April 26, 1987

APPROVALS

Kingdom of An Tir

Roland von dem Silbernwald. Blazon correction. Quarterly gules and sable, a hurst of three trees issuant from a mount couped, all between three increscents argent.

Crescent has persuaded me that the mount on this hurst should be specifically blazoned in view of the possibility for confusion on the part of the heraldic artist.

Kingdom of Atenveldt

Aithne Lassarine Anderson of Shadowskeep. Badge for House of Shadowskeep. Azure, in saltire two sealions rampant addorsed within a bordure engrailed Or.

Please ask the submittor to draw the engrailing properly, i.e., with more clearly delineated indentations.

Kuromori Kiriko. Device. Argent, a rice stalk within a delf pierced sable.

In period a delf pierced would not have the piercing cover such a large portion of its "area" nor would it serve as a"frame" for another charge. However, both the proportionally greater "voided" space and the "frame" effect have been previously established in Society usage for mascles, which are no more complex visually, so it would appear pedantic to object to such a usage here.

Loch Salann, Barony of. Badge for Woodcrafter's Guild. Per bend argent and sable, in fess and penner and inkhorn counterchanged.

Robert de Lacey. Change of name from Thorgunn Harolfsson and device. Sable, a Latin cross and in chief sword fesswise proper maintained by a cubit arm palewise argent.

Rowan Blackflame. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Siegmund von dem Weisswald. Name and device. Gules, a bend sinister azure, fimbriated, between a winged lion salient to sinister, wings addorsed, and three caltraps Or.

The name was submitted as Siegmund von Weisswald, but we have modified this to "von dem Weisswald" since there is no evidence for Weisswalk as a town name as opposed to a more generalized geographic name (the case is similar to that of Schwarzald).

Tagan the Talesmythe. Device. Sable, semy of flames Or, a chevron vert, fimbriated argent.

Administrative note: the Laurel staff appreciated the truly medieval manner in which Tagan stated the "approximate date of the last C.o.H. action" as requested on the Atenveldt forms: "aboard Noah's ark". Historical note: according to the letter from Laurel in Tagan's file the original device failed because "the south end of a dragon going north isn't very dignified". (We kind of liked it: it certainly surpassed the alternatives suggested: a dragon's tail emerging from a pavilion, a dragon's tail strumming a harp, a dragon's tail being fitted for armor, etc.).

Yelisveta Katlin Savrasota. Change of device. Vert, a scarpe between three chevronels braced and a horse courant to sinister argent, gorged with a coronet Or.

This adds the coronet to her already registered arms to indicate her status as a Viscountess of the Outlands.

Kingdom of Atlantia

Adelicia of Cumbria. Badge. Sable, a bend sinister Or between a mullet argent and a cinquefoil Or.

Aldwyn ap Llewelyn. Name and device. Gules, a lion rampant guardant within a bordure, both argent goutty de sang.

Alexis von Brake. Name and device. Per bend sinister raguly argent and purpure, two fox's heads cabossed counterchanged.

Allyn O'Dubhda. Badge. Argent, on a vair bell purpure a millrind argent.

Benedict Scattergoode. Name and device. Sable, a sinister arm embowed fesswise, fist clenched to sinister, within a bordure embattled argent.

Caitlin Angharad FitzHenry. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Judith von Gruenwald. Name and device. Per bend sinister vert and Or, in bend an open book argent, charged on the sinister page with a Greek oil lamp vert, flamed gules and two fir trees in fess vert.

Note that Grunwald or Gruenwald was the site of the defeat of the Teutonic knights in Poland in July 1410. Although the town is also known in some sources as Grunfelde, as Crescent pointed out, at that time the common names for many of the towns of Poland were in German (a result of occupation by German-speaking peoples, since Hitler was by no means the first to notice how conveniently close at hand Poland was). Gruewald is linguistically and historically German, not Polish, and so the German preposition is perfectly correct.

Meagan ferch Rhys of Glynebwy. Device. Azure, a chevron cotised Or between three wolves statant argent.

The name appeared on the letter of intent as Meagan ferch Rhys of Glynbebwy. However, the forms had her registered name as it appears above.

Miguel de Sanlucar de Barrameda. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

The name was submitted as Miguel Sanlucar de Barrameda. Since "Sanlucar de Barrameda" is a place name, the "de" which is normally found in period spanish family names of geographical origin has been added.

Rhiannon Christian. Device. Azure, a lute palewise affronty between in chief two clarions argent.

Rorik Fredericsson. Badge for Roderic MacFarland of Glenfidich. Azure, two halberds in saltire between four roses, all within a bordure argent.

Thomas Smyth of Ayr. Name only.

The name was submitted as Thomas Fitzsmyth of Ayr. While "Smith" in its various forms and even "Smithson" appear in period sources, the use of the Norman French patronymic with an English occupational names finds no support. As the submittor permitted modifications to his name, the form nearest to his mundane name has been used.

Tsunetomi Todomu. Name and device. Sable, a Japanese quiver with two arrows within a bordure argent.

The submittor has documented this form of quiver with illustrations from several period Japanese manuscripts.

Kingdom of Caid

Adelaide de Beaumont. Badge. Argent, a pimpernel gules, slipped and leaved within a bordure vert.

Balin of Canterbury. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Caldera Keep, Canton of. Device. Azure, platy, a cauldron within a laurel wreath argent.

Diane de Lyon. Name and device. Or, on a bend between a lion rampant and a scorpion passant to sinister azure, three crescents Or.

Duncan Crockett MacKay. Blazon correction. Argent, a winged lion sejant guardant gules within a bordure chequy gules and argent.

The field was erroneously given as azure on the February, 1987, letter. (We have modified the macros for azure and argent so they are no longer so close together.).

Elspeth ni Conchobhair o Ciarraighe. Change of name from Elspeth O'Connor of Kerry.

The name was submitted as Elspeth ni Conchobar o Ciarraighe. The spelling of the patronymic has been modified to the proper form at the request of Crescent.

Leif Haraldsen. Name only.

Morgan Jaussara de Valletta. Blazon correction. Azure, a cross parted and fretted between in bend two escallops inverted and in bend sinister two decrescents within a bordure argent.

When this was registered in January, 1987, the decrescents were erroneously listed as crescents.

Noel Raphael. Device. Sable, in pale a crescent and a crescent inverted argent between two plated in fess.

Rodrick of Scarborough. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Sigurd Stormrider of Wolves' Haven. Name and device. Per fess wavy azure and barry wavy argent and argent, in chief a wolf couchant argent, maintaining in its dexter paw a sheaf of arrows, all within a bordure Or, semy of hammers vert.

Sigurd Stormrider of Wolves' Haven. Badge for Wolves' Haven. Gules, a chevron Or between two wolves' heads erased respectant argent and a hammer Or.

Note that this differs from the device of Gaufridus Baldewin Gilbertson ("Gules, a chevron between two chess-rooks and a caltrap Or.) by a major for change of the type of secondaries and a minor for change in tincture of some of a group of secondaries. This is sufficient difference for a badge.

Styrbjorn Ulfhamr of Uppsala. Name only (see RETURNS for badge).

The documentation for the use of Ulfhamr as an epithet provided is fine, but was somewhat misstated in the letter of intent, where it was stated that it meant literally "wolf-skin" and was a Viking term for a berserker according to Bronsted's The Vikings, p. 138. In fact, that location indicates that "wolf-skin" is a term for a berserker, but that is "uldhedinn" in Old Norse as the submittor's citations from Zoega's Dictionary of Old Icelandic clearly show (p. 138). Ulfhamr, cited in the same place, is a nickname meaning "wolf's kin", quite a different thing although equally acceptable as an Old Norse epithet.

Thierry Ingeniator. Name and device. Per bend sinister argent and azure, a fox's mask and a trebuchet counterchanged.

William Kyle of the Wilderness. Name and device. Per bend vert and sable, a bend Or between an axe and an axe inverted reversed argent, all within a bordure Or.

Yasmeen Bakhtar. Device. Azure, estoilly, a saltire argent between in chief a plate and in fess an increscent and a decrescent argent.

Note that this is well clear of Haige ("Azure, a saltire between two stars in the chief and base and as many crescents addorsed in the flanks argent."). There is a major point for the difference between a plain field and the semy field in addition to the differences in type and number between two stars and one plate. However, the submittor should be asked to draw the estoiles properly: on the emblazon they bear a strong resemblance to simplified snowflakes.

Kingdom of the East

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

This was omitted from the letter for February, 1987.

Kevin MacCormack. Blazon correction. Argent, three hearts and on a chief azure, a unicorn dormant argent.

The field tincture was erroneously stated to be azure and the tincture of the tertiary was omitted entirely in January, 1987.

Tristan of Rydingbrooke. Blazon correction. Azure, on a bend sinister Or between a unicorn's head, erased and sinister facing, argent, armed and crined Or, and a tower argent, three crosses crosslet fitchy gules.

The orientation of the head was accidently omitted on the January, 1987, letter.

Kingdom of the Middle

Alda Hrolfsdottir. Name and device. Per fess embattled argent and azure, a griffin sejant erect and a chalice counterchanged.

Alexe de la Larme. Blazon Correction. Per pale argent and vert, a bend between two gouttes, all counterchanged.

When the device was accepted in November, 1986, the tinctures were omitted.

Ali al-Ahmed Abdullah. Badge. Gules, a sword, its hilt between the forelegs of two boars combattant Or.

Alinor of Braeford. Name only.

Amanda of Walworth. Blazon correction. Gules, on a bend engrailed between two maple leaves argent, a bendlet gules.

The bendlet was omitted from the blazon in January, 1987.

Amelie d'Anjou. Blazon correction. Or, four pallets azure, surmounted by a musician's bow fesswise, string to base, proper, the whole between two fleurs-de-lis vert.

The tincture of the bow was omitted from the February, 1987 letter.

Annys Saint John. Spelling correction.

Crescent has reminded me that the abbreviated spelling (Annys St. John) from the letter of intent should have been corrected as the time the name was registered in January, 1987. He is perfectly correct.

Averil de Trafford. Device. Vert, a beehive beset by bees and on a chief wavy Or three boar's heads couped gules.

Branwyn Whiteraven. Name and device. Sable, a raven close and on a bordure argent, six roses, barded and seeded, proper.

Catherine de la Rose. Name and device. Per bend wavy Or and gules, semy-de-lis Or, in sinister chief a rose gules.

Note that "de la Rose" is a period surname: Reaney cited one Robert de la Rose from 1242 (p. 299).

Cecelia of Sternfeld. Name and device. Purpure, a nightingale close within a bordure dovetailed Or.

Cristobal de la Estrella. Name and device. Or, a mullet of four straight and four wavy rays gules within a bordure rayonny vert.

The name was submitted as Christobal de la Estrella. The given name has been modified to the proper Spanish form as the submittor's paperwork allowed.

Dawn of Sternfeld. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Vair en pointe, on a chief sable, a demi-sun Or issuant from the line of division beneath an arch of eight mullets argent.

The submission was made under the name Shana Tala.

Deirdre of Carlyle. Device. Per fess azure and gules, a cross patonce argent within a bordure chequy sable and argent.

Since the "perpendicular" lines of a chequy parallel the edges of a charge (examine the examples of a bend or a saltire chequy in Elvin and other sources), the proper blazon for the division the submittor desires for the bordure would seem to be "chequy", not that "lozengy" of the submitted blazon.

Fredric l'Avare. Device. Per bend sable and vert, an acorn within a bordure Or.

Henry of Linlithgow. Device. Per pale purpure and argent, a chevron fretty between two mascles, all counterchanged.

Jennet of Dover. Name and device. Sable, a pavilion ensigned with a pennant argent within a bordure gyronny of eight gules and argent.

The name was submitted as Jeannet of Dover. As the submittor's paperwork allowed, the given name was been modified to a documented period spelling.

Johann Klaus Drager. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

In answer to Brachet's plea, we do have access to period German sources. In particular, thanks to Schwarzdrachen, there is intriguing little volume by one Roland Mulch which rejoices in the typical German scholarly name of Arnsburger Personnennamen: Untersuchungen zum Namenmaterial aus Arnsburger Urkundne vom 12. 16 Jahrhyndert. Among the joys this includes are a name list of given names that appear at Arnsburg, by date, which we hope to distribute to the College of Arms in the near future and citations of both given names and family names in context. Among the gentles that appear are Clas Gorre (1478), Clas Gumpracht (1424), Claus Gonter (1491) and Claus Heyrtges (1528). AS these citations are drawn from official documents, they would seem to serve as hard evidence that Klaus was an independent name in period (the use of the initial "c" instead of "k" is regular feature of the local orthography).

Kendra of Chester. Name only.

Kendra long since joined the select list of names which, like Fiona and Gwyneth, have been deemed "compatible", although they cannot be documented in period

Klara Landrada Buckjolz von Koln. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

The name was submitted as Klara Landrada Buchholz von Koln. As she wishes the older form of her mundane family name "Buckholz", we have returned the name to that form (the period form seems to be "Buckholz"!).

Leonore de Vertearbors. Badge. (see RETURNS for household name). Argent, a chevron embattled sable and in base a Latin cross gules.

Lionors of Chalfont Saint Giles. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Llewellyn o'r Glyn. Device. Per pale gules and sable, a battleaxe and a battleaxe inverted, both bendwise sinister and fretted, argent, hafted, and in base a crescent Or.

This was originally returned by Master Baldwin because the blazon was "tortuous" and the charges were difficult to recognize because of the their fretting. Given the items that Society heraldry has fretted in the past, including "six two-pronged forks", fretting two axes seems reasonable.

Llewellyn o'r Glyn. Badge. A battleaxe and a battleaxe inverted, both bendwise sinister and fretted, argent, hafted Or.

Michael Fledermus. Name and device. Sable, seme of roses argent, in pale a harp and a bat displayed Or.

The name was submitted as Michael die Fladarmus. The spelling of the given name derives from that shown on his forms for his mundane name. As the submittor indicated that he wished the Old High German form for a bar, we have changed the byname to the form shown in the OED, at the same time dropping the unnecessary article in order to avoid gender confusion.

Mirielda Grey. Name only.

Note that the given name appears in the Curia Regis Rolls from the early thirteenth century (Withycombe, p. 224).

Mynydd Coron, Shire of. Blazon correction. Argent, on a fess wavy between two turtles tergiant and a laurel wreath vert, a snowflake argent.

The partition line was omitted from the February, 1987, letter.

Rees of Northwoods. Blazon correction. Quarterly azure and gules, four arrowheads inverted argent.

The word "inverted" was omitted when this was registered in January, 1987.

Rhys of Septentria. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Per fess sable and Or, in chief five mullets of four straight and four wavy rays, three and two, argent, and in base a dexter gauntlet bendwise sinister gules.

This was submitted under the name of Glandyth Rhys-Mordwyn. Note that, although the mullets were blazoned as conjoined on the letter of intent, they are not actually conjoined, merely drawn so as to fill their area of the field.

Robert of Ben Dunfirth. Holding name and badge (see PENDING for personal and household names). A pithon displayed argent entwined about a tau cross gules.

This was submitted under the name of Temur of Greyhaven for the fighters of Rozak.

Rosaline de la Rochelle. Name only.

The given name appears in Shakespeare (withycombe, p. 257).

Samuel the Steadfast. Name and device. Gyronny gules and argent, an anvil standing upon a square block sable.

Seren Castell, Shire of. Name only.

Thomas of Rivenstar. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Or, mailly, a bend sinister gules between two anvils sable.

The submission was made under the name Thomas of Doughlas.

Thorgerd Karlsdottir. Name only.

Thorvald the Golden. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Thorvaldr Olaffson. Name only.

KINGDOM OF THE WEST

Angelique de Roche. Name only.

Dismal Fogs, Shire of. Name and device. Per fess azure and argent, issuant from the line of division a tower proper and in base a laurel wreath vert.

Edwina Galen. Name and device. Per pale azure and argent, a fess and overall a roundel, all counterchanged.

This submission provided an excellent example of the problem "modern" counterchange designs present when determining difference. In period, it would have been a definite anomaly for a charge overall to share the charges of the field and the primary charge in a counterchange relationship, but counterchange of overall charges, when used in moderation, has become relatively accepted in the Society. This leaves us with the question of the weight to be allowed to tincture changes derived from modifications of the base tinctures (i.e., those of the field). All are agreed that there is a clear major point for the modifications of the colour in the field. It was Crescent's feeling that all changes in the colour of the charges were negligible resulting in a conflict with William of York ("Per pale sale and argent, a roundel counterchanged."). Vesper felt that, since any tincture could have been used on the roundel, the change in the roundel should count a full minor point. While Vesper's arguments were eloquent, it is impossible to ignore the "derivative" nature of the tincture change completely. However, after considering a number of cases in which the issue of the weight to be derived from "derivative" changed to counterchange charged, it seems that such are not considered "negligible", merely very weak, i.e. insufficient even when taken with the minor for the field to provide adequate difference between Society badges or between badges and mundane arms. In this particular case, there are two "hemi-semi-demi-points of difference", one for the change to the fess and another for the change to the roundel. Taken with the other changes, this would seem to provide adequate difference. (Irreverent comment from the Laurel meeting: "If fighters have to calibrate blows, do the heralds have to calibrate points of difference.").

Eirikr Drekdoelski. Name and device. Per pale gules and argent, two dragons segreant addorsed counterchanged.

The name was submitted as Eirikr Drakdoelingr. As the submittor indicated that he desired the correct Old Norse byname for a man from the (imagined) Dragon Glen. The Old Norse cognate noun for a dragon seems to have been "dreki" (see the OED under "drake"). Thus, forming the byname on the analogy of such bynames as "haukdoelski" ("man from the Hawk-Dale", cited by Geirr Bassi), the byname should be "Drekdoelski".

Frances Huntington. Name and device. Vert, three bugle horns and on a chief argent,

a rose gules.

Vis-a-vis the default position for hunting horns, which Crescent feels should be bells to dexter, Woodward (p. 385) says "In Scottish Heraldry it is the invariable practice to represent the hunting-horn with the mouthpiece on the dexter side of the escucheon. In England and on the Continent, the reverse is the case." In point of fact, most standard heraldic references depict hunting horns as they are oriented here (and hence the average heraldic artist will depict the horn in this manner if no position is specified). To avoid confusion, the blazon has been modified, as have others in the past, to specify that the bell is to sinister.

Heather MacTeague. Change of device. Quarterly sable and gules, four maces argent.

Hoskulf Atlason of Iceland. Name only.

Lochac, Princess of. Device. Quarterly azure and argent, on a cross gules four roses and in canton another all argent.

Please ask them to draw the roses properly centered on the arms of the cross, not pushed to the edges of the shield. The manner in which the roses are depicted further unbalances the design.

Marion of the Wall. Name only.

Stephen of Irongate. Name and device. Or, a sprig of four mangrove leaves fructed vert and a chief azure.

Thaddeus of Champclair. Device. Per fess Or and sable, a brown bear's erased at the shoulders affronty proper and two tridents in saltire Or.

Thomas Logan. Change of name from Thomas Logan of Caer Glan-y-Mor.

4/87

The Following Submissions are returned:

Kingdom of Atenveldt

Kamayana Kangoro. Badge. Sable, the kanji "shu" argent.

While abstract symbols may be used in badges, AR10c specifically states that "a badge shall not consist solely of one abstract symbol". And kanji character must be considered an "abstract symbol" in the sense that the Rules intend.

Rowan Blackflame. Device. Or, a sinister hand appaumy couped argent, enflamed sable, within a bordure gules.

After considerable debate, we have come to the conclusion that a hand appaumy or averse, couped and enflamed, is so suggestive of the black magic charm known as a "Hand of Glory" that it should not be used in Society heraldry. As Batonvert noted, the OED description of the Hand of Glory does seem to support the previous precedent set in the case of Bertrand de Flammepoing (December, 1980). However, it is also clear that a significant proportion of the populace, particularly those with only a casual acquaintance with the occult, will interpret this charge as a "Hand of Glory". Certainly, several commentors in the College of Arms did. While the depiction of the "Hand of Glory" is by no means uniform in medieval and Renaissance woodcuts and paintings, it regularly appears as a typifying emblem of the abode or gathering place of witches and generally the preserved hand is shown associated with flame, either with the fingers enflamed or the whole hand enflamed (the latter appears more commonly in popular woodcuts, perhaps because of the technical limitations). As far as we can tell from a search through the Armorial and the files, the only "hand enflamed" which has ever been registered in the Society is in the badge of Aliskye Mac Kyven Raizel for Clan Kyven ("Sable, a sinister gauntlet clenched affronty, enflamed proper, within a bordure argent."). This differs in two important ways from any of the traditional depictions of the "Hand of Glory": a gauntlet not the naked (and mummified) hand is shown and the "hand" is clenched, which the "Hand of Glory" generally is not. Therefore, the acceptance of the badge for Clan Kyven really cannot be used as a precedent for the acceptance of the more usual "hand enflamed".

PRECEDENT: In view of its strong suggestiveness of a "Hand of Glory", a hand appaumy or averse enflamed may not be used as a charge in Society heraldry.

Kingdom of Atlantia

Annke MacAiodh. Badge. Vert a seadragon erect Or.

Conflict with the device of Niall Kilkierny ("Vert, a winged sea-lion rampant Or.").

Caitlin Angharad FitzHenry. Device. Per chevron sable and gules, a chevron argent between two plates, each charged with a rose gules, barbed and seeded proper, and a dragon sejant Or.

The blazon states that the beast in base is sejant, but the emblazon depicts something between statant and couchant. Additionally, the charges in chief actually appear to be much closer to "roses proper, fimbriated argent" and are uncomfortably close to the "Tudor rose", particularly when taken with the name FitzHenry, as Brachet has noted. (Even more so, when taken with the dragon, for the Tudors were a Welsh dynasty and the dragon was one of their badges as for the Tudors were a Welsh dynasty and the dragon was one of their badges as well.) Finally, if you consider the charges in chief to be unified charges, as they appear, rather than a secondary charged with a tertiary, as they are blazoned, there are technical conflicts with Ram the Reticent ("Per chevron sable and gules, a chevron between two ram's heads respectant and a ram's head cabossed argent.") and Wilhlem of Greyland ("Per chevron sable and gules, a chevron between in chief two lions rampant addorsed and in base an eagle displayed argent.").

Imran Yosuf le Scorpioun. Device. Quarterly gules and sable, a swan rousant, wings displayed and elevated, argent, beaked and membered, within a bordure engrailed Or.

Conflict with Moore ("Sable, a swan wings expanded argent membered Or with a bordure engrailed of the third." cited in Papworth, p. 317).

Miguel de Sanlucar de Barrameda. Device. Vert, a demi-yale rampant argent, marked purpure, issuant from a sinister gore Or, a chief dovetailed argent.

The use of the late and unusual charge of the yale (which was in fact improperly drawn on the emblazon sheets), the chief dove-tailed and the use of the gore are all "allowable anomalies" that have been permitted for Society use. However, the use,of all three together, with the added anomaly of the demi-beast issuant from the gore in a decidedly eccentric manner, force us to return this for "non-period style".

Kingdom of Caid

Balin of Canterbury. Device. Gules, a shakefork argent surmounted by a dragon passant Or.

There is a clear visual conflict here with Candace of Dragonstower ("Gules, two towers sable, fimbriated, overall a dragon passant Or.") In point of fact, the two devices are technically clear of one another since the towers and the shakefork are primary charges and therefore the difference of type and tincture count full value. (Contrary to Crescent's assertion, primary charges should not be "demoted" when a charge is placed overall: in mundane usage it is the charge overall which is considered to have been added for cadency, just as are the secondaries around the primary charge. The blazon represents reality: the primary charge will remain the charge which lies closest to the center of the field in the plane closet to the field. Under certain circumstances, charges overall can be held to have equal weight, but this will not "demote" the original primary charge, if the two are drawn in proper proportion.).

Phillipe Lyon de Marseilles. Device. Sable, a lion's head cabossed Or within an annulet of flame proper, on a chief Or three fleurs-de-lys gules.

Crescent's arguments in his appeal are eloquent, but with the best will in the world it did not seem possible to make the change in the tertiaries carry this clear of Ari ben Abraham ("Sable, a lion's head cabossed, on a chief Or five mullets of six points sable."). Even if the cumulative changes to the tertiaries were held to equal a full point of difference there would be an apparent visual conflict. And it is by no means clear that the tertiaries in this case should be counted thus: before considering the changes in the tertiaries, it is necessary first to "process" the tincture of the field (which is the same), the tincture and type of the primary charge (which are the same), the addition of the central secondary and the type and tincture of the peripheral secondary charge (which are the same). The "business" of the charges in the center of the field, particularly the annulet of flame proper, detracts materially from the force to be attributed to the tertiaries which hover on the periphery of the field. (For a lengthier discourse on the psychology of perception as applied to blazon, see the cover letter to the March Letter of Acceptance and Return.).

Rodrick of Scarborough. Device. Or, a chevron engrailed throughout between two towers and an owl gules.

Crescent was absolutely correct in indicating in his commentary of 14 April 1987, that "it shouldn't be necessary to specify throughout: that's simply one period way of drawing chevrons. It carries no heraldic difference." Therefore, this conflicts with Chamcey (Or, a chevron engrailed gules. as cited in Papworth, p. 376). Given the use of Scarborough in his name, this also bore a disturbing similarity to Scarbrow (Or, a chevron between three castles gules. and Scarborough (Or, a chevron between three towers triple-towered gules.). These three citations (all from Papworth, p. 405) indicate that a definite pattern of cadency is at work here.

Styrbjorn Ulfhamr of Ulppsala. Badge. Gules, a sword proper, the blade enflamed within a bordure Or.

After much consideration (and several examinations of the emblazon), there seemed to be insufficient contrast between the argent blade of the sword and the Or flames that surround it. Both the blade and the flames are major design elements, and unfortunately, the argent fades into the Or to such an extent that the sword appears to be 'bladed of flames Or': making the flames proper would resolve the problem.

Kingdom of the Middle

Afonglyn, Shire of. Name only.

There documentation indicates that they wish the meaning "River Valley": that would be Glynafon in Welsh. The form here is the unmutated form for a place name which would mean "valley river". It's more common form in this meaning would be "Afonlyn". As there is some uncertainty whether the meaning or the name is more important to the group, we have returned the name as a whole.

Fatimah iamar binte Noura. Name and device. Per bend sinister pean and erminois, a unicorn passant guardant Or and a winged demon rampant to sinister gules.

The only support provided for iamar was a statement from Elston Smith that it meant "moon" and was a girl's name as Rabi (breeze) was a boy's name. No evidence was proved for its use in period (or even its general use today). While Nour may have been a masculine name in period (there is some debate on this point), the evidence for Noura is slim (ELston Smith again) and the use of a metronomic in period would have been very unusual. There is no fixed blazon for a"demon" in heraldry, and depiction in period sources vary widely. The beast on the emblazon could reasonably be blazoned as "A pterodactyl courant erect", but we suspected that the submittor might not actually have a pterodactyl in mind. . .

Genet of Ashertor. Name only.

Two etymologies were given for the given name, neither of which is acceptable for period usage. The forms give Genet as a form derived from the French "Genet", or latin "Genista" (the broom plant) involved creation of a "new flower name" and such have long since been barred from Society usage. The alternative meaning, mentioned in the letter of intent, and copiously documented with photocopies, is for the word as an alternative name for the civet cat, which is not, so far as we can determine, used in period as a given name. Had she not strictly forbidden any changes whatsoever to her given name, we would have registered it with the similarly spelled and pronounced given name "Jenet", a documented spelling of the diminutive of Joan in use as a separate name in period. Perhaps Dragon could suggest this alternative to her.

Glandyth Rhys-Mordwyn. Name only.

No evidence was present for Glandyth as a given name and its formation strongly suggests a place name. No documentation could be provided for Mordwyn.

Gytha Hakonsdottir. Name and device. Vert, two crabapple leaves inverted, the stems in saltire argent, within an annulet throughout Or.

In all fairness to other submittors whose names have been returned for "linguistic miscegenation", this name must be returned. The regular genitive for Hakon ends in the "-ar" suffix and, despite the wealth of genitive endings cited in Geirr Bassi (pp. 17-18, as cited by Batonvert), each form seems to be regular in its class, with no evidence presented that endings did vary in Old Norse. The citations noted by Dragon unfortunately are all from the Penguin English translations, which are notoriously random in their forms: although they seldom obscure the given names and patronymics often take modern English forms or are compounded of modern and period forms. Since the submittor allowed no changes whatsoever to her name, the submission as a whole must be returned which is a pity.

Hannorah O'Neill. Name and device. Gules, a griffin sejant, dexter foreleg raised, and on a sinister tierce Or in pale three sinister hands pean.

As Batonvert has noted, none of the known variants of Honoria (from whence is derived Annora, the nearest period given name to that proposed) being or end in and "h". What this appears to be is a modern phonetic rendering of a Cockney attempting "Annora". She forbade any changes at all to her name so the whole submission had to be returned. Perhaps in resubmitting she might be persuaded to resident with a more balanced design and without the "side": this is not actually illegal but it is certainly poor style.

Johann Klaus Drager. Device. Per pale vert and sable, an eagle rising, wings elevated and addorsed, argent.

Conflict with Tober Thorvald ("Vert, an osprey volant proper."). The osprey is "dark above and white below" and in the position in which is appear on Tober Thorvald's arms, primarily shows the light plumage. The difference in position of the birds between the two devices is at best a weak minor (the osprey is volant in a manner that is no doubt normal for ospreys, but not for heraldic birds).

Klara Landrada Buckholz von Koln. Device. Or, a bend sinister between four mascules azure.

Conflict with Saabrina de la Bere ("Or, a bend sinister azure between a half-bloomed garden rose gules, slipped and singly thorned proper , and a leopard couchant sable.

Leanore de Veryearbors. Name for Parish of Santz Martz.

Parish is a term denoting territorial jurisdiction and may not be used for households in the Society. Moreover, since the documentation proved indicates that the spelling of the name "Maur" as "Martz" only occurs in the very narrow territory of Liechtenstein in which lies of Parish of Saint Martz, with which the submittor's correspondent is associated. In such a situation, where a place name could only occur in a narrowly defined geographic area, although the location may not be in itself famous, there may exist a presupposition of infringement.

Lionora of Chalfont Saint Giles. Device. Or, an apple tree fructed and eradicated proper within a bordure rayonny vert.

Conflict with Rowena de Segovia ("Or, an orange tree fructed and eradicated proper within a bordure rayonny vert."). In this context, the difference between the fruits is negligible,

Semjaka Dorosenko. Name only.

By the submittor's own documentation, "Semjaka" is a byname, not a given name in period

Shana Tala. Name only.

The name was stated by the submittor to be Yiddish, based on evidence from Kolatch, but that source includes many modern Israeli names which would not have been used even a century ago. Some documentation must be provided for the use of the two name elements in period.

Thomas of Douglas. Name only.

Conflict with Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk, who played an important part in Canada's pre-Federate history (among other things he founded Winnipeg).

Thorvald the Golden. Device. Argent, a sword proper, blade enflamed gules, entwined about its blade a vine of five roses argent, slipped and seeded Or, all within a bordure rayonny azure.

The primary charge is just too complex and displays too poor contrast to be acceptable. The hilt Or of the sword fades into the argent field and the vine of roses is such a minor detail combined with the visual distraction of the flames gules, that it is difficult to determine precisely what it is.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSION IS PENDING:

This submission will be considered at the September Laurel meeting in order to allow adequate time for the members of the College to reflect on the issues involved.

Kingdom of the Middle

Temur of Greyhaven. Name and household name for the Fighters of Rozak.

Some evidence has been presented that "Temur", which follows the given name of several Mongol ruler, may in fact be a title not a personal name, as it is the case with "khan". Further investigation seems in order. Also, the issue of whether Greyhaven is an appropriate place of origin has been raised. This is a well-known (but unregistered) Society household name, which has become renowned as well in the world of "fandom" to the extend that it is the title of an anthology of stories by members of the household, edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. A secondary question involves the echo of the Tolkienic Grey Havens. The household name ("Rozak") was stated to be the last name of the founder of the household, but no language or documentation was provided.


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