This badge removes the field from the submitter's device, Or, a four-leaved clover saltirewise slipped vert, registered in August 2002. The following text from the LoAR applies equally well to this badge as it does to her device:
This ... does not conflict with a badge of Ireland, (Fieldless) A shamrock vert (important real-world armory). A shamrock is effectively a trefoil, and to quote precedent, "After considering both of the badges, we could see no reason not to grant a CD between a trefoil and quatrefoil" (LoAR of January 1997).
Note that a shamrock, in the SCA, is defined as a trefoil with heart-shaped foils. A shamrock with any number of foils other than three must be blazoned explicitly. A default (three-foiled) shamrock is slipped by default, like a trefoil. If there are more than three foils on the shamrock, the charge is not slipped by default (which is also the case with the similar n-foils).
The submitter requested authenticity for pre-1492 Spain. Siren provided information regarding this byname:
<Cordovera> is a perfectly normal adjectival form meaning "woman from Cordova." (as opposed to <Cordovero> "man from Cordova"). The name is fine, though I'd expect <Cordovero> in a fifteenth century name.
In the 15th C, a woman could have inherited the byname Cordovero from her father. Less commonly, she could have had a literal byname such as Cordovera. As both the inherited Cordovero and the literal Cordovera are plausible for a woman's name in pre-1492 Spain, we have left this byname in the submitted form.
Good name!
A number of commenters were concerned about the identifiability of the crosses of Santiago. The cross of Santiago is one of the more variable forms of period crosses, as can be seen by inspecting material pertaining to the regalia of the Spanish or Portuguese Orders of Santiago [de la Espada]. The bottom arm of the cross is always fitchy, but in a way that more resembles a sword blade than the usual bottom arm of a cross fitchy. The side arms are an often-flamboyant sort of flory. The top arm ranges from a standard flory, to a subdued form of flory, to a round- or card-pique-shaped "sword hilt" shape. Comparing the crosses in this submission to the relatively standard form in the Pictorial Dictionary, the top and bottom arms of the crosses are almost identical. The side arms of the crosses are, in each case, a flamboyant form of flory, but the side arms in this submission are much flatter than usual. Please advise the submitter to draw the side arms of the cross in a more standard manner.
Submitted as Lillia Sandra Fassóne, Lillia was documented from Emidio de Felice, Dizionario dei Nomi Italiani (p. 233 s.n. Lilia), which gives this name as a short form of Liliana. The College was unable to find evidence of Lillia in use in Italy before the 19th C. Lacking evidence that the Lillia is plausible as an Italian name in period, it is not registerable.
As the submitter allows any changes, we have changed the given name to the English form Lylie, which is dated to 1296 in Reaney & Wilson (p. 279 s.n. Liley), in order to register this name.
The byname Fassóne was documented from Emidio de Felice Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani (s.n. Fazio). The accents used in De Felice are pronunciation guides and are not part of the name. We have made this correction.
Good name!
The submitter requested authenticity for 13th C "English/Saxon" and allowed minor changes. The masculine name Rowan is an Anglicized Irish form of the Gaelic name Ruadhán. Lacking evidence that Rowan was used in 13th C England, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's desired culture.
Submitted as Aine Fion, this name was submitted as a feminine given name followed by a masculine given name. Unmarked patronymic bynames were not used in Gaelic in period and are reason for return. Additionally, no documentation was presented and none was found that Fion is a period variant of the documented masculine given name Fionn. Lacking such evidence, Fion is not registerable. A woman named Aine whose father was named Fionn would be Aine inghean Fhionn.
There is also a Gaelic descriptive byname Fionn 'fair' (referring either to hair color or complexion). When used as a woman's descriptive byname, it lenites, taking the form Fhionn. A woman named Aine who has fair hair or a fair complexion could be referred to as Aine Fhionn.
As the submitter allows any changes, we have passed this name using the descriptive byname Fhionn, rather than the patronymic byname inghean Fhionn, as the descriptive byname form is closer to the submitted form of this name.
There was some question about the plausibility of Rivers Run as a constructed placename following English placename models. There is a pattern in English, during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, of placenames formed by appending a toponymic to a surname. Siren found some examples of this type of placename in A. D. Mills, Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, including: Aldborough Hacche c. 1490 (s.n. Aldborough Hatch), Culling Deepe 1584 (s.n. Colindale), Coanie hatch 1593 (s.n. Colney Hatch), Fygmershe c. 1530 (s.n. Figge's Marsh), Gallion Reache 1588 (s.n. Gallions Reach), and Gallion Nesse 1588 (s.n. Gallions Reach).
Rivers is a surname dated to 1327 in the form Riuer (Reaney & Wilson, s.n. Rivers) and dated to 1602 in the form Rivers (F. K. & S. Hitching, References to English Surnames in 1601 and 1602, p. lxxi). The LoI included documentation for Run as an English toponymic referring to a clearing or log footbridge and provided dated examples of this element used in locative bynames:
Löfvenberg, Mattias T., Studies on Middle English Local Surnames, Ekwall, Eilert, ed., Lund Studies In English, Volume XI, (Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, 1942) page 174 s.n. Rune. Surrey: Gery de la Rune t. Hy 3 Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds in Public Record III 25 (Rad. ate Rune 1332 Lay Subsidy Roll 46); Henr. atte Rone 1294 Place Names of Surrey 256 (Phil. atte Rone 1381 Place Names of Surrey 256).
Therefore, a clearing or log footbridge located on or near an estate owned by the Rivers family could come to be known as Rivers Run.
A number of comments were received about this blazon. Blazons of the form On an [underlying charge] [a group of tertiary charges] are equivalent to blazons of the form An [underlying charge] charged with [a group of tertiary charges]. The specifics of a particular piece of armory may cause one form or the other to be more mellifluous, but there is no generally applicable rule which indicates that one or the other form of blazon is preferable.
Listed on the LoI as Ka'im ibn al-Batin, this name was originally submitted as Ka'im Ya Batin and changed at Kingdom, per commentary from al-Jamal, because Ya Batin is an Arabic phrase meaning 'O Hidden'. In a name, Batin could be used in a masculine given name 'Abd al-Batin 'servant of the Hidden'. The corresponding byname would be ibn 'Abd al-Batin 'son of 'Abd al-Batin'. Due to a typographical error in al-Jamal's internal commentary (on which the LoI form of this name was based), 'Abd was omitted from the byname. We have made this correction.
Listed on the LoI as Megen de la Beche, this name was submitted as Megan de la Beche and changed at Kingdom, with the submitter's consent, because no documentation could be found that Megan was a name in period. Further information from the submitter, forwarded by Kingdom, indicates that she now prefers the documented form Megen. Therefore, we have registered this name as listed on the LoI.
The spelling Megan was ruled SCA compatible in the precedent:
There are some twenty Megans, Meghans, and Meggans already registered. As with Fiona and Corwin, I consider the name to be so much a part of SCA culture as to be acceptable, even if it is recent coinage. [BoE, 14 Apr 85, p.4]
Further discussion regarding registerability of various spellings of Megan is included in the Cover Letter with this LoAR.
The submitter requested authenticity for the 12th to 14th C. Lacking evidence that any form of Megen was in use in during that time period, we were unable to make this name authentic per the submitter's request.
Please advise the submitter to draw the decrescent rounder.
Listed on the LoI as Megen Forde, this name was submitted as Meghan Forde and changed at Kingdom, with the submitter's consent, because no documentation could be found that Meghan was a name in period.
The spelling Meghan was ruled SCA compatible in the precedent:
There are some twenty Megans, Meghans, and Meggans already registered. As with Fiona and Corwin, I consider the name to be so much a part of SCA culture as to be acceptable, even if it is recent coinage. [BoE, 14 Apr 85, p.4]
However, the spelling Meghan has not been registered since 1993. Therefore, there is insufficient popularity of Meghan to warrant this form retaining SCA-compatible status. We will discontinue registration of the form Meghan beginning with the February 2004 decision meeting. Further discussion regarding registerability of various spellings of Megan is included in the Cover Letter with this LoAR.
The submitter requested authenticity for "family names from Ireland" and 14th C Irish-Norman. Lacking evidence that any form of Meghan was in use in Ireland in period, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture.
The comet was originally blazoned as a mullet of eight points elongated to sinister. Because the elongated point is many times longer than the mullet itself, this charge is not perceived as a mullet with an elongated point. While this charge is not an acceptable depiction of a mullet with an elongated point, it is an acceptable depiction of a comet. Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme's article "Blazoning Comets and Sparks" (1989 Caidan Heraldic Symposium Proceedings) provides a number of different period depictions of comets. Each comet consists of a small, compact head and a long trailing tail, but the specifics of the different heads and tails are quite different. One comet from c. 1301 has a round head charged with a mullet of eight points, and the tail is a long straight point, much like this charge's tail (except with slight fuzzy details). Another comet from c. 1493 has a head consisting of a mullet of eight points. Based on this evidence, this charge is a reasonable variant of a period comet.
The group of chevronels in three different tinctures is considered a step from period practice (also known as a "weirdness"):
Questions were raised regarding having ... three roundels in three different tinctures. While we were unable, in a quick look, to find an example of the same charge in three different tinctures, the Dictionary of British Armory, 2 shows the arms of Milo Fitzwalter of Glouster as Gules, two bends the upper Or and lower argent., making the use of the same charge in three different tinctures only one weirdness. (LoAR February 1998)
Because this armory is only one step from period practice, it may be registered.
The primary charge was originally blazoned as a Chinese lion. We do not specify the artistic or ethnic origin of a charge in blazon unless the modified blazon indicates a significantly different type of charge from the unmodified blazon. As an example where such an adjective indicates a significantly different charge, an Oriental dragon is a sinuous wingless monster, while the default dragon has wings and a much more compact body.
Because of the wide range of depictions of lions in period, this maned quadruped with clawed feet, fangs, and a long feathery tail is sufficiently identifiable as a standard lion, and is therefore blazoned as such.
Good name!
Submitted as Allyne Strangwych, all period examples found for this given name are spelled with one l. We have made this change.
Please advise the submitter that the chiefmost point on the per bend sinister line should be where the bottom of the chief meets the sinister side of the shield.
Submitted under the name Arthur Daniels the Instigator.
Nice device!
Some commenters were concerned about blazoning the arrows as an overall charge group, since only the center arrow actually surmounts the chevrons. An entire charge group may be blazoned as overall without requiring that each one of the charges surmounts the primary charge group. The three identical arrows in a standard arrangement (in fess) are clearly a single charge group.
Submitted as Birgir Bjórnson, the submitter requested authenticity for 10th C Norse. The patronymic Bjórnson was not correctly formed for Old Norse. The patronymic byname formed from the masculine given name Bj{o,}orn is Bjarnarson. We have made this change in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
The bezant was originally blazoned as charged with a Norseman's face. The "Norseman's face" is a set of very stylized thin-line details. The "face" details are drawn with lines so thin that they cannot be said to be a charge upon the bezant. Because the "face" details are so thin and insignificant, we can consider them to be purely artistic details and blazon the charge in base simply as a bezant.
If the "Norseman's face" details were drawn more boldly, the College felt that the details were not clearly identifiable as a face or any other charge. Without documentation for this sort of "face" as a heraldic charge (rather than a period artistic design) the "Norseman's Face" will not be registered. Note RfS VII.2, which states "Use of an element in period art does not guarantee its acceptability for armory. Use of the Greek key design, which was common in period decorative art, never carried over into armory."
Submitted as Bjorn Krom von Hakenberg, Hakenberg was documented as a Danish rendering of a German placename found in Knudsen, Kirstensen, and Hornby, Danmarks Gamle Personnavne (column 400, s.n. Hakenberg), which dates Hans Haghenberch to 1429, Bernd Hakenbergh to 1464, Bernd Hakenbergs to 1468 (the source notes the byname is in genitive case in this example), Bernt Hackenberg to 1470, and Bernd Hakenberg to 1481. This submission noted von as an attempt at a Danish word for 'of/from' and requested help in correcting this element. The particle von is German while Hakenberg is documented as Danish. As a result, the byname von Hakenberg violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a name phrase, and so is not registerable. As all of the Danish examples of bynames referring to Hakenberg do not use a particle, we have registered this byname without a particle in order to follow the standard Danish usage for this name.
The submitter requested authenticity for 10th to 11th C Germanic and allowed any changes. The byname Sigfridsson was documented to the 17th C as Swedish. While no documentation was found of Sigfridsson as a German byname in period, it follows a documented patronymic construction pattern found in German.
Sigfrid is dated to 1310 as a masculine given name in German in Talan Gwynek's article "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia, Men's Names" (http://www.s_gabriel.org/names/talan/bahlow/bahlowMasc.html). German bynames ending in forms of sohn 'son' are rare, but do occur. Brechenmacher lists a number of examples of this type of name, including (s.n. Sohn) Henrich Adrians Sohn dated to 1580, (s.n. Jakobsen) Drewes, Jacoppes son zu Lübeck dated to 1335, (s.n. Friedrich) Chuonnrat Friderichs sun zu Hottingen dated to 1313, and (s.n. Wilhelmsen) Jakob Wilhelmes sohne dated to 1526. These examples demonstrate that this construction existed in period. They also show that the expected form would have an s added to the end of the father's name, forming a patronymic such as Sigfrids son. Brechenmacher (s.n. Wolterssohn) also shows an example of the sohn 'son' element appended to the end of the patronym: Jasper Wolterszoen 1573. This example supports a construction such as Sigfridsson.
As we were unable to find evidence that any of the elements in this name were used in German in the submitter's desired time period, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture.
Submitted as Cadhla Ultachan, Ultachan was documented from Woulfe (p. 682 s.n. Ultachan). However, Woulfe gives no evidence that this form is period. While Ultach 'the Ultonian' (refers to a person from Ulster) is a byname found in period, no examples of diminutives (including -an forms) have been found of this type of byname in period. Lacking evidence that a diminutive of a descriptive byname would have been used in period, we have changed the byname to the documented form Ultach in order to register this name.
There was some question whether Connor is a period form. C. L'Estrange Ewen, A History of Surnames of the British Isles (pp. 210-211), lists some names from patent rolls of James I from the years 1603 and 1604. Among the names included in this list are Connor O'Moyle O'Fahie of Lickmolashe, clerk, Garrat McArt O'Connor, yeoman, and Teige McTirlagh McGerralt O'Connor, gent. Given these examples, Connor is a registerable as a late-period Anglicized Irish form of the Gaelic name Conchobhar and O'Connor as an Anglicized Irish form of the Gaelic byname Ó Conchobhair.
Submitted as Diego Ramos de la Sangre Lobo, the submitter requested authenticity for Spanish. No evidence was presented and none was found that de la Sangre Lobo 'of the blood wolf' is plausible as a byname in period. Elsbeth Anne Roth's article "16th Century Spanish Names" (http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~kvs/heraldry/spanish16/) lists María del Aguila 'María of the Eagle' dated to 1560. Based on this example, we have changed the submitted byname to del Lobo 'of the Wolf' in order to register this name.
Submitted as Hallbjorg hin Miskunnarlausa, we have changed the byname to lowercase in order to use standard transliteration conventions. (See the Cover Letter for the October 2002 LoAR for more information.)
Submitted as Jurik of Novgorod, the submitter requested that the byname of Novgorod be translated into Russian.
Locative bynames can take different forms in Russian, including nouns, patronymics, and adjectives. Wickenden (3rd edition, pp. xxviii - xxvix) lists a thorough description of these constructions. A summary of the more common forms is provided below. Quoted text is from this section of Wickenden. Forms constructed according to these rules are in parenthesis.
Nouns: "a noun formed from the place name, usually meaning 'inhabitant of' or 'citizen of'." (Novgorodets)
Patronymics: "Literally these 'patronymics' would be translated as 'son/daughter of <place name>,' as if the city was the father of the person." Wickenden uses Novgorod as an example in this entry where he gives the patronymic form as Novgorodtsev and says of it that it means "'son of Novgorodets' or literally 'son of a Novgorodite'". Pennon found a dated example of this type of byname: "According the Dictionary of Period Russian names; Paul Goldschmidt, <http://www.sca.org/heraldry/paul/zgrammar.html>; s.n. Toponyms: dates Sidor Novgorodov (15th Century) [Gra 276] ("from Novgorod")".
Adjectives: "'the person of <place name> or 'the <place name>ish person.' The person is described as being colored by his/her place of birth, bearing the place (as a Russian would say) in their soul." (Novgorodskii, Novgorodskoi Novgorodskyi, Novgorodskogo)
As the adjectival form is the form most commonly associated with locative bynames in Russian, we have changed the submitted byname of Novgorod to the form Novgorodskii to meet the submitter's request to translated the byname into Russian.
Submitted as Katja the Forthright, no documentation was presented and none was found that Katja was used as a Russian name in period. While Katja is a modern Russian name, no documentation was presented and none was found that Katja was used in period. The closest name found to the submitted name was Kata, which Nebuly found listed in Wickenden (s.n. Ekaterina) dated to 1088. The LoI stated that:
Katja is cited as a Russian version of Katherine (p. 272, Bahlow, under Katharina header); in recent registrations, it appears to be acceptable as a Norse feminine given name as well.
Prior registration is not evidence of current registerability. Aryanhwy merch Catmael found information regarding the "recent registrations" referred to in the LoI:
The most recent registration of the name was to Katja Gaussdottír of Storvik in 12/01. According to the LoAR, <Katja> is the submitter's modern name. The most recent registration of the name prior to this was in 02/92, (changed in 08/96).
Lacking evidence that Katja is a plausible name in period, it is not registerable.
As the submitter allows any changes, we have changed the given name to the documented form Kata in order to register this name.
Submitted as Magnus Ragnarson, the patronymic Ragnarson was not correctly formed. The patronymic byname formed from the masculine given name Ragnarr is Ragnarsson. We have made this correction.
Her previous device, Per pale vert and argent, two dragonflies counterchanged, is retained as a badge.
Listed on the LoI as Nicolette d'Avanches, both the submission form and the documentation supported Avranches. We have made this correction.
Good name!
One commenter noted that this symbol was frequently found as an item of insignia in artwork associated with some Nintendo games, including the Zelda series of games. However, the symbol is not copyrighted in the USA, and we have received no information that the symbol is copyrighted elsewhere. As a result, it need not be protected against conflict.
The submitter is a count and entitled to use a county coronet in his armory.
Submitted under the name Rowan Katerina O'Flaherty.
Submitted as Sorcha inghen Cú Mara, there was some discussion regarding the submitted inghen. This spelling has been addressed previously:
[T]he Annals of Connacht [...] also includes examples of the spelling inghen which seems to be a conservative spelling of the standard inghean. [Temair Brecc inghen Choluim, 01/02, A-West]
When the masculine name Cú Mara is used in a woman's byname, it needs to be put into the genitive case and lenited. Therefore, inghen Chon Mhara and, more typically, inghean Chon Mhara are forms of this byname appropriate for Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700). We have changed the byname to the first of these forms, as it is the closer of the two to the submitted form of this byname, in order to register this name.
Good name!
Note: Hazell is his legal surname.
Nice device!
Submitted under the name Allegranza della Neve.
Submitted as Andrew Lammond, the submitter requested authenticity for 13th to 14th C Scottish and allowed minor changes.
For most of the submitter's desired time period, the majority of documents in Scotland were written in Latin. The earliest surviving documents written in Scots (a language closely related to English) date from the end of the 14th C. Symon Freser of Lovat's article "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/symonFreser/scottish14/) lists the form Androu. Black (p. 23 s.n. Andrew) dates Andreas, clericus Moraviensis to a. 1242. Black (p. 413 s.n. Lamond) dates a number of forms of this name to the submitter's desired time period. Many of them are spelled Lag-. Some of the examples that do not have the g are: Laumannus filius Malcolmi 1230-1246, John Laumansone 1296, and Duncan filius Laumanni 1384. Based on these examples, an authentic Scots form of this name for the 13th to 14th C would be Androu Lauman. A Latin form of this name appropriate for this time period would be Andreas filius Laumanni. We have changed this name to the Scots form Androu Lauman to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
Listed on the LoI as Angus O'Coildáin, this name was submitted as Angus O'Coileáin. We have corrected the typographical error in the byname. The byname O'Coileáin uses the Anglicized Irish O' in this Gaelic byname and so violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a name phrase. We have changed this byname to a fully Gaelic form in order to register this name. A fully Gaelic forms of this name would be Aonghus Ó Coileáin. As the submitter did not request authenticity, we have only made the changes necessary in order to register this name.
The unicornate natural seahorse is grandfathered to the kingdom of Atlantia.
The LoAR designated the badge for use by a particular named academy and stated "Atlantia is not attempting to register the Academy Name at this time, merely wishing to associate the badge with that group." Only registered items (such as order names and household names) and generic identifiers may be associated with badges. As the (particularly named) academy is neither a registered item nor a generic identifier, it must be removed from the submission. One recent ruling affirming this long-standing administrative procedure is in the February 2002 LoAR: "The submission was designated as being for the Tinkerer's Guild. However, this is not a generic designation. A tinker is a period artisan, and thus a Tinker's Guild would be a generic designation (like a Blacksmith's Guild) which could be applied to a badge. However, tinkerer does not seem to be a period occupation. Since the branch does not have the name Tinkerer's Guild registered to them, the designation has been removed."
The Cover Letter to the December 2002 LoAR has a long discussion of what sort of identifiers are generic. The summary definition states, "Names that fall into the generic identifier category are names that would reasonably be used by more than one branch for common functions of the branch. All kingdoms can have a university. All baronies can have a baronial guard. All groups can have an equestrian guild."
Listed on the LoI as Carlo Ettore di Trario, this name was submitted as Carlo Ettore da Trario and the article da changed to di at Kingdom. The submitter requested authenticity for 14th to 16th C Italian and allowed any changes.
The LoI stated that "Trario is an Italian placename from the submitter's ancestry." However, no documentation was provided and none was found that Trario is a placename. Crescent and Metron Ariston found examples of the surname Trario dating to 1616 at the URL http://www.castelbolognese.org/zitellebianche.htm. Metron Ariston wrote:
And, as it happens, a search of the web revealed that the source for the byname also produced near-period evidence for Ettore as it derives from an account of the foundation of L'Istituto Dotale Zitelle Bianche at the Castel Bolognese in 1616 and specifically notes among the founding fees "Censo di lire 2.000 di Romagna imposto dal Cardinale a Cesare Trario con garanzia di Ettore Trario".
This Web page lists Cesare Trario, Ettore Trario, and Alessandro Trario in these references for 1616. Lacking evidence that Trario is a byname that would be used with an article, we have dropped the article in order to register this name.
Submitted as Carolin vom Adlersberg, Carolin is the submitter's legal middle name. As it is a given name by type, it may be used in the given name position in an SCA name.
The particle vom is a contraction of von dem 'of the'. Since Adlersberg is a town name, the grammatically correct form of this byname is von Adlersberg 'of Adlersberg' rather than vom Adlersberg 'of the Adlersberg'. We have made this correction to the byname in order to register this name.
Please advise the submitter to draw the embattlements as deep as they are wide.
Listed on the LoI as Dietric von Hessen, the submission form listed the given name as Dietrich. We have made this correction.
Please advise the submitter to draw the crosses larger.
Some members of the College had concerns about the identifiability of the hawk's hood, and asked if it should be considered an acceptable charge. As noted in the Pictorial Dictionary, "Though a period artifact, the hawk's hood was evidently not used in period armory. It doesn't seem to have a default posture: the illustration. . . shows a hawk's hood facing to dexter." RfS VII.3, "Period Artifacts", states: "Artifacts that were known in the period and domain of the Society may be registered in armory, provided they are depicted in their period forms." As a period artifact, a hawk's hood is an acceptable charge, as long as it is drawn in a period form. The hawk's hood as drawn in this submission (which is very similar to the one in the Pictorial Dictionary) is drawn in a period form, and was quite identifiable to people at the meeting who had some knowledge of falconry (which was a very popular sport of the nobility in period).
The device does not conflict with Geoffrey Sparhauk, Argent, six hawk's heads erased azure armed Or. There is a CD for changing the number of charges. RfS X.4.e states: "A charge not used in period armory will be considered different in type if its shape in normal depiction is significantly different." As a hawk's hood was not a period charge, we must compare the normal depictions of a hawk's head and a hawk's hood to determine the difference between them. The shape of a hawk's head, with its prominent beak, is significantly different than the shape of a hawk's hood, with no protruding beak. There is thus a CD between a hawk's head and a hawk's hood.
Submitted as Elisabeth Vitrearius, Metron Ariston found period examples of this byname:
The byname should not be problematic etymologically as an occupational since the BIG Lewis and Short Latin Dictionary shows it being used for a glassmaker or glassblower as far back as classical times. It was a common occupational in Latin sources throughout Europe throughout the medieval period. For instance, official documents at Savona mention one Nicola Vitrearius in 1173 and Pietro Vitrearius in 1178 (www.alpidelmare.net/italiano/savona/altavalborm/guida/econom/testo002.html). However, since the given name is feminine, I would have expected the occupational to be feminized as well: Elisabeth Vitrearia.
We have changed this byname to the feminine form provided by Metron Ariston in order to match the gender of the given name.
Submitted under the name Erec Jeudenfreunde.
Nice device!
Submitted as Karchar of the Blue Eyes, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th to 15th C Turkey and allowed any changes.
The LoI stated that "Karchar is a Turkish masculine name, which appears in the Book of Dede Korkut, which was recorded between the 12th and 15th Century" and that "'of the Blue Eyes' is the English Translation of the Arabic epithet 'al-Azmaq', which is dated to 1230." No indication was provided on the LoI of where in The Book of Dede Korkut the name Karchar is found. Additionally, no reference was provided in the LoI at all for where the information regarding the byname al-Azmaq was found. This is a case of inadequate summarization of documentation on the LoI and is cause for return. The College cannot judge information that is not provided to them, hence the requirement of proper summarization of all documentation on LoIs.
al-Jamal provided an evaluation of this name. It illustrates clearly why proper summarization is necessary for documentation referenced in LoIs:
Is there any indication of where in The Book of Dede Korkut the name Karchar appears? Or do I have to reread the entire text to see if I can find it? (My copy is the old Penguin Classic; it has no index.)
The Book of Dede Korkut (Dede means "grandfather" (Introduction, p. 12), and Korkut as a name "was in fact quite common" (Introduction, p. 13). Not entirely unlike "Mother" Goose. The best support for his having been a real person is that "certainly there is no evidence that he was not". Introduction, p. 12. On the other hand, he is said to have lived for 295 years. Ibid.) is basically a collection of folk tales. Like many folk tales, some, and even perhaps most, of the names therein may be allegorical or invented (for example, how many real people were named Rapunzel? Or Cinderella? Would their appearance in a collection of period folk tales be sufficient for us to decide to register them? In The Book of Dede Korkut, the name Kazilik occurs as a personal name, as the name of a mountain, and as the name of a breed of horse (Notes, p. 196). The boy Basat (Attack-horse) is named so because he attacks a herd of horses and sucks their blood. Notes, pp. 205-206. There is no indicatio[n] that Basat is an otherwise reasonable name for a person). Is there any indication of whether Karchar is or is not an allegorical or invented name also?
"'of the Blue Eyes' is an English Translation of the Arabic epithet 'al-Azmaq'". Really? Where? The LoI gives no indication of the source or much of anything else, simply making the bald statement and citing, without reference to its source, a date. This is inadequate documentation.
Azmak is a Turkish word meaning "go astray; become furious/mad/unmanageable; become depraved". (The Oxford Turkish-English Di[c]tionary, 1984, p. 49)
The Arabic for "blue", which has been found (at least in the feminine form, in period, in the name of Warwar al-Zarqa', cited in Dodge, the Fihrist of al-Nadim, vol. 2, p. 1131) in the sense "blue-eyed" (not "of the blue eyes") is azrak. (Jaschke's English-Arabic Conversational Dictionary, pp. 164, 312.
Since he's not really trying for "authentic '12th to 15th Century Turkey", but is opting for the lingua franca translation, I could support (assuming the documentation for the given is adequate) Karchar the Blue-eyed, but not "of the Blue Eyes".
Metron Ariston found an online copy of The Book of Dede Korkut and was able to locate the name Karchar. Looking at this name in the context of that part of The Book of Dede Korkut, there is no indication that the name Karchar is allegorical (as is the name Basat found by al-Jamal). As we have no evidence that Karchar is not being used as a true masculine given name in this context, we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt and registering Karchar as a given name.
The documentation provided for the byname al-Azmak was insufficient to support it as a plausible byname in period. Lacking better documentation, it is not registerable.
Additionally, no support was found that of the Blue Eyes is a reasonable Lingua Anglica translation of any Turkish or Arabic byname in period. Lacking such support, the byname of the Blue Eyes is not registerable. As noted by al-Jamal, the Blue-eyed is a reasonable Lingua Anglica rendering of the feminine descriptive byname al-Zarqa'. It is reasonable to believe that a masculine form of this byname is also plausible and that the Blue-eyed would be an appropriate Lingua Anglica translation of this masculine form as well.
Submitted as Lothair Splittstoesser, Splittstoesser was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no photocopies (such as of a driver's license or other legal document) were submitted demonstrating that Splittstoesser is the submitter's legal surname. Crescent found that "Bahlow/Gentry 3rd (sn Splettstößer, p. 483) dates Splittstößer to 1309." We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name.
There was some discussion regarding whether the byname Eyverska needed to be put into lowercase. The discussion "From Pelican: Regarding Capitalization in Norse Bynames" in the Cover Letter to the October 2002 LoAR states in part:
Therefore, we are upholding the current policy of requiring descriptive bynames in Old Norse to be registered in lowercase. The exceptions to this policy are (1) pre-pended descriptive bynames and (2) descriptive bynames based on proper nouns.
In this case, the byname Eyverska, refers to the Orkney Isles and falls into second category above, "descriptive bynames based on proper nouns". Therefore, this byname does not need to be put into lowercase.
Her previous name, Margery Webbestre, is retained as an alternate name.
This does not conflict with Anne Tanzer, Quarterly dancetty of five per fess and six per pale azure and Or. There is one CD for adding the bordure. Anne's quarterly line is indented in both the palewise and fesswise directions, while Nathon's is only indented in the palewise direction. Period armory appears to draw a consistent distinction between quarterly and quarterly per fess indented. If period people considered a plain quarterly division to be distinct from on which is half plain and half indented, it seems reasonable to surmise (without evidence to the contrary) that they would similarly consider a division which is all indented to be different from one which is half plain and half indented.
Please advise the submitter to draw the bordure wider.
Submitted as Sorcha Searraigh, the submitter requested authenticity for the 10th to 11th C.
The "Annals of the Four Masters", vol. 2, (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100005B/), entry M1032.16, lists Murchadh, mac Searraigh. However, this entry shows an Early Modern Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700) spelling. The Annals of the Four Masters were written in 1632-1636 and many of the entries show orthography appropriate for the 17th C. The corresponding Middle Gaelic (c. 900 to c. 1200) form would be mac Serraig. In a woman's name, the byname would be ingen Sherraig in Middle Gaelic and inghean Shearraigh in Early Modern Gaelic.
The only examples found of the name Sorcha date from the 16th C. Therefore, we could not make this name completely authentic for the 10th to 11th C as requested by the submitter. We would have changed the byname to ingen Sherraig to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity. However, the name Sorcha ingen Sherraig would have two weirdnesses - one for combining Middle Gaelic and Early Modern Gaelic and one for a temporal disparity of greater than 300 years between the elements. Therefore, we have registered this name in the fully Early Modern Gaelic form Sorcha inghean Shearraigh.
This does not conflict with Emrys Shaunnon, Vert, a chevron cotised between three bees volant en arrière Or. There is one CD for changing the field and a second CD for changing the type of the group around the cotised chevron from bees to butterflies.
Submitted as Þorbjörn Rauðfeldr, Þorbjörn was documented from Aryanhwy merch Catmael's article "Viking Names found in the Landnámabók" (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/landnamabok.html). This source notes that the character ö is used to represent an o "with a reverse-comma hook on the bottom". This is the character o-ogonek, which we represent as {o,}. We have made this correction. We have also lowercased the byname to use standard transliteration conventions. (See the Cover Letter for the October 2002 LoAR for more information.)
We have reblazoned this charge as a hooded cloak per the LoAR of June 1997. That LoAR blazoned a very similar charge as a hooded cloak and stated, "The submitter provided ample documentation to show that the hooded cloak was not only a period artifact, but a common one."
The submitter requested authenticity for 10th C Irish Gaelic. Ciar is the name of a 7th C Irish saint. As such, it is registerable according to the guidelines for use of saints' names (see the Cover Letter for the September 2001 LoAR for more details). Lacking evidence that it was in use by regular people in the 10th C, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time period.
There is no pretense problem with the use of two Or fleurs-de-lys on an azure field or charge. The strictures against the use of three or more Or fleurs-de-lys on an azure design element is due to the period practice of French augmentations that used the arms of France on an armorial element such as a charge or field. These augmentations were found using the ancient form of the French arms, Azure semy-de-lys Or, or the modern form, Azure, three fleurs-de-lys Or. An azure design element with only one or two Or fleurs de lys does not presume on these period augmentations. Per the LoAR of June 1995 p.13: "...It is thus the use of three or more fleurs-de-lys Or on azure which is restricted; not a single gold fleur on a blue field."
Please advise the submitter to draw the per chevron line more steeply (90 degrees or less. More acutely. "Pointier").
Nice device!
Pamela was submitted as an Italian name. However, no evidence has yet been found that Pamela was used in Italian in period:
Though the name Pamela is listed in De Felice Dizionario dei nomi Italiani (s.n. Pamela), this entry gives no indication that the name Pamela came into use in Italy in period. Withycombe (s.n. Pamela) indicates that Philip Sidney invented this name for a character in his poem "Arcadia" in 1590. Pamela is registerable as an English name under the guidelines for registerability of literary names (Cover Letter for the February 1999 LoAR). However, lacking evidence that this name came into use in Italy in period, this name is not authentic for 16th C Italian. [Pamela Gattarelli, 04/2003, A-East]
Similarly, this name is registerable as an English given name in an otherwise Italian name.
Please advise the submitter to draw the per chevron line somewhat lower on the field, allowing the thistles and the bear to be more similar in size. While it is not uncommon for the bottom charge of a group of three charges arranged two and one to be larger than the top two charges, this bear (and the space on which it lies) is disproportionately large.
Yes, this is a real heraldic sea-urchin, a demi-urchin conjoined to a fish tail.
Submitted as Bonafemena Delbimbo, the byname Delbimbo was documented from Ferrante LaVolpe's article "Family Names Appearing in the Catasto of 1427" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto/). The source that this author worked from standardizes all of the surnames to 10 characters, removes spaces, and uppercases all of the letters. Based on this information, the name represented by DELBIMBO in this source is most likely del Bimbo. We have made this change.
Submitted as Catherine Anne Applebee, Applebee is a header form found in Reaney & Wilson (s.n. Appleby). In most cases, header forms are plausible for period and so are registerable. However, precedent (most notably regarding modern forms in Ó Corráin & Maguire) has ruled that header forms which are modern might not be registerable. This has been handled on a case by case basis. In this instance, no evidence was found that -bee is a period variant of -by in placenames in period. Lacking such evidence, the form Applebee is not registerable. The closest form to the submitted Applebee that was found was in F. K. & S. Hitching, References to English Surnames in 1601 and 1602 (p. xxv), which dates the form Applebey to 1602. We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name.
This is an example of a type of canting badge called a rebus, where the name is phonetically represented by the emblazon. It was especially popular in medieval England: a beacon issuant from a tun was the rebus of Thomas Beckynton in the 15th C. Rebuses often included letters, as in Catherine's badge. A 16th C rebus for John Oxney showed an eagle (the symbol of the evangelist John), an ox, and the letters "ne". The rebus badge of Sir John Peeche was a peach charged with the letter "e". (Examples taken from Parker's A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry under Rebus.)
Please advise the submitter to draw the dragons so that the wings do not overlap the heads.
Submitted under the name Elyzabeth MacDonald.
Submitted as Franco Kind von dem Wald, the phrase Kind von dem Wald was submitted with the intended meaning of 'child of the wood(s)'.
Orle found support for a registerable form of this name, though not with the submitter's desired meaning:
Suprisingly, this is registerable in the form given, descriptive, locative. Franco is from the 10th century. Bahlow page 294 s.n. Kind gives Ludwig das kind died 911. A side note that kind means child in Old High German. Brechenmacher page 41 s.n Kind gives Cuonr. qui cognomine Chint 1202. This looks like the descriptive for someone with the mind of a child. Bahlow page 589 s.n. Wald gives the form 'of the woods' in Wernher zu dem Walde from 1361. I recommend Franco Kind zu dem Walde.
We have changed the byname to the form suggested by Orle in order to register this name. In this form, the meaning of the bynames Kind and zu dem Walde do not combine. Rather than 'child of the wood(s)', these bynames simply mean that Franco is childlike (or that his inherited byname is Kind 'child') and that he comes from a wooded area.
Nice arms, with a good cant!
Submitted as Jürgen Weiterschein von Landstuhl, the byname Weiterschein was submitted as a constructed byname using elements from Bahlow, specifically Weiter (p. 602) meaning 'dyer' and schein (p. 485) meaning 'gleaming, bright, shining'. No evidence was provided to demonstrate that these elements would be combined in a byname in period. Lacking such evidence, we have dropped the element -schein from this byname in order to register this name.
Please advise the submitter to draw larger and fewer roses.
No evidence was provided to support adding Sands to the end of an existing placename. However, there is a pattern in English, during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, of placenames formed by appending a toponymic to a surname. Siren found some examples of this type of placename in A. D. Mills, Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, including: Aldborough Hacche c. 1490 (s.n. Aldborough Hatch), Culling Deepe 1584 (s.n. Colindale), Coanie hatch 1593 (s.n. Colney Hatch), Fygmershe c. 1530 (s.n. Figge's Marsh), Gallion Reache 1588 (s.n. Gallions Reach), and Gallion Nesse 1588 (s.n. Gallions Reach).
As Desert is a surname, dated to 28 Henry III in the form le Desert and to 20 Edward I in the form del Desert (Bardsley s.n. Desert), a sandy place (Reaney & Wilson s.n. Sand) located on or near an estate owned by the Desert family could come to be known as Desert Sands.
Listed on the LoI as Lorenzo Sandro de Vincenzi, this name was submitted as Lorenzo Sandro di Vincenzi and changed at Kingdom to follow a documented example. The submitter requested authenticity for 15th to 16th C Italian. The form de Vincenzi is consistent with partially Latinized forms of Italian bynames found in Rome in the 15th C. The corresponding fully Italian forms of this byname are Vincenzi and di Vincenzo. We have changed the byname to a fully Italian form in order to match the rest of this name and meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
Submitted as Amelie von Prague, the submitter requested authenticity for the 9th to 13th C and allowed any changes. She did not specify a desired culture, but her form lists Amelie as German.
The submitter's form documents Amelie as a German form of Amelia found in Withycombe (p. 19). This is incorrect. Withycombe lists Amalie as a German form and Amélie as a French form. In addition, Withycombe's strength lies in English. In most cases, when she is referring to names that are not in English, she is referring to modern forms. Black Pillar found support for a similar form near the submitter's desired time period:
If the submitter wants a German name, <Amalie> is dated to 1349 in Talan Gwynek's "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia", (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/bahlow_v.htm).
Prague is the English name for this city. The German form is Prag (per Brechenmacher, p. 197 s.n. Prager). Therefore, the submitted byname von Prague combines German and English in a single name phrase and so violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency within a name phrase. The completely German form of this byname would be von Prag. The completely English form of this byname would be of Prague. Bahlow (p. 421 s.n. Prager) also dates Karel der Prager to 1272 and Herman Prager to 1362, showing forms of Prager 'person from Prague' in and near the submitter's desired time period.
We have changed this name to the fully German form Amalie von Prag to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
Submitted as Aine Maguire of Kilarney, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th to 15th C Irish and allowed all changes.
As submitted, this name combines the Gaelic Aine in an otherwise Anglicized Irish name. In Ireland, during the submitter's desired time period, a woman's name would be recorded completely in Gaelic or completely in Anglicized Irish depending upon the language of the record in which her name was recorded.
Aine was documented from Withycombe. Withycombe's strength lies in English. In most cases, when she discusses names in languages other than English, she is referring to modern forms. In this case, the name Áine is found in various Irish annals referring to women mentioned in the years dating from 1169 to 1468.
No documentation was included in the submission supporting Maguire as a form of this name used in period. Woulfe (p. 427 s.n. Mag Uidhir) lists Maguire as a modern Anglicized Irish form of this name and dates the Anglicized Irish forms Maguier, M'Guier, M'Gwire, and M'Guiver to temp. Elizabeth I-James I.
No documentation was provided in the submission or the LoI for the element Kilarney. The College found evidence that the present location of Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland existed in period. The earliest Anglicized Irish example of this placename that was found was in Speed's The Counties of Britain (p. 282, map of "The Province of Mounster", map dated 1610), which lists the name of this location as Kylharnon.
Our best guess of a fully Anglicized Irish form of this name would be Anne Maguier of Kylharnon. While locative bynames (such as of Kylharnon) appear in late period Anglicized Irish records, they are vanishingly rare in Gaelic and none have yet been found in a woman's name when a patronymic byname is also used. Therefore, a woman called Anne Maguier of Kylharnon in Anglicized Irish records, would most likely be called simply Áine inghean Mhic Uidhir in Gaelic.
As the Anglicized Irish form of this name is closer than the Gaelic form to the submitted name, we have changed this name to the fully Anglicized Irish form in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
Submitted as Estrid Fairhair, the submitter requested authenticity for 10th C English/Viking and allowed any changes. A person living in the Viking-controlled areas of England would have their name written in Old Norse or Old English depending upon the language of the record in which their name was recorded.
Estrid was cited as appearing on p. 107 of Withycombe. However, the header that appears on that page is Estrild, not Estrid, and gives this name as deriving from Old English. Withycombe (pp. 34-35) lists Astrid (a different name from Estrild) as a header and gives this name as deriving from Norse.
A fully Old Norse name meaning 'Astrid Fairhair' would be Ástríðr in hárfagra (Geirr Bassi, pp. 10 and 22). We have changed the submitted name to this form in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. As the College did not find Old English forms of these name elements, we are unable to suggest an Old English form of this name.
Please advise the submitter to draw the embattlements as deep as they are wide. Please also advise the submitter to draw the escarbuncle with thicker spokes.
Submitted as Elisabetha von Regensberg, the submitter requested authenticity for German (1500s) and allowed any changes. While the College found examples of Elisabetha as a Hungarian name and as an English name, no examples were found of this form in German. Aryanhwy merch Catmael provided information regarding forms of Elisabeth in German in the submitter's desired time period:
My sources for 16th C German feminine names are fairly slim, but here is what I have:
<Els> (a pet form of <Elisabeth>) is the second most common feminine name in my "German Given Names from 1495" (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/german1495.html). <Elsebeth> is found 3 times and <Else> twice in Talan's "15th-Century German Women's Names" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/german15f.html). His "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/bahlow/) has <Elisabeth> 1397, 1419, 1491 (2), and <Elzebeth> 1385-97, besides various pet forms.
The German form of this name closest to the submitted Elisabetha that was found was Elisabeth. We have changed the given name to this form in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
Good name!
This does not conflict with the flag of Sweden (important non-SCA armory), Azure a cross Or. There is one CD between a cross throughout and a cross nowy. There is a second CD for adding the tertiary charge.
Nice device!
Good name!
RfS VIII.1.a states in part that "Three or more types of charges should not be used in the same group." (Charge groups using three or more types of charge are sometimes colloquially known in the SCA as "slot-machine" heraldry.) Traditionally, maintained charges are not considered when determining whether armory is too complex to comply with this portion of RfS VIII.1.a. In this submission, the smith's hammer is effectively a maintained charge and thus can be disregarded for purposes of this portion of RfS VIII.1.a, leaving only two types of charge in the group: the fleurs-de-lis and the anvil.
There was some question regarding whether this title followed a pattern used for heraldic titles in period.
This title was submitted as a heraldic title based on a surname. Alefounder was documented as a surname from Reaney & Wilson (p. 6 s.n. Alefounder) which dates Walter le Alefoundre to 1275 and John Alefonder to 1381. Owen Herald, registered by Atlantia in May of 1994, was submitted under the model of using a surname as the basis for a heraldic title. The documentation provided by Atlantia in the LoI at that time was:
A survey of English heraldic titles found in The College of Armes, Being the 16th and Final Monograph of the London Survey Committee, shows five heraldic titles that came from last names. These are: Calveley, (pg 243), dating from 1383, Herald of Sir Hugh Calveley; Chandos (pg 246), dating from c 1366, herald of Sir John Chandos; Montagu (pg 279), dating from 1373, herald of William de Monagu[sic]; Percy, (pg 292), dating from 1387, when he was serving Sir Thomas Percy; and Talbot (pg 300) c 1456, herald to John Talbot Earl of Shrewsbery.
Of the titles noted by Atlantia, four are based on surnames derived from placenames and the fifth, Talbot, derives from a patronymic byname or a descriptive byname. In no cases do any of these titles derive from occupational bynames. Given these examples, the submitted title is not authentic, but it is plausible enough to be registerable.
Heraldic titles for use by an SCA branch may be registered to the branch (for example, Gemshorn Pursuivant registered to the Barony of Mag Mor in July 2001) or may be registered to the kingdom with a note that the heraldic title is for the use of the branch (for example, Onyx Pursuivant registered to the Kingdom of Æthelmearc in August 1999 and noted as being for use by the Barony of Blackstone Mountain). (In either case, the title must be approved by the kingdom to which the branch belongs per the Administrative Handbook, section II.B.4.)
In this case, the title Alefounder Pursuivant is registered to the Kingdom of Lochac and is noted as being for use by the Shire of Mordenvale.
Nice device!
Their previous device, Per chevron inverted vert and sable, a chevron inverted between a lymphad, sails furled, and a cup within a laurel wreath, all Or, is released.
Submitted as Nathaniel Mendoza de la Guadalajara, Guadalajara is the name of a location and a proper noun. Therefore the article la is out of place, since a person would not be de la Guadalajara in Spanish any more than they would be of the London in English. We have dropped the article la from the locative byname in order to register this name.
Submitted as Siban an Fheadha, the submitter requested authenticity for 9th to 12th C Irish and allowed minor changes. The submitted name combines the Middle Irish Gaelic (c. 900 to c. 1200) form Sibán with the Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700) form an Fheadha.
The name Siobhán is a Gaelic adaptation of Jehanne, which was introduced into Ireland by the Anglo-Normans. The earliest example of Siobhán found so far dates to 1310 - well after the submitter's desired time period.
In the submitter's desired time period, Middle Irish Gaelic (c. 900 to c. 1200) was the language in use. It was replaced by Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700). However, as with any lingual shift, the change was gradual. After 1200, some documents were still written in Middle Irish, though these were fewer and fewer over time.
Siobhán an Fheadha is a fully Early Modern Irish form of the submitted name. A woman with this name in the 14th C would have been recorded as Sibán in Feda in a document that was written in Middle Irish. We have changed this name to the Middle Irish form to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity. Lacking evidence that any form of Sibán was used in Ireland in the submitter's desired time period, we were unable to make this name authentic according to the submitter's request.
Submitted as Steavean die Glaubingen, the submitter requested authenticity for 15th C German and allowed any changes.
Steavean is the submitter's legal middle name. As it is a variant of Steven it is registerable in a given name position. Talan Gwynek's article "Medieval German Given Names From Silesia" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/bahlow/) lists a number of forms of the name Steven dated to the 15th C including Steffan and Stephan.
The byname die Glaubingen was submitted with the intended meaning 'the Faithful'. Gläubigen is plural, and so would not appear in a byname. The College found examples of a period byname based on this root in Bahlow (p. 174 s.n. Glaube) which gives the meaning of this byname as 'a believer' and dates Nic. Glaub to 1348 and Lotze Glaube to 1373.
As the submitter requested authenticity for 15th C German, we have changed this name to Steffan Glaube in order to meet his request.
The submitter requested authenticity for Italian and allowed any changes.
No documentation at all for this name was included in either the submission or the LoI. Lacking documentation for this name, this submission should have been returned at Kingdom. As the College was able to provide documentation for these elements, we are able to register a form of this name. However, we would remind submission heralds:
By Laurel precedent, the College is not required to look up documentation that is not adequately summarized on the LoI. In this case, multiple members of the College went out of their way to dig up this information. For the benefit of both the submitter and the members of the College who took on this extra work, we are registering this name as an exception to the requirement that all submitted documentation be properly and adequately summarized on the LoI. Kingdom submissions heralds should be aware that inadequate summarization of supporting documentation has been and will continue to be a reason for return. [Isa van Reinholte, 11/01, A-Ansteorra]
There was some question whether the name Valeria was used in Italian rather than in Roman-era Latin. Maridonna Benvenuti found an example an Italian example of this name in the 15th C:
<Valeria> is found in Grubb's book Provincial Families of the Renaissance. <Valeria Bevilaqua da Lazise> is mentioned on page 63 as the dead wife [o]f Contino Stoppi (fl. 1476, see Grubb p.109). Grubb also mentions that the pagan Latin name <Valerius> appears in the 1477 Vicentine estimo, mentioned on page 46.
There was some question whether the use of the name Borgia was presumptuous. Use of Borgia was ruled presumptuous in 1988:
[de Borgia] The use of the surname Borgia [is] "presumptuous". (LoAR Aug 88, p. 16)
However, Tamera Borgia was registered in May of 1996 and Giuseppe Francesco da Borgia was registered in August of 1994. At issue is whether use of the name Borgia is a claim to be a member of the noble family. Regarding this issue, Maridonna Benvenuti provided the following information:
Rohlfs Calabria surnames has <Borgia> page 50-51, which says that there is a settlement in Catazaro (CZ): 'Borgia, famiglia nobile di spagna, il cui nome spagnolo Borja fu italianizzato in Borgia; cfr. Borgia commune in CZ,[Catanzaro] fondato per iniziativa del principe Borgia di Aragona.'
Borgia, noble family of Spain, whose Spanish name Borja was italianized in Borgia; cfr. (compare) to Borgia commune in CZ, founded for initiative of prince Borgia of Aragon. [This was in 1547 according to http://www.italianancestry.com/Section11Cal.html click on commune of Borgia.]
As the location was founded in 1547, a person in the late 16th C who was from Borgia in Catanzaro could have been known as da Borgia. There are examples of partially Latinized Italian bynames using de rather than the Italian da. (For some examples of this trend, see "Italian Men's Names in Rome, 1473-1484", http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/Studium/). Therefore, de Borgia is registerable as a variant of da Borgia.
The submitter requested authenticity for 6th to 10th C Irish. However, the only examples found of Brigit used in Gaelic in period were as names of saints. Lacking evidence that Brigit in common use among regular people, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's desired time and culture.
The submitter requested authenticity for 14th to 15th C Irish. Examples were found of Cristina in Gaelic records referring to the 13th C. As we were unable to find evidence that Cristina was in use among Gaels in the 14th to 15th C, we were unable to confirm that this name is authentic for the submitter's requested time period.
Submitted as Magaidh of Kreiton, the submitter requested authenticity for "Scots Gaelic" and allowed any changes. Multiple languages were used in Scotland in period including Scottish Gaelic (sometimes modernly referred to as "Scots Gaelic") and Scots (a language closely related to English).
Magaidh was documented from Peadar Morgan's Ainmean Chloinne/Scottish Gaelic Names for Children (s.n. Magaidh), which states that this name is a diminutive of Mairead. This entry provides no evidence that Magaidh was used in period. Lacking evidence that Magaidh is a plausible period name, it is not registerable.
Máiréad is a Modern Gaelic (c. 1700 to present) form. The corresponding Early Modern Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700) is Máirghréad. It is a Gaelic rendering of the name Margaret. Therefore, Máirghréad is the closest period Gaelic form to the submitted Magaidh. However, it has a markedly different appearance and pronunciation than the submitted Magaidh.
Effric neyn Kenyeoch vc Ralte's article "Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names" (http://www.MedievalScotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/), s.n. Margaret on the "Women's Given Names" pages, lists a number of Scots forms of this name. Forms found in this article that would be pronounced similar to the submitted Magaidh include Mage and Magy.
While locative bynames (like of Kreiton) appear in Scots and Anglicized Irish records, their use in Gaelic is quite different. Current research has found no examples of locatives in Scottish Gaelic that are not part of chiefly titles. In Irish Gaelic, locative bynames appear but are vanishingly rare. While a few refer to countries outside of Ireland, none have yet been found that refer to a region outside of Ireland that is smaller than a country. Given this information about locatives in Gaelic, as well as the College being unable to find a Gaelic form of of Kreiton, we are unable to meet the submitter's request for authenticity for Gaelic.
As the submitter allowed any changes, we have registered this name in the Scots form Magy of Kreiton, because the Scots form Magy is closer than the period Gaelic Máirghréad, in both pronunciation and appearance, to the submitted name Magaidh.
Good name!
The byname the Fierce is a Lingua Anglica translation of the Old Norse byname greypr.
Nice device!
His previous device, Per pale argent and azure, three clarions counterchanged, is released.
Nice cant!
Submitted as Cecilia Fiametta Delcanto, the byname Delcanto was documented from David Herlihy, Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, R. Burr Litchfield, and Anthony Molho, ed., "FLORENTINE RENAISSANCE RESOURCES: Online Catasto of 1427" (http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/catasto/overview.html). This source standardizes all of the surnames to 10 characters, removes spaces, and uppercases all of the letters. Based on this information, the name represented by DELCANTO in this source is most likely del Canto. We have made this change.
Douglas was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation was presented to support that this is his legal given name. Lacking such evidence, this name is not registerable via the Legal Name Allowance. Douglas is documented to period as a feminine given name in J. W. Garrett-Pegge, A Transcript of the First Volume, 1538-1636, of the Parish Register of Chesham, Buckingham County which lists Douglas lovet, buried October 28, 1592, as "the systers daught." of a person previously mentioned. Given this information, Douglas is registerable as a given name in this submission.
The submitter requested on his name submission form that this name be a holding name so that he can register his device while still researching his "real SCA Name". Unfortunately, that is not possible. Holding names have special status. They are purely administrative labels created at the Laurel level in order to register a piece of armory when the name submitted with that armory is not registerable. The submitter is then able to resubmit their name without Laurel fees. When an acceptable name is passed, the holding name is automatically released.
The submitted name in this instance is Douglas of Ravenslake and it is registerable. Therefore, a holding name does not come into play. The submitted name is registered as the submitter's primary SCA name. When he has completed researching the SCA name he desires, he may submit a name change according to normal procedures. As with any name change submission, the submitter may then choose whether to release his previously registered name (Douglas of Ravenslake in this case) or to retain it as an alternate name.
Submitted under the name Gavin the Healer.
Please advise the submitter to draw the embattlements as deep as they are wide.
A doubled cross is noted in the Pictorial Dictionary to be a common period artistic variant of the patriarchal and Lorraine crosses.
This does not conflict with Almarek of the Dunedain, Ermine, a mullet of four points gyronny argent and purpure. There is one CD for fieldlessness. There is a second CD between a mullet of eight points and a mullet of four points. Note that this is a different case from the comparison of a compass star with a mullet of four points. Because of the unusual, and non-period, design of the compass star, with its four greater and four lesser points, a compass star conflicts both with a mullet of four points and with a mullet of eight points.
Good name!
His previous name, Vebjorn Vegandi, is retained as an alternate name.
Good name!
Please advise the submitter to draw the cross a bit wider. In a design like this, it is understandable that the cross will be on the narrow side. If the cross were wide, the axe heads would be crowded in the space remaining around the cross. (Similarly, we expect ordinaries that are charged with charges to be wider than ordinaries that are surrounded by charges - in each case, to maximize the identifiability of all the design elements). Even given this range of depictions of ordinary widths in period armory, we would generally expect the cross to be wider in most period armory.
The elements Juan and Tegero were documented as Spanish. Balthazar was documented as Flemish.
Members of the College provided information regarding the level of contact between these cultures. Specificially:
The Spanish ruled the Low Countries during the 16th century and had large numbers of troops there because of the Dutch revolt. [Nebuly]
The spelling <Balthazar> is not a Spanish spelling (the <th> wasn't and still isn't generally used); <Baltasar> is found in my Isabel article. But the Lowlands were owned by the Hapsburgs, along with Spain, so in the 16th century, there is certainly sufficient contact to justify the mix (with a weirdness). [Siren]
Given this level of contact, combining Spanish and Flemish in an SCA name is registerable, though a weirdness.
Good name!
Her previous name, Eibhlín inghean uí Raghailligh, is released.
Submitted as Sveinn Grimarsson, the submitter requested authenticity for 10th C Norse. We have added the accent to the byname in order to meet the submitter's request for authenticity.
On the first viewing of the submission form, the Wreath meeting attendees had a lively discussion about whether the ermine spots were too small to be identified. While there were strong adherents to both sides of this question, the consensus was that the ermine spots were sufficiently identifiable, especially because, for the most part, the ermine spots were neither obscuring, nor obscured by, other elements of the design.
We were suprised at the lack of commentary on the identifiability issue, and (on inspection of the Letter of Intent) found that there was a notable discrepancy between the depiction of the ermine chief in the full-sized emblazon and in the mini-emblazon. The mini-emblazon drew the embattled chief with two rows of five ermine spots each, with the lower line "offset" so that each ermine spot is centered in the space between the two ermine spots above it. However, the full-sized emblazon had twice as many rows and almost twice as many ermine spots per row (except for the bottom row, which had just as many spots, as it only had one spot per embattlement). It was no surprise that the issue with the identifiability of the ermine spots was not raised in the commentary - the identifiability issue did not even begin to arise on the mini-emblazon.
As a period artistic note, the depiction in the mini-emblazon is very much in keeping with period armorial depictions both of ermine chiefs and of the portion of an ermine field showing over the top of a fess. The majority of depictions which Wreath staff was able to find on a short research mission show two rows of (offset) ermine spots with 4-7 spots per row. We were not able to find (nor were we were presented with evidence for) a depiction of a period ermine chief with more than three rows of ermine spots on it. We will note that ermine spots are often packed more densely on some other types of armorial elements, such as ermine beasts and ermine fretty (where the complex outline of the beast and the narrow lathes of the fretty encourage the depiction of small and numerous ermine spots).
This submission has failed to strictly comply with the requirement in the Administrative Handbook that "An accurate representation of each piece of submitted armory shall be included on the letter of intent." Certainly, the College was unable to adequately comment on the issue of whether the ermine spots were drawn identifiably. We thus had to seriously consider whether the administrative handbook required the return of this submission. Because the Wreath meeting was able to reach a general consensus that the ermine spots in the full-sized emblazon were, in fact, identifiable, we were willing to recommend registration if Laurel allowed it (which he has).
However, we advise the submitter and the Kingdom College of Heralds to ensure that the mini-emblazon is a good rendition of the full-sized emblazon. We remind the Kingdom College that a significant discrepancy between the full-sized emblazon and the mini-emblazon can be cause for return, particularly if the depiction on the mini-emblazon masks a style problem on the full-sized emblazon.
Nice device!
Submitted as Robin of the Rosewood, Rosewood was documented as a placename rather than as a general toponymic. Therefore, of the Rosewood is no more plausible than of the London. This name is registerable as Robin of Rosewood or as Robin Rosewood. The submitter noted Robin Rosewood as a preferred alternate if Robin of the Rosewood was not registerable. Therefore, we have changed this name to Robin Rosewood in order to register this name.
This name conflicts with Eleanor of Ashley (registered September 1983). The preposition of does not contribute to difference between the bynames Ashling and of Ashley. There is less than one syllable of difference between Ashley and Ashling, which is insufficient difference in sound.
None.
None.
Regarding the byname the Instigator, the LoI only stated that "Instigator is dated to 1598, according to the Compact Oxford English Dictionary." No summary was provided of what the Compact Oxford English Dictionary says about this word. Nor was any indication provided of why the Instigator would be a plausible byname in period. Such lack of summarization has been reason for return in the past:
The documentation was not adequately summarized on the LoI: it is not sufficient to say that a name element is found on a book, we need to know what is said. As the College did not provide independent evidence, we have to return this as per the May [2000] LoAR cover letter. [Adelicia of Caithness, 03/2001, R-Caid]
As a reminder, inadequate summarization will continue to be a reason for return. In this case, the College provided no support for the Instigator as a plausible byname in period. Lacking support for the Instigator as a byname in period, this byname is not registerable. As the submitter allows no changes, we were unable to drop the problematic element in order to register this name.
His armory has been registered under the holding name Arthur of Atenveldt.
Conflict with Elisa of Thescorre, Vert, on a bend sinister argent between two open books Or a rapier sable. Quoting from the LoAR of June 2001, "A sheaf is considered a single charge, therefore there is [... a] CD for changing the type of the secondary charges." Here, we have changed the type but not the number of secondary charges: we have changed two open books to an arrow-sheaf and a tulip-sheaf.
There is no difference for changing the type only of tertiary charge under RfS X.4.j.ii. The armory is not simple for purposes of that rule, because the secondary charge group contains more than one type of charge.
Conflict with Awilda Haeulfdan, Per pale gules and sable, three compass stars in bend sinister Or. Because armory with three or more bendlets is equivalent to armory with a bendy field, this armory needs to be considered as if it were blazoned as Bendy argent and azure, in bend sinister three mullets of six points Or. Under this interpretation, there is one CD for changing the field. There is no type difference between the compass stars and the mullets of six points. Because of the unusual (and non-period) design of compass stars, with their four greater and four lesser points, they are considered as variants of both mullets of four points and mullets of eight points. There is no type difference between mullets of six points and mullets of eight points and, hence, no difference between mullets of six points and compass stars.
Conflict with Duncan Dalziell, Sable, on a saltire argent, a triskelion arrondi between a decrescent, an increscent, a decrescent and an increscent, all palewise azure, a bordure argent. There is a single CD for removing the tertiary charge group.
Conflict with Rosamond Tindomielle, Vert, a bend sinister Or between a white oak and a lyre argent, entwined of a vine Or. There is one CD for changing the type of the secondary charges around the bend sinister. The vine on the lyre is very insignificant and does not contribute to difference.
The byname of 'Akka violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a name phrase. The byname of 'Akka combines the English of with the Arabic 'Akka in a case where the common English form of this placename, Acre, is different from the form of this placename in the original language. RfS III.1.a says in part:
In the case of place names and other name elements frequently used in English in their original form, an English article or preposition may be used. For example, of Aachen might be used instead of the purely German von Aachen.
Recent precedent discusses this issue:
Some placenames do not appear in English in their original form. For example, the German city of Köln appears in English as Cologne. Therefore, bynames referring to this location would be von Köln or of Cologne. The byname of Köln mixes English and German and so is not registerable because Köln is not the form that this placename takes in English. [Nathaniel Constantine von Laubach, 12/2002, A-Atenveldt]
In the case of this submission, 'Akka is an Arabic form of this placename. In English, it is rendered Acre. This name would be registerable as Katherine of Acre. As the submitter allows no changes, we were unable to make this change in order to register this name.
The device conflicts with Gwenllian the Forgetful, Argent, a cat sejant contourny sable and a bordure engrailed, azure. There is one CD for adding the wings to the cat.
Please advise the submitter, on resubmission, to draw fewer and larger engrailings. In particular, the engrailings at the top of the bordure should be deeper.
No documentation was presented and none was found to support the spelling Steavenson as a plausible form in period. As the submitter allows no changes, we were unable to change this byname to the documented Stevenson in order to register this name.
As the submitter allows no holding name, we must return his armory as well.
Rowan was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance as it is the submitter's legal given name. As there is no evidence that Rowan was used as a feminine name in period, it falls into the category of "non-period names allowed under the Legal Name Allowance" and its use carries a weirdness. (For a further explanation, see "From Pelican: A Clarification Regarding the Legal Name Allowance" in the Cover Letter to the February 2003 LoAR.)
Rowan is also SCA compatible as a feminine given name. Use of an SCA-compatible name element carries a weirdness.
So, whether Rowan is viewed as registerable to the submitter via the Legal Name Allowance or as an SCA-compatible name, its use in this name carries one weirdness.
No evidence has yet been found that two given names were used in Ireland. Two given names are registerable in an Anglicized Irish name (just as they are in Scots), but it carries a weirdness.
Therefore, the submitted name has two weirdnesses, which is cause for return. As the submitter allows no changes, we were unable to drop the second given name in order to register this name.
Her armory has been registered under the holding name Rowan of Atenveldt.
We have reblazoned the dove from volant wings addorsed to rising, as its somewhat bendwise body posture and legs "planted on the ground" are indicative of the rising posture. A bird volant wings addorsed would have a fesswise body posture and the legs would be tucked up as with a bird in flight.
The device conflicts with Conall Ó Cearnaigh, Vert, a hawk striking within a bordure embattled Or. There is one CD for removing the bordure. "There is ... nothing for the difference between striking and rising" (LoAR January 2001). Per the Cover Letter for the LoAR of January 2000 (which should be read in its entirety for a full discussion of the interaction between bird posture and type difference), "In the future I will be more likely to grant difference between different types of birds when they are (a) different in period, (b) in a period posture, (c) drawn correctly, and (d) there is some visual difference." Hawks and doves would be considered different in period when in their default postures. However, Conall's striking hawk is not in a period posture, and Sarah's rising dove is not in a standard period posture for doves. Sarah's dove is drawn with the dove's heraldic attribute of a tuft at the back of the head. However, Conall's hawk is also drawn with a tuft or crest at the back of its head. The body shapes and beak shapes of the two birds as depicted in their emblazons are not as distinct as one would expect for good depictions of either type of bird. After visually comparing the two emblazons, it was the strong opinion of the people present at the Wreath meeting that there was not much visual difference between these two birds. As a result, we cannot give additional difference for changing the type of bird.
This armory contains a single primary charge group in a standard arrangement (four charges arranged three and one around a per fess line of division). This charge group includes three types of charge (griffin, chalice, and Maltese cross). RfS VIII.1.a states that "three or more types of charges should not be used in the same group."
Conflict with Allendale of the Evergreens, Argent, a pine tree proper. There is one CD for adding the otter but no difference between a pine tree proper and a cypress tree proper.
The byname della Neve was documented as a surname from Fucilla (p. 224), which states "Neve, Della Neve, snow, could apply to a very light complexioned person". The problem with Fucilla is that there are few, if any, dates in this source. So, in most instances, it is not possible to tell simply from reading the entry in Fucilla if the name is period or not. In most cases, the same name may be found in other sources. In other cases, a pattern of similar names may be documented. The College was unable to find evidence of della Neve as a byname in any source other than Fucilla. The only use of della Neve in period that was found by the College was in the phrase Santa Maria della Neve 'Saint Mary of the Snow', which was used as an appellation of the Madonna. Lacking evidence that della Neve is plausible as a byname in period, it is not registerable.
Her armory has been registered under the holding name Allegranza of Black Diamond.
The sparrow drawn here is all brown with a white stripe over its eye. The September 2002 LoAR ruled that, without further documentation, brown sparrows proper were not compatible with period heraldry and could not be registered. The most pertinent portions of that ruling are quoted here below, but please refer to the original ruling for the full discussion:
It is only acceptable to blazon an animal as a brown animal proper when that animal is frequently found in a brown color in nature, as per the Cover Letter of October 1995, which states in pertinent part in part "... animals which are normally brown may be registered simply as an {X} proper (e.g., boar proper, hare proper). Animals which are frequently found as brown but also commonly appear in other tinctures in the natural world may be registered as a brown {X} proper (e.g., brown hound proper, brown horse proper)."
Period Western European sparrows are not brown birds, but distinctly marked birds. The male is about one-third brown with the remainder marked in black and white. The less distinctive female is half brown and half off-white. One typical species is Passer domesticus, which is called the house sparrow in both Europe and the United States. It is thus appropriate to inquire as to how a bird with such natural markings would be depicted in period heraldry when proper. Documentation was neither provided nor found for sparrows proper in period armory, so we have to draw conclusions based on other similarly marked proper birds....
...Because birds that are black and white in nature appear to be drawn black and white when proper in period heraldry, it is not reasonable to assume that the partially brown and partially black and white sparrow would be solid brown in period heraldry. The female sparrow is a closer match, but is still not an "all brown bird". Also, as a general rule, it is the more colorful member of a species that is used to determine the proper coloration of a species in heraldry, the peacock being the prime example of this practice. Thus, unless evidence is provided for brown sparrows proper in period armory, they may not be registered in the SCA.
In addition, we had difficulty with blazoning the holly as depicted here. Each holly cluster has three leaves in pall, and each cluster has one of those three leaves pointing outwards (so that the clusters are radially disposed.) We were unable to come up with a clear blazon for this, and the College did not feel these could simply be blazoned as holly sprigs with the exact depiction left to the artist. On resubmission, the submitter should either provide a clear blazon for these sprigs or should draw them in a fashion which may be blazoned clearly.
Conflict with Keldon of Stargate, Per chevron gules and Or, two lions rampant Or and a maple leaf vert. There is no CD for changing only one-third of the posture of the group (that of the dexter chief lion). There is one CD for changing the type and tincture of the bottommost of a group of three charges arranged two and one, but that is all: "The precedent that allows changes to the bottommost of three charges arranged two and one explicitly limits the amount of difference to one CD; therefore there is only a single CD for multiple changes to the bottom third of the device" (LoAR March 2001).
As we do not register scribal abbreviations, the element St. needs to be spelled out as Saint.
This order name conflicts with three real-world locations, as noted by Argent Snail:
This conflicts with Santa Barbara, the city, which is found in Honduras, California, and the Santa Barbara Islands also fou