THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED:

AN TIR

Dietrich Eckhart von Katzenburg. Device. Per pale vert and sable, in pall a wildcat passant guardant Or between three edelweiss argent seeded Or.

Gosfrei Kempe. Device. Or, a quadrant gules.

Gosfrei Kempe. Badge. Per pale gules and Or, two chevronels counterchanged.

This is clear of the device of Melania of the Three Needles, Per pale gules and Or, a mullet of eight points between two chevronels counterchanged. The mullet in Melania's armory is the primary charge, so these designs are clear by X.1.

Romana della Fonte. Name.

Veronica Apollonia Simonetta d'Este. Name and device. Per chevron gules and purpure, four fleurs-de-lys in cross Or.

While this design is registerable, period chevrons and per chevron lines of division generally rose much higher on the field, so there was nearly no space for a charge above the top of the chevron or per chevron line of division. Please instruct the submitter to draw the line of division so that the point is unmistakably above the center of the field.

Wyewood, Shire of. Badge. (Fieldless) A shakefork per pale azure and Or.

Wyewood, Shire of. Badge. (Fieldless) A shakefork azure.

ANSTEORRA

Cael mac Taidc. Name and device. Per pale azure and argent, a pair of hands counterchanged.

Caitrina inghean Mhurchadha. Device. Vert, a rat rampant to sinister and in canton a mullet of eight points argent.

Cherish Otte. Name.

Cherish is the submitter's legal given name.

Donnchadh Beag mac Griogair. Device change. Or, a saltire engrailed between four lozenges ployé vert.

Some concern was expressed in the Letter of Intent about this being op-art. Folio 93 of Gerard Legh's Accedens of Armorye, published in 1562, emblazons and blazons Gules, a fret engrailed ermine, which looks remarkably similar to this depiction of a fret engrailed. The depiction of Or, a cross engrailed sable in folio 31 does, as well.

Please instruct the submitter to draw the lozenges larger, to better fill the space.

His old device, Per chevron Or and vert, two casks proper and a Celtic cross argent, is retained as a badge.

Elfsea, Barony of. Badge (see RETURNS for other badge). Azure, in base two bars wavy Or.

Please instruct the submitter to draw the bars with deeper, more prominent waves.

Elfsea, Barony of. Badge. (Fieldless) On a tower per pale argent and azure, an escallop inverted counterchanged.

Elspeth de Stervlen. Device. Purpure, six cinquefoils Or.

This is clear of the device of Micheline Elphinstone, Azure, six roses, two, two and two, Or. There is a CD for the change of tincture of the field and a CD for the change of arrangement of primaries, from two, two, and two to three, two, and one. The SCA default for six items on an undivided field is three, two and one, whether that field is escutcheon-shaped or not.

The submitter includes a letter of permission to conflict from Colin Tyndall de ffrayser, Quarterly sable and gules, all semy of fraises Or.

Robert Otte. Name.

Simone Valery La Rousse. Device. Per bend wavy argent and gules, an escarbuncle sable and an escallop inverted argent.

Uillecc Dubh mac Uillicc. Name.

Submitted as Uillecc Dubh mac Uillecc, following mac, the given name Uillecc needs to be in the genitive case. As best as we can tell, the standard genitive of Uillecc is Uillicc. We have changed the name to Uillecc Dubh mac Uillicc to correct the grammar in order to register it.

Viviana Ammary Rowntree. Badge. Argent, a dragonfly and in chief three lotus blossoms in profile purpure.

ARTEMISIA

Fíne ingen Scandail. Name.

Submitted as Fiona ingen Scandal, this name had a number of problems.

First, ingen Scandal is not grammatically correct; following ingen, Scandal needs to be in the genitive case, e.g., ingen Scandail.

Second, as submitted the name was two steps from period practice. The given name Fiona is an SCA-compatible given name; its use is one step from period practice. (Note that as ruled on the May 2008 Cover Letter, as of the May 2009 decision meeting we will no longer consider any name element to be SCA-compatible.) The spelling Fiona is consistent with Early Modern Irish spelling conventions, but it is not consistent with the spelling conventions of Old or Middle Irish. The byname ingen Scandail is Old or Middle Irish. The combination of Old or Middle Irish with Early Modern Irish is a second step from period practice.

The only examples of the given name Scandal that we have are from the middle of the 9th century. We do not have any evidence that Scandal remained in use into the Early Modern period. Lacking evidence that it was, it cannot be registered as a given name or as part of a literal patronymic byname in Early Modern Irish contexts.

According to the forms, the submitter does not have any preferences about her name. A similar feminine given name, Fíne, was in use during the 9th century, according to Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals". We have changed the name to Fíne ingen Scandail in order to correct the grammar of the byname and to remove the steps from period practice so that it can be registered.

Hue de Givors. Device. Azure, a bend argent between a sun and a ship Or, a bordure argent.

Iduna Snorradottir. Name change from Iduna Snorrisdottir.

Her previous name, Iduna Snorrisdottir, is retained as an alternate name.

John Gilson. Device change. Vert, a rapier bendwise sinister argent between two keys inverted, wards to sinister Or.

Please instruct the submitter to draw all of the charges larger, especially the keys, to better fill the available space.

His previous device, reblazoned elsewhere on this letter as Vert, a sword bendwise sinister argent between two keys inverted wards to dexter Or, is retained as a badge.

John Gilson. Reblazon of badge. Vert, a sword bendwise sinister argent beween two keys inverted wards to dexter Or.

Blazoned when registered as his device in August 2005 as Vert, a rapier bendwise sinister argent between two keys inverted wards to dexter Or, the weapon has a single bar cross-hilt, not a cup hilt.

Kharlampii P'ianitsa. Name.

Submitted as Kharlampii P'(ianitsa, the parenthesis was intended to represent an upside-down caron over the ia. So far as we can tell, this symbol is a pronunciation marker, and not a part of the transliteration of the name. We have dropped the ( to register the name as Kharlampii P'ianitsa.

Maderun verch Hugh. Name.

Submitted as Maderun verch Pugh, the construction verch Pugh is not correct. The byname Pugh is a contraction of Welsh ap Hugh 'son of Hugh'; while Pugh evolved into a fixed, inherited surname, it was never used as a given name, and so it cannot follow verch. Either Maderun verch Hugh or Maderun_Pugh would follow period Welsh naming practices. The submitter does not allow major changes, such as dropping an element, so we have changed the name to Maderun verch Hugh in order to register it.

Ysemay Bowman. Name and device. Per pale argent and purpure, an increscent sable and a decrescent argent.

ATENVELDT

Beatriz Teixeyra Drago. Name (see RETURNS for device).

The submitter requested authenticity for 16th C Portuguese. While a name with just one given name and one byname would be much more typical for this period, the name is authentic as submitted.

The LoI cited Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Portuguese Names From Lisbon, 1565" (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/portuguese/lisbon1565.html), for the byname Teixeyra, but did not provide printouts of the relevant pages of the website. This website does not have a URL beginning http://heraldry.sca.org/, so it is not listed on Appendix H of the Administrative Handbook. Pelican was able to confirm the information in the article, and so we are able to register this name. However, we remind submissions heralds that failure to provide the required copies of non-Appendix H sources is grounds for return.

Bella Donna Wynter. Name.

Bj{o,}rn mj{o,}ksiglandi. Device. Per chevron azure and argent, a tree blasted and eradicated counterchanged.

Please instruct the submitter to draw the per chevron line steeper, so that the point rises well above the center of the device.

Edeline de Diekirche. Name and device. Per bend sinister Or and azure, a bee sable and a tower argent.

Submitted as Edeline du Diekirch_, there were two problems with the byname. First, French locative bynames based on proper city names following the pattern de 'of' + <place name>. The use of du, which is a contraction of de le 'of the', is only appropriate when the proper name of the city is of the form Le X. Second, no documentation was provided for Diekirch as a period form of the city name. Siren notes that "La Belgique et les Pays-Bas, by Antoine Guillaume Bernard Schayes (E. Devroye, 1859) dates the spelling <Dickirche> to 1266 and <Dieckirque> to 1270. A spelling like <Diekirche> seems to me to also be plausible in the 13th c." We have changed the name to Edeline de Diekirche to correct the grammar and match the available documentation so that we can register it.

Jerome the True. Name.

The LoI cited Talan Gwynek, "Late Sixteenth Century English Given Names" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/eng16/), for the given name Jerome, but did not provide any printouts of the relevant pages of the website. This website does not have a URL beginning http://heraldry.sca.org/, so it is not listed on Appendix H of the Administrative Handbook. Pelican was able to confirm the information in the article, and so we are able to register this name. However, we remind submissions heralds that failure to provide the required copies of non-Appendix H sources is grounds for return.

Karl Wilhelm Singer. Name change from holding name Wilhelm Singer.

The submitter requested authenticity for Germany. All of the elements can be dated to the late 15th C in Baden-Wuerttemberg and Nuernberg. The use of two given names is unusual, but not unheard of in this period.

Seamus mac Roibeird. Name change from holding name James of Windale.

Submitted as Seamus mac Raibert, this was a resubmission, identical to the previous, of a name returned on the July 2008 LoAR, where Laurel ruled:

This is returned for administrative reasons: No summary of the documentation was provided on the LoI, and no name submission can be considered without a proper summary. Because this is an administrative return, we are explicitly not addressing the registerability or authenticity of the name at this time.

This resubmission provided the following documentation:

Documentation for both elements of the name are found in Black's The Surnames of Scotland.

Seamus is the Scots Gaelic version of James, p. 382 s.n. James.

Raibert is the Scots Gaelic form of Robert, p. 695 s.n. Robert.

The construction of the name follows the guidelines seen in "Quick and Easy Gaelic Names Formerly Published as "Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames," 3rd Edition, Sharon L. Krossa ( http://www.medievalscotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/#simplepatronymicbyname ), for a simple patronymic byname.

The client desires this particular combination of name elements, as his legal given name is James and his father's given name is Robert.

This is not an adequate summary. As the December 2008 Cover Letter says, in part:

For each different source being cited, the following information should be provided:...A brief quote or comment indicating what the source says about the name element.

This is especially crucial for books such as Black, which often contain explicitly modern, and unregisterable spellings. Precedent says:

Submitted as Seamus MacEanruig, the surname was documented from Black, The Surnames of Scotland. Gaelic names found in Black, including dated names found in the text, are nearly always modern normalized forms. The exception to this are Gaelic names cited from the Book of Deer and the 1467 MS, which appear in the form found in the original manuscripts. Without a second source showing that these forms are found in period, they are not registerable. [Seamus Mac Enrig, LoAR 09/2006]

Without a brief quote or comment indicating what Black says about the names Seamus and Raibert, it is impossible for the commenters to determine from the LoI alone whether these Gaelic forms are registerable per this precedent. None of the commenters were able to find any evidence that Raibert is a period Gaelic spelling; only modern examples were found. Lacking such evidence, it is not registerable.

Siren provides alternative documentation for a similar name:

Effrick's "Historical Name Generator" (http://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/hng16gaelic/) gives the late period form as <Seamus mac Roibeird>.

We have changed the name to Seamus mac Roibeird in order to register it.

The submitter requested authenticity for 12th-14th C Scottish Gaelic. The earliest evidence for Seamus in Scottish Gaelic that we have is from the 15th C. We therefore cannot confirm that this name is authentic for the 12th-14th C.

Titus Babudius Cicero. Name.

Umm Ma'bad Amirah al-Zahra' bint 'Abd al-Aziz al-Azhar ibn Malik ibn Mansur. Name change from holding name Erin of Atenveldt.

Listed on the LoI as Umm Ma'bad Amirah al-Zahra bint_'Abd al-Aziz al-Azhar ibn Malik ibn_Mansur, this form of the name was taken from Laurel's recommendation in the previous return, in July 2008. However, in that recommended form, the underscores were used just to emphasize the difference between the submitted form and the recommended form, and not as part of the name. We have removed them in order to register the name.

Additionally, the previously recommended form contained a small error; in order to use a uniform transcription system throughout the name, the laqab al-Zahra should be transliterated al-Zahra', to match Ma'bad. We have also made this correction.

Willelmus of Brymstone. Holding name and device (see RETURNS for name). Vert, on a mullet of seven points within an orle argent a sinister hand vert.

Submitted under the name Willelmus cum manu.

ATLANTIA

Atlantia, Kingdom of. Order name change to Order of the Alcyon from Award of the Alcyon.

The previous order name, Award of the Alcyon, is released.

Atlantia, Kingdom of. Order name change to Order of the Hippocampus from Award of the Hippocampus.

The previous order name, Award of the Hippocampus, is released.

Atlantia, Kingdom of. Order name change to Order of the Sea Tyger from Award of the Sea Tyger.

The previous order name, Award of the Sea Tyger, is released.

Atlantia, Kingdom of. Badge for Award of Arielle. (Fieldless) An antelope rampant contourny Or.

This is clear of the badge of Elizabeth Braidwood, (Fieldless) A yale rampant Or. While no difference is granted between a yale and an antelope, there is a CD for the orientation of the creature and a CD for the fieldless design.

Bella Trentavasi. Device. Quarterly sable and argent, a lion's head Or jessant-de-lys within a bordure gules.

Caer Mear, Barony of. Badge for Order of La Brise de Mer. Per fess gules and azure, a fess invected argent and overall a lighthouse Or.

Fritz Justus Fritz. Badge. Per pale gules and azure, on a bezant a boar's head couped sable.

Gwenllian of Yarnvid. Device. Per fess sable and argent, a plate and a tree blasted and eradicated sable.

Jason Michael Corvinus. Name and badge. (Fieldless) Three birds close conjoined in annulo vert.

Jason and Michael are the submitter's legal given names.

Kára væna Þórudóttir. Name and device. Per pale argent and sable, two demi-horses combatant and a fleur-de-lys counterchanged.

Kieran Hunter. Device. Vert, a fret between three hounds courant and a stag's head cabossed argent.

Marinus, Barony of. Badge for Order of the Golden Nutmeg. (Fieldless) A whelk inverted Or.

The barony has permission to conflict with Tir-y-Don's badge for the Order of the Whelk, Gyronny argent and azure, a whelk, bell in chief, Or.

Middlegate, Canton of. Branch name change from Canton of Hindscroft and device change. Or, a portcullis and on a base gules a laurel wreath Or.

Nice Middle English placename!

Their previous name, Canton of Hindscroft, is released.

Their old device, Azure, eight keys in cross parted, addorsed in pairs, all conjoined at the base by links of chain, and the whole environed of a laurel wreath, all Or, is retained as ancient arms.

CALONTIR

Aibhílín inghean Chuinn. Name.

Listed on the LoI as Aibhlín inghean Chuinn, both the forms and the documentation spelled the given name Aibhílín. We have made this correction.

Amelot Marguerite de Poitiers. Name and device. Per pale azure and purpure all mullety, issuant from base a phoenix argent.

Amelyn Pope. Name and device. Per pale argent and azure, two hand-axes addorsed, each blade charged with a cauldron counterchanged.

Great 13th C English name!

Cecelia Astudottir. Name.

This name combines Swedish and Old Norse, which is a step from period practice.

Donald Garrioch of Sothyrland. Name.

Dylan of Vatavia. Device change. Per bend sinister azure and vert, on a Celtic cross Or a sword azure.

His old device, Per bend sinister vert and azure, on a Celtic cross Or a sword azure, is released.

Emery Le Fevre de Lyon. Device. Per pale azure and argent, a Maltese cross counterchanged.

There is substantial difference between Santiago and Maltese crosses. Therefore, this submission is clear of the device of Cristóbal Vázquez de Narriahondo, Per pale azure and argent, a cross of Santiago counterchanged under section X.2 of the Rules for Submission.

This was pended on the August 2008 LoAR.

Ian of Treemoore. Release of name and device. Gules, seme of London plane leaves Or, on a chief argent, three Moor's heads couped sable [Platanus hispanica].

Juliana Macnayre and William Fletcher of Carbery. Joint badge. (Fieldless) A triskele between and conjoined to three arrows, points outward Or.

Mea Giuseppi da Firenze. Name and device. Or, on a chevron azure three suns Or, in chief two swords azure.

Österle Ostfrieslandter. Name and device. Or, a butterfly and on a chief sable three crosses couped argent.

Submitted as Österle Ostfrieslander, the byname Ostfrieslander was constructed on the basis of a citation for Ostfriesland on a map from 1589. However, the map spells the region Ostfrieslandt. We have changed the name to Österle Ostfrieslandter to match the available documentation.

Owain ap Blethyn Llwyd. Name and device. Purpure, a chevron between three feathers Or.

Submitted as Owain ap Bleddyn Llwyd, the documentation for all of the elements of this name was problematic. Both Owain and Bleddyn were documented from Gruffudd, Welsh Names for Children, but no copies for this source were provided. While Gruffudd was once listed on Appendix H, that is no longer the case. Therefore, photocopies are required for documentation from this source. Additionally, Gruffudd uses standard modern forms of names, which are not automatically registerable. We rule on the Cover Letter to this LoAR that this source is no longer acceptable as the sole documentation for a name element.

Additionally, no documentation at all was provided for Llywd on the LoI, nor was any request for help documenting this element made. We remind submissions heralds that all elements of a name must be documented, and that failure to do so can result in the undocumented elements being dropped from the name, or the entire name returned.

Alternative documentation for the name can be given. Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Owen date Owain to 1242. The spelling Llwyd can be justified as an extrapolation from Llwyt, used as a given name in the mid 14th C according to Morgan & Morgan, Welsh Surnames, s.n. Llwyd, and numerous examples of the byname ending in -d in the same entry. However, all of the period examples of Bleddyn in Morgan & Morgan s.n. Bleddyn spell the name with th rather than dd. We have changed the name to Owain ap Blethyn Llwyd to match the available documentation in order to register the name.

This device is not in conflict with the device of Tankred Bras-de-Fer, Purpure, a chevron ployé between two leopards' heads jessant-de-lys and an acorn inverted Or. There is a CD for changing the type of the secondaries, as we consider heads jessant-de-lys to be a single charge. There is also a CD for inverting the basemost charge, since we consider the basemost charge in a two-and-one arrangement to be half the group.

Roscelin MacKenzie. Name and device. Argent, on a pile ployé throughout azure between two trilliums inverted azure seeded Or slipped and leaved vert, a moon in her plenitude Or.

Listed on the LoI as Roscelin MacKenze, the name was originally submitted as Roscelin MacKenzie and changed in kingdom. Black, The Surnames of Scotland, s.n. MacKenzie dates M'Cenzie to 1560 and McKenzie to 1606. In these names, both M' and Mc are scribal abbreviations for Mac, so MacKenzie is an unremarkable Scots spelling at the end of our period. The given name Roscelin was dated to 1150 and 1221; combining it with MacKenzie is one step from period practice, because of the temporal disparity between the elements, but as that is the only one, Roscelin MacKenzie is registerable. We have therefore restored the name to the originally submitted form.

Sean Traveler. Name.

Submitted as Sean the Traveler, the name was two steps from period practice, one for combining Gaelic and English in the same name, and another for the use of the SCA-compatible byname the Traveler. Concerning the byname the Traveler, Pelican Emeritus argues:

The original precedent, set for <The Wanderer> in 12/1995 says only "[registering Johan Gregor the Wanderer] Contrary to the assertion in the LoI, the Wanderer is not a standard English byname; it is a standard SCA byname for which no period citation has yet been found. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR December 1995, p. 8): The precedent concerning <The Traveller>, springs like Athena full-grown from the head of <the Wanderer> in 10/2001, when we find "No evidence has been found that the bynames the Wanderer or the Traveler were used in English in period. However, they are both SCA compatible. Though the correct modern spelling is Traveler, the spelling that has been registered most often is Traveller. Therefore, this byname is registerable in both the spelling the Traveler and the Traveller. [Mihrimah the Traveler, 10/01, R-Ansteorra, returned for two weirdnesses]"

So, it appears, then, that <the wanderer> and <the traveller> are not registerable as English bynames because we have no example of them as English bynames. However, this is a much stricter standard than the RfS supplies. Ideally, yes, words used as bynames should be found as bynames. But the rules (specifically 2.II) also assert (emphasis mine) "Documented names and words may be used to form place names, patronymics, epithets, and other names in a period manner.

So, the question then is not "was the traveller ever used as an English byname in period" but rather "Was the meaning and usage of the traveller such in period that it is consistent with epithets found in England in period?" I believe the answer is yes, it is. First, the word is definately applied specifically to humans (and to specific people and/or classes of people). The OED s.v. Traveller gives these examples under "a person..going from place to place..a wayfarer, a passenger" 'c1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxv. (Julian) 20 Sic hope in-to sancte Iulyane e traualouris ane had tane. c1475 Rauf Coilear 82 Fyre, drink, nor meit, Nor nane vther eismentis for trauellouris behufe. 1552 ABP. HAMILTON Catech. (1884) 51 Certane travelars will nocht begin thair jornay on the satterday. a1591 H. SMITH Serm. (1637) 327 A traveller passeth from towne unto towne, untill he come to his Inne'.

Under the definition of one who travels abroad or to foreign places, there is "1556 ROBINSON tr. More's Utop., P. Giles to Buslyde (1895) p. xcvi, The very famous and renowmed trauailer Vlysses". In fact, the only reference in the OED that is not to a human in period is this one -- "1597 GERARDE Herbal II. cccxi. 739 Decking and adorning waies and hedges, where people trauell, and thereupon I haue named it the *Traueilers Ioie. 1678 PHILLIPS (ed. 4), Travailours-joy, a sort of Herb called in Latin Clematis." -- which gives a folk name to a plant after a human occupation or pursuit.

Certainly the similar "wayfarer" seems a reasonable byname; especially paired in this quotation with bynames for various other lowlife characters: "1514 BARCLAY Eglog iii. (1570) Bvjb, Iugglers and pipers, and scuruy wayfarers."

In addition, the OED notes traveller as a "noun agent + -er", with a crossref to -er(2), which says " 2. ME. -er, a. AF. -er (OF. -ier) in ns. which descend from L. forms in -rius, -rium (see -ARY), or which were formed in Fr. after the analogy of those so descending. Where the L. type of the suffix is the masc. -rius, it has usually the sense 'a person connected with', and the words are designations of office or occupation, as butler, carpenter, draper, grocer, mariner, officer. (So also in a few ME. adoptions of OF. fem. ns. in -iere:L. -ria, as chamberer, lavender.) Where the suffix represents the L. neuter -rium, the sense is 'a thing connected with', 'a receptacle for', as in antiphoner, danger, garner, etc."

So, Traveller is a descriptive word applied exclusively to humans in period, from at least the 14th C, formed in the manner of other descriptive bynames -- so, why is this epithet SCA-compatible, rather than just registerable under 2.II? I think it should be just a registerable, constructed byname.

Batonvert provides examples of documented bynames with similar meanings:

And to these citations from the OED, let us add actual period bynames: Alice Wayfarar, 1394, and Emma Weyfare, 1327 (Jönsjö, Middle English Nicknames, pp.185-6); and Robert Peregrine "traveler from foreign lands", 1243 (Reaney & Wilson 351, s.n. Pilgrim).

Petr. Wydefare, 1279; and Ad. Rideway "ride away", 1218 (Jönsjö, op.cit, pp.190, 151). There are also multiple examples of some form of Romfare, referring to pilgrims to Rome. All of these support the concept of a traveler as a period byname... though I note they seem to be concentrated in the time period when such travel would be a distinguishing feature worthy of a byname.

We agree with the assessment of Pelican Emeritus. On the basis of the examples cited by her and by Batonvert, Traveler, without the definite article, follows period patterns of descriptive bynames in English. We hereby rule that Traveler, or another period spelling of the term, is no longer considered SCA-compatible, but is registerable as a constructed byname (though of course we would encourage people to use one of the actually documented bynames instead of Traveler). While none of the commenters were able to find an explicit example of the spelling traveler in our period, the single -l- spelling is consistent with spellings found in the Middle English Dictionary s.v. travailour. We have changed the name to Sean_Traveler in order to register it. This has just one step from period practice, for combining Gaelic and English.

Shimazu Fujigorou Yoshi. Name (see RETURNS for device).

Thomas the Black. Badge. Or, a fess gules, overall a tree issuant from a trident head inverted sable.

The trident head on this badge does not contribute to difference.

Volkmar Katzbalger. Augmentation. Per pale sable and gules, two halberd heads addorsed and in chief a lucy Or and for augmentation on a chief purpure issuant from the line of division a demi-cross of Calatrava throughout Or.

There were calls to return this for violating Section VII.2.b (Contrast Requirements) of the Rules for Submission, specifically VII.2.b.i, which says "The field must have good contrast with every charge placed directly on it and with charges placed overall." However, section VIII.7 says that "The augmentation may, however, on a case by case basis break the rules in relation to the original armory." Given the numerous examples in Stemmario Trivulziano of chiefs of allegiance which have poor contrast or absolutely no contrast, and the numerous registrations of charged cantons which would violate this rule were it not for a contrasting border, we are following period practice and allowing this augmentation to break the rule of tincture as they did. In the future, a contrasting bordure or charge throughout which sets the augmentation off from the field will be allowed for augmentations, though not in normal practice.

The submitter has permission to conflict with the ensign of Calontir, Purpure, a cross of Calatrava Or.

Please instruct the submitter to draw the cross truly throughout, and not slightly cut off in fess.

DRACHENWALD

Margaret de Mey. Device. Gules, three water bougets argent.

This was pended on the August 2008 LoAR because there was a conflict call against the arms of the historical Roos family, which are identical to the submitted device. The Roos family were neither sovereigns, nor otherwise especially important historically. It was the consensus of the College of Arms that their arms, while prominent in several medieval rolls of arms and other heraldic references, are not important enough to protect from conflict.

EAST

Alianora la tesserande. Name and device. Purpure, in pale two compass stars and in fess a decrescent and an increscent argent.

This is clear of Rafael Diego de Burgos, Purpure, a mullet dismembered argent. There is a CD for changing the number of charges and a CD for changing the type of charges: we grant a significant difference (CD) between the default mullet of five points, dismembered or not, and a compass star.

The use of a compass star is a step from period practice.

Alverik Wyntervelt. Name and device. Argent, a chevron checky gules and argent between three lozenges sable.

Anna de Tatecastre. Device. Or, on a saltire couped gules a rabbit couchant argent.

Birna Hakadottir. Name and device. Argent, a bear statant erect, on a chief azure three mullets argent.

Catherine of Carillion. Name and device. Per bend sinister azure and sable, in fess a decrescent, a mullet of seven points, and an increscent argent.

Carillion is the registered name of an SCA branch.

Deirdre Planchet. Badge. (Fieldless) A billet gules transfixed by a needle fesswise azure.

Edmond O'Roreke. Name (see RETURNS for device).

Ellisif Vémundardóttir. Name.

Emengar la fileresse. Name and device. Vert, a spinning wheel reversed and on a chief Or a dragon passant breathing flames gules.

Friderich Grimme. Name and device. Argent, a fess wavy vert.

This is clear of the device of Lovell Hastings, Argent, a fess wreathed vert between three moorcocks in fess and a patriarchal cross gules. There is a CD for removing the secondary charges and another for the difference between invected, which is the outline of a fess wreathed, and wavy.

Nice device!

Gaius Iulius Aiax Magnus. Name and device. Per pale azure and Or, two squirrels combatant between three acorns counterchanged.

Listed on the LoI as Gaius Iulius_Aiax, the name was originally submitted as Gaius Iulius Magnus Aiax and changed in kingdom to avoid presumption with either Julius Caesar or the greater Ajax of Homer's Illiad. However, while the originally submitted name contains elements that are evocative of both these names (Gaius Iulius is the praenomen and nomen of Julius Caesar, and Magnus Aiax means "great Ajax"), the combination of the four elements is not overly evocative of either historical figure. We have no evidence that Gaius or Iulius was specifically associated with Homer's Aiax, or that Magnus or Aiax was specifically associated with Julius Caesar. Thus, there is no presumption against either figure.

However, the descriptive cognomen Magnus is correctly placed at the end of the name, and not as the penultimate element. We have changed the name to Gaius Iulius Aiax Magnus to make it closer to his originally submitted name.

Gavin Kilkenny of Kilcarren. Badge. (Fieldless) A sun Or eclipsed sable within and conjoined to an annulet gules.

Helgu-Ulfr Sigarsson. Name and device. Gules, on a pale between two wolves combatant argent, in chief a mullet of eight points voided and interlaced sable.

Submitted as Helgu-ulfr Sigarsson, we have corrected the capitalization of the given name.

Isabella Lupo. Name and device. Argent, a tree eradicated proper between flaunches vert each charged with three plates.

Ísgerðr ísungr. Name.

Jacquelinne Sauvageon. Device. Azure, a urinal argent basketed Or.

This is the defining instance of a urinal in SCA armory. Documentation was provided from Heraldry for the Local Historian and Genealogist by Stephen Friar (Grange Books). On page 194, it shows "the unique urinal crest of Dr Louys Caerlyon (1483)" as an example illustrating the wide range of charges used in heraldry. The picture shows a flask in a basket, very similar to the submitted emblazon, though slightly narrower. The original 1493 emblazon of this crest can be seen in Beddingfield & Gwynn-Jones' Heraldry, p.63.

The submission is clear of the device of Morwydd Fyngwen, Azure, a basket Or, in chief three snowflakes argent, with one CD for the change of type of charge, from basket to urinal and another for removing the snowflakes.

Jame Aguillier. Name and device. Or, a panther rampant guardant sable spotted of divers tinctures incensed and between two fleurs-de-lys gules.

There was some question whether Aguillier is a plausible French byname, since the submitted documentation, the 1292 census of Paris, only supported the byname l'aguillier with the definite article. The submitter does not allow major changes, such as adding or dropping an element, so we cannot add the definite article. While most of the occupational bynames in the 1292 census of Paris use the definite article, there are a few examples where it is omitted, and in these examples, the byname is usually capitalized: Bergier, Broier, Champion, Conseil, Heraut, marcheant de chevax, Navet, Tigier. On the basis of these examples, Aguillier is in keeping with other 13th C French bynames.

Jeanne Robin. Name and device. Per chevron Or and gules, three castles counterchanged.

Nice armory!

Jón mj{o,}ksiglandi. Name and device. Per pale gules and azure, a tower argent and a tower Or, in chief a roundel per pale Or and argent.

Jordan Lovatt. Name and device. Per pale sable and argent, two unicorns combatant counterchanged, in chief a decrescent Or.

Leopold Draco. Name.

The LoI documented the byname Draco as follows:

Draco is a French unmarked locative byname found in Morlet Noms de famille p. 347 s.n. Dragon.

This is an incorrect summarization of the information in Morlet. Morlet notes that Drago or Draco is a modern southern French form of Dragon, a metonymic byname for a dragonnier (carrier of a dragon standard). This citation does not provide us with any support for Draco as a period French form. Pelican's staff was able to provide alternative documentation for the byname, in German. Seibicke, Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch, s.n. Draco dates the byname Draco to 1339. Using this documentation, the name is registerable as submitted.

Lotharius qui et Segimundus. Name and device. Per pale argent and sable, on a bend three nails palewise counterchanged.

Submitted as Lothar_ qui et Segimundus, the submitter requested authenticity for 9th C Frankish. Lothar is a modern form of the name of various Carolingian kings. In the 9th C, we find the name recorded in Latin contexts as Lotharius and Lotherius (in Morlet, Les Noms de Personne sur le Territoire de l'Ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe Siecle, I:133a). Either of these Latin forms is more appropriate given the context of the rest of the name, which is entirely Latin, than the modern vernacular Lothar. We have changed the name to Lotharius qui et Segimundus to meet his request for authenticity.

There was some discussion in commentary on whether this device submisssion violated our ban on counterchanging a long, skinny object. Precedent was set in the acceptance of Þorvaldr friðsamr's device in January of 2008:

There was some discussion on whether or not this violated our ban on counterchanging long, skinny objects. In general, a charge that is part of a sheaf of identical charges, all counterchanged, is registerable even though one of the three charges is counterchanged along its long axis. In cases such as this submission, where the charge counterchanged on its long axis is inverted relative to the other charges, the situation is less clear. Because the criterion for registerability is whether the charge counterchanged along its long axis maintains its identifiability, each case must be resolved on a case-by-case basis. The center sword here is identifiable and thus is registerable.

The situation in this submission is similar, though these charges are not in a sheaf. The nails on the sides are readily identified, which aid identification of the central nail. Since the central nail is identifiable, the device is registerable.

Luned Gwyn. Name and device. Azure, a leaf within an orle of roundels argent.

As the July 2004 LoAR notes,

The metronymic Luned is documented only from Arthurian legend; no documentation was submitted and none found that this name was part of the regular Welsh naming pool.

Thus, Luned is registerable under the literary names allowance.

Máirghréicc Ruadh inghean Uí Faoláin. Name and device. Azure, on a bend sinister argent between a fleur-de-lys and a cross crosslet fitchy Or, four hearts palewise gules.

Submitted as Mairghréicc Ruadh inghen Ui Faolaín, the documentation listed the patronymic particle as inghen Ui, with the e in inghen underlined. This convention is used to indicate that the e is a Gaelic long e, which is transcribed as ea in most contexts, including the word inghean. Additionally, the accent is misplaced in Faolaín and accents are neither used nor dropped uniformly throughout the name. We have changed the name to Máirghréicc Ruadh inghean Uí Faoláin to correct these issues in order to register the name.

Máirghréicc Ruadh inghean Uí Faoláin. Badge. Gules, on a bend sinister argent between two hearts Or, a fleur-de-lys palewise azure.

Marion de Lari. Name and device. Azure, a peacock in his pride argent marked azure and on a point pointed argent a rose azure.

This name combines English and Italian, which is a step from period practice.

Michael of Carillion. Badge. (Fieldless) On a double-headed eagle sable in pale a crescent pendant and a mullet of nine points argent.

Miriel de Pukehole. Name.

Nice 13th C English name!

Mordred Blaksoule. Name and device. Or, issuant from a sinister wing, a hand sustaining a sword sable.

The LoI documented Mordred as a header spelling in Searle, Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum, dated to c.1000. However, the name which appears in Searle is Modred, not Mordred, and no evidence was provided that Mordred is a valid respelling of Modred, so this is not acceptable documentation for the name. Pelican Emeritus notes that Mordred, in this spelling, appears seven times in Le morte Arthur, a romance in stanzas of eight lines; re-edited from ms. Harley 2252, in the British museum; with introduction, notes, glossary, and index of names, by J. Douglas Bruce. (London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner for the Early English Text Society, 1903), and 149 times in Malory, Le Morte Darthur (London: David Nutt, 1889). Since Mordred is the name of a prominent character in a major medieval literary work, it is registerable under the literary names allowance.

Olivier de Campendut. Name and device. Or, on a chevron gules three crosses fleury Or, a chief embattled gules.

Submitted as Olivier de Capendu_, Capendu was documented as the modern form of a place name which occurred in 11th C Latin records as Capendud and Campendud. None of the commenters were able to find any evidence that Capendu is a period form of the place name. Lacking such evidence, it is not registerable. The submitter noted that if the name had to be changed, he cared most about 14th C French language and culture. While we did not find any 14th C forms of the place name, Loyall notes that:

Page 448 of Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Notre-Dame de La Roche, 1862 (http://books.google.com/books?id=wsEQAAAAIAAJ) quotes a Latin documentfrom 12 July 1248, describing a grant to <Raymundo de Campendut> (that's a dative of <Raymundus>.)

Page 507 of the Histoire Générale de Languedoc, 1844 (http://books.google.com/books?id=xJgOAAAAQAAJ) includes a 1470 letter from King Louis XI which mentions the seigneur <de Campendut>.

Since Campendut shows no obvious inflection endings, this spelling was probably also used in the vernacular, and since we have examples of it from the 13th C and the 15th C, it is plausible for the 14th C as well. Campendut also does not differ from Capendu in pronunciation significantly; the final t was likely silent. We have changed the name to Olivier de Campendut in order to register it.

Patricio de Cordoba. Badge (see RETURNS for other badge). Sable, on a bend sinister bretessed Or three broken keys wards to base sable.

Pedro Gonzalo de Castilla. Name and device. Or, a wolf passant gules, on a chief embattled azure a dove volant maintaining in its beak an olive branch argent.

Pedro Gonzalo de Castilla. Badge. Or, a wolf passant gules, a chief embattled azure.

Sarra de la Mer. Name and device. Or semy of hearts sable, a chevron azure and in base a raven contourny sable.

The name does not conflict with Sarra Moore. Moore and Mer are significantly different in appearance, and properly pronounced, Moore has two syllables, as well as a different vowel from Mer, which together make a significant difference in sound.

This also does not conflict with Sara bat Meir; since bat, a patronymic marker, is neither a preposition nor an article, its presence does contribute to difference, and bat Meir is significantly different from Mer in sound and appearance.

Sigfrid Hermann. Name and device. Per pale sable and gules, a sword bendwise and a bordure embattled argent.

Submitted as Sigfrid Herrmann, the submitter requested authenticity for late-period German. Herrmann was documented as a subsidiary header in Bahlow, A Dictionary of German Names. While both Herman and Hermann were popular forms of the name in the late period, no one was able to find any period German example of Herrmann with two rs.

Both Sigfrid and Hermann can be found in the 14th C according to Talan Gwynek, "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia". During this period, unmarked patronymic bynames were common, which means that Sigfrid Hermann is an excellent 14th C German name. We have changed the name to Sigfrid Hermann to meet his request for authenticity.

Simon Caspar Joder von Steffisburg. Badge. Or, a dagger and overall an eye sable.

Simon Helpe. Name and device. Paly Or and gules, a bend counterchanged and a chief sable.

Sorcha de Barry. Name and device. Barry argent and gules, a bend sinister cotised sable.

This name combines Gaelic and English, which is a step from period practice.

Vassilis Monemvasios. Name (See RETURNS for device).

Submitted as Vassilis apo Monemvassia, the byname was intended to mean "of Monemvasia" in Greek. Precedent from February 2003 says:

The phrase apo Korinthos is not grammatically correct. Korinthos is in the nominative case. When used with apo, it needs to be in the genitive case. As Korinthou is the genitive form of Korinthos, apo Korinthou is the grammatically correct form of this phrase.

However, there is a larger problem with this byname. No evidence was found that a construction such as apo Korinthou 'from Corinth' would have been used as a descriptive byname in Greek. We have changed this byname to Korínthia [Kappa omicron rho {iota'} nu theta iota alpha], meaning '[the] Corinthian', to follow documented Greek byname construction in order to register this name. [Phoíbë Korínthia, Calontir-R]

No new documentation was provided for locative bynames using apo in Greek was provided, so this construction continues to be unregisterable. Loyall provides information about an alternative:

I'd expect an ethnic adjective formed from <Monemvasia> here (later becoming an inherited surname), rather than a formation using <apo>. The natural guess is <Monemvasios>...By searching for the alternate transliteration <Monembasios>, I found a medieval example of a person with the name: p. 279 of Paul Oskar Kristeller, Iter Italicum: A Finding List of Uncatalogued Or Incompletely Catalogued Humanistic Mss of the Renaissance in Italian and Other Libraries (Brill, 1997; http://books.google.com/books?id=bXAxROzNqrIC ) mentions a copy of a letter by Janus Lascaris (a late fifteenth-/early sixteenth-century Greek scholar) addressed to one <Arsenios Monembasios>.

We have changed the name to Vassilis_Monemvasios in order to register it.

Vassilis is the submitter's legal given name.

GLEANN ABHANN

Kolskeggr goði kimbi. Name change from holding name Kolskeggr of Small Gray Bear.

This was pended on the September LoAR to allow the commenters to discuss whether the byname goði violates RfS VI.1 Names Claiming Rank or RfS VI.2. Names Claiming Powers. Gyðja, the feminine form of goði, was noted as being possibly presumptuous on the May 2003 LoAR, since it appears that the primary meaning of the word is 'goddess', and only the secondary meaning 'priestess'. Concerning the masculine form goði, Cleasby and Vigfusson, An Icelandic-English Dictionary, s.v. goði have a long discussion of the meaning of this word, noting that it seems to have started out as 'priest', and latter was used to refer to small-scale chiefs, with varying numbers of vassals. There is no indication that this word was used to mean 'god'. Siren notes that:

A review by Danny Yee (who has a massive online site with insightful reviews of anthropology books and others) of Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power says this about the goðar (plural of goði):

Gothar had few special sources of wealth -- some very limited taxes and a chance at price-setting for imports; tithes and trade were open to all farmers. The power of the gothar rested on their status as legal advocates and a gothorth was not a territorial or hereditary chieftaincy but rather "a professional vocation with entrepreneurial overtones".

As the title of goði was neither territorial nor hereditary, its use does not violate RfS VI.1 Names Claiming Rank. Since we do not have any evidence that goði was used to mean 'god', its use does not violate RfS VI.2 Names Claiming Powers. Thus, the name is registerable.

LOCHAC

Antonia di Benedetto Calvo. Name and device. Sable, a bend sinister gules fimbriated Or and in canton a rose argent barbed vert seeded gules.

The submitter requested authenticity for 15th/16th C central or northern Italian. As far as we can tell, this is a fine name for that time and culture.

Ismena Gamel. Name.

John Makeblise. Name.

Oddi meinfretr Hafsson. Name.

Taddea di Giorgio Mellini. Name.

MERIDIES

Dragonet de Lyon. Name.

Helen Hawksworth. Device change. Per bend gules and sable, a hawk trussing a duck and a hind statant argent, within a bordure erminois.

Her old device, Per bend argent and gules, a hawk trussing a duck gules and in bend three roses Or seeded vert, is released.

Meridies, Kingdom of. Order name Order of the Argent Rapier (see RETURNS for other order name).

The order name pattern Order of the Argent X is grandfathered to the kingdom.

NORTHSHIELD

Leona Bones. Name.

Submitted as Leonia Bones, the submitter requested that the name be changed to Leona Bones if documentation for Leona could be found. Leona occurs once in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "14th-15th C Given Names in Latin from Switzerland." We have changed the name to the submitter's desired spelling.

Morten Raknarsson. Name.

Listed on the LoI as Mor{d-}r Ragnarsson, the name was originally submitted as Morten Raknarson and changed in kingdom. Neither the fact that the name was changed nor the reason why was provided on the LoI. We pended this name in order for Keythong to give the reason for change and to allow the commenters to address the registerability of the originally submitted name.

Keythong did not provide any explanation for the change of name. We must therefore assume that the originally submitted name is the submitter's preference, and the one we should register if possible. Siren provides support for the originally submitted name:

<Morten> is found as a given name in the 1480-1530 period, according to Gabriel report #2896. The source is:

[6] Fladby, Rolf, _Kongebrev i Diplomatarium Norvegicum_ (Oslo:Kommisjonen for Diplomatarium norvegicum, 1965). vol. 3, nr. 929; vol. 6, nr. 632; vol. 14, nrr. 193-196, 697, 701; vol. 16, nr. 274; front page: http://www.dokpro.uio.no/dipl_norv/om_dn.html English search page: http://www.dokpro.uio.no/dipl_norv/diplom_field_eng.html

<Raknarr> is a header form in Lind, who says "Raknarr, -s, -i. M. Fing. R. kon. Hellulandi äfter vilken Raknars slóði ock Raknars haugr BSn 39 0. ff., skriven Rakni BSn 3823." It goes on a bit more, but I think that's enough to justify <Raknarsson>, if not <Raknarson>.

We have changed the name to Morten Raknarsson in order to restore it to a form closer to the original submission.

This was pended on the August 2008 LoAR.

OUTLANDS

Caerthe, Barony of. Acceptance of badge transfer from Katherine Linnet Holford. Or, a wingless dragon couchant reguardant, tail elevated and reflexed, vert, breathing flames of fire gules, suspended from the tail a cooking pot sable.

This badge is for the Caerthan Cook's Guild. Caerthan Cook's Guild is a generic identifier.

Katherine Linnet Holford. Transfer of device to Caerthe, Barony of. Or, a wingless dragon couchant reguardant, tail elevated and reflexed, vert, breathing flames of fire gules, suspended from the tail a cooking pot sable.

Louchelan de Hay. Name.

Submitted as Loghlan de Hay, the submitter requested authenticity for 14th C Scots. Black, The Surnames of Scotland, s.n. Lachlan has one 14th C Scots spelling of the given name: Louchelan, dated to 1304-5. Thomas de Hay is dated to c1300-20, s.n. Hay. We have changed the name to Louchelan de Hay to meet his request for authenticity.

This was pended on the September 2008 LoAR.

Skógr the Bastard. Name and device. Argent, a pile inverted throughout sable, on a chief azure a decrescent and an increscent Or.

Submitted as Skóg_ the Bastard, the submitter requested authenticity for 12th C Viking/Swedish/Norse, but did not allow major changes. The standardized Old Norse form of the given name is Skógr. A wholly Norse form of the name would be Skógr bastarðr, but the change from the Bastard to bastarðr is a major change. To partially meet his request for authenticity, we have changed the name to Skógr the Bastard.

The byname the Bastard is a lingua anglica rendering of Old Norse bastarðr.

Sorkhan Aratai. Name change from Iira Kazimir Zarubezhanin.

Submitted as Sorkhan Aradai, the submitter requested authenticity for 13th C Mongolian. It appears that Aradai is an error for the Mongolian word Arada, which can also be translated Ariga or Aratai. Siren provided the following information about Aratai:

The Etymological Dictionary of the Altaic Languages has (p. 316) "PMong. *ari[voiced velar fricative]a 1 molar tooth 2 fang 3 tooth of a chiesel etc. ...; MMong. ara'a 2 (SH), aratai 'predator' (HY 10), aral 2 (IM 432), ari{a with short mark}, nari{a with short mark} 2 (MA 105, 246)...."

Note the word "aratai" in the entry; I think that it's asserted to be Middle Mongolian, though I'm sure not clear. At least I think it's enough to give benefit of the doubt.

We have changed the name to Sorkhan Aratai to partially meet his request for authenticity. While we have not found any examples of Aratai being used as a part of a personal name, so far as we can tell this spelling of the word is appropriate for his period, and a byname meaning 'predator, hunter', does not seem like an unlikely byname.

His previous name, Iira Kazimir Zarubezhanin, is retained as an alternate name.

This was pended on the August 2008 LoAR.

Trenette Genevieve Thibaudeau. Badge. (Fieldless) A wingless sea-griffin contourny sable.

Ziddina Ait Zumar. Device. Gules, a mascle vairy sable and argent.

TRIMARIS

Arye ben Yoseph. Name and device. Sable, on a bend sinister between two stars of David argent, a star of David sable.

Submitted as Arye ben Joseph, this name mixed two transliteration systems by rendering the same Hebrew letter with both y and j. For registration, we require that a name use the same transliteration system throughout. In order to register the name, we have changed the name to Arye ben Yoseph so that the transcription of the byname matches the transcription of the given name. We note that the spelling Arje ben Joseph, using j instead of y in both places, is also registerable, if the submitter prefers.

Berenike Spartiatis. Name.

Submitted as Berenike ho Spartiates, the submitter requested authenticity for 3rd C BC Greek. The byname ho Spartiates is a masculine byname meaning "the Spartan [man]". Greek grammar requires that descriptive bynames like this agree with the given name in gender. Berenike is a feminine name, so we need the feminine form of the byname. The feminine form of Spartiates is Spartiatis, and Loyall notes that, "The names in the Lexicon of Greek Personal Names' essay on practices (http://www.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/names/practices.html, and see also the examples at the end) omit the definite article, so <Berenike Spartiatis> seems most likely." We have changed the name to Berenike_Spartiatis to correct the grammar. As far as we can tell, this is a plausible Greek name for 3rd C BC.

Brion MacGilroy. Name (see RETURNS for device).

No documentation was provided on the LoI that MacGilroy is a period form of the byname. Rowel notes that "Appendix VI: Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth", pp. 27-150 of The Eighteenth Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland, (Dublin: Alex. Thom. & Company, 1886) mentions Arte M'Gilroy on p. 64; this dates from 1602. M'Gilroy is an abbreviated form representing MacGilroy, so this example shows that MacGilroy is a plausible late-period Anglicized Irish form.

The given name Brion was documented from Ó Corráin & Maguire, Irish Names, s.n. Brion. On the December 2008 LoAR, Laurel ruled that this was not adequate documentation for the name:

No evidence was provided that Brion was used by real people in our period. Ó Corráin & Maguire, Irish Names, s.n. Brion say that "Brion is relatively common especially in the very early period for legendary personages or founders of dynasties." As past precedents indicate, Gaelic names which are only documented as names of legendary people are in general not registerable:

The only examples of the name Culann found by the submitter's were in the "Táin Bó Cúalnge" from the Book of Leinster (online at the CELT site, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T301035/). Here is it the name of a wholly legendary character from whom the hero Cú Chulainn derives his name. Barring documentation that the name Culann [was used] in non-legendary contexts in period, it is not registerable. [Culann mac Cianain, LoAR 09/2007, East-A]

Given this, there is no documentation for Luan as anything but a legendary name. As it can be documented only as a legendary name, it is not registerable. [Luan an Fael, LoAR 11/2007, Lochac-R]

Since then, alternative documentation for Brion has been found. Brion occurs once in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "French Names from Paris, 1421, 1423, & 1438". Using this documentation, the current name is registerable with one step from period practice for combining French and Anglicized Irish.

Caiterína inghean Uí Dhubhagáin. Name and device. Azure, a domestic cat sejant Or within a bordure argent semy of shamrocks vert.

Submitted as Caiterina Ó Dubhagain, there were two problems with the byname. First, the byname is correctly spelled Ó Dubhagáin; we require that accents be used or dropped uniformly throughout a name. Second, Gaelic grammar requires that clan membership bynames agree in gender with the given name they modify. The byname Ó Dubhagáin is masculine; the correct feminine form, appropriate to use with the feminine given name Caiterina, is inghean Uí Dhubhagáin.

Since the byname uses the accents, the accent must also be used in the given name. We have changed the name to Caiterína inghean Uí Dhubhagáin in order to register it.

Ceridwen verch Caradog. Name (see RETURNS for device).

The given name Ceridwen is SCA-compatible. As ruled on the May 2008 Cover Letter, as of the May 2009 decision meetings, no name element or phrase will be considered SCA-compatible.

Denys de Bordeaux. Name.

Edwen of Chester. Name.

This is clear of Ælfwynn of Chester, as Ælfwynn and Edwen are significantly different in both sound and appearance.

Ellisif hvítaský. Name.

Listed on the LoI as Ellisif huitasky, both the forms and the documentation spelled the byname hvítaský. We have made this correction.

Gillian de Bordeaux. Name.

The consensus of the Pelican staff was that Gillian and Guillaume are significantly different in sound and appearance, so this name does not conflict with Guillaume de Bordeaux.

Guido del Roso. Name and device. Argent semy of annulets sable, a quatrefoil saltirewise slipped vert.

Jocetta Thrushleigh of Rowansgarth. Badge. Or, a squirrel courant gules.

Judah ben Issachar. Device. Quarterly argent and azure, a clenched gauntlet sable between four triskeles, a bordure embattled counterchanged.

Katerina atte Hagenes. Name and device. Argent, a heart vert and a base gules.

Submitted as Katerina atte Hageness, all the documented forms of the byname had a single terminal s. We have changed the name to Katerina atte Hagenes to match the documentation.

This device is clear of the Midrealm's badge for the Order of the Dragon's Heart, Argent, a heart vert scaly argent. There is a CD for the addition of the base and a CD for the difference between a vert heart and a heart which is vert scaly argent.

Kolvallr Hergeirsson. Name.

Submitted as Kolvalr Hergeirsson, the documentation for Kolvalr was problematic. The LoI documented the name as a constructed Old Norse name using the elements Kol- and -valr, but no examples were provided, and none could be found, for -valr being a plausible deuterotheme in Old Norse. The most similar Old Norse deuterotheme that was found is -valdr, which occurs in the names Þorvaldr, Ósvaldr, Ásvaldr, Ávaldr, Giafvaldr, Gunnvaldr, and others, in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Viking Names found in Landnámabók". Lind, Norsk-Isländska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn från Medeltiden, s.nn. Ásvaldr, {O,}gvaldr lists the bynames Asvalls and Avallz s. from the Landnamabok; these are from Ásvaldr and Ávaldr, respectively. These examples show that -vallr is a plausible variant spelling of -valdr. We have changed the name to Kolvallr Hergeirsson to match the available documentation so that we can register it.

Leopold Bachmann. Name.

Mittainne von Wald. Device change. Sable, an eagle displayed guardant, between its wings a sun argent eclipsed sable, in base a ducal coronet argent.

His old device, Sable, an eagle displayed guardant, between its wings a sun, in base a ducal coronet argent, is released.

This was pended on the August 2008 LoAR.

Petra Malusclavus Africana. Name and badge. Per pale azure and gules, a gorgon's head argent.

Submitted as Petra Malusclava Africana, this was a resubmission of the name Petra Malusclava l'africana, returned on the May 2008 LoAR with this reason:

The only documentation provided for the second byname was a citation from a modern Italian/English dictionary. As this provides no evidence that l'africana is a correctly formed pre-1600 byname, this is not sufficient documentation. Loyall notes that the late 15th-/early 16th-century Arab writer Leo Africanus was called by an Italian editor Giovanni Leone Africano. This would be sufficient to register the byname Africana, but as Siren notes, "bynames derived from adjectival locative forms usually don't take an article." We would change the name to Petra Malusclava Africana in order to register it, but the submitter does not allow major changes such as dropping the definite article.

Information provided in commentary this time around shows that the byname Malusclava is also problematic. Malusclava was documented as a feminization of Malusclavus, a 14th C Latin form of Macchiavelli found in de Felice, Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani. Metron Ariston explains why Malusclava is not an appropriate form:

[T]he "feminization" is not correctly formed, based on either standard Latin or what DeFelice says. Malusclavus makes more sense if you separate the two elements malus clavus, i.e., "bad nail". (This matches the translation that DeFelice gives as well.) Now the problem with treating this as a declinable adjective is that clavus is a masculine second declension Latin noun, a common one not only in classical times but also in medieval Latin which is why it is modified by malus which is a also [sic] a masculine nominative singular adjective. The nail in the nominative is going to be clavus whether it is in apposition to a masculine name or a feminine name since it is a noun not an adjective. Were it in fact possible to treat it as a feminizable entity, you would have to make the modifying adjective feminine as well for something like malaclava which would be really ungrammatical...

We apologize to the submitter for not noting this problem in the previous return. As the submitter allows all changes, we have changed the name to Petra Malusclavus Africana in order to register it.

Petra Malusclavus Africana. Badge. Argent, a gorgon's head per pale azure and gules.

Ristard mac Íomhair. Name and device. Argent estencely purpure, a fox passant to sinister reguardant sable.

Safiya bint Suleiman. Name change from Ekaterina Zvyozdosamtseva.

Her previous name, Ekaterina Zvyozdosamtseva, is retained as an alternate name.

Sean Ó Tuathail. Name.

Submitted as Sean O'Tuathail, the byname O'Tuathail violated RfS III.1.a Linguistic Consistency by combining English O' with Gaelic Tuathail in the same phrase. We have changed the name to the wholly Gaelic Sean Ó Tuathail in order to register it.

Silvana Greyeye. Name change correction from holding name Candice of Swampkeep.

The name Silvana Greyeye was registered March 2005. However, the LoI on which the name was submitted did not note that this was a change of holding name Candice of Swampkeep. We are making this correction now.

Slaine inghean Fhiachrach Fhinn. Name (see RETURNS for device).

Submitted as Slaine inghean Fiachrach Fionn, the byname had two grammatical errors. First, in the context of a patronymic byname, Fionn needs to be in the genitive case, e.g., Finn. Second, both of the elements need to be lenited following inghean. We have changed the name to Slaine inghean Fhiachrach Fhinn to correct both of these problems so that the name can be registered.

Please inform the submitter that the name Slaine inghean Fhiachrach Fhinn does not mean 'Slaine the white raven'. It means 'Slaine, daughter of Fiachra the fair'.

Svana Karlsdóttir. Name and device. Argent, a swan azure.

Tadhg le Bokbynder. Name.

This name combines Gaelic and English, which is a step from period practice.

Theadora Perplexa. Name and device. Chevronelly Or and sable, on a fess azure an otter statant Or.

The submitter requested authenticity for "anywhere, anytime within the SCA's period", but noted that she prefers Theadora to Theodora if possible.

Loyall notes that:

I didn't find <Theadora> or <Theadoros> in the LGPN. However, I think it might be possible to construct <Theadora> as an ancient Greek given name meaning 'gift of the goddess'. The LGPN has 59 names beginning <Thea->. Many of these appear in both <Thea-> and <Theo-> forms:

-	<Theageneia>/<Theogeneia>

-	<Theagenes>/<Theogenes>

-	<Theagenides>/<Theogenides> etc.

Also, <Theodoros> appears 1129 times in the LGPN, and <Theodora> appears 102 times. I suspect these names may have become more popular due to Christianity, but given the <Thea->/<Theo-> pairs, a <Theadora> doesn't seem impossible.

In the classical Roman period, it was not uncommon for speakers of Latin (particularly men and women from the Greek-speaking regions of the empire, and slaves) to use Greek given names. A Roman citizen using a Greek given name would most likely have treated that given name as a cognomen, or byname, but a non-citizen could still have a descriptive cognomen. We did not find any examples of Perplexus or Perplexa used as a cognomen in the Roman era, but it can be justified as an extrapolation. Perplexa, which is grammatically a participial adjective derived from the verb perplexor 'I perplex', can be justified as a Roman cognomen on the basis of Lindley Richard Dean, who lists on p. 73 of A study of the cognomina of soldiers in the Roman legions the Roman cognomina derived from participle adjectives including Extricatus 'having been disentangled' and Dubitatus 'having been doubted'. Perplexa, being in the same grammatical category and whose meaning has a similar level of abstraction, is reasonably similar to both of these. On the basis of this information, Theadora Perplexa is a not-impossible Roman-era Greek feminine name, though since we have not found any examples of either element being used by real people, we cannot confirm that it is authentic. However, we should note that in the classical era, Perplexa would have meant "perplexing", not "perplexed". If the submitter is interested in a byname with a meaning closer to "perplexed", then we recommend the cognomina Dubia 'uncertain, doubtful'. Mary L. Gordon, "The Nationality of Slaves under the Early Roman Empire", The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 14, (1924), pp. 93-111 mentions that Dubius was used as a Roman cognomen. Dubia is the expected feminine form.

Alternatively, the word perplexus or perplexa was used in the meaning 'perplexing' to refer to people in the 13th to the 15th, according to the Dictionary of Medieval Latin. The given name Theodora was used in 14th C Byzantium, according to Maridonna Benvenuta, "Early 14th C. Byzantine Names of Macedonia", so Theodora Perplexa would be an reasonable name for the 14th C. However, since the submitter prefers the spelling Theadora to Theodora, we have not changed the name to Theodora Perplexa to meet her request for authenticity.

Toran Saraev. Device. Per chevron gules and argent, two Russian Orthodox crosses and a fox passant counterchanged.

This was pended for discussion of whether there is substantial difference between crosses of lozenges and Russian Orthodox crosses. Based on commentary, we declare that there is substantial difference between these two types of cross. Therefore, this submission is clear of the device of Murienn of Wintersedge, Per chevron gules and argent, two crosses of lozenges and a phoenix issuant from base counterchanged, by X.2.

Please instruct the submitter to draw the per chevron line of division with a higher point.

This was pended on the August 2008 LoAR.

WEST

Rian O Brogan. Name change from holding name Rian of Fettburg.

Listed on the LoI as Rian Ó Brógáin, the name was originally submitted as Rian O Brogan. Neither the fact that the name was changed nor the reason for the change was given on the LoI. In accordance with the ruling on the June 2008 Cover Letter (see "From Pelican: On Changes Made to Names in Kingdom"), the name was pended to allow Matins to provide the missing information.

Unfortunately, this information was never received. We must stress again how important it is that the full submission history be summarized on the LoI: If a name is changed, the College needs to know both the original form of the name and the reason for the change. This is because sometimes the reason for the change was incorrect, or the College with their additional resources can provide documentation not available in internal commentary.

The submitter requested authenticity for Irish culture, with no time period given. The originally submitted form was authentic for Irish culture, as it is a plausible 16th C Anglicized Irish name. Because the originally submitted form satisfies the submitter's request for authenticity, we have restored the name to Rian O Brogan.

- Explicit littera accipiendorum -

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN RETURNED FOR FURTHER WORK:

AN TIR

William Richard Drake. Badge. (Fieldless) A rapier inverted surmounted by an eagle's head couped argent.

This badge is returned under section X.5 of the Rules for Submission for visual conflict against the device of Ironhawk Hawkcrest, Per pale vert and Or, a hawk's head erased argent. Precedent says:

This device [Purpure, two rapiers in saltire Or and overall a mushroom argent] is returned under section X.5 of the Rules for Submission: it is a visual conflict with the device for Deborah the Wanderer, Purpure, a mushroom argent. While technically clear under the provisions of X.1 as the rapiers are the primary charges, conflict under X.5 is solely based on the visual appearance. X.5 states "If the tinctures, shapes, or arrangement of the charges in a submission create an overwhelming visual resemblance to a piece of protected armory, the submission may be held to conflict even if sufficient theoretical difference can be counted between them." As the majority of the commenters noted, the overall charge largely obscures the rapiers and thus these two devices are not visually distinct. As there is an overwhelming visual resemblance between them, the submitted device is returned for this visual conflict. [Shannan O'Duncan, 01/2008, R-An Tir]

If X.5. can be invoked for two rapiers and an overall charge, it can certainly be invoked with a single rapier and an overall charge. We do not consider the field when comparing fielded armory and a fieldless badge for X.5 conflict, as the badge could be displayed on an identical field.

ANSTEORRA

Elfsea, Barony of. Badge. (Fieldless) On a tower per pale azure and argent, an escallop inverted counterchanged.

This is returned for conflict with the badge of Gregor von Münchhausen, (Fieldless) On a tower per pale azure and argent, a dexter gauntlet clenched counterchanged. There is a CD for fieldlessness, but a tower is not suitable for purposes of X.4.j.ii, thus there is not a CD for the change of only the type of the tertiary charge. There is not a CD for the difference in posture between a fist and an escallop. Precedent, on the July 2003 Cover Letter, says:

Very different sorts of compact inanimate charges - for example, pheons and crescents - are not generally considered to have a meaningful posture comparison. A pheon in its default posture has its shaft to chief, and a crescent in its default posture has its horns to chief. However, we do not give posture difference between a pheon and an increscent - even though that comparison could be viewed as changing the type of charge from pheon to crescent, and then rotating the crescent ninety degrees.

The comparison between a fist and an escallop is similar.

Mairi Berwyk. Name change from Branwen Nimblefingers.

Conflict with Mariot de Berwic. Mariot is a diminutive of English Mary, and Mairi is a Gaelic form of Mary, pronounced almost identically to Mary. While Mariot is not a diminutive of Gaelic Mairi, the difference in pronunciation between the two names, which is only the addition of an unstressed terminal syllable, is not a significant difference in pronunciation. Therefore, Mariot and Mairi conflict per RfS V.1.a.i. The bynames are also not significantly different in sound and appearance, as RfS V.1.a.ii says that "in general the addition or deletion of prepositions and articles is not significant."

The names are different enough that Mairi Berwyk would be registerable with permission to conflict from Mariot de Berwic.

Rose the Obnoxious. Name and device. Azure, in pale a martlet and three chevronels braced argent.

The byname the Obnoxious is of the type of overly abstract descriptive byname which we have returned in the past. The only documentation provided on the LoI for the byname the Obnoxious was a citation from Merriam-Webster's dictionary dating the word obnoxious to 1597. No evidence was provided that this highly abstract word was regularly used in our period to describe people, which we require:

Over the last few years, there have been several rulings regarding abstract descriptive bynames, including:

[returning the nickname the Arronious] Period nicknames tend to be straightforward and to use common words: Thynnewyt "thin [of] wit, stupid", le Wis "the wise", Badinteheved "bad in the head", le Wilfulle, le Proude "the proud", le Hardy "the courageous", le Sour, le Cursede, le Deuyle "the devil", Blaksoule "black-soul". The learned erroneous simply doesn't belong in this company. Although the adjective in question is not a past participle, we do not consider this case to be significantly different from those of Adam the Unexpected (East, returned 2/96) and Deirdre the Distracted (Ansteorra, returned 4/94), whose bynames were returned partly for being too abstract. Similarly, erroneous is too far from the common tongue to be at all believable as a period byname. (Aurelius the Arronious of Bikeleswade, 10/96 p. 8)

Given this ruling, the byname the Oblivious is unregisterable if oblivious is "too far from the common tongue to be at all believable as a period byname"...Oblivious is an abstract term of the same type as forgetful, erroneous, et cetera, which have been ruled to be "too far from the common tongue to be at all believable as a period byname". Lacking evidence that oblivious was a common term applied to people in period, this byname is not registerable. [Hannibal the Oblivious, 12/2003, R-Calontir]

The byname the Obnoxious is of the same type as the Oblivious, the Arronious, etc. Lacking evidence that obnoxious was a common term applied to people in our period, it is likewise not registerable.

The device is returned for conflict with Odile Davignon, Azure, in pale a lotus blossom in profile and three chevronels braced argent. Both devices have a single, co-primary group of a charge and three chevronels. There is not a CD for changing the type of only one charge in a group of four charges. Therefore, there is only a blazonable difference between the two designs, and no CDs.

ARTEMISIA

Azir de Lucera. Name change from al-Azar Lucero.

The documentation for Lucera provided evidence that this city has been in existence since the early 13th C, but it does not provide any period citations for the name Lucera. Siren notes:

The Latin <Luceria> can be found (well, as the genitive <Lucerie>) in the 13th c. on p. 162 of Muslims in Medieval Italy by Julie Anne Taylor (http://books.google.com/books?id=KujYKqks3SAC). Two of them are: <Sarracenos Lucerie, servos nostros...>, <in thesauro castri Lucerie>.

I don't know when <Lucera> came to be used for the place, but all the 13th c. Latin records I have found give <Luceria>. Not suprisingly, I haven't found any vernacular records.

Lacking evidence that Lucera is a period name of the place, it is not registerable in the context of a locative byname.

We would change the name to Azir de Luceria, but the submitter does not allow any changes, so we must return the name.

Iuliana Constanteanu. Device. Argent, a lavender sprig purpure slipped vert and in base a pellet, on a chief embattled sable a roundel between a decrescent and an increscent Or.

Her original submission, Argent, a larkspur vert flowered purpure, in base a roundel, on a chief embattled sable a roundel between a decrescent and an increscent Or, was returned in November 2008 for three reasons: identifiability of the plant, the fact that the pellet appeared to be part of the plant, and having a complexity count of nine. The submitter redesigned with a lavender plant in an attempt to correct the identifiability problem, and successfully addressed the issue with the pellet, but did not address the complexity issue at all: both plants are vert and purpure and the remainder of the design is unchanged. Therefore, this submission is returned for having a complexity count of nine (argent, purpure, vert, sable, Or, sprig, pellet, chief, crescent).

Onóra inghean uí Aodha. Device. Gules, a flame argent.

This device is returned for conflict with the badge of Aislynn of Jarrow, (Fieldless) A flame argent, as there is only a single CD for the difference between a fieldless design and a fielded one.

William le Dragoner. Name and device. Per pale purpure and argent, a chevron inverted Or between a dragon displayed and two towers counterchanged.

The name conflicts with Guillaume le Dragon. Guillaume and William are variants of the same name, and they are not significantly different in pronunciation. Thus, they conflict, per RfS V.1.a, which says that "Variant spellings of the same word or name, no matter how radical, are not considered significantly different unless there is also a significant difference in pronunciation." The bynames are also not significantly different in sound, as they differ just by the addition of an unstressed, terminal syllable.

This device is returned for having the dragon in trian aspect. It is not displayed, which would have the entire body spread out flat, with the head directly to chief and the tail directly to base. Instead, it appears to be crouched, and leaning both to the side and towards the viewer.

It is also returned for lack of identifiability. The dragon is drawn so that most of the identifying features are obscured -- nearly the entire head overlies the wing. This depiction is in violation of Section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, which requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance."

Please inform the submitter that, if he chooses to resubmit this design, the chevron should be drawn steeper and extended lower, the dragon's head should be lifted above the wings, and the co-primary towers should be drawn larger, so as to fill the available space.

The use of a dragon displayed is a step from period practice.

ATENVELDT

Beatriz Teixeyra Drago. Device. Gules, a flame and on a chief Or three gouts azure.

This is returned because the primary charge is not identifiable. Guesses from commentary included a shallot, an onion, and a bulb of garlic.

Willelmus cum manu. Name.

Conflict with Willelmus Mann (registered September 2008). Prepositions such as cum do not contribute to difference, and the change of a single letter, from Mann to manu, is not a significant difference in appearance.

His device was registered under the holding name Willelmus of Brymstone.

ATLANTIA

Griffinsvale, Canton of. Branch name and device. Quarterly azure and sable, a griffin segreant within a laurel wreath Or.

This is returned for lack of documentation that Griffinsvale is a plausible constructed English placename. The LoI provided examples of English placenames following the pattern <given name or surname in the possessive> + <generic toponymic element>, as well as examples of Old French val being used as a deuterotheme in English place names. However, all of the examples of placenames following the pattern <given name or surname in the possessive> + <generic toponymic element> had deuterothemes based on Old English or Old Norse, not Old French, words. Conversely, no examples were provided to support the construction <given name or surname in the possessive> + vale. Smith, English Place-Name Elements, s.n. val lists only one placename where vale is combined with a non-French word, and that word, Old English pirige 'peary, full of pears', is not a personal name.

If the submitters would like a place name that combines griffins and valleys, we recommend that they pick an Old English or Old Norse word for 'valley', such as one of the following:

-	OE cloh 'deep valley or ravine': Barowclough 1324 (Watts, Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, s.n. Barrow).

-	OE cumb 'valley': Aulescumb(e) 13th C -1535 (Watts, s.n. Awliscombe); Babbacombe from 1504x15 (Watts, s.n. Babbacombe); Brannescumbe 13342, Braunscombe 15th C (Watts, s.n. Branscombe).

-	OE dæl 'valley': Biscop(p)edale 1202-1279x81, Bis(s)hopdale 1289-1519 (Watts, s.n. Bishopdale Beck).

-	ON dalr 'valley': Airedall 1340 (Watts, s.n. Airedale); Brannesdale c.1150, Brauncedale 1276, 1301 (Watts, s.n. Bransdale).

-	OE dell 'valley': Arondel(l) 1093, 1273x91, 1303 (Watts, s.n. Arundel); Balderdale from c.1275 (Watts, s.n. Balderhead Reservoir).

-	OE denu 'valley': Attelesdene 1241, At(e)lesdon 1216x72-1370 (Watts, s.n. Addlestone); Bagingeden(a) 1216--1380 (Watts, s.n. Bagendon); Bollesden(e) 13th C (Watts, s.n. Bowsden).

For example, any of Griffinsclough, Griffinscombe, Griffinsdale, Griffinsdall, Griffinsdell, or Griffinsden would all be plausible Middle English place names.

Since the name is being returned, we are forced to return the device, since we cannot form holding names for groups.

CALONTIR

Loch Smythe, Canton of. Branch name and device. Argent, a sea-serpent ondoyant between two laurel wreaths vert and a base wavy barry wavy vert and argent.

The branch name is returned for lack of documentation that Loch Smythe follows a pattern of period Scottish place names. While the submitters showed a number of Scottish place names containing the element Loch, none of these examples followed the pattern Loch + <English or Scots occupational byname>. In all of the examples provided, either the etymology of the second element was unknown or undetermined, or it was Gaelic. Effrick neyn Kenyocht explains:

The forms I found so far in Scots that use <loch> are either (semi)phonetic renderings of the Gaelic name for the loch (usually in the form Loch X or Lochx) or else have the form Loch of [place] or X Loch (that is, use standard Scots/English word order when they are not phonetic renderings of Gaelic). Nothing I have found looks even remotely like any combination of <loch> plus an occupation (or surname), in any order. I have searched and browsed through the Dictionary of the Scots Language (http://www.dsl.ac.uk) and the Records of the Parliament of Scotland (http://rps.ac.uk/), as well as my own transcriptions from the Aberdeen Council Register 1500-1550.

Lacking evidence that Smythe is either a phonetic or semi-phonetic rendering of a Gaelic name for a loch, or that it is a plausible standalone place name, Loch Smythe is not registerable.

Since the name is returned, we must return the device: we cannot form holding names for groups.

Shimazu Fujigorou Yoshi. Device. Per bend argent and gules, in pale a cherry blossom between two fish in annulo counterchanged.

This device is returned for using an animal not known to Europeans in period. While goldfish were apparently brought to Portugal by Jesuits in 1611, the fantail variety was not known in period Europe:

This device must be returned for using a charge which has not been demonstrated to have been known to Europeans in period. Goldfish have long been bred as pets in China, but the fantail goldfish appears to have originated during the Ming dynasty. They do not appear to have been known to Western Europe until the 19th century. This places them outside the domain of the Society, making them unsuitable as heraldic charges, barring evidence that they were known to Western Europeans in period. Lacking such evidence, we must return the device. [Elinor Strangewayes of Dorset, 07/2007]

While we have, in the past, registered items of equivalent sizes to the submission as co-primary charges, please instruct the submitter that, if he wishes to resubmit a similar motif, the flower should be drawn larger, to be unmistakably a coprimary charge with the fish.

DRACHENWALD

None.

EAST

Angharad verch Rees. Device change. Argent, a fess argent fimbriated and fretty purpure.

This is returned for using an argent fess on an argent field. Precedent says:

[Returning Azure, on a bend sinister azure fimbriated between two hammers bendwise sinister a hammer bendwise sinister argent] This is returned for redraw; the scarpes are too thin. Blazoned on the LoI as Azure, on a bend sinister azure fimbriated between two hammers bendwise sinister a hammer bendwise sinister argent, a fimbriated bend cannot be the same tincture as the field it lies on. Such a bend appears to be two scarpes rather than a bend fimbriated. What was drawn very thin to act as fimbriation must be interpreted as scarpes - extremely thin scarpes, but scarpes nonetheless. They need to be two or three times wider on resubmission. [Odolf Liafwin, 05/2007, R-Artemisia]

This ordinary falls afoul of the same issue.

Commenters were unable to find documentation for the use of fretwork between and conjoined to two ordinaries. Please inform the submitter that, if she wishes to resubmit this design redrawn with barrulets of the proper width, the resubmission should be accompanied by documentation that the fretty-between-barrulets design is a period practice.

Edmond O'Roreke. Device. Per pale vert and sable, a unicorn and a lion passant respectant within an orle argent.

This is returned for violation of Section XI.3 of the Rules for Submission, prohibiting marshalling. While fields having non-identical charges on either side of a per pale line may be used with charges overall that ensure that marshalling is not suggested, it has been previously ruled that orles do not remove that suggestion:

[Per pale pean and vert, in sinister a bear rampant all within an orle Or] Impaled armory using an orle often cuts off the orle at the line of division, just as impaled armory using a bordure cuts off the bordure at the line of division. One famous example is in the arms of Balliol College, Oxford. The College was founded by Dervorguilla of Galloway, Lady of Balliol. The arms currently used by the College are the arms which she used to seal the Statutes of the College in 1282. These arms shown on her seal are impaled arms, impaling the Galloway arms of Azure, a lion rampant argent and the Balliol arms of Gules, an orle argent. This information is from the Oxford University web site at http://web.balliol.ox.ac.uk/official/history/crest/index.asp. The same coat is discussed in J.P. Brooke-Little's An Heraldic Alphabet under impale.

Therefore, just as the addition of a bordure would not remove the appearance of impaled armory (c.f. the LoAR of February 1994), neither does the addition of an orle. The orle, rather than looking like a charge added overall, merely creates the appearance of impaling two devices, each with an orle. This appears to be Pean, an orle Or impaling Vert, a bear rampant within an orle Or, and as such must be returned per RfS XI.3.b. [Sáerlaith Beirre, 08/02, R-Atenveldt]

The referenced web site for Balliol College can now be found at http://archives.balliol.ox.ac.uk/History/collegeArms.asp

Eoghan Bastard mac Lachlainn. Device. Per bend sinister azure and vert, on a bend sinister between a mullet of four points and a tree eradicated argent, a raven close to sinister palewise maintaining a spear bendwise sinister sable.

With four tinctures (azure, vert, argent, sable) and five charges (bend, mullet, tree, raven, spear), this has a complexity count of nine, exceeding our rule-of-thumb limit of eight. While we will register devices which exceed this count if they have good period style, the use of different types of charge on either side of a bend and the use of mullets of four points is not good period style.

Please inform the submitter that on resubmission, if a similar design is used, the charges on the bend may be considered to be two separate tertiary charge groups on a single underlying charge, which we do not allow:

[... 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]

Erika Rothals. Device. Per pale checky argent and gules and checky sable and argent, an emmet statant erect contourny sable maintaining a beer mug Or, and an emmet statant erect gules maintaining a beer mug Or.

This is returned for unrecognizability. The primary charges are not heraldic ants, they appear to be a mix of ant and grasshopper. Additionally, they are not presented in a period posture for ants, which, combined with the checky field, renders them unidentifiable.

Gianetta Lucia Allegretta. Device change. Or, a mermaid affronty facing dexter argent tailed vert crined gules, maintaining a threaded needle and a pair of scissors sable, on a chief invected azure a pomegranate Or seeded gules between two escallops inverted argent.

This device is returned for excessive complexity. With seven charges (mermaid, thread, needle, scissors, chief, pomegranate, and escallop) and six tinctures (Or, vert, gules, sable, azure, argent), this device has a complexity count of thirteen, which exceeds our rule-of-thumb limit of eight. While this design may very well be good period style for the Tudor era, the submitter must demonstrate this level of complexity in similar Tudor arms in order for this design to be registerable using the documented exceptions clause.

This device is not in conflict with that of Cordelia of Diamond Cove, Argent, a mermaid in her vanity proper, crined sable, on a chief invected azure three lozenges argent. By precedent, maintained charges do not count towards determination of whether X.2 or X.4.j.ii can be used with a device:

Azure, a mermaid proper crined Or maintaining in her dexter hand a shamshir proper and in her sinister hand a gemstone gules, on a chief argent three crescents gules. This device does not conflict with Camilla de la Reynarde la Droiti{'e}re, Azure, a blonde mermaid proper, tailed argent, maintaining in each hand a garden rose gules, on a chief argent, three foxes passant gules. There is a CD for changing the tincture of half the mermaid and another for substantially changing the type of the tertiaries under RfS X.4.j.ii. Our practice has been to ignore maintained charges when defining a device as simple armory for the purposes of this rule and RfS X.2. [Elise l'Éstrange, 05-2005, A-An Tir]

Since the submitted device meets the requirements for applying X.4.j.ii, having only two types of charge counted on the field and having no overall charges, there is a CD for the change of tincture of the field and another for changing only the type of all the tertiary charges on the chief.

Patricio de Cordoba. Badge. Quarterly sable and Or, in each Or quarter three keys in pale fracted in chevron wards to base sable.

This device is returned for violating RfS Section XI.3, Marshalling. This rule says that "Divisions commonly used for marshalling, such as quarterly or per pale, may only be used in contexts that ensure marshalling is not suggested" and that "No section of the field may contain ... more than one charge unless those charges are part of a group over the whole field." The keys in this submission do not cover the entire field, which means that marshalling is suggested. The fact that the other quarters are an unprotected single tincture does not mitigate this suggestion.

Vassilis Monemvasios. Device. Or, four helmets affronty in cross bases to center and four swords in saltire points to center sable.

This device is returned for violating Section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, which requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." While a few recognized the barbutes affronty immediately, commenters were otherwise unanimous in being unable to identify the helmets. Some cited the fact that the helms are affronty as the problem, others that the helmets appear to have no back, since the eyeslot is tinctured identically to the field. Since this depiction of helmets was not readily recognizable by a significant portion of the college, the depiction is not registerable.

GLEANN ABHANN

None.

LOCHAC

Wenefrith Everett de Calabria. Reblazon of device. Azure, a bear passant guardant argent and in chief a comet fesswise Or.

This was a request for a reblazon, based on the fact that the submitter wanted the primary charge blazoned as a polar bear. The LoI cited the following precedent:

While there is no heraldic difference between a polar bear and a brown bear, there is an artistic difference. As polar bears were known to Europeans in period, we have acceded to the submitter's desires and blazoned this as a polar bear. [Kay Adde 01/2006, A-Caid]

Since we register the emblazon (picture) not the blazon (text description), we examine the picture to decide how armory submissions are blazoned. Polar bears have longer bodies and heads which are more angular and pointed than other bears. An examination of Kay's submission, referred to in the precedent, shows that it fits this description. However, the submitted emblazon of a bear has neither feature, being a generic, cartoon-styled bear, and the head is in a posture that precludes using it as an aid in identification. The emblazon is simply a white bear, possessing none of the distinguishing characteristics of a polar bear. Since the submitted enblazon has none of the aforementioned artistic distinctions, it is not eligible to be blazoned as a polar bear.

MERIDIES

Meridies, Kingdom of. Order name Order of the Brazen Blade.

This order name is returned for lack of evidence that it follows period patterns of order names as required by RfS III.2.b.ii, which states in part that "Names of orders and awards must follow the patterns of the names of period orders and awards." The LoI documented the order name as following the pattern "adjective + thing" found in Meradudd Cethin, "Project Ordensnamen". However, as Pelican ruled on the August 2005 Cover Letter, the patterns in Meradudd's article can be considered "only after one of the following meta-patterns is chosen for the name of the order". The only possible meta-pattern listed on the August 2005 Cover Letter that this order name might follow is the pattern of "orders named for heraldic charges or for items that, while not found in period as heraldic charges, may be used as heraldic charges...These names may contain the ordinary color names of any heraldic tincture." However, no evidence was provided that blade is the name of a "heraldic charge or item that, while not found in period as a heraldic charge, may be used as a heraldic charge", or that brazen is the ordinary color name of any heraldic tincture. Lacking such evidence, this order name does not follow any of the meta-patterns on the August 2005 Cover Letter, and thus must be returned for being non-period style.

NORTHSHIELD

Fearghus mac Aonghais. Device. Gules, on a chevron argent, three paw prints sable.

This device is returned for conflict against Patrick Loch Mer, Gules, upon a chevron argent a morningstar with chain in chevron sable. There is a single CD for multiple changes to the tertiary group.

This was an appeal of a kingdom return, which return was based on violation of the following precedent:

There were some other concerns about the artwork. Pawprints do not show this degree of disarticulation in nature: generally the 'toes' may be separated from the 'pads' but there is no separation between the joints of the toes in the pawprint. This emblazon shows too many separate pieces of the toes to be a pawprint. Charges should be drawn either in a period heraldic stylization (where available) or in a recognizable naturalistic style. Since pawprints are not found in period heraldry, it is all the more important that they be drawn recognizably. [Dagun Karababagai, 07/2002, R-Atenveldt]

The submitter argued that the precedent was misapplied because it was a ruling on bear pawprints. The precedent does not address bear's pawprints, it addresses the general case. If rulings are specific to a particular variant of a type, they will clearly address that variant. The precedent is, therefore, applicable to this submission.

The submitter argued that, without reference to the original artwork, the precedent should not have been applied, since the precedent uses 'comparative' language. The submitter should be aware that, not only does Laurel have copies of all submissions which are made available to submissions heralds upon request, but that commenters have copies of the letters of intent and that many of them store them for reference. Also, the armory referred to in the precedent is available at the Atenveldt submissions website (http://atensubmissions.nexiliscom.com/3-2002loi.shtml)

The submitter argued that the precedent allows naturalistic depiction of prints, and supplies documentation. This documentation includes only drawings of the prints, not actual pictures of badger prints. If actual badger prints have a similar pattern to the depicted artwork, we may consider registering this depiction.

The submitter provided images of recent registrations of pawprints. The two images which are actual submissions paperwork do not suffer from the 'disjoint' problem, the other is from an online roll of arms which frequently uses redrawn images. Therefore, they are irrelevant to the appeal.

There is a step from period practice for the use of pawprints.

OUTLANDS

Branwen ferch Gruffudd Rhodri. Device. Sable, a vol argent and a bordure argent semy of arum lilies gules.

This is returned for lack of identifiability. The arum lilies on the bordure are not recognizable. Various commenters thought they were either screws or other items.

Viviana Rowe. Badge. (Fieldless) A fleur-de-lys per pale sable and argent surmounted by a rose proper.

This is returned for violating our requirements for overall charges. The December 2008 LoAR changed the standards for 'barely overall':

We will no longer return items for being barely overall if the area of overlap is small, the area of the overlap which projects beyond the edge of the underlying charge is also small, when the overall charge does not obscure significant portions of the outline of the underlying charge, and when identifiability is preserved.

However, in this badge, the outline of the overall charge obscures significant portions of the outline of the underlying charge. Please instruct the submitter that, if she wishes to resubmit this, the rose should be drawn entirely on the fleur.

TRIMARIS

Azrec de Aragon. Device. Barry engrailed azure and argent.

This is a conflict with the device of Yaacov ben haRav Elieser, Barry dancetty argent and azure. There is a single CD for the difference between engrailed and indented/dancetty.

It is not a conflict with the badge of Arval Benicoeur, (Fieldless) A fountain. Because a fountain has an independent heraldic existence, we do not consider it a display of an uncharged field, so the submission is clear of Arval's badge by X.1.

Brion MacGilroy. Device. Gyronny of six Or and vert, three Maltese crosses gules and three swords point to center argent.

This device is returned for a redraw. The Maltese cross is not properly drawn. An explanation of how to properly draw a Maltese cross appeared on the Cover Letter of the May 2007 LoAR:

Properly drawn, a Maltese cross should have four deeply notched arms, converging to a central point (or very nearly); and each arm should take up an angle as wide as the space between the arms. This doesn't need mathematical precision: the arms can be a bit narrower, or a bit wider, but they should be roughly the same as the space between the arms.

Ceridwen verch Caradog. Device. Argent a raven sable maintaining in its beak a willow branch vert, a bordure gyronny of sixteen purpure and vert.

This is returned for violating the rule of tincture. Section VIII.2.b.iv requires that items divided into multiple parts must have good contrast between their parts. The bordure, being divided into sixteen parts, may not be purpure and vert, since two colors are not considered to have good contrast. Items divided into more than four parts must use a color and a metal.

Additionally, precedent says:

The limit for charges gyronny is gyronny of eight. [Anne of Benetlea, 03/1993, R-Meridies]

Therefore, the bordure gyronny of sixteen parts is also sufficient reason for return.

Gráinne ingen Anlón mhic Cearbhaill. Name.

This is returned for problems with the grammar and construction of the byname.

First, following ingen, the given name Anlón needs to be in the genitive case, i.e., Anlóin.

Second, ingen Anlón (or the grammatically correct ingen Anlóin) is Middle Irish, whereas mhic Cearbhaill is Early Modern Irish. Combining ingen Anlóin and mhic Cearbhaill in the same name phrase as they are here violates RfS III.1.a Linguistic Consistency. Because the only examples of Anlón that we have, from Ó Corráin & Maguire, Irish Names, and Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals", are from the Old or Middle Irish period, the appropriate byname using Anlón is the wholly Middle Irish ingen Anlóin meic Cerbaill. However, changing Early Modern Irish mhic Cearbhaill to Middle Irish meic Cerbaill is a major change, which the submitter does not allow. We must therefore return the name.

Olcán Gestour. Name.

This name is returned for being two steps from period practice. First, the name combines Gaelic and English, which is one step from period practice. Second, the latest example of Olcán that we found is from 795, and the earliest citation of any form of Gestour that we found is Jestour from 1362, in the Middle English Dictionary s.v. gestour. A temporal disparity of over 300 years is a second step from period practice.

Slaine inghean Fhiachrach Fhinn. Device. Per pale argent and sable, two ravens rising respectant counterchanged.

This device is returned for conflict with the device of Ascelyn Fraser Sommerhawke, Per pale argent and sable, two hawks striking respectant counterchanged, all within a bordure gules. There is only a single CD for the removal of the bordure. Precedent says:

Striking is similar to the period posture rising and no difference is given between these postures. [Jamal Damien Marcus, 09/2002, A-Caid]

We must also consider whether there is a CD for the change of type of bird. Since the hawks are striking, not considered a period posture for hawks, these birds must be compared on visual grounds. Considered visually, there is insufficient difference between the bird types for a CD.

WEST

None.

- Explicit littera renuntiationum -

- Explicit -