Society for Creative Anachronism

College of Arms

1731A 10th St

Hampton, VA 23665

+1-757-848-5813

laurel@heraldry.sca.org

For the January 2009 meetings, printed April 07, 2009

To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Olwynn Laurel, Istvan Wreath, and Aryanhwy Pelican, greetings.

Items listed below in square brackets have not been scheduled yet. For information about future scheduling, please review the status table located on the Web at http://oscar.sca.org/index.php?action=137.

The January Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held on Saturday, January 10, 2009. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Ansteorra (22 Sep, 2008), East (22 Sep, 2008), Atenveldt (25 Sep, 2008), Drachenwald (28 Sep, 2008), Middle (28 Sep, 2008), An Tir (29 Sep, 2008), Atlantia (29 Sep, 2008), Trimaris (29 Sep, 2008), Caid (30 Sep, 2008), Calontir (30 Sep, 2008), Gleann Abhann (30 Sep, 2008), Lochac (30 Sep, 2008), Meridies (30 Sep, 2008), Northshield (30 Sep, 2008), and Outlands (30 Sep, 2008). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

The February Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held on Saturday, February 7, 2009, the Meridies Heraldic Symposium Roadshow and the Noisemakers Roadshow held on Saturday, 14 February, 2009. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: An Tir (29 Aug, 2008)(pushed due to lost packet), Laurel LoPaD (07 Oct, 2008), An Tir (20 Oct, 2008), Ansteorra (20 Oct, 2008), Atenveldt (20 Oct, 2008), Northshield (20 Oct, 2008), Meridies (30 Oct, 2008), Outlands (30 Oct, 2008), Atlantia (31 Oct, 2008), Calontir (31 Oct, 2008), East (31 Oct, 2008), Lochac (31 Oct, 2008), Middle (31 Oct, 2008), Siren LoItP (31 Oct, 2008), and Trimaris (31 Oct, 2008). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Saturday, January 31, 2009.

The March Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held on Saturday, March 7, 2009 and the Gulf Wars Roadshow. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Artemisia (30 Sep, 2008)(pushed due to late receipt of packet), West (06 Oct, 2008)(pushed due to late receipt of packet), Caid (31 Oct, 2008)(pushed due to late receipt of packet), Ansteorra (18 Nov, 2008), Drachenwald (20 Nov, 2008), Laurel LoPaD (20 Nov, 2008), Laurel LoPaD (24 Nov, 2008), Meridies (28 Nov, 2008), Outlands (28 Nov, 2008), Atlantia (29 Nov, 2008), Siren LoItP (29 Nov, 2008), Æthelmearc (30 Nov, 2008), Atenveldt (30 Nov, 2008), Lochac (30 Nov, 2008), and West (30 Nov, 2008). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Saturday, February 28, 2009.

The April Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held on Saturday, 4 April, 2009 and at the Outlands Heralds and Scribes Roadshow on Saturday, 25 April, 2009. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: Northshield (09 Nov, 2008)(pushed due to lack of packet), An Tir (26 Nov, 2008)(pushed due to lack of payment), Artemisia (30 Nov, 2008)(pushed due to lack of payment), Trimaris (30 Nov, 2008)(pushed due to lack of packet), Laurel LoPaD (11 Dec, 2008), Ansteorra (17 Dec, 2008), East (22 Dec, 2008), Calontir (24 Dec, 2008), Atlantia (29 Dec, 2008), Atenveldt (30 Dec, 2008), Lochac (30 Dec, 2008), Outlands (30 Dec, 2008), Laurel LoPaD (31 Dec, 2008), and Meridies (31 Dec, 2008). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

The May Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held in May 2009. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: Middle (30 Nov, 2008)(pushed due to lack of packet), Caid (31 Dec, 2008)(pushed due to lack of packet), Gleann Abhann (06 Jan, 2009), Laurel LoPaD (09 Jan, 2009), Ansteorra (22 Jan, 2009), Northshield (24 Jan, 2009), Atenveldt (25 Jan, 2009), Atlantia (26 Jan, 2009), Laurel LoPaD (28 Jan, 2009), Drachenwald (29 Jan, 2009), Meridies (29 Jan, 2009), Siren LoItP (29 Jan, 2009), An Tir (30 Jan, 2009), Artemisia (30 Jan, 2009), Trimaris (30 Jan, 2009), Outlands (31 Jan, 2009), and West (31 Jan, 2009). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should be entered into OSCAR by Thursday, April 30, 2009.

The June Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held in June 2009. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: [Calontir (31 Jan, 2009)](pushed due to lack of payment), [Caid (12 Feb, 2009)], Gleann Abhann (14 Feb, 2009), An Tir (16 Feb, 2009), Meridies (16 Feb, 2009), Æthelmearc (24 Feb, 2009), [Ansteorra (24 Feb, 2009)], Ealdormere (24 Feb, 2009), [Atenveldt (25 Feb, 2009)], Northshield (26 Feb, 2009), Laurel LoPaD (27 Feb, 2009), Outlands (27 Feb, 2009), Atlantia (28 Feb, 2009), Calontir (28 Feb, 2009), Lochac (28 Feb, 2009), and Middle (28 Feb, 2009). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should be entered into OSCAR by Sunday, May 31, 2009.

The July Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican and Wreath meetings held in July 2009. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: [East (14 Mar, 2009)], [East (18 Mar, 2009)], [Æthelmearc (23 Mar, 2009)], [Ansteorra (24 Mar, 2009)], [Atenveldt (25 Mar, 2009)], [Meridies (27 Mar, 2009)], [Gleann Abhann (28 Mar, 2009)], [Artemisia (29 Mar, 2009)], [Northshield (29 Mar, 2009)], [An Tir (30 Mar, 2009)], [Atlantia (30 Mar, 2009)], [Trimaris (30 Mar, 2009)], [Caid (31 Mar, 2009)], [Drachenwald (31 Mar, 2009)], [Lochac (31 Mar, 2009)], [Middle (31 Mar, 2009)], [Outlands (31 Mar, 2009)], and [West (31 Mar, 2009)]. All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should be entered into OSCAR by Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

Not all letters of intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this cover letter. The date of mailing of the LoI, date of receipt of the Laurel packet, or other factors may delay consideration of certain letters of intent. Additionally, some letters of intent received may not have been scheduled because the administrative requirements (receipt of the forms packet, receipt of the necessary fees, et cetera) have not yet been met.

REMINDER: Until all administrative requirements are met, the letter may not be scheduled.

From Laurel: Consequences

It is our unhappy duty to announce that the Ealdormere Letter of Intent which was published to OSCAR on November 23, 2009, must be returned administratively in its entirety. This sad state of affairs comes about because we received neither payment nor a packet of forms from them by the third deadline.

We remind Principal and Submissions Heralds that we are unable to process what we don't receive, and we are unwilling to postpone consideration of a letter indefinitely.

All commentary, obviously, remains in OSCAR, and will be considered if any of these submissions are resubmitted unchanged.

From Pelican: What does the lingua anglica allowance cover?

The lingua anglica allowance is one which generates perennial confusion. To ameliorate this, we'd like to give a brief sketch of the history of the lingua anglica allowance and explain how it is currently being treated.

As the March 1993 Cover Letter says:

A few recent registrations have left some commenters wondering about the exact status of the College's lingua franca rules. Originally, these were simply the acknowledgement of a hard fact: that the grand majority of SCA folk speak modern English, not Russian, Saxon, Latin, Old Norse, or whatever. The principle was first expressed as a Board ruling (after they'd received correspondence written in medieval Latin!), and codified in the 1986 edition of the Rules for Submissions.

The 1986 edition of the Rules say:

The official language of the Society is and shall be correct modern English. ... Simple particles, such as 'of', may be used without necessarily increasing the counted number of languages contained in the name. The formula, whatever the original languages, is acceptable. This is the usual historian's manner, and therefore Otto of Freising is a familiar form, though he would have been Otto von Freising or some other more German or Latin version in most contemporary documents. [NR1]

This rule was retained in the current Rules, which say:

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 [RfS III.1.a].

The lingua anglica allowance was extended on the January 1993 Cover Letter:

The use of lingua franca translation is extended only to single, simple descriptives. Given names, for instance, may not normally be translated into their putative meaning: e.g. Bear may not be used as a given name, even though it's the lingua franca translation of the given name Björn. Placenames, hereditary surnames, and bynames from different languages (e.g. French and German) likewise don't fall under the lingua franca allowance.

It was further clarified on the June 2002 Cover Letter to allow the translation of locative bynames documented in a non-English language into English, using the English form of the place name. For purposes of determining linguistic compatibility, the translated byname is treated as if it were still in the original language:

In the case of William of Saxony, this name would be considered a mix of the English William and the German von Sachsen. As mixing English and German in a name is registerable with a weirdness, this name has one weirdness for the lingual mix. Rendering von Sachsen as of Saxony via Lingua Anglica does not carry a weirdness. Therefore, this name has one weirdness and is registerable.

In the case of Wilhelm of Saxony, the name combines the German Wilhelm with the German byname von Sachsen. Rendering von Sachsen as of Saxony via Lingua Anglica does not carry a weirdness. Therefore, the name has no weirdnesses and is registerable.

In the case of Rhys of Saxony, this name combines the Welsh Rhys with the German byname von Sachsen. As mixing Welsh and German in a name is not registerable, this name is not registerable under the Lingua Anglica Allowance.

To summarize, the following are all acceptable instances of the lingua anglica allowance:

-	The use of a non-English place name or other name element frequently used in English in its original form with an English article or preposition (RfS III.1.a).

-	An accurate modern English translation of a documented, non-English locative byname, using the modern English name for the location (CL 06/2002).

-	An accurate modern English translation of a documented, non-English, simple, descriptive byname (CL 01/1993).

Note that in all cases, in order for the lingua anglica allowance to be invoked, the non-English name element or elements in question must be documented:

This byname could be considered a Lingua Anglica rendering of a byname formed from a tribe name. However, to appeal to the Lingua Anglica allowance, documentation must be provided to support the byname in the original language. Only then may a Lingua Anglica form be determined. [Tomyris of the Sauromatae, 01/2004, R-East]

This has long been our policy and it is not our intent to change the policy, just to clarify it.

From Wreath: Tincture and Tertiaries

A submission this month caused the re-examination of the precedent on changing tincture for tertiaries:

[Purpure, on a chevron between two Celtic crosses and a ferret rampant Or three thistles proper]. Conflict with Marina la Perdue, Purpure, on a chevron between three mullets of six points Or, three fleurs-de-lys purpure. There is one CD for adding the secondary charges around the chevron. This submission is not simple for RfS X.4.j.ii to give a CD for change in tertiary type alone, so any CD from the tertiaries must derive from X.4.j.i. RfS X.4.j.i requires two changes to the tertiary charge group for a CD. There is a change in tertiary type between these two pieces of armory, but not enough change in tertiary tincture to count towards the second necessary X.4.j.i change. The thistles in this submission have more than the usual proportion of purpure. The globular portion of the thistle, which is vert in nature and in a standard heraldic depiction, is purpure in this emblazon. The flower portion is also purpure, and therefore the thistles are almost half purpure. The text in X.4.j.i requires that any changes "generally" affect the whole group. [Catrina of Whitemoor, 10/2001, R-Meridies]

This precedent has since been interpreted to mean that, if the two tertiary groups share any tincture in common, they are not granted a CD for any changes to tincture. However, since then, other precedent was set on what change of tincture means:

[Accepting (Fieldless) A decrescent per pale azure and argent] This badge does not conflict with Rhiannon ui Neill, (Fieldless) A decrescent azure. While X.4.d is most often interpreted as requiring half the charge to change tincture in a single-charge design, the wording of the rule states that "changing the division of any group of charges placed directly on the field is one clear difference." While much more than half the charge is azure, this is a properly constructed per pale line of division. Therefore there is a CD for fieldlessness and there is a CD for the change of the line of division, from no division to per pale, and thus these two pieces of armory are clear. [May 2006, Kiena Gledston, A-Caid]

Therefore, we have decided to overturn the October 2001 precedent. Henceforth, when considering whether tincture changes count for the difference of tertiary charges using X.4.j.i, there are two guidelines: all of the charges in the group must change and the change must be the sort of change that would yield a CD when applied to primary or secondary charge groups. If both of these guidelines are met, then the tincture change will count as one of the two changes required under X.4.j.ii.

From Laurel: Society Pages

At An Tir's Kingdom Arts and Sciences Championship on Saturday, March 7, 2009, Juliana de Luna, Siren and Palimpsest Herald was placed on vigil for elevation to the Order of the Laurel. Her induction to that order will happen at An Tir's coronation July 17-19, 2009.

Elzbieta Rurikovskaia, Aten Principal Herald, will ascend the throne of Atenveldt on May 1, 2009.

On March 18, 2009 at Gulf Wars, Herrin Gisela vom Kreuzbach, Laurel Education Deputy and Kraken Herald of Atlantia, was inducted into Atlantia's Order of the Golden Dolphin. This order is a grant-level order for service.

On April 4, 2009, at Calontir's Heraldic, Scribal, and Dance Symposium, Inez Alfon was inducted into the Order of the Cross of Calontir. This order is a grant-level order for service.

Send What to Whom

Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera are to be posted to the OSCAR online system. No paper copies need be sent.

Submission packets (one copy of each name form plus documentation, including petitions; two colored copies of each armory form plus two copies of any associated documentation, including petitions) to the SCA College of Arms, PO Box 31755, Billings, MT 59107-1755.

Cheques or money orders for submissions, payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms" are to: Laurel Chancellor of Exchequer, 4N400 Church Rd, Bensenville, IL 60106-2928.

Send roster changes and corrections to Laurel. College of Arms members may also request a copy of the current roster from Laurel.

For a paper copy of a LoAR, please contact Laurel, at the address above. The cost for one LoAR is $3. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms". The electronic copy of the LoAR is available free of charge. To subscribe to the mailings of the electronic copy, please see the bottom of http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/lists.html#lists for more instructions.

For all administrative matters, please contact Laurel.

Pray know that I remain,

In service,

Olwynn ni Chinnedigh

Laurel Principal Queen of Arms