Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms
For the November 2017 meetings, printed January 21, 2018
To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Juliana Laurel, Alys Pelican, and Cormac Wreath, greetings.
It's that time again! For those considering bidding on the 2019 Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium, the deadline to have your bid entered into OSCAR is April 1, 2018. This will give the College of Arms time for consideration so that we can announce the bid's award at the 2018 KWHSS in the Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, on June 8-10, at the Road Show.
Please remember that bids posted to OSCAR are publicly readable. Because of this, any personal information, such as legal names, addresses, phone numbers, and email, should not be included in these bids without signed written permission. Such information as is necessary for the entire College of Arms to see should be posted as a comment after the bid is finalized; such information as is necessary for the Sovereigns only to see should be included as a Sovereign Note.
Please send a copy of the full unredacted bid to Laurel at [email protected].
As a reminder, there is a KWHSS domain and web hosting space available on the SCA's servers. Please do not register a new domain.
Please see http://heraldry.sca.org/kwhss/ or contact Laurel if you have any questions.
This month we had a submission that raised the question of whether Persian name elements and Armenian name elements can be combined.
Persians and Armenians had extensive cultural contact in our period. In Ursula Palimpsest's analysis of the names of ethnic Armenians in the 1455 census of Istanbul ("Turkish Names, Christian Faith", to appear in Onoma, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~uaw/research/turkishnameschristianfaith.pdf), a full 37.2% of the individuals use names of Persian or Turkish origin. Persian influence appears in earlier Armenian naming as well. Cultural Interaction in the Middle East as Reflected in the Anthroponymy of Armenian 12th-14th Century Colophons, by.J.S. Weitenberg, classifies 5% of the men's given names in his sample as Arabic-New Persian, and 7% as traditional Iranian; 12% of women had Arabic-New Persian names, and 1% traditional Iranian.
Based on this evidence, Persian and Armenian names may be combined, as long as the name elements are dated within 300 years of each other.
This month we had a submission that had a bear's head cabossed, with deeper shadows depicted in solid black and medium shadows done in "tribal" style lightning bolts. The amount of shading on a field that was partially sable led to major issues of identifiability. This was the main reason given for return.
However, the root cause of the shading was the use of a modern depiction of the bear's head, which raises a larger issue for submissions. SENA A2C1 requires that "Elements must be drawn in their period forms and in a period armorial style... Depictions that are excessively modern may be returned. This includes, but is not limited to: depictions from comic books and video games, the use of post-1600 art techniques like Impressionism or pointillism, and fantasy art from book covers." While we generally give substantial leeway for artistic license, the particular stylizations of light and shadow used in late 20th and early 21st century art, especially the kinds of animal heads used in sports logos, move beyond distracting to grounds for return.
A return for modern depictions of animal heads is not without precedent. In the November 2012 return of the device of Reynaud Marius, it was ruled:
This is not to say that this design is not registerable for its similarity to the Blackhawk comic book emblem, but that this depiction itself is too modern. The eagle's head is highly stylized, and the couping of the neck, drawn to follow the line of the annulet, is more convex than is seen in period armory. Drawn in period style, this would likely be registerable.
We appreciate the struggles submitters and consulting heralds face when attempting to compile artwork for submission, so we are not at this time issuing a blanket ban on modern depictions of animals and animal heads. However, we caution that submitted artwork should not have excessive shading, especially depicted in solid black, and that care should be taken to find the best available artwork for the task at hand.
The Administrative Handbook, Section V.B.2.g, describes how to handle correction of errors. Regarding emblazons, the section states that "If an emblazon image is completely incorrect, it may be replaced within seven days of the publication of the Letter of Intent with a correction noting the replacement." This month, we had a submission that had commentary note an issue with depiction. Revised emblazons were provided by the submissions herald, with the submitter's consent, which attempted to address the reason for return. Unfortunately, not only did the new artwork fail to address the issue raised in commentary, but the emblazons were provided nearly a month after the letter was initially published. The forms bearing the new emblazon were not uploaded until five days before the close of commentary. If this new emblazon was to be considered as a correction, the timing of said correction would preclude its consideration.
However, the timing of the revised emblazon is moot, because the very next sentence of the Administrative Handbook reads "After seven days or if the correction is a redraw of the original emblazon, the associated armorial item should be withdrawn using a correction to the original item and then resubmitted on a new Letter of Intent." It was made clear in commentary that this was a redraw of the original emblazon, created with the intent to address issues raised in commentary. It is, therefore, not eligible for consideration as a correction to the initial submission.
Nonetheless, commentary seemed to miss this clause entirely, and some commenters felt that limiting corrections to seven days was a disservice to the submitter. So we will reiterate it here: The emblazon approved at the kingdom level prior to the issuance of the external Letter of Intent is the emblazon that will be considered during Laurel-level commentary. Corrections to emblazons should only be issued to address technical mistakes i.e. the submissions herald accidentally uploaded the wrong artwork, or no artwork at all. Under no circumstances should the corrections process be used to submit redraws, nor to address issues raised in commentary.
We will also remind commenters that until a final decision is made, commentary is merely the opinions expressed by individual commenters, and does not carry the force of law or precedent. Because of this, Laurel-level commentary is considered confidential, and should not be shared with submitters. Requests to withdraw a submission and submit with new artwork should be prompted by the submitter's own desires, not informed by comments from heralds after the submission is published on an external Letter of Intent.
Please send information about happenings to major heralds and major happenings to all heralds to Laurel, so that it can be published here.
On December 2, 2017, Lyonet de Covenham, currently Schwarzdrachen Principal Herald of the Kingdom of Drachenwald, was elevated to the Order of the Laurel.
In sad news, on January 12, 2018, Duke Kenric ęt Essexe, former Brigantia Principal Herald of the East Kingdom, was lost in a boating accident. He leaves behind his wife Duchess Avelina Keyes, herself a former Brigantia Principal Herald, a daughter, and a great many friends.
Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera are to be posted to the OSCAR online system. No paper copies need be sent. All submission forms plus documentation, including petitions, must be posted to the OSCAR online system. While black-and-white emblazons must be included in the Letter of Intent, only colored armory forms need to be posted in the forms area.
Cheques or money orders for submissions, payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms" are to be sent to Stephanie Ray-Solum, Blue Bug Bookkeeping, 2144 Westlake Ave. North Suite F, Seattle, WA 98109.
Send roster changes and corrections to Laurel. College of Arms members may also request a copy of the current roster from Laurel.
For a paper copy of a LoAR, please contact Laurel, at the address above. The cost for one LoAR is $3. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms". The electronic copy of the LoAR is available free of charge. To subscribe to the mailings of the electronic copy, please see the bottom of http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/lists.html#lists for more instructions.
For all administrative matters, please contact Laurel.
Items listed below in square brackets have not been scheduled yet. For information about future scheduling, please review the status table located on the Web at http://oscar.sca.org/index.php?action=137.
The November Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, November 12, 2017 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, November 12, 2017. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Gleann Abhann (03 Aug, 2017), Gleann Abhann (07 Aug, 2017), Avacal (16 Aug, 2017), An Tir (17 Aug, 2017), Middle (22 Aug, 2017), Ealdormere (24 Aug, 2017), Ęthelmearc (25 Aug, 2017), Laurel LoPaD (25 Aug, 2017), Lochac (25 Aug, 2017), Artemisia (27 Aug, 2017), Atenveldt (30 Aug, 2017), Atlantia (30 Aug, 2017), Calontir (30 Aug, 2017), Northshield (30 Aug, 2017), Artemisia (31 Aug, 2017), Caid (31 Aug, 2017), Drachenwald (31 Aug, 2017), Meridies (31 Aug, 2017), Middle (31 Aug, 2017), and Outlands (31 Aug, 2017). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
The December Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, December 3, 2017 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, December 10, 2017. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Ansteorra (05 Sep, 2017), Gleann Abhann (09 Sep, 2017), An Tir (10 Sep, 2017), Caid (20 Sep, 2017), Ęthelmearc (22 Sep, 2017), Middle (22 Sep, 2017), Lochac (24 Sep, 2017), Middle (24 Sep, 2017), Ansteorra (25 Sep, 2017), Atenveldt (25 Sep, 2017), Ealdormere (25 Sep, 2017), East (25 Sep, 2017), Avacal (26 Sep, 2017), West (26 Sep, 2017), Outlands (27 Sep, 2017), Ealdormere (28 Sep, 2017), Artemisia (29 Sep, 2017), Atlantia (29 Sep, 2017), Trimaris (29 Sep, 2017), Atenveldt (30 Sep, 2017), Caid (30 Sep, 2017), Calontir (30 Sep, 2017), Drachenwald (30 Sep, 2017), Meridies (30 Sep, 2017), and Northshield (30 Sep, 2017). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Thursday, November 30, 2017.
The January Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, January 7, 2018 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, January 14, 2018. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Laurel LoPaD (05 Oct, 2017), An Tir (18 Oct, 2017), Ęthelmearc (19 Oct, 2017), Ansteorra (19 Oct, 2017), Lochac (24 Oct, 2017), Ealdormere (25 Oct, 2017), Avacal (27 Oct, 2017), Artemisia (30 Oct, 2017), Atlantia (30 Oct, 2017), Caid (30 Oct, 2017), Drachenwald (30 Oct, 2017), Outlands (30 Oct, 2017), Atenveldt (31 Oct, 2017), Calontir (31 Oct, 2017), East (31 Oct, 2017), Laurel LoPaD (31 Oct, 2017), Meridies (31 Oct, 2017), Middle (31 Oct, 2017), and Northshield (31 Oct, 2017). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Sunday, December 31, 2017.
Not all letters of intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this cover letter. The date of posting of the LoI, date of receipt of the Laurel packet, or other factors may delay consideration of certain letters of intent. Additionally, some letters of intent received may not have been scheduled because the administrative requirements (receipt of the forms packet, receipt of the necessary fees, et cetera) have not yet been met.
REMINDER: Until all administrative requirements are met, the letter may not be scheduled.
Pray know that I remain,
In service,
Juliana de Luna
Laurel Queen of Arms
Created at 2018-01-21T20:55:46