Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms
For the July 2024 meetings, printed September 8, 2024
To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Birgitta Laurel, Elisabetta outgoing-Pelican, Sara incoming-Pelican, and Iago Wreath, greetings.
This month marks the first of a three-month transition in Pelican decisions. This month's name decisions for the kingdoms of Atlantia, Avacal, Drachenwald, East, Outlands, and West were made by Sara. All of the other decisions were made by Elisabetta.
The changes to SENA A3E3, Excessively Simple Designs, and A5F2, Substantial Change of Tincture for Field-Primary Armory, proposed on Palimpsest's April 17th Rules Letter are accepted. The updated wording will be available at https://heraldry.sca.org/sena.html within a few days.
There were a number of submissions this month where the submitted emblazon obscures the shield or badge outline on the form. All of the forms are fillable PDFs. Armory forms have device and badge artwork templates in PNG format that should be used when adding artwork to the form electronically. These templates were included in the announcement of the new forms on the February 2023 Cover Letter, and were sent to kingdoms at the same time as the new forms. Kingdoms should ensure that these templates are available alongside the submission forms on their websites.
We have also noticed submissions where the art on submitted forms has been altered to make the outline around fieldless badges dashed. Submissions heralds should not be altering artwork on forms. Dashed outlines have not been a requirement for fieldless badges for some time now, so you are not helping the submitter by doing this.
For current submissions we will be correcting these issues through the Pend for Redraw process, but this is not the intended function of this process, nor is it a good use of Quarterstaff's time; so as of the November decision meeting submissions with these issues may be administratively returned.
Many of the forms issues discussed in the above Cover Letter item were noted by Laurel staff during regular packet checks. These checks are performed once packets are completed, generally soon after the due date of the 10th of the month.
The Administrative Handbook, section V.2.B.h., says, "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. 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."
This presents a problem: by the time issues are identified during packet checks, it is often too late for the submissions herald to correct it. We therefore direct Palimpsest to issue a Rules Letter extending the length of time for allowed emblazon corrections for administrative issues that do not affect the blazon.
As discussed on the March 2024 Cover Letter, we are in the process of clarifying defaults for a number of charges. As part of this project, we are updating the default orientation of anvils to be palewise, flat (striking) edge to chief. Unless specified, the number of horns is left to the artist. Bickern is a term used for a double-horned anvil. The term anvil reversed is used for a single-horned anvil, its horn pointed to sinister. The direction of a single-horned anvil is an optional blazonable detail. The direction the horn is pointing does not contribute to difference, nor does the number of horns. We direct Palimpsest to add the information about the default orientation to Table 5 of the Glossary of Terms.
Palimpsest's April 21st Rules Letter presented a proposal from Morina O'Donovan, Arbalest Herald for revisions to the Japanese Alternate Titles. Commenters pointed out some concerns with the ranking as proposed, particularly in how barony and court barony are ranked, as period practice does not map well to SCA usage. We are pending this Rules Letter until the December 2024 decision meeting for further discussion on these issues.
It is ever the goal of the College of Arms to encourage and promote the use of period names and heraldry in a manner that is respectful of the cultures from which these derive, and it is important when we learn that something we have allowed in the past is having a negative impact on a culture or group of people that we take corrective action.
It has been brought to the attention of the College that Sayyid and Sayyida (and alternatives such as Sayed, Syed, and Sayiddina) hold religious connotations that are still used today and were used in period. These titles were and are in use across the Muslim world in both Sunni and Shia contexts.
Accordingly, Palimpsest's April 30th Rules Letter proposed replacing the titles Sayyid and Sayyida for holders of award or grants of arms. This proposal is accepted, and these titles will be replaced with the secular titles Ra'is and Ra'isa. This change is made to prevent further harmful impacts and to be culturally sensitive and respectful of Muslim culture. The updated wording will be available at https://heraldry.sca.org/titles.html within a few days.
We thank Aleksandr Ivanovitch Budishchev for bringing this issue to our attention and Sara al-Garnatiyya for her research on these titles.
This month we considered whether or not we should continue to prohibit the registration of tone markings in transliterated Chinese names. The expansion of the Society's scope to include the whole world pre-1600 means that we must carefully consider how best to incorporate languages that are not written down in Latin letters. Frequently tone and pitch markings, whether they are diacritical markings or another method, are used to differentiate between the underlying characters they are modifying. Oftentimes, they change the entire meaning of the character or word.
Therefore, we hereby overturn current precedent [Lan Ying, 06/2003, A-Middle], upheld as recently as 2016 [Ren Jie, 06/2016, A-Calontir]. Tone and pitch markings, no matter the method in which they are employed, may be used for registration in any language as long as they meet the criteria for transliteration systems laid out in SENA Appendix D.
Submitters whose tone markings were stripped out of their names for registration are invited to submit a request for reconsideration to restore the tone markings as appropriate.
We direct Palimpsest to open a Rules Letter updating SENA Appendix D to include the allowance of tone and pitch markings.
On August 6, 2024, during East Kingdom Grand Court at the Pennsic War, Their Majesties Tindall and Emerson inducted Ané{zv}ka Li{sv}ka z Kolína, Blue Tyger Emerita and current Pantheon Herald, into the Order of the Silver Brooch for her onomastic research. The Silver Brooch is the East Kingdom's AoA level award for arts and sciences.
Later in that same court, Their Majesties Tindall and Emerson created Steffan ap Cenydd of Silverwing, Firebrand Herald Extraordinary, a Tyger of the East.
On August 17, 2024, at the Festival of Roses, Their Majesties Sven and Iseabail of Caid inducted Hemneter Pennefer, Increscent Herald, into the Order of the Lux Caidis for their work with heraldry. The Lux Caidis is the Kingdom of Caid's grant level award for arts and sciences.
At that same court, Their Majesties Sven and Iseabail inducted Alienor Strongbow de Clare, Dolphin Herald, into the Order of the Dolphin of Caid. The Dolphin of Caid is the Kingdom of Caid's AoA level award for service.
Please send information about happenings to major heralds and major happenings to all heralds to Laurel, so that it can be published here.
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 uploaded to the OSCAR packet for that letter. For armory, only colored forms are required.
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.
To subscribe to the mailings of the LoAR, please see the bottom of https://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 https://oscar.sca.org/index.php?action=137.
The July Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, July 14, 2024 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, July 13, 2024. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Atlantia (02 Apr, 2024), Calontir (04 Apr, 2024), Meridies (08 Apr, 2024), Ansteorra (13 Apr, 2024), Laurel LoPaD (15 Apr, 2024), Caid (16 Apr, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (17 Apr, 2024), Avacal (20 Apr, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (21 Apr, 2024), Ealdormere (24 Apr, 2024), An Tir (25 Apr, 2024), Ansteorra (26 Apr, 2024), East (26 Apr, 2024), Middle (26 Apr, 2024), Outlands (29 Apr, 2024), West (29 Apr, 2024), Ćthelmearc (30 Apr, 2024), Ansteorra (30 Apr, 2024), Atenveldt (30 Apr, 2024), Drachenwald (30 Apr, 2024), Lochac (30 Apr, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (30 Apr, 2024), Laurel LoPfR (11 Jun, 2024) (pushed due to lack of redraws) , Laurel LoPaD (12 Jun, 2024). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Sunday, June 30, 2024.
The August Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Monday, August 5, 2024 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, August 17, 2024. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Ansteorra (01 May, 2024), Atlantia (03 May, 2024), Calontir (03 May, 2024), Caid (04 May, 2024), Meridies (06 May, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (09 May, 2024), Artemisia (10 May, 2024), An Tir (24 May, 2024), Atenveldt (25 May, 2024), Drachenwald (25 May, 2024), An Tir (27 May, 2024), Ealdormere (28 May, 2024), Ansteorra (29 May, 2024), Lochac (29 May, 2024), Trimaris (30 May, 2024), Avacal (31 May, 2024), East (31 May, 2024), Middle (31 May, 2024), Outlands (31 May, 2024), West (31 May, 2024), Laurel LoPfR (12 Jul, 2024) (pushed due to lack of redraws) . All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
The September Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, September 15, 2024 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, September 9, 2024. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: Calontir (03 Jun, 2024), Meridies (05 Jun, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (06 Jun, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (07 Jun, 2024), Palimpsest Rules Letter (09 Jun, 2024), Caid (14 Jun, 2024), Gleann Abhann (16 Jun, 2024), Laurel LoPaD (16 Jun, 2024), Middle (17 Jun, 2024), Ćthelmearc (20 Jun, 2024), Avacal (21 Jun, 2024), An Tir (25 Jun, 2024), Atenveldt (25 Jun, 2024), Ealdormere (27 Jun, 2024), East (28 Jun, 2024), Lochac (28 Jun, 2024), Ansteorra (29 Jun, 2024), An Tir (30 Jun, 2024), Drachenwald (30 Jun, 2024). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Saturday, August 31, 2024.
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.
Be assured that I remain
In service
Birgitta Lulli
Laurel Queen of Arms
Created at 2024-09-08T16:02:19