APPROVALS 18 June XXI (1986)

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE APPROVED:

Society for Creative Anachronism

S.C.A. Release of title for Monsho Herald.

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Ansteorra, Kingdom of. Title for Nimbus Herald.

Dinaris the Wanderer. Device. Sable, a trefoil within and conjoined at the base to an annulet all within a double­tressure Or.

Eveline Leighton of Mayhall. Name only.

Giovanni dei Fiori. Device. Or, on a chevron vert three roses Or, in chief two cup­hilted rapiers in saltire sable surmounted by a rose gules.

Gwendolyn Dirks Sterne. Device. Vert, a snowy owl close contourny and on a chief argent a compass star, elongated to fess, azure.

Katerina de Montfort. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Leslie the Brown. Name and device. Vert, on a bend sinister argent a Hermit Thrush close proper. (Hylocichla guttata) DISCUSSION: The hermit thrush has a bright brown back and reddish tail, and is heavily spotted on the breast and sides with round black spots. It would appear to be indistinguishable, for heraldic purposes, from the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). (Fieldbook of Natural History, p. 639) The coloration of the charge should have been mentioned in the letter of intent.

Kingdom of Caid

Angus MacMichael. Name and device. Quarterly embattled argent and sable, a baton sinister Or between two roses gules, barbed and seeded proper.

Caid, Kingdom of. Badge for the Order of the Crescent Sword. Azure, a crescent surmounted by a sword all within a bordure embattled argent.

Christine Ariadne of Gwynedd. Name and device. Vert, on a bend bretessed argent between a mullet of eight points and a crescent bendwise sinister Or, a bend gules, all within a bordure embattled argent.

Cristobal degli Glicine che Mangia Uome. Badge. Sable, a peacock feather issuant from base within a bordure argent charged with an orle purpure.

Erik von Köln am Rhein. Change of device. Argent, two war hammers in saltire sable, on a chief triangular azure a cross crosslet argent.

NOTE: His old device becomes a badge.

Jana Aoibeall. Name and device. Argent, on a rose gules, barbed and seeded vert, a unicorn dormant argent, armed and crined Or, all within a bordure engrailed azure.

Jana Aoibeall. Badge. A rose gules, barbed and seeded vert, overall a unicorn's horn bendwise Or.

Katrina Adeline aus Drachenfels Festung. Name and device. Per saltire Or and azure, a dragon rampant to sinister argent between in cross four towers counterchanged.

NOTE: The contrast is a bit shaky, since much of the white dragon lies on the gold part of the field. This could be improved by interchanging the Or and azure parts of the field.

Kevan o Rathkeale. Badge. Two golpes conjoined in fess.*

*Siamese grapes?

Mathieu Sylverwoode of Nyte Haven. Name and device. Per fess sable and argent, a tree blasted and eradicated between in chief a decrescent and an increscent counterchanged.

Randal Pace the Mistaken. Name and device. Azure, a winged annulet, wings inverted, on a chief wavy Or an arrow wavy, point to dexter, sable, flighted azure.

DISCUSSION: Arrows are said to be flighted (or sometimes feathered) when the tincture of the fletching is described.

Robyn Lon Creighton of Thorndyke. Badge. Purpure, on a bend sinister bretessed Or a chain throughout purpure.

Robyn Lon Creighton of Thorndyke. Badge. Per bend sinister purpure and argent, a cat couchant to sinister and a cat couchant counterchanged.

Robyn Lon Creighton of Thorndyke. Badge. Argent, masoned sable, three thorn vines bendwise sinister wavy throughout purpure.

Tristan Keck. Badge. Gules, a chevron azure, fimbriated, overall a lion passant Or.

DISCUSSION: The addition of the chevron constitutes a point of difference from "Gules, a lion passant Or", which is sufficient for a badge.

Tristan Keck. Badge. Per bend gules and azure, a unicorn passant, head lowered, Or.

Kingdom of the East

Belcastershire. Release of name and arms.

DISCUSSION: They are disbanding, and did not wish others to have to avoid conflict with them. A thoughtful gesture, indeed.

Claudius of Neddingham. Name and device. Per chevron inverted argent and azure, a pair of calipers and in chief two anchors, all counterchanged.

Coill Tuar, Shire of. Device. Argent, a stag trippant sable within a laurel wreath vert, all between three acorns sable.

Dusan Jakovic Vovkaj. Name and device. Per bend sinister azure and argent, a fishtailed demi­wolf erect argent, tailed vert, spined gules, maintaining between its paws a broken lance bendwise sinister inverted argent.

DISCUSSION: According to the documentation, there was an abbott named Dusan from the monastery of St. Basil in Mukachevo during the 1300s. Mundane precedent would seem to indicate that the sea­wolf, like the sea­dog, has webbed paws rather than a fish's tail. The creature at hand has unwebbed forelimbs and a sea­monster's tail.

Ellesbeth Donofrey. Name and device. Azure, five mascles conjoined in cross argent and a gore sinister ermine.

Elspeth Keyf of Neddingham. Device change. Gules, two needles in saltire Or between in pale two daisies argent, eyed, and in fess two cooking pots Or.

NOTE: Her old device is released.

DISCUSSION: The default position for a needle in SCA armory is with point in base.

Eric Silvergreene of the Carven Bow. Name and device. Per chevron inverted Or and vert, an eagle rising, wings addorsed, vert and in base three pine trees argent.

Esperanza Halevi. Name only.

Gwilym of the Three Rivers. Name and device. Or, a pheon within a bordure embattled sable.

Ian Dragonfang. Name and device. Azure, three lozenges palewise in bend sinister within a double tressure argent.

DISCUSSION: This differs from the device of EDWIN GRIFFIN DE LYONS (Azure, a lion rampant to sinister within a double tressure argent) by one point for type of the primary charge, and another for number. The second change does not demote. There is no conflict.

It seems to me that it should generally be possible to obtain sufficient difference when the only charges in common are by their nature peripheral ­ not just bordures, but orles and tressures as well. This argues for a more liberal definition of "complete difference of charge" than we presently allow.

James of Clan Chisholme. Name only.

Karl Rasmussen of Tvede. Name only.

Kathryn of Oldenburg. Name only.

Lyanna of Kerneough. Badge for Tylu Kern yn Kerneough (addition of designation; badge registered December 1984). Sable, two drinking horns in saltire argent and in chief upon a plate a stag's head cabossed sable.

Melina Argente Chercheuse. Name and device. Per chevron argent and Or, a chevron azure between a Chinese dragon gules and two retorts, necks crossed in saltire, vert.

DISCUSSION: The term retort turns out to be period: 1558 WARDE tr. Alexis' Secr. (1556) "A crooke necked violle ... which the french cal Retorter" [OED] This spares us the ambiguity of "alembic," and the tautology of "alembic flask."

We are a little uncomfortable at the grammar of the name. Our French speaker in residence believes this would be either l'Argente or d'Argente, and la Chercheuse.

Rhys FitzGilbert. Name and device. Argent, crusilly fitchy, a key cross nowy pierced azure and a bendlet enhanced vert.

Rosalinde De Witte. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Scorched Earth, Shire of. Device. Gules, a tower within a laurel wreath, all within a bordure rayonny Or.

Tamara Antoinette. Name and device. Pean, on a bend argent, three coneys sejant erect sable.

DISCUSSION: Possible conflict was cited with SAMUEL HARNFSSEN, "Pean, on a bend sinister argent three natural sea­otters statant proper." (SCA) There is a major point for bend vs. bend sinister. There is a clear change in position of the "tertiary" charges ­ statant (horizontal) to sejant erect (vertical) ­­ and a fairly distinct change in type, as well. In the absence of additional charges on the field (BoE, 25 Apr 86, pp. 4­5), this constitutes a second major point of difference, which is what was needed.

Wulfgar of the Wood. Name only.

Kingdom of Trimaris

Adrienne de la Fère. Name only.

Atalaya la Sanadora. Badge. Argent, a cross of four pheons conjoined at the points gules.

Brian McNaughton. Name and device. Or, a tower gules, on a chief embattled vert a saltire Or.

Geoffrey Allyn Dawnstar. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Nakagawa no Ienobu. Badge. Sable in pale the kanji "Kawa" (river) and a Japanese helmet crest (kuwagata), within an annulet argent.

Udvarhelyi Barar Aeryck (submitted as Barar Aeryck Udvarhelyi). Name and device. Azure, crusilly, a sword inverted and sheathed argent, entwined with a ribbon of parchment Or, a chief erminois.

NOTE: On the advice of Star Herald, who cites The World of Names: A Study in Hungarian Onomatology, by Béla Kálmán, we have amended the word order to epithetsurname­given name. I'm going to assume that this is a more informed source than Elsdon Smith's Treasury of Name Lore, from which the submitter derived the surname­given name­epithet order he used.

DISCUSSION: The sword was submitted as "wreathed about by a scroll of parchment proper." This drew a couple of objections that the tincture of "parchment proper" was not well defined. Research in the files turned up two instances of proper parchment, one tan (1980) and one white with faint tan shading (1973), and a bookroll proper that was almost flesh­colored (1979). "Tan" isn't a bad guess for parchment proper; white paper could just as easily (and more sensibly) be called argent. I've taken the conservative tack here and blazoned it as Or; the two­are close enough (and the parchment is a small enough part of the design) to fall within the bounds of artistic license.

Kudos to Lymphad, by the way, for giving the actual coloration of the proper charge in his LoI. This is a detail often overlooked by more experienced heralds.

Warjna Waleska Kaztjmjr. Name and device. Argent, on roundel indented sable a wyvern coward reguardant, grasping its tail, argent.

Kingdom of the West

Aethelstan of Montagne du Roi (submitted as Aethelstan St. John of Clerkenwell). Name and device. Argent, a trefoil slipped azure between in chief two crosses swallowtailed gules.

NOTE: According to Virgule, Clerkenwell was the site of the London priory of the Hospitallers ­ the Knights of St. John ­­ until it was suppressed by Henry VIII. Calling oneself "of St. John of Clerkenwell" seems tantamount to dubbing oneself a Knight Hospitaller. The almost­Maltese crosses compound the allusion. We have used a holding name in order to register the device.

DISCUSSION: The term cross swallowtailed comes from the device of ERIC OF THE BROKEN CROSS. I've used it previously, in the arms of WLADISLAW OF CONCORDIA. It's an apt description.

Alyssa Ironaxe. Change of device. Per bend sinister indented Or and sable, a bend sinister counterchanged and in dexter chief a battle­axe reversed sable.

NOTE: Her current device is released.

Anne Fawnhaven. Name change (from Anne Fawnehaven).

Anne Fawnhaven. Badge. Argent, a dance enhanced purpure.

Avarr of the Misty Seas. Name correction (from Avarr of the Misty Isles).

Barbara of Eltham. Name only.

Brian MacAlisdair. Name and device. Argent, a lymphad reversed, sails furled, azure, a chief gules.

Catherine Digbie of Sherborne. Name and device. Azure, three chevronels braced and in chief as many cinquefoils, within an orle interlaced with the chevronels argent.

DISCUSSION: This blazon stresses the fact that the chevronels are the primary charges, and avoids using the term above.

Elayna Amavia. Device. Sable, a chevron inverted and in chief a rose argent, barbed vert, seeded of a heart gules.

Frideger Leopo Sturmreiter. Name and device. Argent, two pegasi combattant azure.

Fridrikr Elfski Jonasson. Badge. Or, a fret surmounted by an orle vert.

Gabriel Lightfoot. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Gregor of Dakerwald. Name and device. Azure, in fess two trees couped within a bordure argent.

Gwendolyn of Castle Court. Name only.

Judith Darkwater. Device. Barry wavy argent and sable, a seahorse naiant to sinister azure.

Katrina of Dresden. Device (reblazon). Vert, on a bend sinister argent between a white rose spray and another inverted both bendwise sinister proper, a frog springing to sinister vert.

Marian of Hampshire. Name and device. Per fess argent and vert, a coney sejant erect affronty proper. (Lepus timidus) DISCUSSION: One of the heralds at the meeting noted that, on this field, it's a Welsh Rabbit.

Maximilian de Morai. Name and device. Quarterly sable and argent, a cross Or between in bend two eagle's heads erased argent and in bend sinister two towers sable.

Melissande Aefensteorra. Name and device. Chevronelly vert and argent, a mullet of eight points, alternately straight and wavy, sable.

Montagne du Roi, Shire of. Name and device. Argent, chapé azure, a ship with sails furled sable within a laurel wreath vert.

DISCUSSION: I consider the difference between "chapé" and "a pile inverted" or "per chevron throughout" to be blazonable, but worth little or nothing in terms of difference. Nonetheless, against both the cited potential conflicts, there is a point of difference for removing a group of secondary charges, plus the minor point differences for changing type, number, and tincture of the tertiaries. There is adequate visual difference to warrant permitting these to add to a second major point. [XII.3].

Morgan ap Idris. Name and device. Per pale gules and azure, a ram's head cabossed Or between in base three caltrops, all within a bordure argent.

Reinhard Bergen der Kahn. Name and device. Per pale sable and Or, a mullet pierced counterchanged. NOTE: According to Star Herald, kühne (with a terminal e) is the feminine form. We have amended the spelling accordingly.

Reynardine of Lochac. Badge. Per pale vert and purpure, a windmill within a bordure Or.

Saito Hiroshi. Name and device. Sable, a lozenge concave between four roundels in saltire argent.

Sean Patrick Cornelius McMann. Name and device. Per pale azure and argent, two bears combattant argent and sable, each maintaining a battle axe Or, and in base a mullet of eight points counterchanged.

West, Kingdom of. Badge for the Defender of the Royal Wards. Azure, semy of doves close, a wolf dormant argent, collared and chained sable.

Wulfgar the Bowman. Name only.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE RETURNED:

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Charles Marquette. Badge for Household of the Black Orchid. Argent, a mullet of four points saltirewise azure, between in pale two roses gules, slipped and leaved vert, and in fess two orchids sable slipped and leaved vert.

REASON FOR RETURN: This is too complex for a badge. The use of more than one kind of flower in a device or badge is poor practice, especially in a single group of charges. Please simplify.

Katerina de Montfort. Device. Per bend sinister purpure and vert, on a plate a carrack with sails furled proper.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with the devices of ANNE OF THE GOLDEN MANTLE, "Vert, on a plate a swan naiant couped on the fess line sable", and SUMER REDMAENE, "Purpure, on a plate a rose gules seeded Or".

Kingdom of Caid

Wilihelm Roderick FitzLovel. Badge. On a billet gules a wolf rampant Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: It was the consensus of the College of Arms that this appears to be a display of the arms "Gules, a wolf rampant Or" (the MARQUIS DE ALBERTAS: Rietstap). This means, unfortunately, that the advice we've been giving on fieldless badges is wrong: we don't want someone to "use a billet instead of a pale." The discussion at the Laurel meeting yielded the guideline that the underlying charge should probably be a "thing", rather than a convex geometric shape. Using a complex line of division on the outside edge of the charge would probably help, too. The problem is one of perception: if the underlying charge looks too much like one of the standard shapes upon which arms are borne, then the badge is going to look like a miniature display of those arms.

Kingdom of the East

Rosalinde De Witte. Device. Per saltire gules and sable, four needles in saltire, points to center, within an annulet argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with KOMIJRA SHIMITSU: Sable, two chevronels couped counter­couched within an annulet argent. (SCA) There is minor point of difference for the field, and between a minor and a major point for the charges within the annulet.

Kingdom of Trimaris

Geoffrey Allyn Dawnstar. Device. Vert, on a pile inverted bendwise sinister throughout argent, a mullet of seven points gules.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts technically with NICHOLAS OF THE HILL FOLK: Vert, on a pile argent a dragon rampant gules. (SCA) There is a major point of difference for the orientation of the pile, and a minor point for the type of charge upon it. A second change in the "tertiary" (number or tincture, for example) would be sufficient to bring this up to a major point. The tincture of the pile was also omitted from the submitted blazon.

DISCUSSION: Society blazon does not use the term transposed for a pile issuant from base.

Kingdom of the West

Caroline of Glen Gowan. Badge. Azure, a sea­cat "dormant in annulo" argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: This is a lovely picture, and beautifully drawn, but the cat is not in an heraldic position, and none of the heralds commenting on this submission (at the meeting or in the correspondence) was able to suggest a blazon that was both adequately descriptive and accurate. Please choose another position for the sea­cat.

Eldenath of Starhaven. Device. Vert, a dove volant to sinister holding in its beak a rosebud slipped and leaved argent, in chief three mullets of six points, and a base doubly arched Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: Her name was returned in the May letter, at which time I noted that "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." On the strength of the given name alone (Elda means "of the stars"; and also, loosely, "elf, elves, of the elves"), I would consider the three stars excessive. (Nenya, Narya, and Vilya?) We note also Elwing, wife of Eärendil the Mariner. "And it is said that Elwing learned the tongues of birds, who herself had once worn their shape; and they taught her the craft of flight, and her wings were of white and silver­grey. And at times, when Eärendil returning drew near again to Arda, she would fly to meet him ... Then the far­sighted among the Elves that dwelt in the Lonely Isle would see her like a white bird." (The Silmarillion, p. 250).

Gabriel Lightfoot. Device. Argent chapé and a heart sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: This infringes on the Order of Preachers ("Dominicans"): Argent chapé sable; and on VAN RODEN: Argent, a heart sable. (Rietstap).

Kevin O'Fiodhabhra. Badge. A furison Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: "Unfortunately, a furison Or is one of the badges of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Toison d'Or): it is used in the collar of the Order, or is shown independently, sometimes striking sparks or supporting the red ragged staffs of Burgundy. (See Carl von Volborth's Little Manual of Heraldry, p. 77, or his Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles, figs. 323 and 1207.)" [BDOM] Virgule has also noted VAN ETERSHEM: Sable, a furison Or. (Rietstap) A change to argent would conflict with SPRECHER: Azure, a furison argent. He says that anything else should be all right.

Lodevicus von Furstenwald. Device. Azure, on a chevron Or between three unicorns rampant argent, two swords, points to center, gules.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with DEGOLLE: Azure, on a chevron Or between three unicorns argent, three crosses azure illuminated gules. (Rietstap) There is a minor point for the addition of the tertiary charges. Note also the MARQUIS D'HAUTECOURT: Azure, a chevron Or between two unicorns salient respectant and a unicorn salient argent. (Rietstap) I count a minor point for position of the unicorns (salient is almost indistinguishable from rampant, and only one of the group is contourné) in addition to the minor for the tertiaries.