September 2020 Letter of Acceptances and Returns

Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms

427 W Ave
Spokane, WA 99203
+1 509 570 4189
[email protected]

For the September 2020 meetings, printed November 5, 2020

To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Juliana Laurel, Alys outgoing-Pelican, Elizabeth incoming-Pelican, and Oddr Wreath, greetings.

* From Laurel: Thanks to the Outgoing Pelican Queen of Arms

It has been my pleasure and honor to have Alys Mackyntoich serve as Pelican Queen of Arms over the last three years. What do you give the woman who has everything? She's had her own heraldic title, Ogress, for years. She's a Laurel, a Pelican, a MoD, a Tyger of the East. All I can give her then is my sincere thanks, my deepest respect, and my everlasting friendship. Thanks for all you've done and all you'll do in the future. Elizabeth, you've got big shoes to fill -- I'm sure you'll fill them ably.

* From Pellicane: Adew, fayr weill, now I gang

It has been a remarkable pleasure to serve these years as your Pellicane Quhene of Armys. My term comes to end with this month's decisions and I am pleased to hand off the office to my right trusty, well-beloved and very capable successor, Viscountess Elizabeth.

I would be remiss to depart without thanking the many people without whom I could not have done this job. To the commenters and proofers who fed me data, provided me with insights and made me consider issues, thank you! To those who've attended my meetings, thank you for your time and hard work! To all the Submissions Heralds I've worked with, my good right hands, thank you for helping me help the submitters! To the people of Meridies, Æthelmearc, Calontir and Lochac, thank you for your hard work and welcome at KWHSS!

Finally, especial thanks are due to Juliana Laurel, Emma Temperaunce, Oddr Wreath, Cormac Beare, Ursula Palimpsest, Herveus Morsulus, Seraphina Ragged Staff, Lilie Pantheon, Lillia Crampette, Jeanne Marie Noir Licorne, Alisoun Metron Ariston, ffride Morelle, Gunnvor Orle and Brían dorcha ua Conaill, Ælfwynn Leoflæde dohtor, Mari Aldyrne and Aryanhwy Sans Repose. You taught me, you inspired me, you listened to me complain, you talked me through problems, and you have my never-ending gratitude and respect.

I look forward to being able to hug everyone safely and properly some time soon!

* From Laurel: Save the date!

Mark your calendars and save the date: Mid Year Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium is coming to a computer near you -- January 22nd to 24th 2021, AS 55! To be held online, across time zones. More details, and a call for instructors will be coming soon. Visit https://kwhss.sca.org/ for more information!

* From Pelican: Continuing the Transition

This month, the decisions were split as follows: Alys wrote the decisions for Æthelmearc, An Tir, Ansteorra, Atenveldt, Atlantia, Avacal, and Middle, while Elizabeth wrote the decisions for Caid, Calontir, Drachenwald, Ealdormere, East, Gleann Abhann, Meridies, Northshield, and Outlands.

* From Pelican: Changes to PN5b and NPN5b

On the Palimpsest Rules Letter dated June 12, 2020, changes were proposed to PN5b and NPN5b to include language expanding the definition of prohibited offensive names. We are adopting the proposed changes as PN5B5 and NPN5B5 as follows:

PN 5.B.5. Offensiveness by Association: Names that reference places, persons, events or concepts that are morally repugnant to a large segment of the SCA or the general public will not be registered. The reference must be clear and unmistakable. When considering whether a name is offensive by association, any related armory that contributes to the appearance of offensiveness may be taken into account. The standard for offensiveness by association is high and, with the exception of the examples below, each potentially offensive name element should be considered on a case-by-case basis. In undertaking the case-by-case analysis, the following factors should be considered: (1) the level of fame/infamy of the offensive association; (2) whether the name element is better known for things other than the offensive association; and (3) any other factors that suggest or refute offensiveness.

For example, the byname Hitler is offensive because no modern person hearing this name will associate it with anyone but the leader of the Nazi regime. The byname von Dachau is offensive because of the overwhelming association of the place with the Nazi concentration camp. However, the name Adolf van Meetkercke is not offensive because there have been multiple individuals named Adolf or Adolph and the byname has no association with the Nazi regime, fascism or white supremacy. By contrast, although the given name Reinhard is not offensive standing alone, and the byname of Bohemia is not offensive standing alone, the combination Reinhard of Bohemia is an offensive allusion to Reinhard Heydrich, Reichsprotektor of Moravia and Bohemia and a chief architect of the Holocaust.

NPN 5.B.5 Offensiveness by Association: Non-personal names that reference places, persons, events or concepts that are morally repugnant to a large segment of the SCA or the general public will not be registered. The reference must be clear and unmistakable. When considering whether a name is offensive by association, any related armory that contributes to the appearance of offensiveness may be taken into account. The standard for offensiveness by association is high and, with the exception of the examples below, each potentially offensive name element should be considered on a case-by-case basis. In undertaking the case-by-case analysis, the following factors should be considered: (1) the level of fame/infamy of the offensive association; (2) whether the name element is better known for things other than the offensive association; and (3) any other factors that suggest or refute offensiveness.

For example, the household name Massacre Tavern is offensive because, even though a massacre is an attested term for a period heraldic charge for which a tavern can be named, the modern meaning of "massacre" is a brutal and violent slaughter of a large number of people, something offensive to the general population. Likewise, the order names Order of Malice or Award of Hate are not registerable because these sentiments are generally considered offensive. On the other hand, the household name la maison Adulph Le Clerc is not offensive, even though it contains a form of Adolf: there have been multiple individuals named Adolf, Adolph, or Adulph and the other name elements have no association with the Nazi regime, fascism or white supremacy.

* From Wreath: On Birds Displayed

This month provides another opportunity to continue our fascinating journey revisiting old steps from period practice. This month Iago Coquille asks us to reconsider whether it is appropriate to impose a step from period practice for the use of birds displayed, where the bird is not an eagle.

Coquille and Lillia Crampette offer the following period examples of displayed birds, where the bird involved is clearly identifiable as a type other than eagle:

* From Wreath: On the Use of Three Tinctures in the Same Charge Group

Long-standing precedent, reaffirmed in 2018, held that there was "a step from period practice for the use of the same charge in three different tinctures." [Áine inghean Uí Raghallaigh. December 2018 via Atenveldt].

Based on the following citations from Iago Coquille and Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin, we are partially overturning this precedent: It is not a step from period practice to use three different tinctures in the same charge group where all the charges are are identical in type. It remains a step from period practice in the case where the types of the charges differ.

* Society Pages

On September 29, in the ethereal court of Their Trimaran Majesties Kurn and Maisie, our own Marie le Mains, Sign Herald Deputy, was elevated to the Order of the Pelican.

Please send information about happenings to major heralds and major happenings to all heralds to Laurel, so that it can be published here.

* Send What to Whom

Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera are to be posted to the OSCAR online system. No paper copies need be sent. 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 Trent Le Clair, 928 Frazier Dr, Walla Walla WA 99362

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.

* Scheduling

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 September Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, September 13, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, September 12, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Meridies (01 Jun, 2020), Middle (06 Jun, 2020), Calontir (08 Jun, 2020), An Tir (09 Jun, 2020), Gleann Abhann (11 Jun, 2020), Palimpsest Rules Letter (12 Jun, 2020), Laurel LoPaD (20 Jun, 2020), Atlantia (21 Jun, 2020), Middle (21 Jun, 2020), Ealdormere (24 Jun, 2020), Ansteorra (28 Jun, 2020), Outlands (28 Jun, 2020), Atenveldt (29 Jun, 2020), Laurel LoPaD (29 Jun, 2020), Northshield (29 Jun, 2020), Æthelmearc (30 Jun, 2020), Avacal (30 Jun, 2020), Caid (30 Jun, 2020), Drachenwald (30 Jun, 2020), East (30 Jun, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (31 Jul, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Monday, August 31, 2020.

The October Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, October 11, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, October 3, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Lochac (04 Jul, 2020), Calontir (06 Jul, 2020), An Tir (11 Jul, 2020), Gleann Abhann (12 Jul, 2020), Artemisia (16 Jul, 2020), Gleann Abhann (21 Jul, 2020), Ealdormere (24 Jul, 2020), Atenveldt (25 Jul, 2020), Æthelmearc (26 Jul, 2020), Atlantia (28 Jul, 2020), Palimpsest Rules Letter (28 Jul, 2020), Ansteorra (29 Jul, 2020), Caid (29 Jul, 2020), Laurel LoPaD (29 Jul, 2020), Outlands (29 Jul, 2020), An Tir (30 Jul, 2020), Avacal (30 Jul, 2020), West (30 Jul, 2020), Drachenwald (31 Jul, 2020), East (31 Jul, 2020), Northshield (31 Jul, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (31 Aug, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

The November Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, November 8, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, November 7, 2020. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: Meridies (01 Aug, 2020), Trimaris (01 Aug, 2020), Middle (04 Aug, 2020), Calontir (08 Aug, 2020), An Tir (10 Aug, 2020), Artemisia (15 Aug, 2020), Palimpsest Other Letter (18 Aug, 2020), Æthelmearc (23 Aug, 2020), Ealdormere (24 Aug, 2020), Lochac (24 Aug, 2020), Atlantia (26 Aug, 2020), Avacal (29 Aug, 2020), Ansteorra (30 Aug, 2020), Atenveldt (30 Aug, 2020), Caid (30 Aug, 2020), Caid (31 Aug, 2020), Drachenwald Other Letter (31 Aug, 2020), Drachenwald (31 Aug, 2020), East (31 Aug, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (29 Sep, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should be entered into OSCAR by Saturday, October 31, 2020.

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.