Submitted under the name Brada Boda Æthelward.
There were calls in commentary to declare this device as having two steps from period practice: the first for the use of an enfield, the second for the addition of the wings. According to Section VII.5 of the Rules for Submission, the creation of winged monsters is explicitly not a step from period practice. This overturns the precedent from October 1976, where Karina Laurel said that "Putting wings on an enfield does not make it legal". Additionally, precedent says:
While the enfield appears in period, the only period examples we can find are supporters. (The device was returned for conflict) [Anacletus McTerlach, July 2004, R-Meridies]
Charges used in period as supporters are, by definition, not a step from period practice. The July 1981 ruling that enfields are only "compatible with period usage", which would make them a step from period practice, is overturned.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the rapier slightly thicker, so that it does not disappear into the background. While maintained charges do not count for difference, they should be depicted large enough to be identifiable.
Submitted as Ciar ingen uí Chrotaig, the byname ingen uí Chrotaig was documented on the LoI from Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames, s.n. Ó Crotaig. However, this is a misreading of the header name; the header has a punctum delens over the g, which means it is properly spelled Ó Crotaigh. Additionally, the byname Ó Crotaigh was only justified to the late 16th/early 17th century; lacking evidence for its use before the Early Modern Irish period, only the Early Modern Irish form of the byname is registerable. For a woman, the correct Early Modern Irish form is inghean Uí Chrotaigh. We have changed the name to Ciar inghean Uí Chrotaigh in order to register it.
Great 14th C English name!
Nice badge!
Nice armory!
This does not conflict with Ian MacPherson. While Jok is a pet form of John, and Ian is a variant of John, no evidence was provided that Jok is a pet form of Ian. Comparing the two given names with respect to their sound and appearance, the difference in both is significant, so these are clear per RfS V.1.b.i.
There was some question whether the byname de Siena violated RfS III.1.a by combining Latin de and Italian Siena in the same phrase. Precedent indicates that it does not:
The submitter requested authenticity for 13th C Italy. Because da is the usual Italian preposition used in a locative byname, the commentors questioned whether the preposition de was correct. However, as Kraken notes, "In the 13th century (the desired time frame), the transition from medieval Latin to Italian was in its early stages, and the Latin preposition de would still be in use... [LoAR 05/2004, Lorita de Siena, East-A]
A wholly Italian form of the name would be Margarita da Siena.
Wyverns are heraldic variants of dragons, and the use of a dragon displayed is considered a step from period practice. Therefore, the use of a wyvern displayed is also a step from period practice.
There was some question whether a + <place name> is a period pattern for locative bynames in either Scots or English. It is appropriate for both languages. Two English examples can be found in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Names found in the Berkeley Hundred Court Rolls", which has a Barnysdale and a Barnesdale dated to 1543, and two Scots examples can be found in Records of the Parliaments of Scotland, which has Thomas a Rowane and Herbert a Dronane dated to 1490.
This name is one step from period practice, for the temporal disparity between the 11th or 12th C date for Adeliza and the 16th C date for Donyng.
The use of a field checky Or and argent is grandfathered to the kingdom.
This name combines Danish and German, which is a step from period practice.
Submitted as Fáelán T{o,}lusmiðr, per precedent, Old Norse descriptive bynames based on common nouns should not be capitalized. We have changed the name to Fáelán t{o,}lusmiðr in order to register it. This name combines Middle Irish and Old Norse, which is a step from period practice.
According to the forms, the submitter was requesting authenticity for 9th C Gaelic first name and Norse byname. However, correspondence with the submitter revealed that he preferred the name to be registered as submitted, if possible, and that he did not want the name changed to be made authentic. We note that if he'd like a wholly Norse name, we can recommend Feilan t{o,}lusmiðr. Lind, Norsk-Isländska Personbinamn från Medeltiden, s.n. Feilan cites Óleifr or Óláfr feilan Þorsteins son rauða, born in the Hebrides. His byname is from Early Irish fáelán, so we believe that Feilan is also a plausible spelling of Fáelán used as a given name.
His previous name, Gregor von Drachenstein, is retained as an alternate name.
This is clear of Evja r{o,}skva, Per pale sable and gules, a triskelion of dragon's heads argent. There is a CD for fieldlessness and a CD for the addition of the tertiary pellet.
The previous order name, Award of the Sable Comet, is released.
The previous order name, Order of the Sable Thistle of Ansteorra, is released.
The submitter requested authenticity for late 14th-early 15th C German, but this request was not summarized on the LoI. Had the commenters not provided information about authentic forms of this name, we would have been forced to pend this to allow the commenters a chance to address the authenticity request.
The given name Bernhart was documented on the LoI to 1441 in Rottweil in Baden-Württemberg. Wolf-Armin von Reitzenstein, Lexikon bayerischer Ortsnamen, (http://books.google.com/books?id=hqkukOD_qU0C), p. 89 gives the following period names of the city Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria:
Brukke c. 1150
Prugg 1306
Pruk 1315
Bruck 1424
Pruck 1472
Brugk 1481
Bruck 1524
Prugg 16th. c.
This puts both elements in the first half of the 15th C in roughly the same geographic area, making the name as submitted a fine choice for early 15th C Germany.
His previous name, Snaebjorn Haraldsson, is retained as an alternate name.
This armory was registered in November 1980; it is currently listed in the O&A as a device with the note "should have been changed/released?" After contacting Finn, we learned that he has never considered the version with the argent chief to be his device. He has provided a release.
Listed on the LoI as Goldweard of Saint Golias, the name was originally submitted as Goldweard of St. Golias, and changed in kingdom based on precedent barring the registration of scribal abbreviations. The byname of Saint Golias was documented on the basis of the registered SCA branch name College of St. Golias. Precedent also holds that SCA branch names are registerable in locative bynames only in their exact registered form:
Branch names are only automatically registerable in locative bynames in the form in which the branch name was registered. In this case, the branch name was registered as College of St. Katherine in November of 1981. We have changed her byname to use the registered form of this branch name in order to register this name. [Bridget of St. Katherine, 10/2003, A-Æthelmearc]
This precedent trumps the one which forbids the registration of scribal abbreviations. We have restored the name to the originally submitted form in order to register it.
His previous name, Thomas Goldweard, is released.
The use of a valknut is a step from period practice.
Submitted under the name Angus ulbh MacLeod.
Blazoned when registered, in August 1980, as Argent, a unicorn couchant chased azure, we are reblazoning it to clarify the fact that we consider this an argent unicorn, not an azure one, since the azure is used only for a thick outline and internal detailing.
Her old device, Or, on a dance sable between three roses azure, three mullets pierced Or, is retained as a badge.
Her old device, Gules, a goblet between three hounds courant in annulo widdershins Or, is released. We note that the two devices are considered heraldically identical, even though the hounds in the new device are facing clockwise and the ones in the old device are facing counterclockwise. Under current precedent, there would not be a blazonable difference, since we no longer blazon the facing of creatures in annulo.
The given name Giovan is grandfathered to him.
His previous name, Giovan Donato Falconieri, is released.
This depiction of clouds is grandfathered to the submitters.
This depiction of clouds is grandfathered to the submitters.
This depiction of clouds is grandfathered to the submitters.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the per chevron line of division with a higher peak, to more evenly divide the azure and argent portions of the field.
There is a step from period practice for the use of the chief fleury, which is unattested in period heraldry.
Her old device, Or, two pallets sable overall two natural dolphins naiant in pale azure, a chief embattled sable, is released.
The submitter is a duke and thus entitled to display a crown in his armory.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the crown so that the wolf is wearing it, rather than it appearing as if it is entirely behind the head.
His old device, Quarterly gules and argent, a wolf rampant reguardant sable between four crescents in saltire counterchanged, a bordure embattled sable, is released.
The byname de Hazebrouck is grandfathered to her.
Her previous name, Magdalena de Hazebrouck, is released.
Commenters noted a conflict with Finn Kelly O'Donnell, Vert, on a chief embattled argent six shamrocks in fess vert. Finn was contacted and has released that badge elsewhere in this letter.
Submitted as Segehart von Leitmeritz, the submitter requested authenticity for 13th-14th C Germanic-Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire. Leitmeritz was documented as a modern name of a diocese whose first church was built in 925. While this shows that the city existed in our period, it does not demonstrate either that Leitmeritz is a medieval name for the city or, if it was, that it is appropriate for the 13th-14th C. Walraven van Nijmegen provides the following information about Czech forms of the city name used in bynames:
Schwarz [1], s.n. Leitmeritz documents a Petrus Leutmericz in 1380. This is a partially Latinized Bohemian record, with a Czech spin on the spelling. The Czech pronunciation closely matches that expected from the submitted German spelling. The same source s.n. Leitschner has period examples of Leitschnar (1535-48) and Leutsch (1541), which is evidence of vowel variation similar to that in the submission and documentation.
[1] - Schwarz, Ernst. Sudetendeutsche Familiennamen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts (München: Robert Lerche, Handbuch der Sudetendeutschen Kulturgeschichte, Bd. 6, 1973)
To meet the submitter's request for authenticity, we have changed the name to Segehart_Leutmericz.
Ysolt is Wil's natural heir, attested by the laws of the state of North Carolina, a copy of Wil's death certificate listing his mother's name and the fact that he was never married, and a copy of an obituary stating that Ysolt, under her legal name, was the natural mother of Wil, under his legal name. This transfer is, therefore, valid.
Ysolt is Wil's natural heir, attested by the laws of the state of North Carolina, a copy of Wil's death certificate listing his mother's name and the fact that he was never married, and a copy of an obituary stating that Ysolt, under her legal name, was the natural mother of Wil, under his legal name. This transfer is, therefore, valid.
Submitted as Brynhildr kjölfari, the documentation for the byname spelled it kj{o,}lfari. We have made this correction.
Submitted as Order of the Aurora Caidis, Aurora was documented as the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn. The August 2005 Cover Letter says:
First, is it reasonable to allow the registration of Orders named for non-Christian Gods, demi-Gods, and Saints? We believe it is. The commenters all favored the logic behind such an extension and described it in terms consistent with the Rules for Submission. Furthermore, evidence from period order names suggests that there were wide reasons why an order might be named for a saint -- simply as an expression of religious honor is only one reason among many. D.G. Neville, Early Orders of Knighthood and Chivalry discuss various reasons why a saint's name appears in an Order name. Some are named simply to honor a saint; the Swedish Order of the Brician Knights established in 1396 is such an Order. The rules of other orders are more closely connected to the saint whose name it bears; the Order of St. George, Burgundy was founded in 1400 "to guard some relics of Saint George." For other Orders, the saint's name is part of a specific place with which the order is associated; The Knights of the Holy Ghost, established 1486, are also known as "The Brethren of the Hospital of the Holy Ghost." There is one example where an order is named for the saint on whose feast day a victory was won (the Order of Saint Hubert of Juliers, established 1444). Given the wide range of reasons why a holy name might be attached to an order name, and given that religion and religious practice is very important to all medieval cultures, it seems logical to make such an extension. However, as we have no examples or such names, their use must be considered one step from period practice. The same logic may be applied to holy relics of non-Christian deities and saints; they may be registered but must be considered one step from period practice.
Thus, this order name follows the period pattern of naming an order after deities and saints. However, the use of the definite article the is out of place in such a context, so we have dropped it to register the name as Order of_Aurora Caidis.
This badge was to be associated with the order name Order of the Golden Lance of Caid. Since that name was not registered, we are unable to make this association.
A number of commenters argued that this name was presumptuous, since it claims that the submitter is the daughter of Jean le Noir, a 14th-century French illuminator and court architect for the Valois kings of France. However, insufficient evidence was provided to show that Jean le Noir is important enough to protect from conflict. While a number of commenters recognized the name, he does not have his own entry in standard encyclopedias such as the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica. Another indication of his lack of general familiarity outside of specialist circles is that he does not have a page in Wikipedia.
This name combines French and Italian, which is a step from period practice.
Commenters requested that the device be visually compared to the device of Wulfgar Brandbeorn, Azure, a winged torch argent enflamed proper within a bordure argent. The two devices are technically clear, with CDs for adding the bordure and for the arrangement of the central charges. The addition of the bordure, and the fact that the wings in Wulfgar's device issue from the sides of the torch while the wings in Carina's device are below the torch and visually separated from it, cause enough visual difference that the "overwhelming visual resemblance" required for an X.5 return is not met.
The use of a compass star is a step from period practice. According to section VII.5 of the Rules for Submissions, the creation of winged monsters is explicitly not a step from period practice. Since there is only a single step from period practice, we are able to register this device.
Submitted under the name Ceolwynn æt Galtris, in February 2009, that name was returned on the October 2008 LoAR, which was published in January 2009. Technically, this submission could be returned administratively for being submitted without a name registered or in process. Submissions heralds are reminded to please double-check to ensure that the name is either registered or still in process when submitting a Letter of Intent.
Submitted as Haraldr hlátr-mildr, the byname hlátr-mildr was documented from the return of the submitter's previous submission on the May 2008 LoAR, which says in part:
On the other hand, Zoega (as cited above), gives an adjectival word <hlátr-mildr> "prone to laughter." It's in Cleasby-Vigfusson as well. It seems to have affected Middle English, as the Middle English Dictionary cites a word <unlaughtermilde> (no really) 'sober, not prone to laughter' derived from it.
We would change the name to that form, but the submitter will not accept major changes. We are, therefore, forced to return the name.
However, the recommendation of hlátr-mildr was made on the basis of a misreading of the entry in Zoëga. The presence of the dash is to indicate that the word is a compound of the elements hlátr and mildr. In actual usage, the dash would not have been present, e.g., hlátrmildr. We have changed the name to Haraldr hlátrmildr in order to correct the grammar so that it can be registered. We apologize to the submitter for the incorrect recommendation given in the return of his previous submission.
Darkwater is the registered name of an SCA branch.
This does not conflict with Nicola Angelini. Though the bynames are both patronymic bynames and Angelino is a diminutive of Angelo, the case of d'Angelo vs. Angelini is analogous to that of Hobson vs. Robertson in RfS V.1.a.ii.(a):
Hobson is significantly different from Robertson, however, because Hob and Robert differ significantly in sound and appearance and are not being used in given names.
Similarly, Angelo and Angelino differ significantly in sound and appearance and they are not being used in given names, so d'Angelo and Angelini are significantly different.
Nice device!
This badge does not conflict with the many badges registered to Caid's various baronies of the form (Fieldless) On a roundel [tincture] between an conjoined to eight crescents in annulo horns outward [a tertiary charge group]. There is a CD for the fieldless design and, in each case, a CD for substantially changing the type of charge in the tertiary charge. There is no difference granted for changing the tincture of the roundel, since the roundel and crescents are co-primary charges, and changing the tincture of only one of the nine charges in a group is not significant under our rules.
Since both Hungerford and Bowen knots were used and uniquely distinguished in period heraldry, they are significantly different. Therefore, this badge is clear of the badge of Darcy Graham, Argent, a Bowen knot in cross sable. There is a CD for the difference between a fielded and fieldless design and a CD for the difference in the type of knot.
As documented, the name combined a Middle Irish given name with an Early Modern Irish byname, which is a step from period practice. However, the Dictionary of the Irish Language notes that Clannach is also the Middle Irish form of the word, so this name can be seen as wholly Middle Irish.
This device is clear of that of Sibán in Feda, Argent semy of leaves, on a pile inverted vert a weaver's knot argent. Precedent says:
When comparing per chevron armory with pile inverted armory, the two items must be compared as if they both used a per chevron field, and also as if they both used the charge of a pile inverted. [Dun an Chalaidh, Shire of, 08/01, R-An Tir]
When the devices are considered only as having a primary charge of a pile inverted, there is a CD for the change of type of secondary charge group (leaves to shamrocks) and a CD, under Section X.4.j.ii of the Rules for Submission for the change of only type of the tertiary charge, and the devices are clear.
Considered as having per chevron fields, they are also clear. While the September 2008 ruling in the return of Ia ingen Áeda says that charges on either side of a line of division are co-primary charges ["As two types of charges lying on either side of a line of division, this is four co-primary charges, not a primary and three secondary charges"], another precedent overrides that when semy of charges are involved:
[Per fess sable mullety Or and azure, a dance and in base a sun Or] The device does not conflict with ... Per fess gules mullety Or, and vert, a dance and in base a terrestrial sphere Or. There is one CD for the change to the field. There is another CD for the change in type of the charge group in base, which is a different charge group from the semy group in chief. By current precedent, the semy charges must be in a separate group from all other charges (LoAR 7/01, Giraude Benet). [Wolfgang Dracke, 11/01, A-Artemisia]
Due to that precedent, the semy group is considered a separate group than the charge in base. Therefore, the two devices are clear under X.2, since a halberd is substantially different than a weaver's knot.
Submitted under the name Daniel mac Néill.
This name combines Gaelic and English, which is a step from period practice.
The combination of the roundel and the crescents is a step from period practice, by precedent:
The motif a roundel between an increscent and a decrescent has previously been ruled registerable but one step from period practice [Linet Grímófsdóttir 7/2005]
The submitted device is not slot-machine heraldry. Slot-machine is defined as armory having a charge group that contains three different types of charges. The charge group in sinister chief consists of a roundel and two crescents. The gouttes are in another, separate, secondary charge group. While crescents in many orientations are seen commonly enough in armory that there are terms for each of the facings, the use of separate terms does not make them different types.
Submitted as Sören atte Raven, the only documentation provided for the spelling Sören was Bahlow, A Dictionary of German Names, s.n. Sör(e)nsen which says:
Sör(e)nsen (freq. in Hbg. and Holstein), Sörens; patr. 'son of Sören, i.e. a Danish form of Severin (a saint's n.), see this. Well-known from the Danish Theologian Sören Kierkegaard, Cf, the Church of St. Severin or Sören in old Haldsl. Also Söhren, Söhrnsen.
This entry gives evidence only that St. Severin is known modernly as Sören, not that this is a period form of the name. Academy of Saint Gabriel Report #1952 says:
The modern Danish name <Søren> and the modern Swedish name <Sören> ultimately derived from the name of St. Severinus. <Søren> is found in Denmark from c.1400 on. We find it spelled as <Søren> in 1403-1540, though the spellings <Sewryn> and <Sewren> were more typical for that period. [1] <Severin> first came to Norway c.1440; after 1500 it became more common, especially in the form <Søren>. [2] We haven't been able to determine when the name spread to Sweden, we think it is likely that the name was used there by the 16th century.
[1] Knudsen Gunnar, Marius Kristiansen, & Rikard Hornby, Danmarks Gamle Personnavne, Vol. I: Fornavne (Copenhagen: 1936-48). s.n. Severin.
[2] Kruken, Kristoffer, ed. Norsk personnamnleksikon, 2nd ed. (Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, 1995). s.nn. Severin, Søren.
Lacking evidence that Sören is a period spelling of the name, it is not registerable. We have changed the name to the documentable form Søren in order to register it.
This name combines Danish or Norwegian and English; either is a step from period practice.
Blazoned on the LoI as crows, crows and ravens are heraldically equivalent. The blazon was changed so that the arms are a cant on his byname.
This device is not in conflict with that of Robert du Mont, Azure, three chevronels braced and in chief a crescent all within a bordure argent. There is a CD for the change of type of secondary charges (crescent to gouttes) and another for change of number of secondary charges (one to five).
Submitted as Anne of Saffron_Walden, precedent from February 2009 says:
Submitted as Clare de Chepyng Campedene, past precedent has ruled that compound placenames cannot be used in English locative bynames:
Lyneyea of Aston-upon-Trent. Name. The name uses a compound locative as a byname, but no documentation was submitted and none found showing any English surnames that evolved from a full compound place-name rather than just the first part of the place-name. Such bynames were declared unregisterable for Spanish names in 2002:
Lacking documentation that compound forms of placenames like Santiago de Compostela were used in locative bynames, this cannot be registered. [Beatriz de Santiago de Compostela, 01/02, R-Caid]
Barring evidence of locative bynames formed from full compound placenames in English, such names cannot be registered. We would drop the compound and register the byname as Æstun, but the submitter will not accept major changes. [03/2005 LoAR, Meridies-R]
No new documentation was shown for locative bynames formed from full compound placenames in English, so they continue to be unregisterable. As the submitter allows all changes, we have dropped the final element of the place name to register the name as Clare de Chepyng_. [LoAR 02/2009, Outlands-A]
Edelweiss provided examples of compound place names used in English locative bynames, from the UK National Archives: Johan fil Andrew de Pett Bamton [Little Bampton] 1333, John fit [sic] Johns de Sutton sup. Trenta [Sutton on Trent] 1348, Richard le fitz Robt. de Walton en la Dale [Walton-le-Dale] c.1350, Merand Gay de Cheping Toryton [Chipping Torrington] 1390, Margaret Shephard de Hampton en la Vaale [Hampton in the Vale] 1388. He also notes that:
The other common usage is to merge the two words into one, eg:
SC 8/13/616 Robt. Bruton de Chepyngnorton [Chipping Norton] 1348
SC 8/131/6546 & SC 8/4/153 Wauter in theherne de Estsmethefeld [East Smithfield] c.1320
(The East contraction is common, this being a single example. The <in the herne> is a construction I've not come across before. According to the OED a herne is a corner, nook or hiding place.)
SC 8/252/12591 Henry Scot de Hogenorton [Hook Norton] 1386
SC 8/181/9016 William Credi & Roger Credi de Stokepogeys [Stoke Poges] c.1392
SC 8/121/6048 John Warde de Kirbebydon [Kirby Bydon] c.1381-2
All of these examples support the use of compound place names in English locative bynames, so we overturn the precedent affirmed in February 2009. However, the examples show that in the case of compound place names where the first element is not a word for 'great' or 'little', the two elements were usually combined. e.g., Saffronwalden. We have only one example where this is not the case, de Cheping Toryton cited above, and a single example is not sufficient to generalize from. We have changed the name to Anne of Saffronwalden to match the period examples in order to register it.
His previous name, Eadwine de Foxcote, is retained as an alternate name.
His previous device, Per saltire gules and argent, two fox's masks in pale argent and two annulets in fess sable, is released.
This submission generated a large amount of commentary, all in connection with the eponymous ship in Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". These comments raised three arguments for returning it: (1) that the name conflicts with either the name of the ship or the person it was named for, (2) that the name is overly evocative of the name of the ship, even if it doesn't conflict with it, and (3) that the name is obtrusively modern. We'll deal with each of these in turn.
First, we note that even though the names are identical, the personal name Edmund Fitzgerald does not conflict with the ship's name Edmund Fitzgerald; personal names do not conflict with non-personal names. The ship was named for a real person, the president and chairman of the board of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, but no evidence was provided that this Edmund Fitzgerald is important enough to protect from conflict. So the current submission also does not conflict with the historical person after whom the ship was named.
Second, even if the names do not conflict, it may be the case that the name is presumptuous. RfS VI.4 "Other Presumptuous Names" says:
Other Presumptuous Names. - Some names not otherwise forbidden by these rules are nevertheless too evocative of widely known and revered protected items to be registered.
Given the number of commenters who noted that they did not know the Gordon Lightfoot song and had never heard of either the ship or its wreck, the Edmund Fitzgerald is not widely enough known for this rule to be applicable. Even if it were, there is nothing presumptuous in having the same name as a ship (unlike, e.g., having a household name which indicates that some of the household members are companions of one of the SCA-wide orders); for example, the personal name Mairi Rose was registered in August 2005 despite the fact that it is phonetically almost identical to the warship Mary Rose.
Third, even if there is technically no conflict, and the name is not overly evocative of the ship, there is the question of obtrusive modernity. A number of commenters argued that the name was obtrusively modern, since they immediately thought of the Gordon Lightfoot song upon seeing the name, and thus it "grabbed the listener by the scruff of the neck and hauled him, will he or nill he, back into the 20th Century". This is in reference to precedent set in the 08/1992 return of Porsche Audi:
Second, this infringes on the Porsche-Audi division of Volkswagen of America, a registered corporation. Laurel took the most direct method of discovering this: he visited a local Porsche-Audi dealership. The conjunction of the names is distinctive and famous enough to warrant protection.
Which leads us to the third problem, intrusive modernity. Arguably, both the above problems could be solved by substituting Portia for Porsche, but the problem of modernity would remain. Lord Crescent is correct when he states that there is no Rule explicitly banning intrusively modern names. Nonetheless, intrusive modernity is given as a reason for armorial return (VIII.4.b); it is given as a reason for not accepting mundane names, even under the Mundane Name Allowance (II.4); we may reasonably infer that intrusive modernity is unacceptable.
If a specific Rule must be cited, Rule I.1 requires all names to be "compatible with the period and domain of the Society"; moreover, even names formed from period elements can be returned if "they have been specifically declared incompatible by these rules, Laurel precedent, or a policy statement from the Board of Directors." Intrusive modernity has been declared sufficient reason for return in the past: Joe Westermark, the Artemisian Tank Corps, Rolling Thunder, and the Societas Historum Mortum have all been returned for modernity. The precedent is well-established, and therefore, by I.1 may be cited as reason for return.
The fact that this is a "joke name" is not, in and of itself, a problem. The College has registered a number of names, perfectly period in formation, that embodied humor: Drew Steele, Miles Long, and John of Somme Whyre spring to mind as examples. They may elicit chuckles (or groans) from the listener, but no more. Intrusively modern names grab the listener by the scruff of the neck and haul him, will he or nill he, back into the 20th Century. A name that, by its very presence, destroys any medieval ambience is not a name we should register. [LoAR 08/1992, Porsche Audi, Caid-R]
Effric neyn Kenyocht argues that this precedent does not apply in the current case:
The threshold for obtrusive modernity is really quite high. <Porsche Audi> was a problem because the combination of not one but two modern sports cars in a single name does grab you by the scruff of the neck, etc. -- indeed, it pretty much rubs your face in the 21st century no matter how hard you might try to resist. <Edmund Fitzgerald> just doesn't do that -- at most it is the kind of modern reference that you can talk yourself out of by noting what a lovely medieval name it is.
Both elements of the submitted name are common in late-period Anglo-Irish records; in fact, we there are two different men named Edmund Fitzgerald and Edmund FitzGerald in 1549 and 1601, in Appendix IX of The Eighth Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland (Dublin: Alexander Thom, 1876), and Appendix VI of The Eighteenth Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland, (Dublin: Alex. Thom. & Company, 1886), respectively. A name which is found in our period almost by definition cannot be obtrusively modern, even if it does have modern connections and references. We feel that this name is much closer to the level of joke names such as Miles Long, Sexi Lovechild, etc., than it is to obtrusively modern names such as Porsche Audi. As such, it is registerable.
Please instruct the submitter to draw larger, more prominent waves.
The submitter's primary name was listed on the LoI as Liadin Chu, but it was registered as Liadan Chu. Please see the Cover Letter of this LoAR for a discussion of why it is so important that the correct registered form of the submitter's name be used on the LoI.
Listed on the LoI as Mari Anna le Moyne_, the name was originally submitted as Mary Hannah le Moyne of Butterfield, and changed in kingdom to match the available documentation. The commenters provided documentation for the originally submitted elements.
The spelling Mary is the most common English-language spelling of the name, occurring from the 13th century onwards in Talan Gwynek, "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames".
According to Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, s.n. Hannah, Hannah came into use [in English] at the Reformation." Edelweiss provides a number of citations of the name from baptisms in English parish registers, including Hannah Stephens, bap. 15 June 1600, Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, Hannah Johnson, bap. 29 July 1582, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, Hannah Johnson, bap. 10 Oct. 1591, Orwell, Cambridgeshire, Hannah Wright, bap. 02 Jan. 1597, Dennington, Suffolk, and Hannah Jackson, bap. 11 Aug. 1594, died 23 July 1595, Melsonby, Yorkshire.
Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Butterfield does not have any citations of this particular spelling, but de Butterfeld' is dated to 1231 and 1379, and the spelling field is dated to a1393 in the Middle English Dictionary s.v. field. On the basis of these examples, Butterfield is a plausible 14th C spelling of the place name.
Given this information, all of the originally submitted elements can be documented. There is a temporal disparity of greater than 300 years between the late 16th century dates for Hannah and the mid 13th century dates for le Moyne, but as this is the only step from period practice, the name as originally submitted is registerable, so we have restored it to that form.
Regarding the device, some commenters argued that the musical notes depicted here are too modern in appearance, because of the presence of the flags and the angle at which the stems of the notes are drawn. Instead, research shows that neither of these concerns is an issue. Flags were added to musical notes in late period, as can be seen in period manuscripts. One of the more accessible examples is viewable at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyset_Compère, a work written in 1472. Notes leaning at various angles can be seen in the Old Hall Manuscript, which was compiled in the early 15th Century, a page of which can be seen at http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/musicmanu/oldhall/large17729.html. Note the shape and angle of the stem on the tenth note on the seventh stave, which leans sharply to the left to avoid the words above it.
Anyone wishing more enlightenment into the shape of notes in period manuscripts is invited to peruse the Digital Archive of Medieval Music (free registration required) at http://www.diamm.ac.uk/ with particular attention to the manuscript labeled as "London / British Library / Add. 37075", which has square, round, and triangular shaped note bodies with stems issuing from both the top center and the right hand side of the body, some of which are at angles even steeper than those shown in the submission.
Submitted under the name Torran the Swift.
This is clear of the device of Ogami Akira, Gules, a triangle argent within a delf voided and fracted in cross argent. There is a CD for the removal of the delf and a CD for the addition of the knot.
Posnet is a period blazon term for the fleshpot, a stout three-legged pot with two handles. This term is used in the Randall Holme Roll, in the late 15th Century. Either term (posnet or fleshpot) is acceptable.
Her old armory, Per bend sinister argent and azure, a rose and a horse rampant contourny, a bordure counterchanged, is released.
Trussed charges are charges which are shown in the claws of raptors, caught as prey. They are considered maintained charges unless explicitly blazoned otherwise.
The submitter requested authenticity for Dutch. This is a fine 14th C Dutch name.
The device is clear from the device of Saethryth Seolforlocc, Per fess engrailed argent and azure, a padlock argent. There is a CD for the change of field and a CD for the difference between a padlock and a fetterlock.
Great 15th C Venetian name!
Listed on the LoI as Lowrens Wilyamson, the name was originally submitted as Lowrans Wilyamson, and changed in kingdom to match the available documentation for the given name, Symon Freser of Lovat, "13th & 14th Century Scottish Names". However, the originally submitted spelling is also acceptable; Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "Index of Scots names found in Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue" dates the given name Lowrans to 1468 and 1475. We have restored the name to the originally submitted form.
Nice device!
The permission to conflict is for any armory that is one countable step (CD) different from his device.
The permission to conflict is for any armory that is one countable step (CD) different from his device.
Please instruct the submitter to draw the per bend sinister wavy line with deeper, more prominent waves.
The permission to conflict is for any armory that is one countable step (CD) different from his device.
None.
Listed on the LoI as Luciano dei Castillaini da Firenze, the name was actually submitted as Luciano dei Castellani da Firenze. No documentation was provided, and none could be found by the commenters that Castillaini is a plausible variant spelling of the documented Castellani. Lacking such evidence, Castillaini is not registerable.
The submitter requested authenticity for 15th C Italian, but this request was not summarized on the LoI. Had the commenters not provided information on authentic 15th C Italian forms of this name, we would have had to pend it. Siren says:
The Catasto has examples of <degli> before family names, including <degli Stroz(z)i> and <degli Albizi>, both from the Complete Names section of my Condado article (found at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/condado/completenames.html). These are taken from declarations that Herlihy gave in the books, and are documentary forms, unlike the database forms, which are somewhat standardized. Removing <dei>/<degli> is one of the things the database creators did.
Like Mari, I see no evidence for <Castillaini>, rather than <Castellani>. So, <degli Castillani> doesn't bug me. While <dei> seems to be a slightly later form than <degli>, it doesn't bug me either. But I'd like to see evidence for another byname after a family name using <degli>/<dei>. I'd understand that in modern terms as "of the Florentine Castellani family" rather than as two bynames referring independently to Luciano. And I'm not sure if they did that before 1600.
Luciano Castellani da Firenze would not be the most typical form for a man in 1427 Florence, but is certainly found. In the complete names from declarations for the 1427 Catasto in my "Names in 15th Century Florence and her Dominions," one can find <Girolamo Chanbi da inpoli> and <Piero Chasconi da Spichio>, as well as forms that match slightly less well such as <Marcho del Conte dala Lastra>. In other words, it's fine without <dei>.
I've seen no evidence to date of <de(gl)i X da Y> in a period Italian name. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If he really likes <dei Castellani>, dropping <da Firenze> might also be a possibility.
To meet his request for authenticity, we have changed the name to Luciano_Castellani da Firenze.
This was pended on the December 2008 LoAR because the submitter had requested authenticity, but this authenticity request was not summarized on the LoI, and so the commenters were not able to address it.
Siren provided the following information about the name:
<Khayra> is the name of a companion of the prophet, but is not found in the later data we have; <al-Tayyib> as a byname is found in al-Andalus, but not in the data about Arabian practice that Da'ud has; and <Mujahid> is found in both data sets, but not until long after <Khayra> is not in use.
In the Islamic world there is a pattern of using names of the Companions of the Prophet, even sometimes fairly obscure ones, so it is possible that Khayra was used in the later period when Mujahid was used. However, since we haven't found any explicit evidence that Khayra was used when Mujahid was, we cannot confirm that the name is authentic.
The device was pended on the same LoAR, because the submitter would not accept a holding name.
Submitted as Odile Endormie de Brienne, the byname Endormie was documented from the Random House French Dictionary. This documentation provides no evidence that Endormie 'asleep' is a period word or that it is a plausible pre-1600 French byname. Lacking such evidence, Endormie is not registerable. The submitter noted that if Endormie was not registerable, she would accepted Dormane, which is found in Morlet, Dictionnaire Étymologique des Noms de Famille, s.n. Dormand. However, Dormane does not in fact appear in the entry for Dormand. As no alternative documentation was found for Dormane, it is likewise not registerable.
Because the submitter accepts all changes, and cares most about having a French language name, we have dropped the problematic element to register the name as Odile_de Brienne. If instead the submitter cares more about having a byname meaning 'sleepy, asleep' than having a French name, we can recommend an alternative. Reaney & Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames, s.n. Dormer dates Geoffrey Dormour to 1327, which they derive from French dormeur 'sleeper, sluggard'. Odile Dormour de Brienne would also be registerable as a mixed French/English name.
The documentation was inadequately summarized on the LoI; no header name or page numbers were provided for the citations of the byname. Had the commenters not provided alternative documentation, we would have been forced to pend or return this name.
The device is clear of the device of Stephan le fiz Ricard, Bendy gules and argent, a bordure azure. Under Section X.4.a.ii of the Rules for Submission, two pieces of field-primary armory are considered to not conflict with changes that would, in the presence of a primary charge group, be considered a single CD. Both Ulfr and Stephan's devices, each having only a field and a peripheral ordinary, are field-primary. Section X.4.a.ii.(a) says that "If two pieces of field-primary armory have substantially different partitions, they are considered sufficiently different and do not conflict, irrespective of any other similarities between them." Gyronny and bendy are styles of partition explicitly stated to be substantially different from each other, therefore these two devices are considered clear.
It is also clear of the device of Frithiof Sigvardsson Skägge, Gyronny argent and vert, an orle sable. There are two CDs for changing both type and tincture of the secondary charge.
The documentation for the name was inadequately summarized on the LoI. A source was cited, but no page numbers or dates for the elements were given. Had the commenters not provided alternative documentation for the name, we would have been forced to pend or return this.
Submitted as Order of_Aquila and Thunderbolt, this form violated RfS III.1.A Linguistic Consistency by combining Latin Aquila and English and Thunderbolt in the same phrase. The submitters indicated that if the name had to be in one language, they preferred Latin rather than English. There are two Latin words which can be translated 'thunderbolt', fulmen and fulgur. Of these two, fulmen is a more appropriate choice to translate the heraldic charge thunderbolt. Latham, Revised Medieval Latin Word-List s.v. fulmen dates the adjectival derivative fulminatrix to c1595 and glosses it 'having a thunderbolt as an emblem'. We have also added the missing definite article the to correct the grammar of the descriptive, and are registering the name as Order of the Aquila et Fulmen.
This name uses an English-language designator in an otherwise Latin name. This has previously been ruled acceptable:
[Order name Order of the Aries] RfS III.1.a states in part:
Each phrase must be grammatically correct according to the usage of a single language.
For the purposes of this rule a phrase may consist of a single word (Heinrich, Calais) or of a grammatically connected series of words (the Garter, the Dragons Heart, with the Beard, von Königsberg) in a single language.
For order and award names, we have traditionally allowed the designator and following prepositions and articles (such as Award of, Order of the) to be rendered in English rather than in the language of the rest of the name. Examples from 2000 and forward include:
Order of the Cercle d'Honneur [Arn Hold, Barony of, 01/2000]
Order of the Fer de Moline [Arn Hold, Barony of, 01/2000]
Order of the Fleur of Æthelmearc [Æthelmearc, Kingdom of, 02/2000]
Order of the Faering [Storvik, Barony of, 11/2001]
Order of the H{oe}verska of Starkhafn [Starkhafn, Barony of, 09/2002]
Order of the Steinn of Starkhafn [Starkhafn, Barony of, 09/2002]
Order of the Stjarna of Starkhafn [Starkhafn, Barony of, 09/2002]
Order of the Ulftönn of Starkhafn [Starkhafn, Barony of, 09/2002]
Based on these examples, Order of the Aries is a registerable order name referring to a ram. Order of _Aries would use Aries as a proper noun, rather than a generic noun meaning 'ram', and so would specifically refer to the constellation name. Lacking evidence that order names were based on constellations, the submitted Order of Aries is not registerable. As the submitters allow minor changes, we have added the article the in order to register this name. [Gleann Abhann, Principality of, 06/2003 LoAR, A-Meridies]
A wholly Latin form of the name would be Ordo Aquilae et Fulminis or Ordo Aquilae Fulminisque. A wholly English form of the name would be Order of the Eagle and Thunderbolt.
Listed on the LoI as a designator change from Order of_Griffin and Sword to Award of_Griffin and Sword, the registered form of the name included the definite article in the designator, so we have restored the article to match the registered form.
A number of the commenters said that the byname þegjandi should be modified to þegjanda so that the gender of the byname matched the gender of the given name. This is incorrect. The byname þegjandi 'silent' is grammatically a noun, and Geirr Bassi Haraldsson, The Old Norse Name, p. 18 says that "a noun may be used as a nickname for either a man or a woman; the gender of the noun and that of the bearer may or may not agree." Thus, the name is correct as submitted.
None.
Blazoned when registered in September 1997, via Trimaris, as Sable, on a fess argent between six swords inverted four and two, a lion dormant azure, the swords are argent.
Blazoned when registered in January 1974 under the name Marisela of Muninsgard as Gules, a wolf passant regardant argent, armed sable: perched on his back a raven croaking proper, the raven is too small to count for difference, so we are blazoning it as a maintained charge. The original blazon was ambiguous as to whether the raven was a maintained charge or a secondary charge.
- Explicit littera accipiendorum -
This submission was pended from the December 2008 LoAR for a discussion on whether we wished to change our rules on difference in the presence of forced moves. Please see the Cover Letter for more discussion on the decision to retain the previous rules on forced moves.
This device is returned for conflict with the device of Cynric Beyond the Mountain, Quarterly argent and sable, in bend sinister two griffins segreant argent. There is a CD for the field but no CD for the placement of the griffins. The griffins in Cynric's device are forced to be in bend sinister.
This is being returned for using both an occupational and a patronymic byname in an Old English name. No examples were provided, and none were found by the commenters, of Old English names using both an occupational byname and a patronymic at the same time. There are few examples of Old English names using more than one byname, but all of the examples found by the commenters were of the pattern <occupational> + <locative>. Lacking examples of Old English names which use both an occupational byname and a patronymic byname at the same time, this construction is not registerable in Old English. Since the submitter does not allow changes, except to make the patronymic marked if that was required, we are forced to return this name.
His device was registered under the holding name Brada of Abhainn Cíach Ghlais.
This device is returned for conflict against Ansteorra's badge for the Award of the Sable Thistle of Ansteorra, (Fieldless) A blue thistle sable, slipped and leaved Or. [Eryngium leavenworthii]. There is a CD for the difference between a fielded and fieldless design, but there is not a CD for the placement of a charge on the field when being considered against a fieldless design. The tincture of a thistle is defined by the slipping and leaving, by precedent:
[a thistle Or vs a thistle sable, slipped and leaved Or] The slipping and leaving is the major part of a thistle, by which standard changing the blossom tincture alone is not be worth a CD. (Gavin MacGregor of Perth, 3/98 p. 21)
Since both of these thistles are considered to be Or, there is not a second CD for changing only the tincture of the head of the thistles.
This device is returned for lack of identifiability. Section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, Identification Requirement, requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." Too many commenters were unable to derive a blazon from the colored emblazon.
It is possible that providing the proper detailing to separate the surmounting pall inverted from the surmounted pall may fix this problem, but we decline to rule on this possibility without such an emblazon to judge. Changing the tincture of one of the charges would be much more likely to solve this issue.
This device is returned for conflict with the badge of Irene le Noir, (Fieldless) An olive branch bendwise fructed vert, with a single CD for the difference between a fielded and a fieldless design. Savina's branch, intended as a laurel branch, is not notably different from Irene's fructed olive branch.
This badge is returned for unblazonability. While Ellisena does have a cross crosslet fleury concave registered to her as an element of her device, that type of cross is an SCA invention which is no longer registerable. An attempt was made to justify this charge under the grandfather clause; however, precedent holds that only the actual registered element is grandfathered, not variants of the original element:
[(Fieldless) A cross flory azure surmounted by a rose argent barbed vert] The submitter also claimed the right to use this motif by his prior use of it in his device: Gules, a saltire Or surmounted by a rose, on a chief argent three crosses flory vert. The motif in the current submission is not grandfathered to the submitter... <snip> [T]he original armory had a saltire, not a cross, surmounted by the rose; for the Grandfather Clause to apply, "Only the actual armorial element from the originally registered submission may be covered by this permission. For example, if an individual had registered armory containing a fimbriated lion many years ago, only that fimbriated lion would be covered under this rule, not fimbriated wolves, eagles, or lions in other postures" (RfS VII.8). [Philip Williams of Aston, 03/04, A-Caid]
Fitching the cross is a blazonable change from the registered element; therefore, the submitted cross is not grandfathered to the submitter, as it is not identical to the cross currently registered to Ellisena.
This is returned for lack of documentation of the byname ulbh. The LoI documented ulbh as a modern Scottish Gaelic word meaning 'wolf', derived from Old Norse ulfr. However, this information does not demonstrate either that ulbh is a period Gaelic word, or that it follows period patterns of Gaelic descriptive bynames, both of which are required before it can be registered as a byname. The commenters were able to demonstrate that Ulbh is a period borrowing of Old Norse given name Ulfr; it appears in the Annals of the Four Masters (B) as the translation of the name of a Norseman or Dane. However, none of the commenters were able to support the use of Ulbh as a descriptive byname, and it cannot be registered as a second given name per precedent:
The element Aonghus, which is a Gaelic form, is problematic in this position in the name. The August 2001 LoAR includes the explanation:
... in the name Aislinn Fiona of Rumm, Fiona can only be interpreted as a second given name or as an unmarked matronymic. Use of double given names and unmarked matronymics in Gaelic have both been cause for return in the past. [Aislinn Fiona of Rumm, 08/01, R-An Tir]
Similarly, in this name, Aonghus can only be interpreted as a second given name or an unmarked patronymic, neither of which were used in Gaelic in period. In a patronymic byname in Gaelic, the form mac Aonghusa would be used rather than simply Aonghus... [Robert Aonghus of Loch Mohr, 12/2002, R-Atenveldt]
Similarly, Ulbh in this name can be interpreted only as a second given name or as an unmarked patronymic, neither of which is registerable in Gaelic.
We cannot drop the problematic element for two reasons. First, it would be a major change, which the submitter does not allow. Second, it would bring the name into conflict with the registered name Aonghus MacLeoid. The submitter requested authenticity for Scotland; since the elements Angus MacLeod are both Scots, we recommend that he pick a wholly Scots byname in order to maintain authenticity. Since Angus MacLeod is a Scots form of the Gaelic name Aonghus mac Leoid, we recommend that to clear the conflict he pick a Scots form of a Gaelic descriptive byname, or a Scots form of a second generation patronymic. Examples of both of these types of bynames can be found in Black, The Surnames of Scotland:
Scots forms of Gaelic descriptive byanmes:
Bwy from Gaelic Buidhe 'blonde, yellow' (John Bwy McComiche 1613 s.n. MacCombich)
Dow from Gaelic Dubh 'black' (John Dow M'Coldnich 1618 s.n. MacAldonich; John Dow McNeill VcHarther 1618 s.n. MacArthur; John Dow McAwla 1613 s.n. MacAulay; s.n. Donald Dow McDouil McConche 1518 s.n. MacConachie; John Dow Macquhondoquhy 1575 s.n. MacCondochie; Johnne Dow McQuorquordill 1612 s.n. MacCorquodale; Neil Dow McCraikane 1628 s.n. MacCrackan)
Geir or Ger from Gaelic Gearr 'short' (Duncan Ger McAves 1613 s.n. MacAvish; s.n. Gillespick Geir McChannaniche 1622 s.n. MacChananaich)
Moir or More from Gaelic Mor 'great, large' (John Moir McAgowne 1619 s.n. MacAgowne; Patrik More McCaslen 1613 s.n. MacAuslan)
Reoche or Riauche from Gaelic Riabhach 'swarthy' (Allester McEan Riauche VcAgowne 1613 s.n. MacAgowne; Archibald Reoche McBea 1629 s.n. MacBay)
roy from Gaelic Ruadh 'red' (Alexander roy McAllane McReynald s.n. MacAllan)
Examples of second-generation Gaelic bynames rendered in Scots:
Allester McEan Riauche VcAgowne 1613 (s.n. MacAgowne)
Alexander roy McAllane McReynald and Innes McAllane McRenald 1541 (s.n. MacAllan)
Thomas McAndrew vic William Guy 1618 (s.n. MacAndrew)
John Dow McNeill VcHarther 1618 (s.n. MacArthur)
John Mcphadrick VcAlves 1613 (s.n. MacAvish)
Tarlocht M'Ene V'Carlycht = Charles M'Ane V'Tarlych = Therlycht M'Ain W'Therlycht 1573 (s.n. MacCarlich)
Ewin McIllecreist VcCartna or VcCartney 1629 (s.n. MacCartney)
John Makthomy Makgillewie 1586 (s.n. MacCombie)
Donald Dow McDouil McConche 1518 (s.n. MacConachie)
William M'Ane Makconquhye 1543 (s.n. MacConachie)
Donald McConeill VcCoull 1613 (s.n. MacCoul)
William McAge McRethe 1537 (s.n. Maccraith)
For example, Angus Dow MacLeod or Angus MacLeod MacAngus would be an authentic late-period Scots name.
His device was registered under the holding name Angus of Atenveldt.
This badge is returned for conflict with the badge of Magherita Alessia, (Fieldless) An annulet purpure. While there is a CD for fieldlessness, a belt and an annulet are too similar in shape for us to grant a CD between them.
This badge is returned for visual conflict, under section X.5 of the Rules for Submission, with the joint badge of Katherine Throckmorton and Ivan Kosinski, (Fieldless) A slow match vert, enflamed proper. From any distance, both appear to be green annulets.
On resubmission, the submitter should consider the badge of Tonwen ferch Gruffudd Aur, (Fieldless) A garter buckled in annulo vert, garnished, inscribed with the words cyfiawnder, callineb, gwroldeb, dirwest Or. There is a CD for fieldlessness. Whether or not there is a CD for the removal of the words depends on whether or not they are considered tertiary charges. Precedent, set for letters on books, says:
This submission generated much discussion on the nature of words on books. The letters on Yale University's arms, Azure, an open book argent charged with Hebrew letters sable, have previously been ruled to act as tertiary charges. Laurel has also ruled "In general, open books may be drawn with numerous small writing marks as artistic license, the writing so small that it could not be read from any distance, but such writing would not be blazoned. [Branwen filia Iohannis de Monmouth, 04/02, A-East]".
The question becomes, when does the writing become so small that it cannot be read? In general, more that 10 or 11 letters on a single primary charge will be considered unreadable and will not count for difference; for a secondary charge (or multiple primary charges) this number will be reduced due to the smaller size of the books. More than two or three letters on a tertiary charge will be too small to read. In SCA arms, such small writing will not be blazoned. In the case of important non-SCA arms this writing may be blazoned even if it does not count for difference. Thus, the letters on Yale University's arms constitute a tertiary charge group while those on Oxford University's arms (DOMINUS ILLUMINATIO MEO) do not. [Eibhlín inghean uí Chiaráin, January 2007, R-Atlantia]
However, that precedent mentions only words on books. If we follow this precedent, the writing on Tonwen's badge would not count for difference, and the two badges would conflict. If the writing on Tonwen's badge is considered a tertiary charge group, the two would be clear, with a CD for fieldlessness and a CD for the removal of the tertiary group.
This device is in conflict with the device of Gilbert the Short, Gules, two chevronels and a bordure Or. There is a single CD for adding the secondary charges.
This badge is returned for unrecognizability. Section VIII.3.b of the Rules for Submission requires that "Elements must be used in a design so as to preserve their individual identifiability." It goes on to state that "Identifiable elements may be rendered unidentifiable by significant reduction in size." That is the problem here: the doumbeck is unrecognizable due to its small size.
This is returned for conflict with the Green Mountains, in Vermont, and the American Revolutionary regiment that took their name from the mountains, the Green Mountain Boys. Both have articles in the current Encyclopedia Britannica on-line, and the Green Mountain Boys' capturing of Fort Ticonderoga was an important event in the early part of the war. Both the Green Mountains and the Green Mountain Boys are important enough to protect from conflict per Admin Handbook III.A.5 Names of Significant Geographical Locations Outside of the Society and III.A.9 Other Significant Names Outside the Society.
Because the order name is returned, we cannot associate the badge with the order.
This device is returned for use of the non-period head position ululant with a beast which is not a fox, a wolf, or a canine:
[A mouse sejant ululant] While we allow wolves and foxes to be ululant, the head posture is an SCA invention. It is possible that had the head posture been introduced today we would not allow it. Allowing ululant wolves is a step beyond period practice; allowing anything but canines to use the position is two steps beyond period practice and therefore grounds for return. [Andela Romier, 12/00, R-Atlantia]
Therefore, the use of a duck ululant is considered two steps from period practice.
This device is returned for use of the non-period head position ululant with a beast which is not a fox, a wolf, or a canine:
[A mouse sejant ululant] While we allow wolves and foxes to be ululant, the head posture is an SCA invention. It is possible that had the head posture been introduced today we would not allow it. Allowing ululant wolves is a step beyond period practice; allowing anything but canines to use the position is two steps beyond period practice and therefore grounds for return. [Andela Romier, 12/00, R-Atlantia]
Therefore, the use of a duck ululant is considered two steps from period practice.
This is returned for lack of documentation for the given name Aoibheann. The LoI cited Academy of Saint Gabriel Report #669 for Aoibheann. The report gives Aoibheann as a variant spelling of Aobhinn, citing Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames. Aoibheann appears in that source on p.207, in the list of feminine given names. Precedent has ruled that the list of given names in Woulfe does not constitute adequate documentation, because many of the names there are either modern or in modern spellings:
[T]he given name Marta is documented from Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames, in the section on feminine given names. These names are all modern forms; while some of these forms may be consistent with period forms, citations from this section are not, by themselves, sufficient documentation for registering an Irish feminine name. [Martha ingen Chonchobair, LoAR 01/2007, Caid-A]
The commenters were unable to find any independent documentation for Aoibheann. An earlier form of the name, Aíbinn or Oébfinn, was used in the Middle Irish (c900-c1200) era, according to Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals". We would change the given name to one of these forms, but the submitter does not allow any changes, so we are forced to return this name.
A second problem with the name, and also reason for return, is that the byname violates RfS III.1.a Linguistic Consistency by combining Early Modern Irish inghean uí with Middle Irish Taichligh. Additionally, in a feminine clan byname, Taichligh needs to be lenited, e.g., Thaichligh. A wholly Middle Irish form of the byname, appropriate to use with either Aíbinn or Oébfinn is ingen huí Thaichligh. In resubmitting, we recommend the submitter consider either Aíbinn ingen huí Thaichligh or Oébfinn ingen huí Thaichligh.
This conflicts with Order of Golden Lance of Ansteorra, registered to Ansteorra, and Order of the Golden Lance of Trimaris, registered to Trimaris. Per RfS V.2.a, names of branches of the society such as Caid are not descriptive elements, and so do not contribute to difference.
This order name would be registerable with letters of permission to conflict from Ansteorra and Trimaris, and the LoI noted that such letters were being pursued. However, they were not received by the Laurel office at the time of the publication of this letter, so we must return this for conflict.
This badge was withdrawn by the submitter.
This device is returned for conflict with the protected non-SCA arms of Ireland, Azure, a harp Or stringed argent. There is a single CD for the addition of a single secondary charge group consisting of the chief and base.
Conflict with Daniel McNeil.
His device was registered under the holding name Daniel of Calanais Nuadh.
This badge is returned for conflict with the device of Lizbeth Ravensholm, Gules, a wolf passant reguardant argent maintaining on its back a raven sable, reblazoned elsewhere in this letter. There is but a single CD for the addition of the bull. There is not significant difference between passant and courant. There is no difference for changing the head position of the canine from reguardant to guardant. Lastly, there is no difference for removing the maintained raven.
This device is returned for multiple conflicts.
The device conflicts with the device of Alyanora of Vinca, Argent, a periwinkle [Vinca minor] proper. Periwinkles proper were ruled to be heraldically equivalent to either azure or purpure:
A periwinkle proper is very close in color both to purple and to blue; there is not a CD between it and either purpure or azure. (Kiera nic an Bhaird, 11/97 p. 14)
This device is, therefore, a conflict, having only one CD for the addition of the chief, since there is no CD granted for the difference between a cinquefoil and a periwinkle.
This device also conflicts with the device of Rebecca of Lancaster, Argent, a rose azure barbed and seeded proper, a sinister gore azure, with one CD for changing the type of the peripheral charge, from a sinister gore to a chief embattled.
This device does not conflict with that of Kazetani Kiyotora, Argent, a cherry blossom pierced by an arrow within an orle azure. There is a CD for the change of type of secondary charge, from an orle to a chief, and another for the removal of the arrow, which is large enough to be significant.
This badge is returned for conflict with the badge of Thomas of Foxhaven, Argent, a fox's mask gules, a bordure purpure. There is a single CD, for the change to the tincture of the bordure.
The only documentation provided on the LoI for this name was quotes of the meanings of the words taken from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is not adequate documentation. It neither demonstrates that the words were used in our period, nor that the overall construction is consistent with period patterns of household names. While the commenters were able to provide evidence that the words were used in our period (though not necessarily in the submitted spellings), no one was able to provide any evidence showing that this household name meets the requirements of RfS III.2.b.iv, which says:
iv. Household Names - Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people.
Possible models include Scottish clans (Clan Domhnaill), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Bakers Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart).
Lacking such evidence, this household name is not registerable.
Conflict with Taran the Swift. There is not a significant difference in either the sound or appearance between Torran and Taran.
His device was registered under the holding name Torran of Vest Yorvik.
This badge is returned for conflict with the flag of Finland, Argent, a cross azure. There is a single CD for the addition of the tertiary mullet.
This is returned for lack of documentation that Aachenfeld follows period patterns of German place names. While there are many examples of compound German place names with the deuterotheme -feld 'field', including Ettelßfeldt, Frickenfeld, Henffafeldt, and Wolfsfeldt, in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "German Names from Nürnberg, 1497", no examples were provided, and none could be found, for -feld being appended to a stand-alone place name such as Aachen. Lacking such evidence, this construction is not registerable. If the submitters would like to consider a similarly sounding name, we recommend Aichenfeld or Aichfeld 'oak-field'. The place name Birkenvelt 'birch-field' is dated to 1358 on p. 56 of Sven Nordlund, Mit Baumnamen gebildete Ortsnamen in Baden (Uppsala Universitets Arsskrift 8, 1937). Forms of Aichen- or Eichen- appear in various German place names, including Aichhalden, in Aryanhwy merch Catmael, "German Names from Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg, 1441".
The name does not conflict with Kingdom of Atenveldt. The cumulative changes to the first two syllables are a significant difference in sound and appearance. It also does not conflict with the real-world city of Aachen. While Aachen as an imperial capital is important enough to protect from conflict, and is protected under all names by which it is commonly known, the addition of the element -feld is a significant difference in sound and appearance, making the two names clear by RfS V.2.b.i.
This device is returned for violating Section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, Identification Requirement, which requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." The snakes are completely unrecognizable from any distance, appearing to be poorly drawn annulets.
Because the device is being returned above, we are also returning the blanket letter of permission to conflict with that device.
This is returned for conflict with the device of {O,}gmundr hrókr, registered in March of 2009, via Artemisia, Vert, on a chevron engrailed argent, three rooks contourny sable. There is just one CD for changing the type of the chevron from engrailed to embattled counter-embattled. Changing only the orientation of a tertiary charge group is not worth a CD. Rooks, for those who are confused, are birds, members of the genus Corvidae, as are ravens. The game pieces are always specified as chess rooks.
This is returned for lack of documentation of the byname ingen X hui Briuin. The LoI cited Academy of Saint Gabriel Report #2348 for this element, but the report in fact discusses the byname ingen X hui Briain. The byname ingen X hui Briain derives from the given name Brian, whereas the byname ingen X hui Briuin derives from the given name Brion. Precedent from December 2008 ruled that Brion is not registerable as a Gaelic 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]
The most similar given name that the commenters found is Brian. Brian is an extremely common Gaelic masculine name throughout our period; Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, "Index of Names in Irish Annals", has 45 examples ranging from the 10th C to the 16th C. [Brion mac Donnchad, LoAR 12/2008, Middle-R]
We would change the name to Sinech ingen Chonchobair hui Briain in order to register it, but the submitter does not allow any changes.
This device is returned for blurring the line between a co-primary rose and a secondary rose. Commenters were nearly evenly split in their calls for it to be one or the other. On resubmission, the submitter should draw it as clearly the same size as the wolves or clearly smaller than the wolves.
Blazoned on the LoI as having a sustained rose, none of the charges in the submission are touching. Sustained, in SCA blazon, means that the charge is both held by another charge and large enough to be considered co-primary with the charge holding it.
This badge was withdrawn by the submitter.
Please instruct the submitter that, on resubmission, he should draw fewer and larger ermine spots.
This name is returned for lack of documentation for the given name, for being two steps from period practice, and for problems with the construction of the byname.
The given name Bleiddig was documented to the 8th century as a variant of Old Welsh Bledri from a genealogical website, "Ancestors of Paul Bailey MCBRIDE". No source was given for the entry for Bleiddig, and precedent has long held that genealogical websites which do not cite their sources are not reliable for spelling variants of names. None of the commenters were able to find any independent support for Bleiddig, either as a form of Bledri or as a separate name. Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, "The First Thousand Years of British Names", only lists the form Bledri, in Appendix V - Given names from the Llandav charters. These names date from the 6th through 10th centuries. Thus, if the submitter would like a name which has connections to Bledri, we recommend that he use Bledri.
Novantae is the name given to a tribe of people living in Scotland by Claudius Ptolemy, writing in the 2nd C. The combination of a Roman Latin tribal name with an Old Welsh given name is one step from period practice, for the lingual disparity. There is a second step from period practice for the temporal disparity of greater than 300 years between the elements. With two steps from period practice, this name is not registerable.
Additionally, there are problems with the construction of the byname, as Rowel explains:
Another question is whether a byname like <of the Novantae> is even registerable. Do we have evidence that the name of a people in this time and place would have been incorporated in a byname? We need that evidence in order to be able to register a Lingua Anglica <of the Novantae>.
Relevant precedents include:
Dalriada was submitted as an English name for a Gaelic kingdom that existed from the 5th C to the mid-9th C. Primarily, Dal Riada was the name of the tribe who inhabited this area. The name used to refer to this kingdom derives from the name of this tribe.
The fundamental problem with this name is that no evidence has been found that any of the Dal tribe names (Dal Riada, Dal Cais, Dal nAriade, et cetera) were used in personal names except as part of a ruler's title. For example, Donnchadh Ó Corráin & Mavis Cournane, ed., "The Annals of Ulster" (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100001/), entry U778.7, lists "Aedh Finn m. Echdach rex Dal Riati". The phrase "rex Dal Riati" indicates that Aedh was king of the Dal Riada.
Lacking evidence that the name of anyone other than rulers would include a Dal tribe name, a byname such as the submitted of Dalriada, even in a Lingua Anglica form, is a claim to be a ruler of this tribe and so violates RfS VI.1 "Names Claiming Rank" which states that "Names containing titles, territorial claims, or allusions to rank are considered presumptuous". [Robin of Dalriada, 03/2004, R-Drachenwald]
At this point, we don't suspect a presumption issue with <of the Novantae>. However, we also don't have evidence of the tribe name <Novantae> used in a personal byname.
Such evidence would need to be provided before of the Novantae could be registered.
This device is returned for the lack of identifiability of the charges. Section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, Identification Requirement, requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." Neither the torcs nor the carnyx (a variant of a trumpet, which appears mostly on Roman sculpture and coinage) could be identified at any distance.
This submission would have been the first registration of a carnyx in SCA armory, and the submitter did not attach documentation showing that the item is a period charge or artifact, which is required for the first registration of a new charge. Noir Licorne provided some documentation for the form of a carnyx in commentary. The submitted depiction does not match the documentation she found: all of the images found by Noir Licorne show a much smaller head in relation to the main tube than is depicted in the submission.
This badge is returned for having insufficient contrast. Section VIII.2.b.i of the Rules for Submission, Contrast Requirements, states that "The field must have good contrast with every charge placed directly on it and with charges placed overall." Based on period practice, fretty has been considered a charge since February 1990, meaning this badge has a vert field. Since bordures are considered to be placed on the field, placing an azure bordure on the vert field is considered a violation of our contrast rules.
This device is returned for multiple reasons.
The first reason for return is because the crosses in the submission are not blazonable. Crosses formy fitchy would replace the entire lower limb with a spike. A cross formy fitchy at the foot would be a cross formy with a spike about a third the width of the lower arm issuing from the middle of the lower arm. The cross in this submission has the spike exactly the same width as the fully-present lower arm of the cross. Such a cross can not be described in blazon.
The device also violates section VIII.2.b.v of the Rules for Submission, which requires that elements evenly divided in three tinctures have good contrast between two of their parts. This policy was upheld as recently as December 2008, in the return of Gavin MacKinnon's submission of Per pall vert, sable, and sable, a pall and in chief an eagle argent. The reason given then is still valid: this submission is not Per chevron sable and vert, it is Per pall inverted sable, sable, and vert. A true per chevron line of division rises well above the center of the field, so that there would be vert showing above the argent pall.
This is returned for lack of evidence that it follows period patterns of order names. The LoI cited the Legio VI Ferrata, a Roman legion whose name means 'ironclad'. Gr{y-}phus was cited as a Latin word meaning 'griffin', and the name was justified as following the pattern <adjective> + <creature> in Meradudd Cethin, "Project Ordensnamen". However, no documentation was provided to support adding a reference to a mythological beast to the Roman legion name, or that the construction Legio Ferrata Gr{y-}phus follows Latin grammatical rules.
Metron Ariston explains the problems with the grammar of the submitted name:
While the Legio Ferrata did exist and was so called in the classical period, ferrata is feminine adjective form to match the gender of the noun legio and does not match the gender of the gryphon which in any case would have to be modified in case to get the meaning that they said they wanted. The Legion of the Iron(clad) Gryphon would have to be something like Legio Gryphis Ferrati or Legio Gryphi Ferrati (depending on whether you use the second or third declension form of the noun for "gryphon").
But even if the grammatically correct form Legio Gryphis Ferrati or Legio Gryphi Ferrati was shown to be a plausible name for a Roman legion, this would not be registerable as an order name. As Rowel explains:
While the LoI provides support for a word meaning 'ironclad' in the context of a military legion (which would be an excellent pattern for a household name), it does not provide support for 'ironclad' in the context of a medieval courtly/knightly/fraternal order. RfS III.2.b.ii states:
ii. Names of Orders and Awards - Names of orders and awards must follow the patterns of the names of period orders and awards.
These are often the names of saints; others are similar to sign names (see RfS III.2.a.iii). Some examples are: the Order of Saint Michael, the Order of Saint Maurice and Saint Lazarus, the Brethren of the Sword, the Order of the Garter, La Toison dOr (the Order of the Golden Fleece), the Order of the Golden Rose, the Order of the Star, the Order of the Swan, La Orden de la Jara (the Knights of the Tankard), the Order of Lilies.
The name of a Roman legion does not fit into any of these patterns. Additionally, how a person joined a Roman legion is not similar to how people in the SCA are inducted into orders, making the pattern of a Roman legion name a poor fit for an order (if it is even a fit at all given it does not seem to comply with RfS III.2.b.ii cited above).
Additionally, as ruled on the May 2009 LoAR:
The LoI documented the name as following the order name pattern "adjective" + "noun" found in Meradudd Cethin's "Project Ordensnamen". However, while Meradudd's article does include examples of names which use this grammatical pattern, these examples do not support this construction as a general pattern--there are many phrases which follow the pattern <adjective> + <noun>, such as green idea and smart rock, which are not plausible medieval order names. Additionally, many of the order names included in Meradudd's article are listed only in their modern forms, or are apocryphal, or are post-period orders with fabricated medieval histories. Because his article does not differentiate between modern names of actual, historical orders; medieval names of actual, historical orders; and modern names of apocryphal and/or legendary orders, it is not a reliable source for information about medieval order names. Seven years ago, when the article was first published, there were few articles on this topic that were easily available, but since its publication, a number of more reliable sources have been published, including a revised and expanded version of D'Arcy J.D. Boulton, The Knights of the Crown; Kwellend-Njal Kollskeggsson, "Period Order Names" (in the proceedings of KWHS 2001); François Velde, "History of Orders of Chivalry: a Survey"; Ursula Georges, "Medieval Names of Some Knightly Orders" and "Secular Orders, 1604"; and most recently, Juliana de Luna, "Medieval Secular Order Names". Because these sources differentiate between real and apocryphal order names and also in many cases provide dated citations of period forms, these articles are much more reliable than Meradudd's, and any information cited from Meradudd's articles should always be substantiated with citations from these, or other, articles that do not suffer from the same problems associated with "Project Ordensnamen". [Caid, Kingdom of, LoAR 05/2009, Caid-R]
This was an appeal of a Laurel return from February 1995. The original return stated:
The order name does not appear to follow any period exemplars that any of the commenters could find. [It was suggested that the "Order of the Cup" would be far more appropriate.] [LoAR 02/1995, Outlands-R]
The appeal argued that the order name followed the meta-pattern of "orders name for objects of religious veneration", listed on the August 2005 Cover Letter, with the Holy Grail being referenced as such an object.
However, all that the appeal demonstrated was that Laurel's suggestion in the previous return, Order of the Cup, is a plausible period order name. It does not provide any justification for the addition of the modifier Dreamer's or any similarly abstract modifier. None of the commenters were able to provide any evidence supporting Dreamer's Cup as a plausible period order name, so we must return this.
In resubmitting, the group should be aware that the use of the apostrophe to indicate the possessive is not registerable:
Submitted as Order of the Lion's Paw of Kenmare, we have removed the apostrophe; there is no evidence that the apostrophe was used in period. [Northkeep, Barony of, 05/04, A-Ansteorra]
This is returned for lack of documentation that it follows patterns of period order names. The only possible meta-pattern from the August 2005 Cover Letter that this order name could follow is the heraldic charge meta-pattern: "orders named for heraldic charges or for items that, while not found in period as heraldic charges, may be used as heraldic charges." While there are some very early registration of saplings in SCA armory, there have been none since Laurel ruled on the March 1994 Cover Letter that baby flora are not generally registerable. A sapling is a baby tree, and hence falls under this stricture, so this order name is not registerable under the heraldic charge meta-pattern.
The charges intended to be pawprints in this device are not recognizable as such. From any distance, they appear to be roundels due to the miniscule toes. Section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, Identification Requirement, requires that "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." Since these are not, they may not be registered.
Please inform the submitter that the use of pawprints is considered a step from period practice.
This device is returned for conflict with the device of Elkshire, Per chevron sable and argent, two elk's heads, erased and respectant, argent and a laurel wreath vert.
Under section X.3 of the Rules for Submission, the laurel wreath is ignored for purposes of determining if the two devices are suitable for purposes of section X.2, but it is not ignored for any other purpose. Both devices are simple for purposes of X.2, with only two types of charge on the field. However, X.3 also says that "Required charges always count normally for difference themselves, this rule only ignores the complexity they add to a design." Therefore, these devices are not clear using X.2, because all of its conditions are not satisfied: the type of every charge in the primary charge group is not substantially changed between the two devices. Both of them have a laurel wreath in base.
Therefore, there is a single CD of difference between the two pieces of armory, for changing the elks heads to ravens, and the devices conflict.
This is being returned for using incorrect grammar in the byname. The byname Moskovskaia was intended to mean 'woman from Moscow', and constructed on the basis of the Russian form of the city's name, Moskva. The LoI cited Paul Wickenden of Thanet, "Locative Bynames in Medieval Russia", for the construction, section IV of which says locative bynames are created by taking the toponym and adding an adjectival suffix, the feminine version being -skaia. On the basis of this information, the correct feminine byname constructed from Moskva is Moskvaskaia, not Moskovskaia. We would change the byname to this form, but the submitter allows no changes, so we are forced to return the name.
None.
None.
- Explicit littera renuntiationum -
- Explicit -
Created at 2009-10-01T01:02:14