Submitted as Desiree of Colecestra, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th C England in the region of Essex. As the form Colecestra is a Latin form, we have changed the byname to the completely Latin form de Colecestra to meet the submitter's request for authenticity and to comply with RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a single name phrase.

Her previous name, Emma in draumspaka, is released.

The submitter requested authenticity for 12th C Wales. Rhonwen was upheld as SCA compatible in May 1996. Lacking evidence that Rhonwen was used in period, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture.

Submitted as Wolfryð of Leeds, the submitter requested authenticity for "12th century (1350's) England" [sic]. Reaney & Wilson (p. 501 s.n. Woolfrey) date William Wlfryð to 1279, and (p. 275 s.n. Leeds) Hugh de Leedes to 1285. As Wlfryð is used in the cited name as an unmarked patronymic, it is a plausible form for a given name as well. Locative bynames forms using of and de are found in the 14th C, as shown in Reaney & Wilson (p. 321 s.n. Newcastle), which dates Agnes of Newcastle to 1315 and Adam de Newcastle to 1340. Since a locative byname using of is authentic for the submitter's desired time period, we have registered the byname using of rather than de when modifying the name to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Listed on the LoI as Alessandra Giovanna de'Medici, this name was submitted as Alessandra Giovanna de'  Medici. The form de' is an abbreviation for dei. As we do not register scribal abbreviations, we have spelled it out. We have also added the space in the byname that was included on the submission form, but omitted in the LoI.

The device is clear of conflict with Gwynaeth Math o Ddylluan, Sable, a bezant charged with a raven on a branch bendwise all sable. There is a CD for adding the tierce. The branch and raven are equally-weighted tertiary charges, so there is a second CD for changing the type and number of tertiary charges.

Some commenters asked whether the cross of Cerdaña should continue to be allowed in SCA armory, because it is an SCA-invented charge without a strong pattern of SCA use. The cross of Cerdaña is listed in the Pictorial Dictionary as an "SCA invention; it's essentially a square set on one corner, with a semi-circular notch on each side." This description makes the cross sound much less period than it appears. The cross of Cerdaña is a minor artistic variant of a cross clechy, which is a standard period cross. We therefore see no reason to disallow the continued registration of this type of cross.

The armory was submitted under the name Eoghan mac Cinatha, which was returned in March 2002.

Submitted under the name Tiarnán del Sarto.

A number of commenters noted that there was some overlap between the tankard and the annulet. Overlap between a charge and the charge to which it is conjoined may be reason for return. In the full-sized colored emblazon the degree of overlap is negligible, so this may be accepted.

Nice arms!

His previous name, Cadogan map Cado Blaidd, is released.

Submitted as Ceara MacCárthaigh, the submitter requested authenticity for Irish. This name combined a feminine given name with a masculine form of a byname. As bynames were literal in Gaelic, this combination has not been registerable for some time. We have changed the byname to a feminine form in order to register this name.

The ship, like most ships, has sails which are roughly half the charge. The ship, therefore, is equally divided of a color (the dark brown wood proper of the hull) and a metal (the Or of the sails). RfS VIII.2.a.ii provides that "Good contrast exists between ... an element equally divided of a color and a metal, and any other element as long as identifiability is maintained." The ship is acceptably identifiable, and therefore, has good contrast with its underlying field.

Submitted under the name Damian Blackthorne.

Dorothea was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance as it is the submitter's legal given name. Elements of a submitter's legal name are registerable under the Legal Name Allowance. However, if the other elements in the name, when combined with the element from the submitter's legal name, produce a combination that is excessively obtrusive, the name may be returned per the precedent:

While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction. [Ciarmhac Sayenga, 07/00, R-Æthelmearc]

Dorothea is documentable as a German given name and a late period English given name. Either way, this submission combines three languages. There was considerable discussion about the registerability of a name with this lingual combination. A name combining three languages is registerable, so long as the lingual mix complies with RfS III.1, which states:

Names should generally combine elements that are all from a single linguistic culture, but a name may be registered that combines languages. As a rule of thumb, languages should be used together only if there was substantial contact between the cultures that spoke those languages, and a name should not combine more than three languages. Each name as a whole should be compatible with the culture of a single time and place.

So, the question is whether a mix of English, Italian, and French or a mix of German, Italian, and French is plausible for "the culture of a single time and place". Neither of these combinations have been demonstrated to fulfill this requirement. Lacking such documentation, these combinations are not registerable.

However, because Dorothea was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance, the question becomes whether combining Dorothea in an otherwise Italian and French name is excessively obtrusive. Given that the Italian name Doratea is documented to 1427 in Arval Benicouer's article "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/), the inclusion of Dorothea is not excessively obtrusive and this combination is registerable.

Submitted as Ealusaid Rose, the submitter requested authenticity for "mid to late 15th century" and allowed any changes. The submitted form mixes Gaelic and Scots (a language closely related to English) in a single name. In period, this name would have been written all in Gaelic or all in Scots depending upon the language of the document in which the name was recorded. Black (p. 773 s.n. Tod) dates Elizabeth Tode to 1467, and (p. 699 s.n. Rose) Andrew de Rose to 1440. We have changed the name to a completely Scots form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

The LoI supported the submitted phrase the Hun by documenting the Old Norse term húnar:

According to the Compact Oxford English Dictionary, the ON term is Húnar, and they are referred to in written literature c. 900 A.D.

Therefore, the Hun is a Lingua Anglica form of húnar. Eiríkr húnar would be a fully Old Norse form of the first two elements in this name.

The submitter requested authenticity for 11th C German but allowed no changes. As the submitter's request for authenticity was not mentioned in the LoI, the College did not have the opportunity to comment on an appropriate form of this name in 11th C German that we would have included here as a courtesy to the submitter.

Submitted as Ivarr Bearshoulders, the LoI noted that the submitter "would gladly accept [the byname] being translated into Old Norse, Icelandic or Norwegian". Multiple members of the College found bynames using elements meaning 'bear' and 'shoulders' in Old Norse, along with descriptive bynames that support a byname meaning 'bear-shoulders' as being plausible in Old Norse. Therefore, we have changed the byname to the form bjarnherðar as suggested by the College. We have also added the accent to the Í in the given name, as accents should be used when ð is used in the name.

Submitted as James MacCuagh, the submitter requested authenticity (by checking the language/culture box), but did not specify a language or culture. Presumably his desired culture is Irish based on the submitted documentation. MacCuagh is a Modern Gaelic (c. 1700 to present) form. In period, the name took Mac Dh- forms such as Mac Dhabhóc. An authentic name in period would have been written all in Gaelic or all in Anglicized Irish depending upon the language of the document that the name appeared in. A fully Gaelic form of this name would be Séamus Mac Dhabhóc or Séamas Mac Dhabhóc. Woulfe (p. 347 s.n. Mac Dhabhóc) dates the Anglicized forms M'Cawque, M'Cavoke, M'Cavog, M'Coag, and M'Coke to temp. Elizabeth I-James I. Therefore, a fully Anglicized Irish form of this name would combine James with one of these forms. Of these forms, M'Coag is the closest to the submitted form. Examples have been found of Anglicized Irish bynames using Mac- and Mc-. Therefore, MacCoag and McCoag are logical variations of the documented M'Coag. Therefore, we have changed the byname to MacCoag to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Note: The wording on the LoI was not explicitly clear that Unegen means 'fox'. Inadequate summarization of submitted documentation on the LoI has been, and continues to be, a reason for return. In this case, the documentation was provided, just not clearly. Submission heralds, please make sure to clearly summarize all submitted documentation in the LoI.

A peculiarity of SCA blazon is that the standard label is throughout by default, but the dovetailed label is couped by default. The blazon in this submission label is both dovetailed and throughout, and both these details must be blazoned.

Submitted under the name Maredudd Gryffydd.

Her previous name, Rose of the Forest, is released.

Submitted under the name Masala bint Humayun al Delhi.

Submitted as Nicolete La Rossa, the submitter requested authenticity for French. We have put la in lowercase to match documented forms.

His previous badge, Per fess azure and gules, in fess two billets Or within ermine spots sans nombre in annulo argent, is released.

Please advise the submitter to draw larger ermine spots. Please also advise him that, in period, ermine spots on a bend generally tilt to follow the bend. We would expect ermine spots on a bend sinister to follow the bend sinister, instead of being drawn palewise as with this submission.

Submitted as Stefhan von Hessen, the submitter requested authenticity for "German of the Holy Roman Empire about 1550." No documentation was provided and none was found that Stefhan is a plausible period variant of this name. To meet the submitter's request for authenticity, we have changed the given name to the form Steffan, which is dated to 1508 in Talan Gwynek's article "Medieval German Given Names From Silesia" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/bahlow/).

Submitted as Brita Hughs, the LoI noted that she "wishes the name to be Swedish, with the caveat that she primarily wishes it to reflect her marriage to her husband, who carries the SCA name Hugh de Bardenay (recently submitted)." The College found examples of widows whose bynames indicated their husband's given name. This was done by putting the husband's name in the genitive case. It is less clear whether a woman whose husband was still living would have used this form. As we were unable to find a Swedish form of Hugh, we were unable to meet this request.

In English, the byname Hughes is a patronymic that became an inherited surname. No evidence was found that it would have indicated a husband's name. All forms of this byname that the College was able to find in period were spelled Hughes. We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name.

A name mixing Swedish and English is registerable with a weirdness.

Submitted as Cecily Clervaux, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th to 14th C Norman English. Reaney & Wilson (s.n. Gorrell) date Cecily de Gorhull to 1246. Metron Ariston found forms of this byname in the submitter's desired period in Reaney & Wilson (s.n. Clarvis). This entry dates Michael de Clervaus, de Clereuals to 1208 and John Clervaus to 1320. As Clervaus is the closest of these to the submitted form, we have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Cloelia was the name of a Roman girl whose tale is told in Virgil's Aeneid, among other places. She was held hostage by the Etruscans and fled home across the Tiber. Metron Ariston notes that she appears in Renaissance art:

Vergil was by no means the first to mention the heroic maiden Cloelia as she appeared in Livy's history of Rome and a very famous equestrian statue of her swimming across the back of the Tiber on the back of a horse was erected on the Via Appia. (It is by no means clear, however, that it is the same statue that can be seen today.) Cloelia was also a favorite motif in Renaissance and Baroque art. Between Livy, Vergil, Plutarch and the artistic motifs, there is no doubt that Cloelia would have been familiar to an educated period audience.

Given the prominence of Cloelia, her name is registerable under the guidelines for use of literary names given in the cover letter for the February 1999 LoAR.

The submitter requested authenticity for the 16th C and did not specify a language or culture. Delphina is a Latinized form of the French name Delphine, which was the name of a saint from Provence who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Bardsley (p. 505 s.n. Mad) dates Jordan le Madde to temp. Edward I. By the 16th C, surnames had virtually completely replaced literal bynames in both France and England. As we were unable to find appropriate forms of either element in the 16th C, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time period.

In the SCA, winged objects such as winged swords, and (presumably) winged skulls, have the wings displayed by default.

Note: Margarete is used as an unmarked matronymic byname. Orle found a period example of exactly this spelling in Bardsley (p. 513 s.n. Margaret), which dates Hugh Margarete to 1273.

Good name!

This is the submitter's fourth registered piece of armory. The Armorial and Ordinary records on this submitter's long submission history can be interpreted as implying that the submitter had four pieces of armory registered already. Morsulus and Pelican have clarified the situation from the files and original letters, and Morsulus will be making appropriate modifications to the Armorial and Ordinary.

Listed on the LoI as Lassar Ingen Artúr, the form spelled the name as Lassar ingen Artúr. The submitter requested authenticity for 7th C "Irish/Celtic" language/culture. In the 7th century, the language used in Ireland was Oghamic Irish. Very few examples of Oghamic Irish inscriptions remain (including only one example of a feminine name). Lacking Oghamic Irish forms of the submitter's desired name elements, we have left this name in the submitted Old Irish Gaelic (c. 700 to c. 900) form, correcting only the patronym to the genitive form Artúir as required by Gaelic grammar. We have returned the particle to the submitted lowercase form ingen. Lacking evidence that the particle would have been capitalized in period, it is not registerable in that form.

Our textile pals were able to identify the drop spindle on first glance. They also note that some styles of period drop spindle have the whorl to chief, so a spindle with the whorl to chief would not have been intrinsically unrecognizable in a period context. However, the default drop spindle in the SCA has its whorl to base, so we have blazoned these as inverted. This also matches the blazon of her device, which uses this sort of drop spindle.

Her previous name, Ingvild Gøstafsdotter, is released.

The submitter's alternate name, Gabriel Ximenez de Malaga, is now his primary name. His former primary name, Jibra'il al-Nasrani, is released.

Listed on the LoI as Signy Halfdanarsdottir, this name was submitted as Signy Halfdansdottir. We have corrected the patronymic to the proper Old Norse form.

As submitted, this name had two weirdnesses. Ulf was documented as an Anglo-Saxon given name dated to 960 and 1080. The byname de Frisbois was documented as a French byname dating to c. 1420-1459. Therefore, this name had one weirdness for a lingual mix of Old English and French, and a second weirdness for a temporal disparity of greater than 300 years but less than 1000 years. Argent Snail provided alternate documentation for the given name:

Ulf is found in Lind, under Úlfr, spelled Ulf (as submitted) dated to 1337. It is also found in Danmarks Gamle Personnavne: Fornavne, under Ulf, has the submitted spelling with assorted dates including numerous 12th century citations, and citations from the 13th century, 1379, and 1498. There was certainly regular contact in period between Scandinavia and France. Therefore, this name should have at most, one weirdness for the names coming from different cultures. And, in fact, Gillian Fellows Jensen's Scandinavian Personal Names in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, under Ulfr, date the spelling Ulf with assorted 13th century dates, including 1285. There was lots and lots and lots of contact between England and France in our period.

This documentation removes the weirdness for temporal disparity. Additionally, if Ulf is considered as an English name under the Fellows Jensen example from 1285, the lingual weirdness is removed as mixing English and French in a name does not carry a weirdness.

Listed on the LoI as Catalina Ximena de Villanova y Santa Maria del Cami, this name was submitted as Catalina Ximena Villanova de Santa Maria del Cami and changed at Kingdom. The LoI did not note a reason for the change. The submitter requested authenticity for 15th to 16th C Spanish or Catalan.

Several issues were raised in commentary on this name. This name, as originally submitted, had the form [given name] [given name] [locative] de [compound locative]. As it was comprised of only four name elements (including a compound element), it did not violate the ban on five element names in Spanish established in the LoAR of October 1997.

Regarding double given names in Spanish, precedent states, "The use of double given names was unheard of until the end of period." (Elsbeth Anne Roth, LoAR March 2000, p. 4)

However, no evidence has been provided and none was found that a person from Santa Maria del Cami would have been known as de Santa Maria del Cami rather than simply as de Santa Maria. The similarly constructed de Santiago de Compostela has been ruled unregisterable:

No documentation was presented, nor could the College of Arms find any, that de Santiago de Compostela was used in a locative byname. Previous precedent states:

This name is returned because no documentation can be found for the name de Compostela. People from Santiago de Compostela were known as de Santiago. [Livia Teresa de Compostela, 09/99, R-Atlantia]

Lacking documentation that compound forms of placenames like Santiago de Compostela were used in locative bynames, this cannot be registered. [Beatriz de Santiago de Compostela, Caid-R, 01/2002]

As the submitter explicitly allowed dropping of del Cami in order to register the name, we have dropped this element.

Her previous name, Caterina Ruzzini, is released.

The LoI stated that "The submittor desires a masculine 14th-15th century 'Byzantine' (Greek?) name. He will accept minor changes only, but will allow Rossos to be dropped and the Vigilant to be translated to it's Greek equivalent if either or both of these changes are necessary for registration." The documentation provided for the Vigilant in the LoI was

Reaney does not list Vigilant as an English surname, but the submittor argues that it is no more abstract than 'le Téméraire' (French for 'the Bold') that was used as an eptithet for a 15th century Duke of Burgundy (although no evidence was presented to show that this was used of him in his lifetime). According to the Oxford Learner's English/Greek Pocket Dictionary, the equivalent word in modern Greek is agrupnos. As to whether or not agrupnos (or an earlier variant) is an appropriate epithet, we must rely on advice from anyone in the College who knows something about Greek names and who wishes to enlighten us.

Metron Ariston found a descriptive byname that can plausibly have the Lingua Anglica form the Vigilant:

The modern Greek form noted on the Letter of Intent actually means "without sleep" (as in Sleepless in Seattle...) However, one could use [pi rho omicron mu nu theta {nu'} sigma] as and adjectival byname: Dareios Rossos Promethes. (Yes, this is cognate with and almost indistinguishable from Prometheus in both Greek and English. The name Prometheus actually referred to his forethought or wary mind.)

Therefore, Dareios Rossos the Vigilant is registerable since the Vigilant is a Lingua Anglica rendering of Promethes. Dareios Rossos Promethes may be an authentic form of this name. However, given the few resources available for Byzantine Greek, we were unable to confirm that a person would be referred to by two descriptive bynames simultaneously in a written name. Since there are so few resources currently available, we are giving the double descriptive byname the benefit of the doubt at this time. Future research may confirm or refute this construction. As the submitter did not allow major changes (except as noted for registerability), we did not change this name to a fully Greek form.

The submitter requested authenticity for 16th C English. Lacking examples of Aylwin used as a given name in the 16th C, we were unable to make this name authentic for that time period.

Please advise the submitter to leave more space between the cotises and the fess.

Submitted as Cáel macDagán, the submitter requested authenticity for "Irish Celt 10th C". Lacking evidence that either element was in use as late as the 10th C, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's desired time period. We have added a space between the particle and the patronym to follow period practice. We have also put the patronym into the genitive form as required by Gaelic grammar.

This is clear of conflict with a badge of the Kingdom of Caid, (Fieldless) A rose Or barbed and seeded vert. "Quatrefoils and roses do not appear to have been considered equivalent charges in our period" (LoAR February 1996).

Please advise the submitter to draw the quatrefoil a bit smaller to enhance the identifiability of the per chevron line of division.

There was an administrative question concerning this submission and that of Cáel mac Dagáin, also in this month's Meridies submissions. Cuhelyn sent correspondence which offered to transfer this badge to Cáel if such a transfer were needed in order to keep Cáel's armory from conflicting with this badge. Otherwise the badge was simply to be released. Since there was no conflict requiring such a transfer, the badge is released.

Submitted as Ludwig Wursteiner, no documentation was presented and none was found that Wursteiner is a plausible period byname. The submitter allowed any changes and has noted that the sound of the name was most important to him. Hawk found a plausible construction for a hypothetical placename of Würzstein:

[A]s the client is more concerned with the sound, I can document the city of <Würzburg> in Siebmacher, and the Institut Deutsche Adelforschung at: http://home.foni.net/~adelsforschung/bib36.htm, there is an entry for a <Würzburg, Bischof Julius zu: Des Hochwürdigsten ... Julii Bischoffs zu Würtzburg Erklärung dero bischöflichen und vätterlichen Zuneigung gegen der Fränkischen Ritterschaft von Anstellung eines Seminarii vor Junge von Adel, Würzburg 1607>. Brechenmacher has entries for <Würzburger> dating to 1311 and 1365. Granted, this is a major departure from what he submitted, but if it becomes necessary, at least the logical jump from <Würzburg> (actual city) to <Würzstein> (fictitious place) [würz-, meaning 'spice'] seems a more plausible option.

A person from the hypothetical Würzstein would have a byname of Würzsteiner. We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name.

Some commenters questioned the identifiability of the nesselblatt inverted, either on the grounds of the particular artwork drawn here, or on the grounds of identifiability due to the nesselblatt's unusual posture. We feel that the nesselblatt here is drawn correctly. While we are not aware of any period armory using nesselblatter inverted, a nesselblatt inverted appears to be no less identifiable than a nesselblatt in its default orientation.

Submitted under the name Maysun al-Rasheega.

Submitted as Sigulf Bjornsson, the Old Norse form of a patronymic byname formed from the given name Bjorn is Bjarnarson. Mention was made in commentary of a precedent ruling Bjornsson to be a valid patronymic formed from Bjorn. The precedent in question is:

In October, 1988 ... Laurel stated "we would dearly like to see some clear period documentation for the genitive form of "Bjorns", but have not thus far been presented with any. [Some] have responded to this challenge ... in providing period examples from Sveriges Medeltida Personnama (col. 318-326, 343-346). This compilation of period personal names from Swedish sources contains dates for each documented form. This tome documents such period genitive forms as "Biornar", "Biorns", and "Byorns", showing the precise sort of alternations of form for which Laurel had asked ("Biorns" is shown as early as 1360). The feminine patronymic form is demonstrated from the fourteenth century as well ("Marghet Bjronsdotter" from 1368, "Cecilia Biornsdoter" from 1377, etc.). (LoAR 26 Feb 89, p. 9)

This information supports Bjornsson as a 14th C Swedish byname, not as an Old Norse byname. While mixing Old English and Old Norse in a name is registerable with a weirdness, mixing Old English and Swedish in a name is not registerable. We have changed the byname to the Old Norse form in order to register this name.

Submitted as Thorkatla in mána, Geirr Bassi lists máni as a byname without the article in. Also in the bynames section, Geirr Bassi lists Mana- as an element that is prepended to a given name. Therefore, Þorkatla máni is a fully Old Norse form of this name, of which Thorkatla máni is a registerable variant. Lacking evidence that this byname is one that would include a definite article, the form in mána is not registerable. The LoI noted that:

The client's first choice for her name is <Thorkatla in mana> with the "Th" in place of the "Þ". [...] If "in mana" is not acceptable, the client prefers the byname "Mánadottir".

Mánadóttir is a patronymic byname based on the given name Máni, of which Mána is the genitive form, hence Mánadóttir. As the submitted in mána is not registerable, we have followed the instructions in the LoI and registered this name using the submitter's preferred alternative. Accents in Old Norse names need to be included or omitted consistently throughout the name. We have added the accent on the 'o' in the byname since the accent was included on the 'a'.

Submitted as Justinos Tekton, the submitter requested authenticity for Byzantine. Iustinos is a Latin form and Justin is an English form of this given name. As Latin does not include a J, the submitted Justinos is not a valid variant of the documented Iustinos. We have changed the given name to this form in order to register this name.

This name was originally submitted as Sabina Bragança and changed at Kingdom to match documented examples of Portuguese locative bynames. The submitter requested authenticity for 16th C Portuguese. Sabina was documented as a header spelling in Francisca Arana de Love, Nombres Propios Españoles, (p. 323) which gives it as the name of a 4th C martyr. This source should be used with care. Clarion explains:

Unfortunately, Arana de Love does not distinguish between names found in Spain and names found elsewhere. In this case, Sabina appears to be the name of an early Roman saint. I was unable to find the name in either Portugal or Spain.

Lacking evidence of Sabina in use in Spain or Portugal, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's desired culture. As Sabina is the Spanish form used to refer to the 4th C Roman saint, it is registerable as a saint's name in Spanish.

The armory verges on obtrusive modernity, reminding many commenters of a Pennsylvania Dutch folk art motif. While there was some doubt expressed as to whether the forms of tulips known in the West in period looked like these tulips, these are the standard SCA stylization of the plant.

The submitter requested authenticity for 12th to 14th C French and allowed no changes. Jeanne-Marie was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, the photocopy of her driver's license provided with this submission shows her name as JEANNE M [surname]. Therefore, this document does not support the form Jeanne-Marie for registration under the Legal Name Allowance. RfS II.4 states that "The allowance is only made for the actual legal name, not any variants." The provided document does not support the form Jeanne-Marie as her legal name. Alternate documentation was found for the elements Jeanne and Marie. The issue of hyphens in French names was addressed in the precedent:

The submitter has provided documentation for the use of hyphens in some late period French names. While we are not sure that all French names may be combined with hyphens, we are giving him the benefit of the doubt. [Yvon-Maurice Charon, An Tir-A, LoAR 08/98]

As no evidence was found for double given names or hyphenated given names in her desired period, we were unable to make this name authentic for that time and culture.

Listed on the LoI as Kjalvor Eyjadotter, this name was submitted as Kjalvor Eyjadatter. No notation was made in the LoI regarding this change. The submitter requested authenticity for 10th to 11th C Viking and allowed minor changes. Clarion found that, "According to page 18 of Geirr Bassi, the genitive form of Eyja is Eyju, so the matronymic should be Eyjudóttir. Geirr Bassi also notes that matronymics exist." We have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. We have also changed the given name to the form documented in Geirr Bassi.

It is not clear whether the default for six objects on a per pale field should be three two and one (as on a plain field) or two two and two (so the charges are placed on opposite sides of the line of division.) We have thus blazoned the arrangement of the gouttes explicitly.

Her previous device, Per pale vert and azure, a horse's head couped contourny and in chief three mullets argent, is released.

The submitter requested authenticity for 12th C English. The byname Ravenskeep was undocumented in the LoI except for noting its registration as a household name, which the submitter cannot claim under the Grandfather Clause. The element -keep was upheld as SCA compatible in the LoAR of November 2001:

Keep has long been used as part of SCA branch names. The most recent registration is Crossrode Keep, Shire of (registered November 1999 via Ansteorra). This element is effectively regarded as SCA compatible as an element in an English place name. Given the forms in which it has been registered, spellings of the element Keep are registerable both as a separate element (such as Crossrode Keep), and as the final element in a compound place name (such as Northkeep). [Tristan Ravencrest, Æthelmearc-A, LoAR 11/2001]

The College found evidence of English placenames that include Ravens- as a protheme, making Ravenkeep a registerable placename, with one weirdness for use of an SCA compatible element (-keep).

The LoI also noted that, "The client actually uses the name Michael of Endroc, but couldn't find documentation for Endroc. Any help on either byname would be appreciated." Orle found that "Endroc is a town in Hungary in county Baranya and region of Southern Transdanubia. HolinfoBank gives this modern information but I don't know how old this name is." For the element Endroc to be registerable, it would need to be documented as a plausible placename in period.

As the name submitted was Michael of Ravenskeep, and there is no mention of the element Endroc on the name submission form, we have registered a form of the submitted name. Lacking evidence that Ravenskeep is a documentable placename in period, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture.

Submitted as Nicholas the Falconer, the submitter requested authenticity for Norman language/culture. Reaney & Wilson (p. 161 s.n. Falconer) date Henry Falkenar to 1194 and Henry le fauconer to the 12th C. Bardsley (p. 281 s.n. Falconer) dates Richard le Fauconer to 1273. As le Fauconer is the closest of these forms to the submitted the Falconer, we have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

This name change was submitted with the explanation:

Due to a typo on the July 2001 Outlands LoI, his name was registered as "Reimar". It was "Reinmar" on the forms and was always intended to be "Reinmar", but since the CoA was not informed of this on the LoI or a letter of correction, and the typo was registerable using the same documentation, this becomes a change of registered name submission rather than a correction.

Unfortunately, neither the original nor the current submission provided support for the form Reinmar. Cornelian found support for the form Reinmar:

http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/sammlung2/cpg/cpg848.xml?docname=cpg848&pageid=PAGE0191 shows a page from the Manessee Codex, circa 1340, which is clearly titled in the manuscript Herr Reinmar von Alte. This is a facsimile page from the original medieval manuscript, and as such is as close to a primary document as we're going to get on this one. http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/sammlung2/cpg/cpg848.xml?docname=cpg848&pageid=PAGE0371 is captioned on the manuscript Reinmarr vo`Brennenb~rg, and http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/sammlung2/cpg/cpg848.xml?docname=cpg848&pageid=PAGE0619 is manuscript captioned Her Reinmar der Viddeler).

Given these examples, the submitted form is registerable.

His previous name, Reimar Heyden, is released.

Please advise the submitter to draw the pall inverted wider and with more pronounced dovetails.

The submitter requested authenticity for Scottish language/culture. No evidence was found that any form of Conall was used in Scotland as a given name. The examples listed in Black (p. 168 s.n. Conall) are bynames. This entry gives Conall as "[m]odern for Congal or Congual". Lacking evidence of any form of Conall used in Scotland c. 1600, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's desired culture.

As submitted, this name was documented as mixing French (Jeanne), Italian (Francesca), and English (Fitzgerald). There was some question regarding whether such a mix was registerable. Since Julian Goodwyn's article Brass Enscription Index (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/brasses/) dates the name Jeanne to 1530 in Kent, this name may be regarded as a mix of English and Italian and so is registerable.

This does not conflict with Morgan Nightbear, (Fieldless) A unicornate pegasus salient, wings displayed, azure. There is one CD for fieldlessness. There is a second CD for changing the posture. While there is no difference between rampant and salient, there is a CD between a creature with its wings displayed and one with its wings addorsed.

Submitted as Rebecka Raynsford of Devon, the submitter requested authenticity for 1600. J. W. Garrett-Pegge, A Transcript of the First Volume, 1538-1636, of the Parish Register of Chesham, Buckingham County (p. 207) notes the marriage of Roger Evans and Rebecca dawghter of widoe howe on November 17, 1601. We have changed the given name to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Submitted as Sapphira der Vrech, we have changed the descriptive byname to a feminine form to match the gender of the given name.

There were some questions about the charge placement in this armory and the correct blazon for the armory. The visual interpretation of this emblazon shows that the skull is indeed a primary charge, the only primary in this design. This can be seen by the fact that it is mostly centered on the field and overlies the line of division. The hourglass is clearly secondary because it is in base beneath a charge which is clearly primary.

The primary nature of the skull and secondary nature of the hourglass are apparent from the blazon as well as from the emblazon. The fact that the hourglass is marked by the blazon as in base after a charge which is not explicitly positioned on the field makes it clearly a secondary charge, and the previously named charge a primary charge.

If the blazon were simply Per fess purpure and sable, a skull and an hourglass fesswise argent, then the two charges would be co-primary, with the skull entirely on the top half of the field and the hourglass entirely on the bottom half of the field. If the two charges were both explicitly positioned in chief... and in base..., they would also be co-primary charges and again be placed with the first named charge entirely on the top half of the field and the second named charge entirely on the bottom half of the field.

Submitted as Ylaria of Loxley, the submitter requested authenticity for 13th C England. Reaney & Wilson (s.n. Locksley) date John de Lokkesley to 1275. We have changed the byname to this form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

Submitted as Danil Batory, the submitter requested a "name correct for the Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth". The submitted Batory is a Hungarian rather than a Polish or Lithuanian form. Nebuly found a Polish form of this name:

The name Danil appears in the SSNO (s.n. Daniel), and is dated to 1393. The byname Batory is Hungarian, meaning "from Bátor" (Kázmér, s.n. Bátori), and is therefore inconsistent with the client's desire for a Polish/Lithuanian name. The SSNO does have one instance of Bathoricz dated 1310 (s.n. Batorzyc [sic]), which is a Polish form of the Hungarian name (The Polish locative ending -icz is substituted for Hungarian -y). I suggest we register Danil Bathoricz, in accordance with the client's wishes.

We have changed the byname to the form suggested by Nebuly to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.

The byname ní Muireáin was submitted as a matronymic byname in Irish Gaelic.

The registerability of matronymic bynames in Gaelic has fluctuated over time. Currently, only a few rare examples of matronymics have been found in Irish Gaelic, only two of which include a reference to a mother's given name. In both of these examples, the mother's given name and the father's given name are included in the person's byname. Additionally, all of the examples known at this time date from after 1200. This date is important because of the changes in which given names were popular, partially due to the Anglo-Norman influence which was growing at that time.

Given the rarity of matronymics, and the narrow time and cultural frame in which they occur, they have been ruled registerable (though a weirdness), so long as they match the time and cultural frame in which the few known examples appear. Specifically, that results in two restrictions:

- The matronymic byname must be in Irish Gaelic.

- The mother's given name used in the matronymic byname must be documented as having been used after 1200.

Regarding the submitted byname, Muireann is listed in Ó Corráin & Maguire (s.n. Muirenn) and in Woulfe (s.n. Muireann), and is a form consistent with Early Modern Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700) and Modern Gaelic (c. 1700 to present) spelling conventions. However, the only dated examples of this name that have been found in period date to the 7th to 10th centuries. Lacking evidence that any form of Muireann was used after 1200, it is not registerable in a matronymic byname.

Additionally, the particle ní was not used in Gaelic in period. The pre-1200 form was ingen uí and the post-1200 form was inghean uí. The few examples of matronymics in Gaelic are literal. No evidence has been found of clan names (including those using forms of ua/Ó) referring to a female ancestor. Therefore, the particle inghean is registerable in a matronymic construction, while inghean uí is not. If evidence were found of Muireann being used after 1200, then this byname would be registerable using inghean and with Muireann put into the genitive case and lenited.

The device conflicts with Cartismandua Natione Veniconum, Sable, on a plate a hedgehog statant gules, on a chief argent three hedgehogs statant gules. This armory does not qualify for RfS X.4.j.ii because it is not a simple case as defined by the subsections of that rule: both the primary and peripheral charges are themselves charged. Therefore there is no difference for changing the type only of either of the two groups of tertiary charges: the tertiary group consisting of the charge on the plate or the tertiary group consisting of the charges on the chief.

Conflict with Giles MacManus, registered in the Atlantian section of this LoAR, Per bend sinister sable and gules, a tankard argent. There is only one CD, for fieldlessness.

The cover letter for the March 1993 LoAR (dated 8 May 1993) stated:

At their April 93 meeting, the Board of Directors decided to accept my recommendation on how to prevent SCA members from being disadvantaged by non-members during the heraldic submission process. Corpora explicitly forbids us to consider the membership status of an armory's owner, once the armory is registered; the Board agreed that the only time a member's submission could be returned for conflict by a non-member's armory is when the two were considered at the same Laurel meeting. Beginning immediately, therefore, if two submissions at the same meeting are deemed to conflict, we will give preference to the submission from the paid member. If both submitters are (or aren't) paid members, then the first received takes priority, as before.

This gives an advantage to members' submissions, without requiring anyone to check every submitter's membership status. Laurel need only call the Registrar, on those rare occasions when membership becomes important; this happens seldom enough to impose no undue burden on Laurel, the Registrar, or the College.

This policy has not been rescinded. It has been upheld a number of times since:

Since both submissions were from the same month, we followed the strictures from the Board which meant that we had to determine the membership status of the two submitters, since if one was a member and one was not, the member would get priority (LoAR September 1996).

According to the registry, both submitters were members in August 2001, and thus priority is determined by the date on the LoI (LoAR August 2001).

Wreath therefore telephoned the registry. The registry indicated that Giles MacManus's membership was current at the time of the Wreath meeting, and that Caterina had not been a member since March 2000. Since the armory of a member takes precedence over armory of non-members, Giles's armory takes precedence.

The submission was withdrawn on the July 2002 Atenveldt Letter of Intent.

This must be returned for charging a tertiary charge. RfS VIII.1.c.ii, Layer Limit, states "All charges should be placed either directly on the field or entirely on other charges that lie on the field." Here, the roundel lies on the comet, which does not lie on the field.

There were some other concerns about the artwork. Pawprints do not show this degree of disarticulation in nature: generally the 'toes' may be separated from the 'pads' but there is no separation between the joints of the toes in the pawprint. This emblazon shows too many separate pieces of the toes to be a pawprint. Charges should be drawn either in a period heraldic stylization (where available) or in a recognizable naturalistic style. Since pawprints are not found in period heraldry, it is all the more important that they be drawn recognizably.

Some commenters felt that heading a comet of a roundel, rather than a mullet or an estoile, might be an additional problem with this armory. However, given the different period depictions of comets, a comet headed of a roundel is a reasonable variant.

This name conflicts with Damon Blackthorn (registered February 1992). The differences between the sound and appearance of the given names is insufficient.

His armory has been registered under the holding name Damian of Ered Sûl.

A demi-sun is a semi-circular charge. If a demi-sun is drawn from the bottom of a pile, it should subtend an arc of a circle. This charge subtends an arc of some tall thin oval and is not clearly recognizable as a demi-sun: it's too elongated. (It's so difficult to describe an unusual shape in words. The best I can do here is "an ice cream cone with some small sun rays issuant from the top of the ice cream scoop".) The rays of the charge are too short to allow this charge to be reblazoned as rays of the sun issuant from base (as can be seen in Parker's A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry under Ray). Because this charge cannot be blazoned, it must be returned for redrawing. It is not clear whether a demi-sun can be correctly drawn issuant from base on a charge as narrow at the base as a pile.

On resubmission, the submitter should be careful to avoid conflict with Emrys Montgomery, Barry azure and Or, on a pile gules fimbriated argent a sun in his splendor Or.

As drawn, this is neither a point pointed nor a per chevron field. This must therefore be returned for redrawing. A point pointed should go less than halfway up the shield. A per chevron field should balance the top and bottom halves of the field.

This name is being returned for multiple issues.

Farisa, which the submitter intended to mean 'horsewoman', is the feminine form of Faris, which is listed as an Arabic form of Knight in "The List of Alternate Titles as approved by the College of Arms" (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/titles.html). Therefore, Farisa (like Knight) is a restricted title and may not be registered as part of an SCA name.

The element Ramia was documented on the LoI as follows: "The Arabic word rama/ramy means 'to shoot' or 'to fire' (pp. 360-361, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Arabic-English, Hans Wehr, McDonald and Evans Ltd., London, reprinted 1980); the submitter's husband was raised and educated in Iraq, and Arabic is his first language." Unfortunately, knowledge of a modern language does not necessarily imply a knowledge of the same language in period. As a result, a simple statement by a native speaker has not been sufficient documentation for a number of years. One precedent that outlines the issue is:

Most of us wouldn't trust the average English-speaker to get Early Modern English correct (witness the number of people who have trouble understanding Shakespeare!); anything earlier is even more unlikely. And there is no reason to believe that English is peculiar in this. We have no more cause to trust a modern German speaker's knowledge of Middle High German than to trust a modern English speaker's knowledge of Middle English. Native speakers of English submitting English names frequently 'know' that they are correct -- even when they are altogether wrong. Without sufficient information with which to judge the reliability of the source, or the background and training of the speaker, we cannot assume any special knowledge about period naming practice or grammar. When the documentation boils down to "because I said so", it cannot be accepted on its face. [6/94c, p.3]

Lacking documentation that Ramia would have been used in an Arabic byname in period, it is not registerable.

The element Kathoum, used in the byname bint Kathoum, was submitted as the father's legal given name. The Legal Name Allowance only applies to elements of the submitter's own name. At the same time as this submission, the submitter's father submitted an Arabic name using Kathoum as his given name via the Legal Name Allowance. (That submission is returned this month for other issues.) The Grandfather Clause allows elements of immediate family members to be used in the same manner and exactly the same spelling as in the registered name regardless of the current registerability of that element, so long as no new violations of the Rules for Submissions exist in the new name that did not exist in the registered name. In Arabic, given names used in a patronymic byname have the same case as given names used in given name positions, so the spelling of Kathoum used in a patronymic byname would not change from the spelling Kathoum used as a given name. Therefore, if the submitter's father registers Kathoum as the given name in his SCA name, the submitter may register bint Kathoum as an Arabic byname in her SCA name. Since Kathoum is a modern Arabic masculine given name, the byname bint Kathoum complies with RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a byname.

An additional issue is that this name uses inconsistent transliteration. Al-Jamal wrote:

Okay, first off, either drop the final "h" from Hameedah (which we can't do if she's applying the legal name allowance, which only permits the exact legal name) or add it to Farisa and Ramia. "Submitted as Khadijah bint Mika'il al-Zarqa, it combines two different forms of transliteration. We have changed the spelling of the byname to make the entire name consistent." (Elsbeth Anne Roth, LoAR September 2000, p. 12)

al-Jamal provided commentary regarding another issue with this name:

Finally, the name is not constructed as names were in period. Hameedah bint Kathoum al-Ramiah (were all of the elements documented) would be the expected period form; Hameedah al-Ramiah bint Kathoum (the same caveat) might also be registrable. But the submitted form is unlike period names (or modern, so far as I can see) in structure and grammar.

Lacking evidence that a byname would precede a given name in this manner in a period Arabic name, this construction is not registerable.

Conflict with Torrin the Wanderer, Or, on a tower per pale gules and azure, a compass star Or. There is one CD for changing the tincture of the tower but nothing for changing the type only of tertiary charge by RfS X.4.j.ii, because a charged tower will not qualify for this rule. According to X.4.j.ii, "A charge is suitable for the purposes of this rule if (a) it it simple enough in outline to be voided, and (b) it is correctly drawn with an interior substantial enough to display easily recognizable charges." Towers are not simple enough in outline to be voided.

In addition, the badge may not be accepted for administrative reasons. The name of the branch was returned in April 2002, so the badge must be returned for lack of a name to which to register it in any case.

This name conflicts with King Maredudd ap Gruffydd (d. 1155), son of King Gruffydd ap Rhys, who retook most of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth from the Normans. Though Maredudd does not have his own entry in the online Encyclopedia Britannica, we protect rulers of countries who do not have their own entries in general encyclopedias. This practice was demonstrated with the return of the name Gruffydd ap Gwineth, which was judged as conflicting with Gruffudd, King of Gwynedd to 1137 (December 1997 LoAR). Just as Gruffudd does not have his own entry in a general encyclopedia, yet is protected, so Maredudd is also protected.

His armory has been registered under the holding name Maredudd of Atenveldt.

The submitted name mixes Arabic and Indian languages within name phrases, which is prohibited under RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency within a name element. Humayun was documented as the "name of a Mughal ruler of northern India, 1515-1556". al-Jamal notes that "technically the name is not truly 'Arabic', in that Humayun may be Mughal, a form of Mongol, rather than Arabic." The byname bint Humayun therefore combines the Arabic bint, meaning 'daughter', with the non-Arabic name Humayun. There is also some question whether the name Humayun was in common use. If it is unique to this ruler, then use of this name in a byname is presumptuous and is cause for return. In order to be registerable, this phrase needs to rendered in a single language and Humayun needs to be shown to be a name that is not unique to this ruler.

The byname al Delhi combines the Arabic element al with the Indian placename Delhi. In order to be registerable, this phrase needs to be rendered in a single language and put in a proper locative byname form. al-Jamal explains:

Al Delhi is neither proper grammar nor the correct gender. As it stands, her father is claiming to be Delhi. If locatives are formed in Mughal India according to Arabic rules of grammar, something I cannot confirm, I would expect the masculine form from someone from Delhi to be al-Delhiwayyi, and the feminine form to be al-Delhiwayyia.

The form that locative bynames take in Mughal would need to be documented as matching those in Arabic, or Delhi would need to be documented as an Arabic form of this placename, for the forms mentioned by al-Jamal to be registerable.

Her armory has been registered under the holding name Masala of Atenveldt.

This name is being returned for multiple issues.

Mu'alim, which the submitter intended to mean 'teacher', is listed as an Arabic form of Master, in the form Mu'allim, in "The List of Alternate Titles as approved by the College of Arms" (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/titles.html). al-Jamal explains:

Mu'allim is a restricted title, the Arabic equivalent of master. (That it also has the connotation of "teacher" was a bonus to those of us who researched the Arabic alternate titles list.)

Therefore, Mu'Alim (like Master) is a restricted title and may not be registered as part of an SCA name.

The element Rami was documented on the LoI as follows: "The Arabic word rama/ramy means 'to shoot' or 'to fire' (pp. 360-361, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Arabic-English, Hans Wehr, McDonald and Evans Ltd., London, reprinted 1980); I am trusting the submitter on this, as he was raised and educated in Iraq, and Arabic is his first language." Unfortunately, knowledge of a modern language does not necessarily imply a knowledge of the same language in period. As a result, a simple statement by a native speaker has not been sufficient documentation for a number of years. One precedent that outlines the issue is:

Most of us wouldn't trust the average English-speaker to get Early Modern English correct (witness the number of people who have trouble understanding Shakespeare!); anything earlier is even more unlikely. And there is no reason to believe that English is peculiar in this. We have no more cause to trust a modern German speaker's knowledge of Middle High German than to trust a modern English speaker's knowledge of Middle English. Native speakers of English submitting English names frequently 'know' that they are correct -- even when they are altogether wrong. Without sufficient information with which to judge the reliability of the source, or the background and training of the speaker, we cannot assume any special knowledge about period naming practice or grammar. When the documentation boils down to "because I said so", it cannot be accepted on its face. [6/94c, p.3]

Lacking documentation that Rami would have been used in an Arabic byname in period, it is not registerable.

al-Jamal provided commentary regarding other issues with this name:

Abdul Majeed is more usually transliterated 'Abd al-Majid.

Finally, the name is not constructed as names were in period. Kathoum ibn 'Abd al-Majid al-Rami (assuming that rami can be documented) would be the expected form. The submitted form is unlike period names (or modern, so far as I can see) in structure and grammar.

Lacking evidence that a byname would precede a given name in this manner in a period Arabic name, this construction is not registerable.

As the submitter does not allow major changes, we were unable to drop the problematic elements in order to register this name.

The words "Allah Akbar" in the device are not written in a standard Arabic form: a diacritical marking is misplaced. For examples of this phrase, see http://www.islaam.org/Taqwaa/taqwaa.html or http://members.lycos.co.uk/islaam/. Because we do not know what the altered writing means, it has the potential to either be nonsensical or offensive. The phrase "Allah Akbar" means roughly "God is Most Great". The phrase is acceptable if spelled correctly.

This name is being returned for multiple issues.

Mu'allimah, which the submitter intended to mean 'teacher', is listed in the form Mu'allima (an alternate transliteration) as an Arabic form of Mistress in "The List of Alternate Titles as approved by the College of Arms" (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/titles.html). al-Jamal explains:

Mu'allima is a restricted title, the feminine Arabic equivalent of mistress. (That it also has the connotation of "teacher" was a bonus to those of us who researched the Arabic alternate titles list.)

Therefore, Mu'allimah (like Mistress) is a restricted title and may not be registered as part of an SCA name.

The element Ramia was documented on the LoI as follows: "The Arabic word rama/ramy means 'to shoot' or 'to fire' (pp. 360-361, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Arabic-English, Hans Wehr, McDonald and Evans Ltd., London, reprinted 1980); the submitter's husband was raised and educated in Iraq, and Arabic is his first language." Unfortunately, knowledge of a modern language does not necessarily imply a knowledge of the same language in period. As a result, a simple statement by a native speaker has not been sufficient documentation for a number of years. One precedent that outlines the issue is:

Most of us wouldn't trust the average English-speaker to get Early Modern English correct (witness the number of people who have trouble understanding Shakespeare!); anything earlier is even more unlikely. And there is no reason to believe that English is peculiar in this. We have no more cause to trust a modern German speaker's knowledge of Middle High German than to trust a modern English speaker's knowledge of Middle English. Native speakers of English submitting English names frequently 'know' that they are correct -- even when they are altogether wrong. Without sufficient information with which to judge the reliability of the source, or the background and training of the speaker, we cannot assume any special knowledge about period naming practice or grammar. When the documentation boils down to "because I said so", it cannot be accepted on its face. [6/94c, p.3]

Lacking documentation that Ramia would have been used in an Arabic byname in period, it is not registerable.

No documentation was provided in the LoI for the element Ghafoor and the College found none. Lacking documentation that this element is plausible as part of a period name, it is not registerable.

The maunch fracted is not identifiable. It appears to be two slightly different styles of maunches addorsed rather than a single fracted charge.

The element Rami was documented on the LoI as follows: "The Arabic word rama/ramy means 'to shoot' or 'to fire' (pp. 360-361, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Arabic-English, Hans Wehr, McDonald and Evans Ltd., London, reprinted 1980); I am trusting the submitter's father, as he was raised and educated in Iraq, and Arabic is his first language." Unfortunately, knowledge of a modern language does not necessarily imply a knowledge of the same language in period. As a result, a simple statement by a native speaker has not been sufficient documentation for a number of years. One precedent that outlines the issue is:

Most of us wouldn't trust the average English-speaker to get Early Modern English correct (witness the number of people who have trouble understanding Shakespeare!); anything earlier is even more unlikely. And there is no reason to believe that English is peculiar in this. We have no more cause to trust a modern German speaker's knowledge of Middle High German than to trust a modern English speaker's knowledge of Middle English. Native speakers of English submitting English names frequently 'know' that they are correct -- even when they are altogether wrong. Without sufficient information with which to judge the reliability of the source, or the background and training of the speaker, we cannot assume any special knowledge about period naming practice or grammar. When the documentation boils down to "because I said so", it cannot be accepted on its face. [6/94c, p.3]

Lacking documentation that Rami would have been used in an Arabic byname in period, it is not registerable.

The element Kathoum, used in the byname ibn Kathoum, was submitted as the father's legal given name. The Legal Name Allowance only applies to elements of the submitter's own name. At the same time as this submission, the submitter's father submitted an Arabic name using Kathoum as his given name via the Legal Name Allowance. (That submission is returned this month for other issues.) The Grandfather Clause allows elements of immediate family members to be used in the same manner and exactly the same spelling as in the registered name regardless of the current registerability of that element, so long as no new violations of the Rules for Submissions exist in the new name that did not exist in the registered name. In Arabic, given names used in a patronymic byname have the same case as given names used in given name positions, so the spelling of Kathoum used in a patronymic byname would not change from the spelling Kathoum used as a given name. Therefore, if the submitter's father registers Kathoum as the given name in his SCA name, the submitter may register ibn Kathoum as an Arabic byname in his SCA name. Since Kathoum is a modern Arabic masculine given name, the byname ibn Kathoum complies with RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a byname.

al-Jamal provided commentary regarding other issues with this name:

Finally, the name is not constructed as names were in period. Hussein ibn Kathoum al-Rami (were all of the elements documented) would be the expected period form; Hussein al-Rami ibn Kathoum (with the same caveat) might also be registrable. But the submitted form is unlike period names (or modern, so far as I can see) in structure and grammar.

Lacking evidence that a byname would precede a given name in this manner in a period Arabic name, this construction is not registerable.

The element Rami was documented on the LoI as follows: "The Arabic word rama/ramy means 'to shoot' or 'to fire' (pp. 360-361, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Arabic-English, Hans Wehr, McDonald and Evans Ltd., London, reprinted 1980); I am trusting the submitter's father, as he was raised and educated in Iraq, and Arabic is his first language." Unfortunately, knowledge of a modern language does not necessarily imply a knowledge of the same language in period. As a result, a simple statement by a native speaker has not been sufficient documentation for a number of years. One precedent that outlines the issue is:

Most of us wouldn't trust the average English-speaker to get Early Modern English correct (witness the number of people who have trouble understanding Shakespeare!); anything earlier is even more unlikely. And there is no reason to believe that English is peculiar in this. We have no more cause to trust a modern German speaker's knowledge of Middle High German than to trust a modern English speaker's knowledge of Middle English. Native speakers of English submitting English names frequently 'know' that they are correct -- even when they are altogether wrong. Without sufficient information with which to judge the reliability of the source, or the background and training of the speaker, we cannot assume any special knowledge about period naming practice or grammar. When the documentation boils down to "because I said so", it cannot be accepted on its face. [6/94c, p.3]

Lacking documentation that Rami would have been used in an Arabic byname in period, it is not registerable.

The element Kathoum, used in the byname ibn Kathoum, was submitted as the father's legal given name. The Legal Name Allowance only applies to elements of the submitter's own name. At the same time as this submission, the submitter's father submitted an Arabic name using Kathoum as his given name via the Legal Name Allowance. (That submission is returned this month for other issues.) The Grandfather Clause allows elements of immediate family members to be used in the same manner and exactly the same spelling as in the registered name regardless of the current registerability of that element, so long as no new violations of the Rules for Submissions exist in the new name that did not exist in the registered name. In Arabic, given names used in a patronymic byname have the same case as given names used in given name positions, so the spelling of Kathoum used in a patronymic byname would not change from the spelling Kathoum used as a given name. Therefore, if the submitter's father registers Kathoum as the given name in his SCA name, the submitter may register ibn Kathoum as an Arabic byname in his SCA name. Since Kathoum is a modern Arabic masculine given name, the byname ibn Kathoum complies with RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a byname.

al-Jamal provided commentary regarding other issues with this name:

Finally, the name is not constructed as names were in period. Muhammad ibn Kathoum al-Rami (were all of the elements documented) would be the expected period form; Muhammad al-Rami ibn Kathoum (with the same caveat) might also be registrable. But the submitted form is unlike period names (or modern, so far as I can see) in structure and grammar.

Lacking evidence that a byname would precede a given name in this manner in a period Arabic name, this construction is not registerable.

The submitted byname de Castelyn combines the locative particle de 'of' with the occupational byname Castelyn, which is not a plausible combination. Metron Ariston explains:

Actually, the listing for Castellan in Reaney and Wilson has two etymologies cited with rather different orthographies listed. The one which contains Walter Castelyn is occupational from the Old French chastelain and the earlier forms have the article le not a preposition. The forms with the preposition derive from Castellion in France: William de castellon, Hugo de Castelliun and Robert de Chastellun.

As the submitter allowed no changes, we were unable to either drop de and register the byname simply as Castelyn or change the spelling of Castelyn to a documented locative form.

The gouttes are too numerous and too small to be identifiable. There was a significant discrepancy between the emblazon on the forms and the mini-emblazon on the Letter of Intent. There are approximately 130 gouttes on the form, and approximately 40 gouttes on the mini-emblazon. Forty charges is a large number to have on the field compared to the standard period depiction of a group of strewn charges (which often has as few as ten charges on the field). As long as the charges in a group of strewn charges maintain their identifiability, they are acceptable regardless of the exact number of charges in the emblazon.

Most commenters noted the typographical error in the blazon that made the field Gules goutty de sang. Because the field was not blazoned correctly, the College could not perform correct conflict research on this submission.

The submitter requested authenticity for 6th to 7th C Central Europe. No evidence was presented and none was found that a byname meaning 'light seeker' would have been applied to a person in period.

Metron Ariston found evidence of a Latin word, lucipetus, with this meaning:

To my great surprise, there is actually a Latin word for "light seeking" and, what is more, it occurs in a work that would be familiar to educated men for most of our period, the Etymologies or Origines of Isidore of Seville (560-636). It even has an antonym (lucifugus). Mind you, the term is applied to a fly by Isidore who was dealing with the natural world at that point [...]

As we have no evidence that lucipetus, or a different phrase meaning 'light seeker', would have been used to describe a human in period, a byname with this meaning is not registerable. If evidence were found that a byname with this meaning would have been been used to describe a human in period, then Theodericus Lucipetus would be a registerable form of this name.

This name combines the Irish Gaelic Tiarnán with the Italian del Sarto. Mixing Anglicized Irish and Italian in a single name was ruled unregisterable in April 2000. As mixing Irish Gaelic and Italian in a single name is less likely than mixing Anglicized Irish and Italian, this combination is similarly unregisterable.

Additionally, Tiarnán is a Modern Irish Gaelic (c. 1700 to present) form, and so is not registerable. Registerable forms include the Middle Irish (c. 900 to c. 1200) Tigernán and the Early Modern Gaelic (c. 1200-c. 1700) Tighearnán found in Ó Corráin and Maguire (s.n. Tigernán).

His armory has been registered under the holding name Alan of Atenveldt.

The identifiability of the rabbit is unacceptably compromised by the combination of the unusual sejant erect affronty posture and the paly tincture of the rabbit. While there is period armory depicting animals in multiply divided tinctures such as barry and checky, the period animals so tinctured are in their most identifiable postures. Sejant erect affronty is not such a posture. In addition, period examples of sejant erect affronty, such as the crest of Scotland, are generally drawn with the forepaws displayed. Such a rendition is more identifiable than the depiction in this emblazon, where the forepaws lie entirely on the rabbit's body.

The primary charge was blazoned on the letter of intent as a hare-headed man, and blazoned by the submitter as a hare. The charge has a hare's feet and head but a man's proportions. This is a style of drollery which is found in period art, but no documentation has been presented for such a charge in period heraldry. Most of the commentary received on this submission indicated that it was difficult to identify the charge. As a result, this may not be accepted without either documentation for such a charge in heraldry, or a redrawing so that the charge is clearly either a hare-headed man or a hare.

The commentary was secondarily concerned with the difficulty of blazoning the posture of the creature. He is holding the crossbow so that it is inverted and against the "ground". He has put one hind foot behind the bow (presumably, in a stirrup) to hold the bow down while he pulls the bowstring back (which is to say, upwards). This is a reasonable natural posture for a period person to have taken while cocking a crossbow, but it is not clear whether it is an acceptable heraldic posture. We have used this term in the blazon above, but decline to rule at this time on whether it is an acceptable heraldic posture.

Conflict with Killian Stewart, Per pale sable and argent, two wolves heads respectant counterchanged. There is only one CD for adding the bordure.

The posture of the ape cannot be reproduced from this blazon or any other blazon we were able to determine. The overall art style was also generally felt to be obtrusively modern. This was partially due to the generally modern stylization of the art, and partially due to the similarity of this ape to some modern pop icons, such as the "monkeys" from the Barrel of Monkeys game (see http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/toys/ty1003.php)

The charges in chief were originally blazoned as garden roses, but they are drawn as rosebuds. Rosebuds have not been registerable since the cover letter for the LoAR of November 1994, as they are not period style. Please note that, by the same cover letter ruling, roses drawn in a natural style (also known as "garden roses") are blazoned in the same way as roses drawn in a heraldic style. Each style of rose is blazoned simply as a rose.

Conflict with Elfarch Myddfai, Or, a bear legged of an eagle's legs rampant to sinister gules. There is one CD for changing the field but no difference for changing the type of the bear's feet.

Snowflakes are not period charges and have not been registerable since the Cover Letter for the LoAR of August 1994.

No documentation was provided and none was found by the College that al-Rasheega is a plausible period byname. The LoI documented Ras{i-}q as a modern masculine given name, Rashiq as a period masculine given name, and Ras{i-}qah as a modern feminine given name. This documentation does not address the use of al-Rasheega as a period byname. al-Jamal explained the issues with this construction:

Al-Rasheega is more problematical. She has submitted no evidence that the alternate spelling (and pronunciation) is in any way reasonable. (It may very well be, but we've been given no reason to believe so.) Neither has any evidence been submitted that Rashiqa is one of the category of Arabic names which may be used either alone or as a byname with the article al ("the"). In fact, I do not find any such evidence. Nor can I find "graceful" in any of my English-Arabic dictionaries. ("Grace", as in "favor", yes, but not "graceful", and the root is entirely different.) I think we need additional documentation for the propriety of al-Rashiqa before we register it.

Lacking evidence that al-Rasheega is a plausible period byname, it is not registerable.

The badge submission was registered under the previously registered name, Morgan MacBride.

Conflict with the Order of the Sable Thistle of Ansteorra, (Fieldless) A blue thistle sable, slipped and leaved Or. There is one CD for changing the field, but the slips and leaves of the thistle are most of its tincture. There is therefore not a second CD for changing less than half the tincture of the thistle.

The sword is drawn in an unrecognizable fashion. While the recognizability of maintained charges is not expected to be as good as the recognizability of primary or secondary charges, here the identifying hilt of the sword lies entirely on the wyvern, which is the same tincture.

The wyvern here is drawn in a modern style, and the submitter should be advised to use less-modern artwork.

We would like to note that it is acceptable for a wyvern to have two hind legs as drawn here. Some commenters thought that wyverns had to be drawn with two forelegs rather than two hind legs. Both sorts of emblazon may be found in period armory. For examples of wyverns which appear to have hind legs (they are proportioned more or less like a long-tailed bird), see Dennys' Heraldic Imagination p.189, illustration of the attributed arms of Uther Pendragon. See also the Grand Armorial Équestre de la Toison d'Or (aka the European Armorial in the Pinches/Wood edition), Holy Roman Empire section, families of Mesze and Neidecker. For examples where the wyverns appear to have forelegs (proportioned like a winged reptile without hind legs) see Siebmacher's Wappenbuch, f. 144 Die Wormb and f. 130 Breidenstein. For wyverns whose two legs are not clearly identifiable either as forelegs or hind legs, see Burgave de Drachenfels found in Armorial Bellenville f. 18r and in Gelre f. 28v.

This name was submitted as Cuil Cholum and changed at Kingdom to the current form to add a designator and correct the grammar. The LoI stated that:

A petition of support is enclosed. Submitted as <Cuil Cholum>, the clients did not provide any new documentation, and accept no MINOR changes. After correspondence between Dragon, Fause Lozenge, and the consulting herald for the group, the group has expressly said that the change to <Shire of Cúil Cholum> is acceptable to them.

Unfortunately, the group only allowed the name to be changed to the form Shire of Cúil Cholum. Cholum is a nominative, lenited form. Since it follows Cúil, Gaelic grammar requires that it take the genitive, lenited form Choluim. This effectively parallels the possessive in modern English, giving the submitted name the meaning 'Columb's nook' or 'Columb's retreat'. As the submitting group only allowed the name to be changed to Shire of Cúil Cholum, the change to Shire of Cúil Choluim is not within the changes allowed. Therefore, we are unable to correct the grammar in this submission in order to register the name.

No forms were received for this submission, so this submission must be returned. The blazon above is the one received by the College: without forms we cannot confirm its accuracy.

Without forms, we could not effectively address the comments from the College concerning the proportions of this emblazon. As we have seen all too frequently in this last year, the proportions of the mini-emblazon do not always accurately represent the full-sized colored emblazon. Since artistic judgement calls can only be made based on the full-sized colored emblazon, we cannot rule on artistic issues. We do however note that artwork which is neither clearly per chevron nor a point pointed may be considered a reason for return, as has been ruled elsewhere in this LoAR.

This name change was submitted with the explanation:

Her name was registered as "Damiana bint al-Katib" in October 2001. It was submitted as "Dimiana" and was always intended to be "Dimiana", but there was a typo on the May 2001 Outlands Letter of Intent which spelled it "Diamiana". Pelican made a decision on which spelling to use, but the client would prefer it as "Dimiana." Since this typo occured on the Outlands LoI rather than the LoAR, this is a change of registered name submission rather than just a correction.

Unfortunately, neither the original nor the current submission provided support solid support for the form Dimiana. The submitted spelling was supported only by printouts of a web search on the spelling Dimiana. This printout lists instances of a Saint Dimiana which seems to be a modern variant form of Saint Damiana. The College found support for Damiana as a period form of this saint's name when the previous form of this name was put before the College for commentary. Lacking evidence that Dimiana is a plausible period form of this saint's name, it is not registerable.

The pile here is drawn with the pile issuing from the upper corners of the shield. This is different from the mini-emblazon. Since the full-sized emblazon is the final arbiter of the drawing, this must be returned. To quote from one of the more recent of the many rulings on the topic, "The pile is not drawn properly; a pile should not issue from the corners of the shield, but from farther in on the chief. As the pile also does not extend to base, it cannot be reblazoned as a chaussé field" (LoAR July 2000).

This is clear of conflict with Gesina of Schermerhorn, Argent, a chevron sable surmounted by a pile throughout counterchanged vert and argent. There is one CD for changing the tincture of the pile from mostly vert to mostly sable. Gesina's chevron is about 2/3 sable and 1/3 argent. Michael's chevron will have at least half the chevron of a different tincture than Gesina's, giving a second CD.

Conflict with Rivka Vladimirovna Rivkina, Per pall sable, vert and Or. RfS X.4.a.ii.a, Field Primary Armory ... Substantial Change in Partition, does not give a substantial change in partition between per pall and per pall inverted. That rule gives a list of field divisions for which substantial change in partition might apply, and neither per pall nor per pall inverted are on the list. Thus, there is one CD (but not substantial difference) for changing the line of partition from per pall to per pall inverted.

There is not a second CD for changing field tincture by RfS X.4.a, which states in part, "In general, if the tincture of at least half the field is changed, the fields will be considered different", and "There is a clear difference for reversing the tinctures of a field evenly divided into two parts, per saltire, or quarterly, but not for reversing the tinctures of a field divided in any other way." Because less than half of the field tincture has changed (aside from changing the arrangement of those tinctures), and because there is no difference for changing the arrangement of the tinctures on a per pall (or per pall inverted) field by X.4.a, the second CD for tincture is not obtainable.

Conflict with Roxanne of Anglesey, Per chevron argent and azure, three primroses, one and two, azure, and a candle argent, enflamed and resting in a holder Or. Each of these devices has a single group of four primary charges in cross. There is one CD for changing the tincture of a bit over three-fourths of the charge group. However, there is no type difference between primroses and roses: both are cinquefoil-type flowers. Thus there is no difference for changing the type of only one-fourth of the charge group (the charge in base.)

Please note that the tincture of the roses was not provided in the Letter of Intent, and most commenters guessed that the roses were azure rather than gules. The College therefore did not have the opportunity to fully research this submission for conflict.

The tincture of the ivy vine was omitted in the letter of intent, leading the College to surmise that it was sable. This must be pended for further research.

If this submission passes, the submitter will release her currently held device, Per chevron engrailed argent and azure, a castle sable and four fish naiant contourny Or.