The submitter has a letter of permission to conflict with Minstrel's Guild, registered to the Barony of Madrone in March 1983. There was some question about whether the small difference between the two names was sufficient for registration even with a letter of permission to conflict. However, we have registered names whose sound and appearance are just as close with such permission in the past: Frostheim, Shire of, was registered in October 1991 with a letter of permission to conflict with the household name Froscheim.
We note that this item was listed on the LoI as an appeal. However, there was no argument that the previous decision to return this item had been incorrect. The Barony included a letter of permission to conflict that had not been included with the original submission. This is not new or disregarded evidence; this is documentation that was necessary for a resubmission but not support for an appeal. We have handled this item as a resubmission. Submission heralds: in cases like this, please educate your members about the difference between a resubmission and an appeal.
Submitted as Order of the Millguard, this submission was an appeal of a return of this name in March 2005. The reason for the original return was that order names where the only descriptive element is a collective noun for a group of people are not consistent with patterns of period order names.
The submitters have not addressed the reason for the original return -- that there are no patterns of order names containing only a collective noun for a group of people. Because of this, the name Order of the Millguard is not registerable. However, they explicitly allow a fairly wide range of changes, which should allow registration of a name with a similar meaning that contains the elements mill and guard if such a name can be shown to follow patterns of period Order names.
The first issue: Is Guard a reasonable collective noun for a group of people? The submitters have included this definition from the Oxford English Dictionary, "A body of persons, esp. soldiers engaged to preserve a person or place from injury or attack..." The spelling Garde is found in 1494 and the spelling Guard in 1611. As such, guard does appear to be a reasonable collective noun for a group of people.
The second issue: In what form is an order name using the elements mill and guard consistent with patterns found in period order names? The article "Project Ordensnamen" shows plenty of names with the pattern [adjective] + [collective]; can mill be considered an adjective? In those cases the adjectives are spiritual or ethnic descriptions like Christian, Cross, Angelical, and Teutonic. Mill may be an object or a place (we will consider these possibilities in the next paragraphs), but it is not an adjective. Therefore, it does not fit the pattern [adjective]+[collective].
What if mill is categorized as an object? "Project Ordensnamen" does indeed give examples of order names following the pattern [thing] + [group]. The two examples given there use Sword and Flag as the 'things' in question. Both of these are items that are carried into battle. This is very different from a pattern where [object] is a random heraldic charge. Neither of a sword or a flag is very like a Mill, which is a building. Therefore, Mill is not suitable for use as part of the pattern [object] + [collective].
However, there is one more pattern demonstrated in the "Project Ordensnamen", that of [group] + [place]. Examples include Brothers Hospitaller of Burgos, Nobles of Tyrol, Nobles of Catalonia, etc. This suggests that an Order name of the form [Guard] +of [specific place] would follow known patterns of Order names. While a mill is not a specific place, the Mill of Delftwood is (this Order name is submitted by the Barony of Delftwood). Therefore, we are changing this Order name to Order of the Guard of the Mill of Delftwood in order to register it.
Submitted as Marija Kotok, the given name is Croatian and the byname is Russian. No documentation was submitted and none found to demonstrate substantial contact between Russia and Croatia in period. While there was some documentation of contact between the occasional Russian and the occasional Croat, this is different from the kind of prolonged contact between groups of people over long periods of time that is required to allow registration of a name mixing two languages. In addition, there is a more than 300 year gap between the date for the given name and the date for the byname. The bearers of the name Marija are recorded from the 8th and 9th C, while the earliest date for a form of Kot is in 1465. However, the submitter indicated that if the name could not be registered with the Croatian name Marija, she would accept the Russian Mariia. Mariia is found in Wickenden, A Dictionary of Period Russian Names s.n. Mariia, dated to second half of the 12th C. We have made this change.
In addition, the name has another problem. As submitted, this name consists of two given names. In some cultures, this combination might be interpreted as a given name and an unmarked patronymic. However, the second name here is Russian and unmarked patronymics are not found in Russian. According to the introduction to Wickenden, A Dictionary of Period Russian Names:
Unlike modern conventions, nicknames or diminutives commonly appeared in place of full given names. Such short constructions were common for peasants and even occur amongst nobles from time to time. Due to the limits of this work, I will not discuss the issue of nicknames -- an issue requiring extensive discussion, as well as an understanding of Russian that the average medievalist does not possess. This Dictionary lists a fair number of period nicknames (usually identified as diminutive forms) under the main entry for the name.
Footnote 1: As late as the 20th century, it is apparent that most people did not use anything more than their given names. A modern historian noted that half of rural schoolchildren at the turn of the century, attending their first day of classes, did not know their patronymics and/or surnames (Brooks, 1985: 55)!
This strongly suggests that in the example of the name Kotok in Wickenden, Kulik Kotok is one recorded as two given names (one of which is a diminutive) without a surname. To make the name registerable, it is necessary to change the diminutive to a surname. Wickenden records Kotok as a diminutive of Kot; Kotova is an appropriate feminine patronymic form of Kot similar in sound and appearance to Kotok. We have changed the name to Mariia Kotova in order to register it.
Submitted as Mathias Kotok, this name consists of two given names. In some cultures, this combination might be interpreted as a given name and an unmarked patronymic. However, the second name here is Russian and unmarked patronymics are not found in Russian. According to the introduction to Wickenden, A Dictionary of Period Russian Names:
Unlike modern conventions, nicknames or diminutives commonly appeared in place of full given names. Such short constructions were common for peasants and even occur amongst nobles from time to time. Due to the limits of this work, I will not discuss the issue of nicknames -- an issue requiring extensive discussion, as well as an understanding of Russian that the average medievalist does not possess. This Dictionary lists a fair number of period nicknames (usually identified as diminutive forms) under the main entry for the name.
Footnote 1: As late as the 20th century, it is apparent that most people did not use anything more than their given names. A modern historian noted that half of rural schoolchildren at the turn of the century, attending their first day of classes, did not know their patronymics and/or surnames (Brooks, 1985: 55)!
This strongly suggests that in the example of the name Kotok in Wickenden, Kulik Kotok is one recorded as two given names (one of which is a diminutive) without a surname. To make the name registerable, it is necessary to change the diminutive to a surname. Wickenden records Kotok as a diminutive of Kot; Kotov is an appropriate patronymic form of Kot very similar in sound and appearance to Kotok. We have changed the name to Mathias Kotov in order to register it.
This name mixes German and Russian; this is one step from period practice.
Morgen is the submitter's legal given name.
Her old name, Muirgen Sithean, is released.
Submitted as Petr Kotok, this name consists of two given names. In some cultures, this combination might be interpreted as a given name and an unmarked patronymic. However, the second name here is Russian and unmarked patronymics are not found in Russian. According to the introduction to Wickenden, A Dictionary of Period Russian Names:
Unlike modern conventions, nicknames or diminutives commonly appeared in place of full given names. Such short constructions were common for peasants and even occur amongst nobles from time to time. Due to the limits of this work, I will not discuss the issue of nicknames -- an issue requiring extensive discussion, as well as an understanding of Russian that the average medievalist does not possess. This Dictionary lists a fair number of period nicknames (usually identified as diminutive forms) under the main entry for the name.
Footnote 1: As late as the 20th century, it is apparent that most people did not use anything more than their given names. A modern historian noted that half of rural schoolchildren at the turn of the century, attending their first day of classes, did not know their patronymics and/or surnames (Brooks, 1985: 55)!
This strongly suggests that in the example of the name Kotok in Wickenden, Kulik Kotok is one recorded as two given names (one of which is a diminutive) without a surname. To make the name registerable, it is necessary to change the diminutive to a surname. Wickenden records Kotok as a diminutive of Kot; Kotov is an appropriate patronymic form of Kot very similar in sound and appearance to Kotok. We have changed the name to Petr Kotov in order to register it.
There was some question whether this name followed construction patterns found in Japanese names. We believe it does reflect a documentary form, the form [surname] + [nanori] (a nanori is a formal name reserved to the aristography, according to Solveig Throndardottir, Name Construction in Medieval Japan). This is the form of the name that would appear on official documents. However, the form [surname] + [yobina] + [nanori] is considerably more likely, especially for the 16th C (the yobina is a less formal "use" name). If the submitter is interested in a 16th C name, we suggest something like Yamahara Tarou Yorimasa; according to the author of the work cited above, Tarou is the most steropytical of masculine yobina.
Submitted as Abrahe çaragoça de girona, the submitter requested a name authentic for a 16th Century Catalan Jew converso. While the name is registerable as submitted, it is unlikely to be the name of a 16th C converso for two reasons. First, a converso is a convert to Christianity; Jewish converts typically adopt a new Christian name that does not refer back to their former name. Second, double locative surnames are rarely found in Catalan names. Siren notes:
While I can document the pattern <de placename de placename> for Spanish speaking areas (from de Atienza's Nobiliario Español), and would be unsurprised to find it without the first <de>, I've never seen the same pattern for Catalan speaking areas. The closest I can find are grey period patterns like <Miquel de Salvà i de Vallseca> (1609) and <Miquel Salvà i Vallgornera> (1639). In each case, both elements are surnames. So, a Spanish <Çaragoça de Gerona> or a Catalan <Çaragoça i Girona> or <de Çaragoça i de Girona> should be registerable. However, the Catalan forms seem to be associated with relatively high-ranking individuals, unlikely to be found in converso names.
So, to make this an authentic Catalan name, we would need to drop one of the two bynames. We have flipped a coin, dropped the second, and registered this name as Abrahe çaragoça, an authentic Catalan name, although probably not the name of a converso. We note that Abrahe de girona is an equally good Catalan name.
His old name, Ealdred Galt Mac an Toisich, is retained as an alternate name.
This order name is to be associated with their badge Argent, a stag lodged contourny azure attired Or and a bordure nebuly azure, which was registered October 2003.
This order name is to be associated with their badge Or, a seahorse and a bordure nebuly vert, which was registered October 2003.
This order name is to be associated with their badge Azure, an estoile within a bordure nebuly Or, which was registered September 2002.
Listed on the LoI as Bébhínn Inghean Áeda, the LoI noted that the name had been changed to Bébinn ingen Áeda to fulfill the submitter's request for an authentic pre-1100 Irish name. As this second form is a consistent Middle Irish form, we have made this change here.
Nice badge!
This name mixes Gaelic and English; this is one step from period practice.
Submitted under the name Eadric de Lone Stone.
The submitter is a knight and thus entitled to display the closed chain. He is a viscount and thus entitled to display the coronet.
Submitted as Susanne Von Hemmi, the submitter requested authenticity for 1060-1200 German. As submitted, the name has a couple of problems. First, the given name spelling was a proposed variant based on a German spelling, Susanna dated to 1465, and an English spelling, Susane, dated to the mid 16th C. This is not how spelling variants work -- variants must be formed from examples from a single language and culture. Either form is registerable, but to register this particular form, it must be shown that it's either consistent with German or English spellings (or in a language whose names are registerable as part of a German name), or that the spelling is an actual period form in German or a language/culture that may be combined with German. Without such proof, the submitted form is not registerable.
The byname Hemmi is an undocumented variant of Hemeke; Bahlow/Gentry, German Names, dates Hemeke to 1347. No documentation was submitted and none found to suggest that Hemmi is a reasonable form for this name, or that it is a variant found in period for any German placename. However, Bahlow/Gentry s.n. Hemmann, has Berthold von Hemme in 1299. In addition, the preposition von is usually found in all lowercase. We have changed the name to Susanna von Hemme in order to register it, and to make it fully German. However, due to the disparate dates of the two parts of the name, we are unable to make the name authentic.
Sergeants of Wealdsmere is a generic identifier.
The submitter requested an authentic 14th C English name. This is already a reasonable 14th C English name.
Submitted as Order of Ursi Argentei, the grammar of the descriptive elements is incorrect. As submitted, the grammar would be correct if the elements were masculine, but they are not. The correct genitive for the feminine ursa argente is ursae argenteae. To be fully correct, this name should be completely Latin: Ordo Ursae Argenteae. However, the pattern Order of the Ursae + [adjective] is grandfathered to this barony. Therefore, we have changed the name to Order of the Ursae Argenteae to match the grandfathered pattern and to correct the grammar of the descriptive elements.
The given name, Branwen, is an SCA-compatible Welsh name.
This name mixes English and Gaelic; this is one step from period practice.
The submitter requested an authentic German name. This is an authentic 15th C German name.
This name mixes Gaelic and Scots; this is one step from period practice.
Please advise the submitter that the embattlements should be drawn deeper.
This does not conflict with Lan Tallinnesk, reblazoned elsewhere in this letter from Or, a saltire quarter-pierced surmounted by a chief sable to Sable, a lozenge conjoined at the points to three demi-lozenges issuant from the flanks and base Or.
Submitted under the name Erich Rabe.
Her previous device, Per pale Or and purpure, a pantheon passant mullety of four points all counterchanged, is retained as a badge.
There was some question whether the -nn- found in Gwenneth was consistent with period spellings. Palimpsest notes, "Given the dated forms found in the Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 2022 (http://www.s-gabriel.org/2022) (Gwineth 1577, Gwenett 1629, Gwinne 1630), I'd bet that <Gwenneth> isn't out of the question." We are inclined to agree; while the -nn- in Gwenneth is unlikely, it is not inconsistent with known period spellings of this name.
Her old name, Gwynaeth Angharad of Glamorgan, is released.
Her previous device, Per chevron sable and vert, in cross three plates and a cobra coiled erect affronty Or, is retained as a badge.
Nice 14th C English name.
Please advise the submitter that the chevronels should be drawn thicker.
Please advise the submitter that the chevronels should be drawn thicker.
The submitter requested an authentic Russian name. While both parts of this name are Russian, there is a more than 300 year gap between the dates for the given name and the dates for the patronymic. This is one step from period practice. As we have no forms of either name with more compatible dates, we are unable to fix this problem to make this name fully authentic.
This does not conflict with Lettice Godfree, Per pale argent and azure, a compass star and a ford counterchanged. There is a CD for the difference between a caltrop and a compass star, and another CD for removing the ford.
His old name, Robin of Seawinds, is released.
This name is to be associated with their badge, Per chevron azure and gules, a demi-sun issuant from the line of division Or and a bordure ermine, registered July 2005.
The submitter requested an authentic German name. Bahlow/Gentry, German Names s.n. Riese, gives a Hans Rise in 1380, making this a fully 14th C German name.
The submitter requested a name authentic to 9th C Norse culture. While all elements of this name are Old Norse, we do not have examples of either element explicitly dated to the 9th C. Therefore, we are unable to say whether this name is authentic for her time period.
This does not conflict with the Red Hand of Ulster, Argent, a sinister hand appaumy gules, protected as an important non-SCA augmentation for Great Britain. The SCA grants no difference between a hand and gauntlet, no difference between a dexter hand/gauntlet and a sinister hand/gauntlet, and no difference for appaumy vs. aversant. The first two are due to period examples of arms being drawn both ways; the third is due to aversant being an SCA-ism. Hitherto, we have likewise granted no difference between an open hand and a closed or clenched hand. After reviewing period examples, we have decided to grant a CD between the two. This overturns existing precedents to the contrary, such as: "[a dexter gauntlet clenched appaumy vs. a dexter gauntlet appaumy] The clenching is an artistic detail which does not contribute difference. (William MacGregor, May 1998 p.22)". With the second CD for the bordure, this is clear of the Red Hand of Ulster.
This submission raised the issue of when the Red Hand of Ulster is protected. We need to distinguish between conflict and presumption here: The use of Argent, a sinister hand appaumy gules is presumptuous (and disallowed) when displayed in a manner that makes it appear to be an augmentation. However, the independent armory, Argent, a sinister hand appaumy gules, is protected from conflict as belonging to Great Britain.
Nice 15th C English name!
Submitted as Ólchobar Mac Aonghais, as submitted the name is two steps from period practice. First, it mixes Middle Gaelic and Early Modern Gaelic. Second, the earliest date we were able to find for the patronymic Aonghais was in a 1527 entry in Annála Connacht; this means there is a more than 500 year gap between the dates for the given name and the byname. We have changed the name to Ólchobar Mac Óengusa in order to register it. Mac Óengusa is a Middle Gaelic form of this name found in the Book of Leinster and an entry from 703 in The Annals of Ulster (both at the CELT site, http://www.ucc.ie/celt).
Submitted as Umm al-Ghazala Jami'a bint Asl{a-}n Kh{a-}t{u-}n al-Armani, the name has several problems. The first is an issue of presumption. Specifically, the patronymic, bint Asl{a-}n Kh{a-}t{u-}n appears to be a claim to be a member of the Persian royal family. Palimpsest notes:
Now for the next issue: the actual element <bint Asl{a-}n Kh{a-}t{u-}n>. In "Persian Feminine Names from the Safavid Period" by Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Uckelman) & Ursula Georges (Ursula Whitcher) (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ursula/persian.html) <Kh{a-}t{u-}n> is glossed as "royal woman;" they seem to suggest that it is not part of her name, any more than princess or queen would be. More important, <Asl{a-}n> is often used as a byname for the royal family of Persia; a woman who I think is the same person is given as <Arslán Khátún Khadíja> at http://erga.packhum.org/persian/pf?file=90001012&ct=43.
That suggests that <Arslan> is a byname, and her name the relatively standard Arabic <Khadija>.
The submitter noted that if bint Asl{a-}n Kh{a-}t{u-}n was not registerable, she would accept bint Sh{i-}r{i-}n. This raised the issue of patronymics based on a feminine name in Arabic; this practice was ruled unregisterable in April 1994 because no examples had been found. Palimpsest provides some:
First, the easy one: the use of matronymics in Arabic. Matronymics are certainly found in Arabic, though they're not found in formal nasabs but only in nasab-like family names. If there's only one generation, these names are indistinguishable, but I've never found one in a multi-generational nasab. Schimmel (1989:9) gives some historical figures that used a metronymic byname:
- one son of `Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661) is Muhammad ibn al-Hanifiyya 'son of the woman from the Hanifa tribe'
- Marwan ibn al-Hakam (d. 684) is also known as Ibn al-Zarqa 'son of the blue-eyed woman'
- the 13th c. Seljuk historian Ibn Bibi is named for his mother Bibi al-munajjima
She also cites many other metronymics without dates, but from context they certainly appear to be period. Most of her examples seem to be derived from an article "Matronymics among Arab Poets" by Giorgio Levi della Vida in the Journal of the American Oriental Society in 1942 (Vol 62, pp 156-171), which includes mainly period names. Some are literal matronymics, others use indirect constructions such as <sibt> 'grandson through the maternal line.'
Roded (1994: page number unclear in my notes) says: "In about a dozen cases a son is ascribed to his mother rather than his father. Most frequently, the son is referred to as "ibn al-Saykha"...
The Jews living in Cairo in the 10th to 12th century (as recorded in Goitein 1978) also used some metronymics in an Arabic style. The following family names or literal metronymics are all derived from feminine bynames, and are found recorded in Arabic script in names that are :
Abu- Sahl ibn Kammu-na 'son of the cumin seed (f)'
ibn al-Naghira 'son of the hot tempered woman'
Ibn al-Zuqilliya (probably Ibn al-S.iquilliyya 'son of the Sicilian woman')
Bint al-z.a-miya 'daughter of the thirsty (frustrated) woman'
Some of these family names even use women's given names or bynames; some found in al-Andalus include <Ibn `Aa'isha>, <Ibn Aamina>, <Ibn Faa{t.}ima>, as well as <Ibn al-Labaana> ('son of the milkmaid') and <ibn al-Bay{d.}aa'> ('son of the white woman'). (from Marin 2000).
While this data does not support the widespread use of matronymics in Arabic, it certainly rises to the level of registerability, though it may well carry the same sort of weirdness that matronymics in Gaelic currently carry. Therefore, bint Sh{i-}r{i-}n (or in this case, bint Shirin, which is a transcription of this name consistent with the transcription forms used in the rest of the name), is a registerable name element.
However, this raises a third issue of grammar. The final byname, al-Armani is masculine; when it was part of a patronymic, this was grammatically correct. However, to be part of a matronymic, it needs to be feminized. The appropriate feminine form of this byname is al-Armaniyya. There was some question whether al-Armani could be registered in this part of the name citing the grandfather clause. It cannot. The grandfather clause allows continued registration of a registered element, provided the new name does not introduce rules violations already present in the original name. In this case, the switch from a patronymic to a matronymic introduces a violation of a rule of grammar which was not present in the original registration.
We have changed the name to Umm al-Ghazala Jami'a bint Shirin al-Armaniyya in order to register it. This change in the byname removes the issue of presumption and fixes the grammar. The change from Sh{i-}r{i-}n to Shirin places the name in a consistent transcription system.
Her old name, Umm al-Ghazala Jami'a bint Kamil al-Armani, is released.
Submitted as Ysabeau Bourbeau, the submitter requested authenticity for an unspecified language, presumably French, and accepted minor changes. The byname was documented as an undated variant of an undated byname. However, the source is one where we usually accept the spellings as period unless the text indicates that they are modern. Therefore, while the name is registerable, it is not authentic. Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Late Period French Surnames (used by women)" dates de Bourbon to 1503 and 1515; Morlet, Dictionnaire etymologique des Noms de Famille, the source from which the byname was documented, shows Bourbon as a placename derived from the same route. For an authentic French name, we suggest Ysabeau de Bourbon. We would make this change, but the two names are too different in appearance to be a minor change.
Please see the Cover Letter for a discussion on period bottles.
Afshin is the submitter's legal given name.
Registered December 1991 with the blazon Per fess argent and sable, a panther guardant gules incensed proper between three ermine spots counterchanged, the posture of the panther was omitted and there is no default. The panther is rampant.
Please advise the submitter to draw the griffin larger.
Submitted as Eirnín inghean Dhubhghaill, words starting with the letter D do not lenite when following words ending with the letter n. We have changed the name to Eirnín inghean Dubhghaill to correct the grammar.
Nice early 14th C Scottish name!
Originally submitted as Geoffrey ap Clwyd, the patronymic marker was dropped a kingdom because Clwyd is a locative byname, not a patronymic. However, the submitter had indicated that he would not accept major changes such as dropping an element, and there was no indication on the LoI that he had approved this change. However, correspondence with the submitter revealed that he would allow the ap to be dropped in order to register the name. Submissions heralds, if you must drop an element from a name to make it registerable and the submitter has indicated minor changes only, please make sure to get the approval of the submitter for the change and also to note it on your LoI.
With four tinctures and four types of charges, this device is barely acceptable under RfS VIII.1.a, Tincture and Charge Limit.
Registered in January 1995 with the blazon Per saltire gules and sable in chief three lilies and in base a backed chair reversed argent, the default orientation for a chair is affronty. This has been reblazoned to correctly specify the orientation of the chair.
The submitter requested authenticity for 12th-14th C Italian from Pisa. While this is a very reasonable 14th C Italian name, we cannot say whether it is typical of names found in Pisa at that time.
The submitter requested authenticity for 12th-13th C English. As documented, this name contains a double-given name and a byname. This practice is not found in England at that time. In addition, we would expect a preposition with the locative. The submitter will not allow major changes, so we are unable to either drop or add elements to make her name authentic. However, if the submitter is interested in an authentic 13th C English name, we suggest either Jocea de Saint Giles or Godiva de Saint Giles.
Please advise the submitter to draw the rapiers more boldly.
Please advise the submitter to draw the waves more deeply and the sun larger.
While this conflicts with Madelena Palmieri, Or, on a bend nebuly azure a feather argent, it has exactly the same conflict as her device, Or, on a bend wavy azure three suns in splendor palewise Or. That conflict was missed when her device was registered; however, as the device was registered, the Grandfather Clause applies to the registration of this badge. As Laurel has previous stated:
To sum up: The Grandfather Clause prevents us from retroactively returning submissions. If someone registers an item that later is shown to have a problem, he may continue to use the item. By extension, he may register new items with the same problem (but no other); and so may his closest relations (but no others). The nature of the problem isn't limited, by either Corpora or the Rules (II.5, VII.8); the Clause applies to both style and conflict. (22 February, 1993 Cover Letter (December, 1992 LoAR), pp. 2-3)
Please advise the submitter to draw the rose larger.
The submitter requested an authentic 15th C Italian name but indicated she cared most about the sound of the given name. The given name, Rosanella was documented from a list of 13th C Italian names. The commenters were unable to find any other dated examples of this name. Arval Benicoeur, "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427," notes Rosa and Rossa. We would change the name to one of these forms, but this would significantly alter the sound. However, if the submitter is interested in a documented 15th C Italian given name, we would recommend one of the forms from Arval Benicoeur's article.
Please advise the submitter to draw the roses much larger.
Registered in September 1998 with the blazon Or, a chair reversed, and a bordure embattled vert, the default orientation for a chair is affronty. This has been reblazoned to correctly specify the orientation of the chair.
Registered in October 1981 with the blazon Or, a saltire quarter-pierced surmounted by a chief sable, an examination of the emblazon does not show a saltire or a chief. As we register the emblazon, not the blazon, we have attempted to derive a blazon that adequately describes the actual emblazon. The emblazon shows a single complete lozenge joined to three partial lozenges. This is not sufficient to represent a lozengy field.
Submitted as Draco Lengeteyll, the documentation for the byname, Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, shows the cited spelling as Lengeteyll'. The apostrophe is a scribal abbreviation, probably a dropped -e. We do not register scribal abbreviations, so we have changed the name to Draco Lengeteylle, the most likely form represented by the cited example.
Submitted as Marsaili inghean Aoidh, the submitter requested authenticity for Scottish Gaelic. While we do not have a documented form of the given name in Gaelic in Scotland, we do have Irish examples. Mari neyn Brian, "Index of Names from Irish Annals", lists Mairsil in 1486. We have changed this name to Mairsil, an authentic 15th C Gaelic name.
The spelling Marsaili is a speculative Scottish Gaelic spelling from Sharon Krossa, "Scottish Gaelic Given Names." This article was last updated in November 2001. In it the author notes that no examples of this name have been found in a Gaelic record, although Latin and Scots language forms of a name something like Marsaili had been found. Since that time, though, an Irish example of this name, the form registered her, has been found. Since we now have a true documentable Early Modern Gaelic form of this name that is different from the speculative form found in Krossa's article, this raises doubts as to whether the speculative form is actually a period form. Therefore, barring an actual example of the spelling Marsaili in period, this spelling is no longer registerable.
The submitter requested an authentic German name. This is a reasonable 14th C German name.
This is clear of Alesia la Sabia de Murcia, (Fieldless) A comet fesswise gules. There is a CD for fieldlessness and another for the tincture of the comet as Nicolaa's comet is Or with a gules estoile and is thus primarily Or, not gules.
His old name, Robert le Medier de Rouen, is released.
The submitter's previous device, Purpure, ermined Or, an eagle rising contourny, wings elevated and displayed, grasping in its talons a scimitar fesswise, blade to base, between its wings a compass-rose argent, all within a bordure embattled Or, is retained as a badge.
Permission is granted to conflict for any armory that is at least one countable step (one CD) from his registered armory.
Submitted as Diarmait ó Riagáin, the submitter requested an authentic 12th-13th C Irish name. The submitted documentation, Krossa, "Quick and Easy Gaelic Names", indicates that 1200 (the beginning of the 13th C) approximately marks the changeover from the use of "ua" to "ó" in forming clan affiliation bynames. This also is the approximate time when Middle Irish forms went out and Early Modern Irish forms came into use. As both the given name and the byname are firmly Middle Irish forms, the earlier patronymic marker is appropriate for an authentic name. We have changed the name to Diarmaít ua Riagáin to fulfill his request for authenticity.
This name mixes a Latin form of a name found in Italy with an English byname. This is one step from period practice.
Registered March 1981 with the blazon Argent, a greyhound's head reguardant erased at the shoulder vert, gorged of two crowns engrailed of three points, this has been reblazoned to specify the tincture of the crowns.
Submitted as Áedan Ó Miadhaigh, the documentation for the given name shows the spelling as Áedán. In Gaelic names, the accents must either be used consistently or dropped consistently. Therefore, we have readded the missing accent to match the documentation.
This name mixes Middle Irish and Early Modern Irish; this is one step from period practice. If the submitter is interested in a temporally consistent form of this name, we can do no better than the suggestions provided by Fause Losenge: the Middle Irish Áedán úa Miadaig or the Early Modern Irish Aodhán Ó Miadhaigh.
Submitted as Áindle O'Diarmada, this patronymic combines an English patronymic marker, O', with a Gaelic patronymic in violation of RfS III.1.a, Linguistic Consistency. The form indicated that the submitter would not accept major changes such as the change of the language of an element. However, consultation with the submitter revealed that he had intended to use the Irish marker, Ó and would accept that change. We have changed the name to Áindle Ó Diarmada in order to register it. This name mixes Middle Irish and Early Modern Irish; this is one step from period practice.
The sword as long as the bat is wide; under current precedent that means that the sword is sustained. This does not conflict with Sveyn Egilsson, Argent, a swan displayed sable, holding in its feet the halves of a sword fracted Or, a bordure dovetailed azure. There is a CD for the difference the between the bat and the swan but nothing for the line of division on the bordure. The sword in Sweyn's armory is maintained, while that in Algar's is sustained. Thus there is a second CD for adding the sword.
Submitted as Anno Lynke, the submitter requested authenticity for German language/culture and accepted minor changes. As submitted, this name combines the Old High German Anno with the Middle High German Lynke; this is one step from period practice. As Fause Losenge explains, the name found as Anno in Old High German would be found as Anne in Middle High German due a weakening of the final -o in such names:
As OHG developed into MHG, the final <-o> of n-declension masculine nouns weakened to <-e>, <hano>, for instance, becoming <hane>; this change was nearly universal by the 11th century. [Richard von Kienle, Historische Laut- und Formenlehre des Deutschen (Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1969), §64] Masculine names in <-o> like <Otto> and <Hesso> were treated as nouns of the n-declension and followed the same historical course, so that OHG <Otto> became MHG <Otte>, <Hesso> became MHG <Hesse>, and so on. [Socin, p. 48].
We have changed the name to Anne Lynke, a fully Middle High German form, in order to fulfill the submitter's request for authenticity. We note that Anno Lynke is a reasonable Latin form of this name, but it is not consistent with a request for an authentic German name.
This badge was to be associated with the award name Award of the Golden Alder Leaf, returned elsewhere on this letter.
The summary indicated a request for authenticity as "wants Gaelic late period." While this is sufficient so that that we will not pend the name, we would request that summarization of requests for authenticity use the word "authentic" or "authenticity". This distinguishes such requests from information about the submitter's preferences about changes for registerability purposes.
Nice, classic armory!
This is clear of the Barony of Drei Eichen's badge, Azure, an acorn Or, with a CD for fieldlessness and another for adding the co-primary oak leaves.
This does not conflict with Oonami Yoshirou Kageyoshi, Sable, three crescents conjoined at the tips pallwise argent. Under RfS X.4.g there is a CD for arrangement (in bend vs. two and one). Under RfS X.4.h there is another CD for changing the orientation of two-thirds of the crescents.
This name is not in conflict with Cera Campbell, registered August 1989. While the bynames are identical, the given names are significantly different in sound and appearance. Ciarán may be pronounced something like \KYA-rahn\ or \KEE-rahn\, while Cera is properly pronounced \KAY-rah\ or \KAHR-ah\.
Submitted under the name Cristian Noell, that name has been pended elsewhere on this letter.
De Seta is her legal surname.
This does not conflict with Alethia Elphinstone of Dragonhold, Vert, a dragon sejant, wings elevated and addorsed, maintaining in dexter forepaw a crescent Or. There is a CD for changes to the field and another for placement: Dragano's dragon is in base and there is no design element that forces it to be in base.
Please advise the submitter to draw the lightning bolt with more cycles between the barbs.
Originally submitted as Finnbogi Úlfkelsson, the name was changed to Finnbogi Ulfkels son at kingdom because this was a fully authentic form of the name. However, the submitter made no authenticity request. As the originally submitted name is registerable, the only valid reason to change the name in kingdom would be if the submitter expressed a preference for the changed form. As there is no indication in the LoI or in the paperwork that the submitter expressed such a preference, we are changing the name back to the perfectly registerable originally submitted form.
Some commenters suggested that this arrangement of charges was non-period. From Guillim's Display of Heraldrie, p.240: "He beareth, Azure, three Trouts Fretted in Triangle, Teste a la Queue, Argent, by the name of Trowtebeck. We vse these words Teste a la Queue, in Blazon, to signifie the manner of their Fretting."
Teste a la Queue translates to Head to Tail, which still isn't quite accurate. But the three fish are braced in the same way as Finnbogi's drinking horns, so the arrangement isn't inherently non-period.
Please advise the submitter to draw the trees larger to aid in their identifiability.
Submitted as Hálfdan Galinn, by precedent Old Norse bynames must be written in all lowercase. We have changed the name to Hálfdan galinn in order to register it.
The submitter requested authenticity for 10th-11th C. However, we have no examples of the word galinn either as a word or as a byname prior to the 13th C. Therefore, while this name is a fine 13th C name, we cannot say whether it is authentic for the submitter's desired period.
His old name, Erling Herjolfsson, is released.
The submitter's previous device, Vert, a drinking horn palewise and a bordure dovetailed Or, is released.
This bears little resemblance to period heraldry; however, it is registerable under our rules.
The submitter has permission to conflict with Yrjö Kirjawiisas' badge, Sable, scaly Or.
The documentation submitted with the byname was solely from genealogical sources of questionable provenance. It is important to be careful when using such sources, as the information on them ranges from abysmal to scholarly. Web based family trees, for instance, are not now, nor have they ever been, considered reliable sources for documentation. Other resources on genealogical websites must be evaluated according to their merits. For example, a microfilm or photocopy of a period document is fine documentation, even if found on a genealogical website. In such cases, the original document is the true source. Transcriptions of period documents may be fine or may not be, depending on whether the data appears to be normalized or otherwise altered. Remember, not all transcriptions are created equal--some transcribers are careful and experienced in reading period handwriting, others are not. Family histories and third party non-scholarly essays or forum posts are rarely acceptable as documentation. In this case, the commenters provided appropriate documentation and so we were able to register this name.
Submitted as Gavin MagAonghusa, the documentation shows Mag Aonghusa. We have changed the patronymic to this form to match the documentation. This name combines English and Gaelic; this is one step from period practice.
Listed on the LoI as a device, this was submitted on a badge form. As the submitter already has a device registered, we assume this truly was meant to be a badge and are registering it as such.
Nice armory!
Submitted as Ducere Herald, ducere is the Latin infinitive "to lead". However, no documentation was submitted and none found showing the use of verbs in the infinitive in Latin mottos. However, Ursula Georges's "Heraldic Latin Mottoes" has several examples of Latin mottos using the imperative voice, and several more using the first person singular. This latter seems more common that the simple imperative. We have changed the name to Duco Herald to match forms found in period mottos.
Ursula Georges does note that she has found no examples of heraldic titles formed from Latin mottos. However, there is a general pattern of titles so formed. Therefore, forming a heraldic title from a Latin motto is one step from period practice.
Submitted as Illuminare Herald, illuminare is the Latin infinitive "to light". No documentation was submitted and none found showing the use of verbs in the infinitive in Latin mottos. However, Ursula Georges's "Heraldic Latin Mottoes" has several examples of Latin mottos using the imperative voice, and several more using the first person singular. This latter seems more common that the simple imperative. We have changed the name to Illumino Herald to match forms found in period mottos.
Ursula Georges does note that she has found no examples of heraldic titles formed from Latin mottos. However, there is a general pattern of titles so formed. Therefore, forming a heraldic title from a Latin motto is one step from period practice.
Submitted as Ministrare Herald, ministrare is the Latin infinitive "to serve". No documentation was submitted and none found showing the use of verbs in the infinitive in Latin mottos. However, Ursula Georges's "Heraldic Latin Mottoes" has several examples of Latin mottos using the imperative voice, and several more using the first person singular. This latter seems more common that the simple imperative. We have changed the name to Ministraro Herald to match forms found in period mottos.
Ursula Georges does note that she has found no examples of heraldic titles formed from Latin mottos. However, there is a general pattern of titles so formed. Therefore, forming a heraldic title from a Latin motto is one step from period practice.
The submitter requested an authentic 15th C English name; this is a very reasonable English name for this period.
There was some discussion whether this name, documented as two given names, formed an acceptable 10th century Spanish name. Palimpsest notes that Diez Melcon gives many examples where the patronymic is simply a second, unmodified, given name, even in Latinized contexts. Therefore, this name is registerable as submitted.
Submitted as Aílbhe bean Aóngus meic Muineóg, the byname phrase has several problems. First, no documentation was provided and none found for a spelling of Aongus with an accent over the o. More important, though, the name phrase bean Aongusa mhic Mhuineóg combines the Early Modern Irish bean Aongus and Muineóg with the Middle Irish patronymic marker meic; this violates RfS III.1.a, Linguistic Consistency. Gaelic grammar requires this to be a single name phrase; patronymic markers must reflect the gender of the bearer of the name as a whole. Therefore, this name must be interpreted as Aílbhe, wife of Angus mac Mineog because grammar does not allow it to be read as Aílbhe mac Mineog, wife of Angus. Because the given name is Early Modern Irish, a fully Early Modern Irish patronymic would be the best choice here; mhic is the appropriate Early Modern Irish form of the patronymic marker in this case. In addition, Gaelic grammar requires the element Aongus be in the genitive case and that Muineóg be lenited. We have changed the name to Aílbhe bean Aongusa mhic Mhuineóg to correct the grammar.
This name claims a close relationship with the registered name Óengus Minogue; bean indicates that she is his wife. She is, indeed, his wife in real life, and he has included a letter to allow her to claim this relationship in her registered name.
Please advise the submitter to draw the charges larger.
His old name, Murchadh Mac Diarmada, is retained as an alternate name.
Please advise the submitter to draw the hedgehogs larger.
While the rayonny is a bit too shallow and the bordure is narrower than expected, the emblazon is barely acceptable. Given the submitter's good faith attempt to address the issues raised in the prior return, we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt and registering this. Please instruct the submitter to draw the rayons larger.
Submitted as Eiríkr Geirsbrjótr, by precedent, descriptive bynames in Old Norse are written in all lowercase. We have changed the name to Eiríkr geirsbrjótr in order to register it.
Submitted as Ella Anne deKari, the documentation for the byname showed that the preposition was separated from the locative by a space. We have changed the name to Ella Anne de Kari to match the documentation and in order to register it.
Normally this badge would be returned for conflict with Friedrich von Rabenstein, Argent, a sun, in chief a sword fesswise sable, with a single CD for the number of swords. Under current precedent we would not grant a CD for orientation or arrangement of the swords. However, when Friedrich's device was registered in April 1994 Laurel noted "Clear of Ian of Nightsgate (SCA), Argent, a sun between a fret of four swords sable, with CDs for both number and orientation of the sword(s)." As Ian's badge has the same potential conflict with Friedrich's device as Friedrich's device had with Ian's device, this is registerable under the Grandfather Clause.
Submitted as Melchior Faust Hebenstreit, no documentation was submitted and none found for either double descriptive bynames or double inherited surnames in German naming practice. As the submitter explicitly allowed dropping the element Faust to make the name registerable, we have done this and registered the name as Melchior Hebenstreit.
There is a substantial difference between barry and barry and per pale. Thus this is clear under RfS X.4.a.2 (Field Primary Armory) of the protected arms of Gonzaga, Barry Or and Sable, and with the registered device of Barry Goldson, Barry of six Or and sable.
The name combines Gaelic and English; this is one step from period practice.
Nice 13th C English name!
Blazoned on the LoI as a wildman's head, a wildman or savage is a period heraldic charge that looks little like the charge submitted here: a wildman's head would be a normal human head, bearded, wearing a wreath of leaves. Some commenters suggested this was a greenman's head. The term greenman was coined in 1939 for a medieval artistic motif. There are period examples online (such as at http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_index.html) that look nothing like this submission -- or each other. Some don't even look like human faces. As there is no fixed form (and therefore no heraldic form) for this motif, a greenman's head is not registerable per se. However, as emblazoned the head can be blazoned as a human face crined and bearded of foliage and we will so register it.
Nice 13th C English name.
Nice device! Please advise the submitter that bear's generally have shorter snouts than have been depicted in the emblazon.
Submitted as Marsaili inghean Aindrias, the submitter requested authenticity for Scottish Gaelic. While we do not have a documented form of the given name in Gaelic in Scotland, we do have Irish examples. Mari Elspeth nic Brian, "Index of Names from Irish Annals" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex), lists Mairsil in 1486. In addition, the patronymic is in the nominative case rather than the required genitive case. We have changed this name to Mairsil inghean Aindriasa, an authentic, grammatically correct, 15th C Gaelic name.
Registered January 1973 with the blazon Gules, between two Doric columns a mullet inverted argent, this has been reblazoned to indicate that the mullet and the columns are co-primary charges.
Submitted under the name Rhiannon McLaran.
Nice 15th C Danish name!
Submitted as Ximón Martillo de Cordoba, the documentation showed the given name as Ximon. We have made this change.
- Explicit littera accipendorum -
This is returned for violating RfS VIII.2 (Armorial Contrast) by having metal on metal. While the submitter intended the flower and pen to be decorative, they actually function as tertiary charges. The charges are simply outlined in black; thus they are argent on the argent book.
This does not conflict with the arms of Yale University. Precedent states:
[Azure, an open book and in base a bee argent marked sable] This does not conflict with Yale University (important non-SCA armory), Azure, an open book argent charged with Hebrew letters sable. There is one CD for adding the secondary bee, and another CD for removing the tertiary letters from the book. As seen on p. 241 of Neubecker's Heraldry-Sources, Symbols and Meanings, the Hebrew letters on the books in the arms of Yale University are few and large, and function as tertiary charges. In general, open books may be drawn with numerous small writing marks as artistic license, the writing so small that it could not be read from any distance, but such writing would not be blazoned. [Branwen filia Iohannis de Monmouth, 04/02, A-East]
In this case, there is a CD for adding the lion-dragon and another for changing the type and tincture of the tertiary charges.
This is returned for having two different tertiary groups on the same charge per the precedent:
[... on a pale azure a salmon haurient embowed contourny in chief a compass star argent ...] It is not period style to have two different tertiary groups on the same underlying charge. The difference in scale between the salmon and the compass star makes the compass star appear to be in a subsidiary charge group to the salmon. There is precedent pertaining to this matter: [returning A mullet Or charged with a fleur-de-lys florency between five daggers points outwards sable] None of the commenters could find a similar motif: a primary charged with a tertiary X and a group of five tertiary Y's. Barring documentation of such an arrangement of tertiary charges, we believe that the motif is not a period one and therefore unregisterable. [The submission was returned for this reason and for conflict.] (Esperanza Razzolini d'Asolo, 10/95 p. 15) [Uma, Shire of, 10/01, R-Drachenwald]
In this case the cross forms one tertiary charge group and the Passion nails a second tertiary charge group.
The numerous shallow "bumps" in the embattling would have been sufficient grounds for return. Please advise the submitter to draw fewer and bolder embattlements in the future. There are also problems with this combination of Passion nails and a cross; they appear to be a single charge - a variant of a cross irradiated.
This is returned for redesign. There has long been precedent against armory consisting of a single abstract charge -- symbols that represent a phoneme or meaning, such as letters, numbers, runes, and kanji -- as well as against the registration of monograms. The rationale has been to prevent one submitter from having exclusive right to a symbol which should be commonly available to all. That rationale would, we feel, also apply to phrases made up from multiple abstract charges, if those are the sole elements of the armory. Thus, as we should not accept Argent, the letter L sable or Argent, in fess the letters LO sable, we should not accept Argent, the word LOVE sable. The same argument applies here: we cannot accept a design consisting solely of kanji. We therefore extend the ban on single abstract charges to cover any armory consisting solely of abstract charges, in any language (e.g., Japanese kanji, Norse runes, Arabic script, etc.). This applies whether the armory consists of a single word or a phrase.
The use of kanji is one step from period practice. By which, yes, we mean period European heraldic practice.
This device is returned for a redraw. On the December 2005 LoAR Magdalene de Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire's device, Per bend sinister vert and gules, a dragon rampant, wings displayed, in chief two compass stars elongated to base Or, was returned with the comment:
This device is returned for a redraw. At first glance this appears to be wyvern, not a dragon, as both forelegs and half the head are invisible due to their placement against the rest of the dragon. While no difference is granted between a wyvern and a dragon, they are still separate charges. On resubmission please advise the submitter that the head should not overlap the wing, nor should the forelegs lie entirely on the dragon's body.
The emblazon in this submission also blurs the distinction between a wyvern and a dragon. On resubmission, please advise the submitter that the forelegs should not lie entirely on the dragon's body.
This name does not follow a pattern found for forming English names with multiple surnames. We have examples of the pattern [given]+ de + [byname] + de + [byname], [given] + [byname] + de [byname], and [given] + [byname] + [byname]. However, none of the commenters found examples of [given] + de + [byname} + [byname]. We would drop the de or move its location, but either of these changes would be a major change which the submitter will not allow. Therefore, we are forced to return this name.
His armory was registered under the name Eadric of An Tir.
Unfortunately, this badge must be returned for conflict with Ana Moonstar, Azure, a wolf rampant reguardant Or, maintaining in its teeth a mullet of eight points argent, standing upon a moon in her plentitude per pale argent and sable. There is no difference for removing the maintained mullet. Checking Ana's emblazon, her moon is the equivalent of a maintained charge; thus there is not a CD for removing it. This leaves the CD for fieldlessness as the only difference between these two pieces of armory.
This device is returned for conflict. Despite the size of the roundel, it is the primary based on its central location. Thus this conflicts with Dunstan de Argentine, Sable, a moon in her complement between three lozenges argent. There is a single CD for changing the type of secondaries, but nothing for arrangement. On resubmission please advise the submitter to draw a larger roundel, as in his badge.
Aural conflict with Eric Ravn, registered June 1990. The only aural difference is the final sounds of both names -- /be/ vs /vn/ or /fn/ -- both are unstressed syllables. The consonant sound is formed in the same part of the mouth. The consensus amongst those at our meeting who pronounced these two names is that there was a large chance of confusion if both are said in a less than silent atmosphere.
His armory was registered under the holding name Erich of Raven's Fort.
None.
This is returned for the use of tenné (orange). The harp and the chief were intended to be Or but the color on the emblazons received by Laurel is clearly orange; tenné is not a registerable tincture.
This badge is returned for a redraw. The eel is not identifiable and in fact appears to be a white belt. A white belt is reserved to knights. Without evidence that the submitter is a knight, and thus entitled to display a white belt, this must be returned. Changing the tincture of the eel is not sufficient to allow registration, as that would still leave the problem of the eel being unidentifiable as an eel.
Conflict with important real-world place Langley Air Force Base, one of the earliest AFBs established by the American armed forces and still one of the most important ones on US soil. As such, it is worthy of protection.
None.
None.
This badge is returned for conflict with Conrad Breakring, Argent, an annulet fracted on the dexter side sable. There is a CD for adding the semy of sparks, but that is the only CD. Laurel has previously ruled "The consensus of the College was that a coiled match is visually too similar to an annulet to grant a CD between the two. (Kazimir Petrovich Pomeshanov, September, 1992, pg. 40)". The fracting of Conrad's annulet counts for no difference.
We are unaware of any sparks drawn in period as two and one instead of one and two. On resubmission the submitter should draw the sparks in the standard arrangement or provide period heraldic evidence of sparks drawn two and one.
This conflicts with Bela of Eastmarch, Gyronny sable and argent, a dragon rampant gules, armed and webbed vert. There is a CD for changes to the field but nothing for the minor change in posture nor for the difference in tincture of the dragon. In a previous return involving a conflict with Bela's device Laurel noted:
As a general rule, changing the tincture of a dragon's wings is considered to be change of tincture of half the charge. However, the webs of the dragon's wings are not the entire wing, and visual inspection of the dragon in Bela's emblazon shows that it has particularly small wings. Therefore, less than half the tincture of the charge has changed, and so there is no additional difference for change in tincture. [Ian Lindsay MacRae, 02/02, R-Outlands]
This is returned for conflict with Jonathas Reinisch, Azure, on a mountain argent a fox's head couped gules. There is a single CD for substantially changing the type of the tertiary charge.
The submission doesn't match any period style with which we're familiar. The pale and base, despite being the same tincture, are actually two separate charges; they cannot bear a single tertiary group, certainly not one that overlies their edges. Even were that not the case, the nebuly line of the tau cross is drawn far too small to be identifiable at any distance. This must be returned for redraw and redesign - with any tertiary groups confined to a single underlying charge each, and complex lines drawn large and visible.
None.
None.
Submitted on a device form, this was actually intended as a badge to be associated with his alternate name.
This badge is returned for lack of contrast. As the Pictorial Dictionary notes, a ship proper is made of brown wood. There is no proper tincture for sails. The submitted emblazon has argent sails; the use of sails which share a tincture with the field is grounds for return.
No forms were received for this order name. The Administrative Handbook IV.C. says:
No submission, including any resubmission, appeal, change or release of a protected item, etc., shall be considered for registration until a complete set of paperwork is provided to the appropriate heraldic officer
Because no forms were received by the Laurel office, we are forced to return this name.
These submissions were withdrawn by the submitter.
No evidence was submitted and none found to suggest that the word Destroyer was applied to ordinary humans in period. The examples cited from the Oxford English Dictionary in support of this submission are both references to Appolyon or Abbadon, an angel/demon referenced in Revelations 9:11. The OED does have a reference to the Virgin Mary as a distruyere of everi strisse (destroyer of every distress), but a reference from a hymn to the Virgin is hardly a ringing endorsement for "ordinary human". The first unambiguous reference of destroyer applied to humans is from Milton, Paradise Lost in 1667 Conquerors..Destroyers rightlier call'd and Plagues of men, but this is after our gray period. In addition, the fact that the term is strongly associated with a demon (it is the demon's name in Latin) makes its use extremely close to a claim of superhuman power or relationship. We cannot recommend its registration.
This item was withdrawn by the submitter.
This item was withdrawn by the submitter.
This item was withdrawn by the submitter.
This is returned for conflict with O'Connor Don (important non-SCA arms), Argent, a tree eradicated vert, with a single CD for adding the co-primary decrescent.
This name does not follow a pattern found in period order names. The name was based on the meta-pattern "order of heraldic charge". However, no examples of order names have been found using adjectives referring to size. Barring such documentation, this name is not registerable.
No documentation was submitted and non found to suggest that the word vol was found before 1650. The earliest date we were able to find for this word is the 1711 date from the submitted documentation. For a heraldic title based on the name of a heraldic charge to be registerable, it must be shown that the word used for the descriptive element is dated to period.
In addition, even if the word vol had been dated to period, this order name would conflict with Volk Herald, registered August 2002 and transferred to Modar Neznanich in January 2003. The two names are too similar in sound and appearance.
This name does not follow patterns found in period order names. This order name is a collective noun, Guardians, modified by a directional adjective. So far, we have found three patterns for order names containing collective nouns: with an adjective of describing a spiritual or ethnic quality or group (for example Teutonic Knights), with a possessive personal name (Brician Knights), with an object (Dannebrog), or with a specific place (Knights of Calatrava). The adjective Western falls into none of these categories.
Furthermore, an issue was raised that this name could be taken as a reference to the Order of the Chivalry in the West Kingdom. We can certainly see where this might raise such objections. Therefore, we are also returning this Order name on the grounds that it is presumptuous of the Order of the Chivalry of the West Kingdom.
No documentation was submitted to demonstrate that the name Ruri was used in period. The name was documented from a website, "Picking a Feudal Japanese Name" by Lady Tatsumi Tomoko. The source from which the website takes this name is, as far as we can determine, Albert Koop, Japanese names and how to read them: a manual for art- collectors and students, includes this name in the chapter on Japanese women's names. However, Koop gives no dates in this section, and his introduction says that the work includes names from "before the present era". This book was published in the early 20th C, and there are explicitly post 16th C names in this work. We have not been able to locate the name in other sources about medieval Japanese names. Therefore, we must assume that it is modern. Barring documentation that the name Ruri is found in use during the SCA period, it is not registerable.
The nami, or great wave, is a uniquely Japanese charge, which cannot be adequately described in European heraldic terms. It has been disallowed for SCA use since 1995.
This is part of the SCA's long-standing policy regarding Japanese culture. As the most recent edition of the Society's By-Laws states: "The SCA shall be dedicated primarily to the promotion of research and re-creation in the field of pre-17th-century Western culture." Items from outside the SCA's domain must be compatible with that goal.
Regarding the use of waves, Laurel ruled in the return of Oonami Yoshirou Kageyoshi (LoAR of August 1995):
"We don't register mon in the traditional Japanese style. Our emphasis is on European armory; our policy on Japanese-style submissions parallels the Society's policy on Japanese personae. Japanese personae are considered visitors to a European court (v. the SCA Organizational Handbook, p.74); Japanese-style armory are considered the attempts of such visitors to register their mon with a European king of arms.... This policy has been in place at least since April 83 --- as have the policy's logical extensions. Mon must be blazonable in European heraldic terminology, and meet European standards of style; a decade of registrations has shown they can do this and still keep their Japanese aura." (Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme, 8 May 1993 Cover Letter (with the March 1993 LoAR), pp. 2-3) Here, the use of a Japanese great wave, or nami, has no European heraldic equivalent; it cannot be described in European heraldic terms.
The great wave still cannot be adequately described in European heraldic terms; this device must therefore be returned.
The nami, or great wave, is a uniquely Japanese charge, which cannot be adequately described in European heraldic terms. It has been disallowed for SCA use since 1995.
This is part of the SCA's long-standing policy regarding Japanese culture. As the most recent edition of the Society's By-Laws states: "The SCA shall be dedicated primarily to the promotion of research and re-creation in the field of pre-17th-century Western culture." Items from outside the SCA's domain must be compatible with that goal.
Regarding the use of waves, Laurel ruled in the return of Oonami Yoshirou Kageyoshi (LoAR of August 1995):
"We don't register mon in the traditional Japanese style. Our emphasis is on European armory; our policy on Japanese-style submissions parallels the Society's policy on Japanese personae. Japanese personae are considered visitors to a European court (v. the SCA Organizational Handbook, p.74); Japanese-style armory are considered the attempts of such visitors to register their mon with a European king of arms.... This policy has been in place at least since April 83 --- as have the policy's logical extensions. Mon must be blazonable in European heraldic terminology, and meet European standards of style; a decade of registrations has shown they can do this and still keep their Japanese aura." (Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme, 8 May 1993 Cover Letter (with the March 1993 LoAR), pp. 2-3) Here, the use of a Japanese great wave, or nami, has no European heraldic equivalent; it cannot be described in European heraldic terms.
The great wave still cannot be adequately described in European heraldic terms; this device must therefore be returned.
This is returned for conflict with Randall of Willowrock, Gules, in fess a mullet inverted between two Doric columns argent, reblazoned elsewhere in this letter. There is a CD for changing the tincture of the primary charges, but no difference for changing the type only of one of three charges in fess.
This device is returned for lack of contrast; a bend (or a bend sinister) may not share a tincture with a lozengy field. While, for instance, Chesshyre & Woodcock's Dictionary of British Arms (vol.1) shows examples of a bend sharing a tincture with a barry field (Saynt Owen), a checky field (Bekering) and a paly field (Langforde), they cite no examples of a bend sharing a tincture with a lozengy field. This is due to the fact that barry, checky and paly field lines don't parallel the bend; they can therefore be distinguished, even when sharing a tincture. The same cannot be said for lozengy field lines; the visual effect is of a complex bend, which blurs its identifiability.
This name is two steps from period practice. First, it uses an SCA compatible Welsh name. The name Rhiannon was not used by humans in period; it is only registerable because it was previously declared SCA-compatible. The second step is that name combines Scots and Welsh. Even though the citation for the byname McLaran is from Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, their source for the name, Black, The Surnames of Scotland, ultimately shows it to be a Scots form.
Her device has been registered under the holding name Rhiannon of Betony Wood.
- Explicit littera renuntiationum -
The blazon for this device was missing on the LoI. While a Letter of Correction was issued, unfortunately the comments provided by the CoA indicate that the majority of the commenters did not have that correction while doing commentary. This must therefore be pended.
The dovetailed line of division is acceptable though we recommend fewer, wider dovetails with thinner outlining.
While not noted on the LoI, the form indicates that his currently device Sable, an abacus bendwise Or within a bordure argent is to be retained as a badge if this device is registered.
This was item 1 on the An Tir letter of November 30, 2005.
Blazoned on the LoI as Per saltire gules and argent, two arrows sable in pale and two crosses flory gules in fess, the submitted device is actually Per saltire argent and gules, two arrows sable and two crosses patonce argent. While a Letter of Correction was issued correcting the tinctures, unfortunately the comments provided by the CoA indicate that the majority of the commenters did not have that correction while doing commentary. This must therefore be pended.
This was item 2 on the Ealdormere letter of November 25, 2005.
Originally submitted as Christina Noëlla, the name was changed to Cristian Noell at kingdom because no documentation was found for Noëlla and to partially fulfill an authenticity request. The LoI noted "cares for 16th century English/French (Englishwoman married a frenchman and living in France)," but the forms noted this as an authenticity request -- the submitter checked the authentic for time period box, then wrote the line above in the corresponding text field. In consequence, the commenters were confused (and loudly expressed their confusion in commentary) about the submitter's wishes. We are pending this submission to make clear the submitter's wishes and allow the commenters to address them.
The original summarization and additional information added during external commentary appears below:
[Christina] -- Reaney and Wilson, "Dic of Eng. Surnames," p. 321 s.n. [Netter] dates "Christina Netter" to 1367
[Noëlla] -- According to the paperwork: "Could not document this spelling at the consult table. If this is not registerable, the submitter prefers <Noell> found as a surname in Hitching and Hitching "References to English Surnames 1601," on p. lii and okays this change."
Documentation for other spelling variants of this name are on the attached work sheet.
Name was changed from < Christina Noëlla> based on Talan's comments.
Talan's Comments - The name is cited from court rolls, which in the 14th century were Latin documents. Bynames were typically left in the vernacular (except that the documentary French article usually replaced Middle English <the>), but forenames were almost always Latinized. Modern editions very often convert standard Latin forms like <Johannes> to their modern English equivalents, in this case <John>; indeed this was evidently done in the case of <John le Netmaker> 1336, cited by Reaney & Wilson from the same modern edition. It appears that the editors left <Christina> alone, presumably because it is as much a standard modern form as <Christine> is.
The first point of this is that <Christina> is a documentary Latin form; it isn't clear what the vernacular forms were in the mid-14th century, but <Cristin> is one good bet, as is the much more common <C(h)ristian> (Reaney & Wilson s.nn. <Christin>, <Christian>). The second point is that a mid-14th century Latinized form is no evidence at all for 16th century use.
In the 16th century <Christian> (and variants) was still a much more common feminine name than <Christine> (and variants), to judge by the considerable amount of data that I've been able to examine. I did finally find some examples of the latter in Douglas Galbi's collection of names from the Guild of the Holy Cross, Our Lady, and St. John the Baptist, Stratford-on-Avon, at <http://www.galbithink.org/names/guild.txt>:
<christine> 1425, 1528, 1530
<christin> 1426
<cristina> 1500
<cristonne> 1512
And whatever form she used in England, we would expect the usual French <Christine> in France.
> [Noëlla] -- According to the paperwork: "Could not document this spelling at the consult table. If this is not registerable, the submitter prefers <Noell> found as a
> surname in Hitching and Hitching "References to English Surnames 1601," on p. lii and okays this change."
<Noëlla> and <Noella> are thoroughly unlikely as French surnames. <Noelle> is a possibility, if only as a feminization of the masculine surname <Noel> (Dauzat s.n.
<Noël>), though I have no actual example on hand. <Noell> is of course English. If she's serious about the stated persona, I'd suggest <Christine Noelle> or <Christine Noel>; if not, <Cristina Noell> is the form closest to her other preferences that is well supported by the available documentation.
Aryanhwy merch Catmael adds:
No documentation was provided for the spelling <Cristian>. Without such documentation, the name as submitted isn't registerable. If she's living in France, she'd be using the French form of her name. I've found three examples of <Christine> in the 16th century (see my "Late Period French Feminine Names" http://www.ellipsis.cx/ ~liana/names/french/latefrench.html); my source modernized the spellings of the given names, but I'll take Talan's word for it that <Christine> is probably a reasonable 16th C French spelling as well. My "French Names from Paris 1421, 1423, & 1438" (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/ french/paris1423.html) has <Noel> as a given name and a surname three times each. Based on this, I agree with Talan's recommendation that <Christine Noel> is the most likely form that her name would have taken in 16th C France.
<Noelle> is quite unlikely; S. Gabriel Report #2734 (www.s-gabriel.org/2734) says:
"We've found just one instance of <Noelle> in pre-1600 sources, in 14th century Picardy [1]. We doubt the name was used much earlier -- the word <noel> itself didn't appear until 1175 [2] -- and <Noelle> clearly didn't become popular until much later. It also seems to be a development unique to the northern -- and perhaps the northwestern -- parts of France."
I've never seen an example of <Noella>, medieval or otherwise.
Her device has been registered under the holding name Cristian of Stonecroft.
This was item 16 on the Middle letter of November 15, 2005.
Blazoned on the LoI as Argent, two dragonflies purpure and on a chief triangular a sun argent, the chief is sable. This is pended to allow conflict checking with the correct tinctures.
This was item 22 on the Outlands letter of November 27, 2005.
- Explicit -
Created at 2006-06-15T01:49:48