in base two oak trees proper.

Gwendolen Silvermist. Name and device. Per pale wavy azure, goutty d'eau, and argent, goutty de larmes.

Jacqueline de Lyons. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Jacques d'Orleans (submitted as Jacques Vercingetorix d'Orleans). Name and device. Azure, in pale a cross fleury and a pair of hawk's wings conjoined between three fleurs­de­lys, tips to center argent, within a bordure lozengy argent and sable.

NOTE: To the best of our knowledge, there was only one Vercingetorix, and he was certainly important enough to be considered "truly famous" within the meaning of RFS VI.4. The device is busy. It could be improved considerably by removing the fleurs­de­lys.

Maximilian von Braun. Name and device. Gules, a pale pean, overall a double­headed eagle displayed Or within a bordure embattled pean.

Paul the Red. Device. Per fess azure and argent, a crescent pendant argent and an oak tree with a trunk proper, leaved gules.

Robert Smythe (submitted as Brandon Smythe). Name and device. Or, in pale a pigfaced bascinet pierced bendwise by an arrow, and a two­horned anvil sable within a bordure potenty vert.

NOTE: Brandon is a surname. (Reaney DBS 47) He might want to consider Brendan or Brand. We have used his mundane given name as a holding name, in order to register the device.

Salt Keep, Shire of. Name and device. Per bend azure and vert, a tower within a laurel wreath argent.

South Downs, Barony of the. Badge for Order of the Red Raven. Gules, on a pale bretessed argent a raven striking gules.

Warren Falkenberg (submitted as Stavis Falkenberg). Name and device. Per chevron azure and argent, in chief an arrow fesswise point to sinister argent and in base a peregrine falcon's head erased to sinister proper.

NOTE: According to Brigantia, stavis is a Greek collective noun meaning "raisins". We would suggest Stavros, the Greek equivalent of "Stephen". We have used his mundane given name as a holding name, in order to register the device.

Kingdom of the Middle

Æthelwold Mierca. Name only.

Alix la Gauchdre. Device. Argent, a unicorn couchant to sinister regardant sable between three roses gules, barbed and seeded proper, the ones in chief slipped and leaved vert.

Alphia Biraz­pars. Device change. Sable, a natural leopard's head couped Or marked sable.

NOTE: Her old device is released.

Alyson Ariana Allyn ferch Rhys. Name change (from Allison) and device. Gyronny of six from dexter chief argent and gules, a puffin close proper. (Fraticula artica).

Averil de Trafford. Name only.

Blind John Calador. Name only.

DISCUSSION: Current practice is to register names of this sort with the adjective preceding the noun, and to record them as such in the Armorial. See BLACK TAYLOR OF LOCHABER and THIN ROBERT OF LAWRENCE for examples (and cf. KATE OF THE SILVER DRAGONFLY, THE FAIR for an example of earlier practice).

Brandr Blahjalmr. Name and device. Argent, a helm contourny within a bordure wavy azure.

DISCUSSION: Under the recent change to the bordure rule (9 Mar 86, p. 7), this does not conflict with LIAM AIRLIE MACRIOGHAIL O'CADAL: Argent, a cross avellane dismembered within a bordure wavy azure. (SCA).

Charles Farquhar Gordon. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

DISCUSSION: The spelling "Farquahr" on the LoI was a typographical error.

Deirdre of Carlyle. Name change (from Deirdre Carlyle).

Einar Haakonsson. Name only.

Ferrand of the Sylvan Glen. Name only.

Fionnghuala of Hill Haven. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Gareth Blackheath. Name only.

Glaspar MacNiall. Device. Or, a winged lion statant to sinister within a bordure gules.

NOTE: Wonderful!

Gregory Ashton of Chelmsford. Name only.

Henry of Linlithgow. Name only.

Isabel of Kent. Name only.

Jack Alan Hartson. Name only (appeal).

SYNOPSIS: This name was originally returned in May 1985. I noted at the time that "A patronymic is formed from the father's given name, not his surname; the son of William Hart would be called Wilson, not Hartson." Dragon has appealed this ruling, noting that Hart is listed in Kolatch as a given name; and that P. H. Reaney (in his Dictionary of British Surnames) and Richard McKinley (in Surnames of Lancashire) both cite instances of surnames being used in the formation of patronymics.

DISCUSSION: First of all, as has been noted before, Kolatch is a modern baby­name book, and as a source of information is completely unreliable. Reaney (DBS 167) shows Hart being used as a surname (in at least one instance, it is clearly an animal nickname), and we know that in modern American practice, surnames are commonly used as given names; so, in the absence of a counter­example, it is reasonable to conclude that the entry in Kolatch is derived from modern usage.

The second argument is knottier. The statement I made in returning the original submission is generally true. There are exceptions, just as there are period examples of False Heraldry (violations of the Rule of Tincture). In the case of names, our usual practice is to base the rule on what we believe to be the general case, and to make specific exceptions where they are known to have occurred. Douglas is a surname, but it came into use as a given name late in period, and thus may be used in the SCA, despite our general ban on surnames being used as given names. Under this philosophy, Hartson would be acceptable if an instance of its use could be found prior to 1600.

In his brief discussion of the practice, Reaney states that surnames in ­son are occasionally based on the father's surname. In other words, this is an exception to a general rule. The grounds for the return were therefore not "invalid", as the appeal states; they were, in fact, consonant with the Rules. "While exceptions can be found to most of the rules of heraldry and naming usage in period, the College follows the principle of using the period rules, not the period exceptions." (RFS II).

I actually care less about the content of the rule than its complexity and its enforceability. If it takes three paragraphs to lay out a rule and all of its exceptions, and a single sentence to state a general principle that is only occasionally wrong, I would far rather go with the single sentence, and avoid mucking up the Rules any further.* The other question is whether or not the rule or its exceptions can actually be implemented. Some arguments may sound good on paper, and prove completely untenable in real life, either because they can't be applied consistently or because they have no bounds. Rules of this sort end up being invoked as a matter of whim.

The question thus becomes, is it possible to make an exception in this case without doing violence to the underlying rule? Is it both bounded and reproducible? The answer, I believe, is yes. The submitter's mundane surname is Hart (which is period), surnames were occasionally formed from the father's surname, and we do recognize the mundane name as a source of exceptions (VII.3) to the names rules.

So ... Mr. Hartson gets his name, and the College gets a discourse on the principles of making exceptions in borderline applications of the Rules. (Now you know why I usually don't try to spell it out ...

* Gödel's Theorem, as applied to SCA heraldry: In any system of rules, there will be cases (submissions) which the rules cannot justify passing. Always! [BDOM].

John of Devonshire. Name only.

Kasia Blackfox. Name only.

Katherine of Sternfeld. Device. Or, on a bend double cotised gules four billets Or, all between two trefoils azure.

Lembitu the Varangian. Name only.

Maddelena of Alsace. Name only.

Madelaine Bouvier. Name only.

May Your Sins Decrease Mather. Name only.

DISCUSSION: For a discussion of what has gone before, see the December 1982 and May 1985 Laurel letters. This is marginally acceptable.

Melisande of Wooderest. Name only.

Milo FitzLyon. Name and device. Per pale Or and sable, two dragons combattant between two bars embattled to base counterchanged.

Palymar of the Two Baronies. Name and device. Per pale gules and argent, two stags rampant addorsed counterchanged within a bordure checky vert and argent.

Prisilka od Cerveny Kamen the Sensible. Name and device. Argent, a frog salient and on a chief vert a candle argent enflamed at both ends Or.

DISCUSSION: We have blazoned the frog as salient, rather than leaping, for the sake of clarity.

Rabiah of the Misty Mountains. Name only (appeal); see RETURNS for device.

DISCUSSION: The name Rabiah was previously returned for documentation, since it is also the name of two months in the Moslem calendar. She has provided an excerpt from the article on Arabian Philosophy in the New Catholic Encyclopedia (volume I, page 724), which speaks of "Rabi'a, the woman mystic of Basra (d. 801)", one of the more famous Sufis.

Rena Thorbjornsdottir. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Theodoric aus dem Freiwald. Name only.

DISCUSSION: The spelling "Friwald" on the LoI was a typographical error.

Thorbjorn the Graysides. Name correction (from Thorbjorn the Greysides) and device correction. Argent, in saltire a single­bitted axe and a hammer inverted hafted of a lightning flash gules, all within a bordure sable.

Tzvi ben Avraham. Name only.

Kingdom of the West

Ambre d'Avignon. Device. Azure, a chevron cotised between three rosebuds, all within a bordure argent.

Arthur Lemner of Wesley. Name and device. Azure, in pale a drawing compass and a two­spouted oil lamp argent, enflamed Or.

Astrid Towers (submitted as Astrid Towers of Kestrel). Name and device. Per chevron Or and purpure, in base a unicorn's head erased Or.

NOTE: One is normally "of" a place­name, not a common noun. She might be "of Kestrel Towers" (a place­name formation) or "of the Kestrel" (an epithet). In accordance with the provisions for the formation of holding names (VII.8.i), we have omitted the second byname. The device is lovely.

Charissa de la Sierra. Device change. Sable, a raven volant within a bordure Or.

NOTE: Her previous device is released.

Colwin of Oakwood. Device. Per bend argent and Or, a bend purpure and overall a spiked mace sable.

David Delannoy. Name only.

Duibheasa of Mona. Name and device. Or, a frog tergiant vert, and in chief three crescents, one and two, gules.

Elaina Lochdroigheann. Name and device. Argent, a pall inverted between two roses gules and a triple­headed thistle proper.

John Fitzalleyne. Name only.

Jonathan Blackshaft. Name only.

Kyla of Caladh. Name and device. Per fess wavy purpure and argent, a seahorse erect maintaining a harp, and in dexter chief a mullet, all within an orle and all counterchanged.

Leofric of Mona. Name only.

Lodevicus von Furstenwalde. Name only.

Marie Greensleaves. Name and device. Per chevron Or and azure, a maunch and a maunch reversed vert and in base a dragon's foot erect erased argent.

Marit the Wanderer. Device. Per saltire argent and azure, on a heart gules a chevron argent, all within a bordure counterchanged.

Merewyn degli Fiore. Name and device. Per pale Or and sable, three lilies, stems conjoined, and in base two elm leaves, stems in saltire, counterchanged.

Nygell y Baedd Gwyllt. Name only.

Randal of Kings Hammer. Device. Vert, a smith's hammer Or between two piles in point throughout argent.

NOTE: Please draw this with the piles issuing from the chief itself, not from the corners. Roger F. Pye states that the practice of allowing piles to work their way down the sides of the shield is a late, and presumably out­of­period, practice.

DISCUSSION: I dislike using the term "in point" to describe the piles. In his article on the medieval pile, Pye quotes the noted heraldic scholar H. Stanford London as saying, "I doubt whether the term 'in point' can be found before the seventeenth century; perhaps not before the eighteenth, for it does not seem to be used even in the 1724 edition of Guillim's Heraldry." (Roger F. Pye. A return to first principles: I ­- the pile. Coat of Arms VII(49):4­6, January 1962) Given the vagaries of SCA practice, however, it is probably the clearest way of blazoning the charges, and the least likely to be misinterpreted later.

The medieval pile was essentially a tapered pale ­ about a third of the width of the shield at the top, and always throughout. In theory, we should not have to mention this fact in the blazon; but we also permit the wider Tudor­era pile, which was not normally throughout. As with the chevron throughout, it is an artistic convention from a somewhat earlier (or later) period. I look on this as a distinction that can be made in blazon, but that contributes no heraldic difference. (In fact, I consider it to be equally valid to emblazon my own arms ­ Azure, on a pile invected ermine a harp Or ­­ with either a Tudor pile or a medieval one.)

The conventional medieval form of this device would thus have the piles issuing from chief, throughout, and in point, but none of this would be mentioned in the blazon: "Vert, a smith's hammer Or between two piles argent." Simple, n'est­ce pas?

Richard de la Croix. Device. Argent, two unicorns rampant addorsed reguardant, horns crossed, sable, and a Maltese cross gules.

Ruth de Lorient. Device. Per fess dovetailed argent and azure crusily plain Or, in chief a bay horse courant proper.

DISCUSSION: We have called the semy crusily plain (crusily couped would also do), to make it clear that these are not cross crosslets; see Parker, pp. 188­189.

Stormhold, Shire of. Name and device. Azure goutty d'eau, a drakkar affronty Or, the sail charged with a laurel wreath gules.

NOTE: Please make the gouttes larger.

Walter of Haven. Name and device. Or, a pall inverted azure between two crescents and in base five roundels in annulo gules.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE RETURNED:

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Gunnora Hallakarva. Device. Per bend Or and azure, a male kestrel rising proper maintaining in the dexter claw an axe and in the sinister claw a ring of three keys Or. (Falco sparverius)

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with FALKH OF RATISBON: Per bend Or and gules, a falcon rising, wings elevated, proper. (Rietstap) There is a minor point for tincture of half the field, and another minor for the charges held by the bird.

Ruaidhri ui Domhnaill. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: The name infringes on that of Rory O'Donnell (1575­1608), Earl of Tyrconnell, son of Hugh Roe O'Donnell. ("Strike for old Erin/O'Donnell Abu!") The addition of a distinguishing byname would be sufficient.

Theodric der Sucher. Device. Or, two bendlets sinister between two decrescents sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts, alas, with ROBBENRAET: Or, two bends sinister sable. (Rietstap) There is a single point of difference, for the addition of a group of secondaries.

Kingdom of An Tir

An Tir, Kingdom of. Title for Argent Quill Pursuivant.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with the title of the SILVER QUILL PURSUIVANT in Atenveldt.

An Tir, Kingdom of. Title for Lion's Blood Herald.

NOTE: Duplicate submission; title approved March 1986.

Christina of Islay. Device. Azure, a triskelion of three arrows embowed points outward Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This differs by only one point (for the arrangement of the arrows) from ARCHARD: Azure, three arrows Or. (Papworth 8)

Mairi Morag MacLeoid of Loch na­h­Iolaire. Device. Sable, a tower argent enflamed to chief gules between two swords palewise in fess argent within a bordure argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: The red flames on the black field violate the Rule of Tincture. We would suggest "proper" flames, which are represented as red, outlined with Bold, when on a colored background.

Terence Irondragon. Device. Gyronny of eight from sinister chief gules and sable, a dragon rampant to sinister argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: Gyronny from chief is listed in the Rules for Submissions (IX.4) as one of the partitions that may not be made up of two colors. Please use a regular gyronny, or choose a different color combination (such as changing one of the field tinctures to Or).

Wolfgar of Tyrone. Device. Vert, in pale a wolf's head erased and an eagle displayed Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with ELMESLEY: Vert, an eagle displayed Or (Papworth 304); and with MAELGWYN DDA: Vert, a wolf's head erased within a bordure rayonny Or. (SCA) In the first case, there is a point for adding the wolf's head; in the second, a point for replacing the eagle with the bordure.

Kingdom of Atlantia

Atlantia, Kingdom of. Badge for Meistersinger. On an escallop Or, a harp azure.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with BAYTON: Azure, an escallop Or (Papworth 679); and with the badge of LYONDEMERE: Barry wavy vert and argent, a lion's paw escallop Or. (SCA) There is no difference for the field (BoE, 20 Oct 85, pp. 2122); and the addition of a "tertiary" charge (the harp) is only a minor point.

Serena Verran. Device. Vert, a pine tree and on a chief argent, three quatrefoils vert.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with BRYAN MAC DHUGHAILL AN BODHADAIR: Vert, a crossbow bent palewise and on a chief argent three shamrocks slipped vert. (SCA) There is a major and a minor point (under the point­and­a­half rule) for difference in type of primary charge, but the change from shamrocks to quatrefoils is too weak a minor to add up to a second full point.

Kingdom of Caid

Eowyn Amberdrake. Badge. A griffin and an enfield combattant gules.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with GARTH AP RONAN: Quarterly argent and sable, a griffin segreant to sinister gules. (SCA) There is a single point of difference, for the addition of the enfield.

Thorvald Wulfaersson. Device. Argent, a fess cotised gules, overall a raven displayed, head to sinister, within a serpent in annulo reguardant, head to base sable, the head and tail bound together with a cord.

REASON FOR RETURN: The raven, which lies almost entirely on the fess, does not have sufficient contrast; and the design is such there is no way to make the overlying charge larger (it is hemmed in by the serpent) or the underlying charge smaller. The design is also somewhat busy. I would suggest combining the basic motif (the bird within the serpent) with some outlying charge (a chief, base, or bordure); this ought to provide the needed difference from Haakon Redbeard, while moving enough of the visual weight out of the center of the coat to relieve both the contrast problem and the complexity.

Kingdom of the East

Emrys of the Oak. Name change (from Turlough MacArt the Red Wolf).

REASON FOR RETURN: The heralds commenting on this submission felt the combination of "Emrys" and "Oak" was too strong an allusion to Merlin. "According to certain historians, Merlin the Enchanter was imprisoned in a hollow oak in the Forest of Brocéliande by the maiden Vivien, and is still there." (Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi. The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, p. 55. Macmillan, 1980.)

Kingdom of Meridies

Cein O'Madden. Name and device. Vert, on a tau cross throughout between two harps addorsed Or, three quatrefoils in chief vert.

REASON FOR RETURN: According to Brigantia, Cein is the genitive form of Cian. (This means that you would use "Cian" as the given name, and "Cein" in a patronymic.) A Tau cross throughout would be drawn as in the margin ­ the limbs would reach the edges of the shield, but the crossbar would not become the "chief." Please use this form, or choose another charge.

Gretchen of Brookemeadow. Name and device. Per pale argent and Or, on a hurt a papillon per pale Or and argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with HURNE: Or, a hurt. (Papworth 1046) There is a minor point of difference for the field, and another minor for the addition of a tertiary charge. It also conflicts with GALLERON DE LA CHENILLE: Argent, on a hurt a wyvern volant to sinister argent. (SCA) Same count, except that the second minor point is for type, rather than addition, of the "tertiary".

Gretchen is a diminutive of the given name Margaret, and does not appear to have been used as an independent given name during the Middle Ages. Precedent is to say, "Register 'Margaret' as your formal name, and have your friends call you Gretchen." Since the device must be returned anyway, I am leaving this choice to the submitter.

Jacqueline de Lyons. Device. Per chevron inverted argent and Or, a pall embattled sable between a fleur­de­lys azure, a lion rampant to sinister, and a cross paty fitchy gules within a bordure embattled sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: The device is too complex. Please simplify.

DISCUSSION: As a rule of thumb, the use of three or more non­identical charges in what would conventionally be considered a "group" may cause a submission to be returned as too complex. (BoE, 29 Sep 1985, p. 2) This is sometimes referred to as "slot machine heraldry".

Karl Helwig. Badge for House Golden Hawks. Azure, a sword argent hilted gules, overall a hawk perched, wings elevated and addorsed, within a bordure Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This is identical to US FIRST AVIATION BRIGADE: Azure, a sword palewise argent hilted gules surmounted by an eagle Or, wings elevated and addorsed, in the attitude of alighting on the quillons, all within a bordure Or. (MilOrd #1243)

South Downs, Barony of the. Badge. Per pale sable and azure, a pale argent and overall in base a wall gules masoned sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: I'm afraid this violates the Rule of Tincture. The gules wall must be judged against the sable­and­azure field, and that's color­on­color. The same would be true if this were a base embattled.

Kingdom of the Middle

Bronwyn ferch Rhys. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: The name conflicts with that of BRANWEN FERCH RHYS, approved in August 1984.

Charic Morgan. Name and device. Vert a cross crosslet potent and on a chief Or a bow sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: Char­ is not, to the best of our knowledge, a protheme, so its combination with -ric is questionable. The device conflicts with BECK: Vert, a cross raguly humetty Or, on a chief of the last three blackbirds proper. (Papworth 625) There is a minor point of difference for the type of cross (the two are fairly similar), and there are two minor points for type and number of charges on the chief. Beck's blackbirds are Ar. (proper), not pu. (purpure).

Charles Farquhar Gordon. Device. Argent, an enfield rampant gules, in base a sprig of three thistles slipped and leaved proper, a chief sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with ROBYN MACARTAIR: Argent, a fox rampant guardant gules and on a chief sable a chess knight between two chess rooks argent. (SCA) There is a minor point for the thistles, another for removing the charges on the chief, and a third for the difference between a fox and an enfield.

Ethelwulf Kildare. Device. Or, an Urnes­beast and in chief six roundels gules.

REASON FOR RETURN: The miniature emblazon circulated to the College of Arms and the emblazon submitted to the Laurel office show two completely different monsters. Please choose one of the defined varieties of Urnes­beast (see the article in the cover letter) and resubmit.

Fionnghuala of Hill Haven. Device. Per bend sinister urdy counter­ermine and ermine, a lute bendwise Or, and on a chief Or a lion passant, all within a bordure gules.

REASON FOR RETURN: The device is too complex. Please simplify.

DISCUSSION: "The bordure is placed over all ordinaries, except the chief, the quarter, and the canton, which invariably surmount it." (Parker 73).

Rabiah of the Misty Mountains. Device. Vert, three chevronels interlaced and in chief a fir tree argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: The device conflicts with that of JOANNA DE LISANE: Vert, three chevronels interlaced, in chief between two compass­stars a fleur­de­lys voided argent. (SCA) There is at best a major and a minor point of difference for changing a single group of secondary charges. We also did not receive a correctly­colored emblazon of this submission.

Rena Thorbjornsdottir. Device. Argent, a mascle azure and overall in saltire a hammer inverted hafted of a lighting flash and a single­bitted axe gules within a bordure sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: The modern lightning flash (known informally as a "shazam") is no longer a permitted charge in SCA heraldry. We do not feel the Grandfather Clause extends to this case.

DISCUSSION: The nomenclature currently in use is as follows. A lighting flash is the modern depiction of a "line" of electricity ­ bevilled, and tapered at both ends. The term came into use fairly early in the history of SCA armory. (HB, 26 Jan 72, p. 2) Master Wilhelm began discouraging them around November of 1982, and banned them outright in his August 1983 LOAR. (p. 6) At this time, the so called "period" lightning flash was adopted ­ "embattled lines of even thickness with large barbs at both ends." (21 Feb 84, p. 10) These later became known as lightning bolts, to differentiate them from the no­longer­permitted lightning "flash". (17 Aug 84, p. 2) Finally, there is the thunderbolt ­ the famous "winged exploding cigar" that can be found in most heraldry books.

The arms of Thorbjorn the Graysides, Rena's father, are: Argent, in saltire a single­bitted axe and a hammer inverted hafted of a lightning [flash] gules, all within a bordure sable. Rena has reversed the primary charges (the heads are now to sinister, rather than to dexter) and added an underlying mascle. This was the basis for the invocation of the Grandfather Clause.

In its purest form, the grandfather clause is the doctrine that protects something that has already been registered from a subsequent change in the rules; it is sometimes extended to new submissions from the same person or from close relatives of the original applicant. The current manifestation derives from Corpora IV.C.4, and is echoed in article V.6 of the Rules for Submissions. (BoE, 9 Jun 85, p. 11).

Most of the heralds commenting on this submission objected that "this is not a cadenced form of her father's arms, but simply a differenced form, and thus something new." This argument is not strictly true; the only real distinction between differencing and cadency is intent. A mark of cadency is "a variation in the same coat of arms intended to show the descent of a younger branch from the main stock." (OED) Since this is derived from her father's coat, it is cadenced. Unless you are familiar with both coats, however, this is not obviously the case, and therein lies the difficulty.

The SCA view of cadency extends only to the "standard" marks ­ the English brisures (label, crescent, etc.), and plain (uncharged and unmodified) chiefs and borders. It does not take in mirror­imaging (which is normally a point of difference, although I don't think I'd count one in this case), nor does it apply to the addition of a charge underlying the primary charges.

There were also some objections to the composition of the device ­ that, with the mascle, it was too busy; or that the original coat was not particularly heraldic in style, and the addition of the mascle made it less so. The central figure consists of three non­identical charges, so it qualifies as a "complex group" under the rule of thumb advanced in my September 1985 cover letter, although this is undercut to some extent by the arrangement.

If this were a new submission, it could be returned on two grounds: the use of a disallowed charge, and style or complexity. The first of these is a definite problem; the second is borderline, and could be called either way. The coat is derived from her father's, however, and cadency is A Good Thing, which argues for its approval, in spite of the problems.

The applicable principle here is a rule of thumb sometimes referred to as the "Rule of Two Weirdnesses" ­­ one borderline practice ("weirdness") is marginally acceptable, but it costs the applicant the benefit of the doubt; if there is a second problem, the aggregate is sufficient to return the whole, and perhaps to insist that all the problems be corrected (since the submission needs to be revised anyway). Two isn't a hard number ­ this is a subjective judgement, so the arithmetic tends to be analog, rather than digital ­­ but it's a convenient quantity for expressing the idea of "more than one." The fact that Rena's coat is derived from her father's offsets some of the objections, but not all of them.

CONCLUSION: It is my judgement that the Grandfather Clause would permit Rena to use her father's arms, unreflected, with the addition of an obvious standard mark of cadency (such as a label), or to incorporate her father's lightning­hafted hammer into a new device; but that the changes that have been made in her present submission bring it outside the scope of the Grandfather Clause, so the latter no longer applies.

Shattered Crystal, Shire of. Badge. Three mascles interlaced in pale argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with the mon of HIBINO: Sable, three diamonds in pale voided. We count less than a major point of difference for interlacing the charges.

Tokugawa Turasai. Name and device. Sable, a Karabana (Chinese Flower) within six Name (waves) argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: It has previously been determined that, as far as the College of Arms is concerned, the names of the clans with an hereditary claim to the shogunate of Japan are equivalent to the surnames of royal families in Europe, and so may not be registered. I agree with this decision, and am upholding it. Tokugawa may not be used.

DISCUSSION: The fact that many Tokugawas never rose to the shogunate is beside the point. They were born with the name. When someone in the SCA assumes the name Tokugawa, he is making a conscious choice to do so, and to evoke all that the name means ­ particularly the Tokugawa shogunate. This is how it will be perceived by other SCA members. The argument that the shoguns "were ministers, not sovereigns" is academic. They wielded sufficient power to cause the Europeans to regard them as kings (the Emperor, I have been told, was thought to be equivalent to the Pope); and this is how they are most likely to be thought of by the membership of the SCA. It also doesn't matter that the Tokugawa shogunate lies outside the period of the SCA. So does the House of Windsor; and we proscribe that, too. In each case, the problem is the same ­ the perception that someone is claiming to be "of royal blood", whatever the culture or century.

Wyndmere, Shire of. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: The name conflicts with that of Windermere, the largest lake in England, which figures (variously spelled) in half a dozen entries in the Armorial. (NCE 2988).

Kingdom of the West

Eldenath of Starhaven. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: I am willing to accept Eldenath, with some reluctance, on the grounds that it is her mundane name, but only if there are no other Elvish or Tolkien references in the name or device. Elda means "of the stars"; and also, loosely, "elf, elves, of the elves." (Noel 136­137) Taken in conjunction with Starhaven, this is too much.

DISCUSSION: This was bound to happen eventually. Her mundane name is given as Eldenath de Vilya ­­ Vilya being "One of the Three Rings of the Elves, the Ring of Air, borne by Gil­galad and afterwards by Elrond; also called The Ring of Sapphire." (The Silmarillion, p. 354) As I have written previously (29 Dec 85, pp. 2­3), I feel the mundane name provision in the Rules (VII.3) is a necessary and important compromise. It is not absolute, however, and the present submission is one that strains its bounds.

Lochac, Region of. Title for Centaurus Rouge Pursuivant.

REASON FOR RETURN: The title conflicts with that of the Centaur Pursuivant, in Atenveldt. You might try writing Mistress Marta for permission; I do not believe the latter title is in use any more.

NOTE: Silver Trumpet raised a question about the mixing of languages in the title, noting that "Rouge Dragon is one language, being Norman French for 'red dragon'," and suggesting Centaurus Rufus or Centaurus Ruber as an alternative. I don't believe there's a problem ­ I've seen examples of Latin being rather strangely assimilated into a number of languages ­ but I'm not a latinist, and don't claim to know how this works. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can comment on the resubmission.

Michail vom Shattenreich. Name and device. Argent, a cross gules surmounted by a seahorse erect maintaining a sword palewise, in sinister chief a mullet, all within a bordure sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: Vom Shattenreich means "of the Shadowed Realm." To quote Brigantia, "The realm of shadows is an ancient terminology for the underworld and this is one of the standard translations of that idea in the writings of German classical scholars." We feel this is excessive. The submitter has disallowed changes to his name. The device appears acceptable.

Rhiannon of Starfire Retreat. Device. Per saltire Or and purpure, a compass star counterchanged.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with LLYWELLYN AP MADOG: Per bend sable and Or, a compass­star counterchanged. (SCA) I count a major point of difference for the change in field, but only a minor point for the charge, since its division and tincture are derived directly from the field.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSION IS PENDING:

Kingdom of the Middle

William of Bellwood. Device. Sable, a chevron chequy sable and Or and in dexter chief a lion passant Or.

PENDING. If the submitter will provide a new emblazon, drawn so as to make it clear that this is a chevron checky (and not a field charged with billets diversely couped), then I will sustain the appeal and approve the submission.

DISCUSSION: This submission was originally considered at the July 1985 Laurel meeting. At the urging of the College of Arms, I returned the coat, noting that "The chevron does not have sufficient contrast ­ half of it vanishes into the field, leaving the viewer with a confused visual impression. A charge checky, compony, or counter­compony should not be placed on a field which is the same tincture as part of the charge." Dragon has appealed this ruling, noting several examples from mundane armory of ordinaries checky of the field tincture, and generally dissenting from "the change in the rules."

I note three problems in the grounds offered for the appeal. First, none of the examples is dated. Papworth, as a great many heralds seem to have forgotten, is a Victorian heraldry book. It contains some three hundred years' of out­of­period armory, and much of what is 'period in origin is not period in blazon. It is also not necessarily a reliable source. Papworth drew heavily on the General Armory of Sir John Bernard Burke, whose work "gave currency to innumerable heraldic errors and illegitimate assumptions." (Heralds of England, p. 511) J. P. Brooke­Little notes, in his introduction to the Five Barrows edition of Papworth's Ordinary, that "A considerable number of the entries [are] of bogus arms and some are wrongly blazoned." So, while Papworth may be the best source­available to us for many things, it is a shaky foundation indeed upon which to build an argument mortared with the tone of moral outrage so beloved of certain of our learned colleagues.

Second, I do not believe this represented a rules change, as Dragon has represented. It reverses no specific allowance of which I am aware, and it proceeds fairly directly from Rule IX.5. Not only is my ruling defensible as an interpretation or application of an existing rule; Dragon's argument is a misapplication of my ruling on Seng­ge McPhee. (For a discussion of the latter, see the 29 Dec 1985 cover letter, pp. 4­5.)

And third, I, too have my doubts about the provenance and degree (some would say "harshness") of some of our rules on contrast. In the absence of a constructive observation or alternative to offer, I attempted not to allow this to influence my original ruling.

While I'm at it, I may as well note that there was an omission in my original ruling. I had intended at the time to note that "on the field" meant "impinging on or crossing", as opposed to "bordering". In all the cases I can recall, a bordure consisting of at least two rows of checks has had sufficient visual contrast against the field with which it has shared a color.

The chief strength of the appeal is that it presents mundane examples. These are not demonstrably period, nor are they necessarily good examples ("the College follows the principle of using the period rules, not the period exceptions" [II]), but they are something concrete to weigh against the basically speculative grounds for the original return.

I find myself unconvinced either way. The argument against the submission is founded in the rules, the argument for it in (modern) mundane armory; the two have not been adequately reconciled for there to be a discernably "correct" answer. After reviewing the available information, and discussing the matter with my staff, I have arrived at the following compromise. Part of the problem lies in the emblazon itself. If the applicant will redraw the chevron, increasing the number of squares on it (and presumably making it wider in the process), the shape of the charge will be more obvious; and I will give him the benefit of the doubt on the practice.

The lines of checks should also probably follow the line of the chevron. Parker (p. 104) notes that "When a bend. chevron, or saltire is checquy, the squares are not placed perpendicularly, but slanting in the direction of the ordinary.Treblerose has observed, however, that the chevron of SEMPILL (Woodward, Plate XIII, figure 2) has the checks drawn in horizontal rows, so Parker's statement by not be wholly accurate. I don't much care, so long as the resulting emblazon is recognizable.