See also:
| Laurel: | Date: (year.month.date) | Precedent: |
| Shauna of Carrick Point | 2004.05 | [Household name Plant y Ddraig] While a large amount of documentation was submitted showing that Plant y Ddraig, meaning "Children of the Dragon", is a reasonable name for a group of people in modern Wales, none of it addressed the issue of whether this is a reasonable name for a group of people in pre-17th C Wales.
When asked about Welsh names for groups of people, Harpy had this to say:
These findings are consistent with clan names in Scotland and Ireland, which are based on either the surname or given name of a common ancestor. In none of these cultures are names for groups of people formed using an epithet or totem as the descriptive element. Barring documentation of such group names in Welsh, such a combination is not registerable. A Welsh household name using the form Plant + <Welsh personal name> or Wyrion + <Welsh personal name> should be registerable. [Zara the Quiet, 05/04, R-Aethelmearc] |
| Shauna of Carrick Point | 2004.05 | [Household name La Casa della Croce a Fiori] No documentation was submitted nor any found that this name follows period Italian inn name or household name practice. Unfortunately, we are unable to recommend a good single source for Italian inn names. However, there is no evidence that inns in Italy were named in the way that English and German inn sign names are formed. In addition, while the words given here literally translate to "House of the Flowered Cross", no evidence was presented that this is a reasonable Italian phrase or description. For one, we are unsure what a flowered cross would be. If the intention is a cross made of flowers, modern Italian usage tends toward "croce di fiori." [Esperanza Razzolini d'Asolo, 05/04, R-East] |
| Shauna of Carrick Point | 2004.03 | Submitted as House Gunnulf, the submitter requested an Old English designator for House. Siren found a citation from the OED for Aarones hus dated to c. 1000. We have changed this name to the equivalent for Gunnulf: Gunnulfes hus. [Birgir inn Blakki, 03/04, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2004.03 | [Household name Pähkinäsaari, Village of] This name conflicts with the real-world town of Pähkinäsaari (later Pähkinälinna) as noted by Argent Snail:
Additionally, there was considerable discussion whether Village was appropriate as a household designator. The overwhelming consensus was that Village was not an appropriate designator for a household name and, that, if Village should ever be allowed as a designator, that it should be used as an alternate of some level of branch designator. We are, therefore, disallowing use of Village as a designator for a household name. [Petrus Curonus, 03/2004, R-Drachenwald] |
| François la Flamme | 2004.02 | [House Bell and Frog] Submitted as House Bells and Frog, all of the examples found by the College of English sign names with the form [item] and [item] had both items as singular, rather than plural, even in cases where there were multiple items of one on the associated image. Therefore, lacking examples of plural items in sign names of this type, we have changed the plural Bells to the singular Bell in order to register this name. [Sely Bloxam, 02/2004, A-Artemisia] |
| François la Flamme | 2004.02 | [House of the Three Crescents] Submitted as House of the Triple Crescent, no documentation was presented and none was found to support the use of words such as Double or Triple in English sign names in period, rather than simple numbers such as Two or Three. Lacking such evidence, House of the Triple Crescent is not registerable.
We have changed this household name to House of the Three Crescents, as allowed by the submitter, in order to register this name. [Rabah az-Zafir, 02/2004, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2004.02 | [Household name Consortium Turrium No evidence was presented, nor could any be found that Consortium was a term used to refer to a group of people in period, or that Consortium Turrium follows a period naming pattern for an organized group of people in period. Lacking such evidence, this household name does not meet RfS III.2.b.iv, which states that "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people." Therefore, this household name cannot be registered.
In addition, the submitter may wish to know that the the submitted construction does not mean 'Consortium of the Tower' which he indicated was his desired meaning. The form that would have that meaning would be Consortium Turris. The submitted form means 'Consortium of the Towers'. [Kevin of Thornbury, 02/2004, R-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.11 | [Household name Skialdmær Hus] While the submitter demonstrated that skialdmær was used as a feminine byname in the sagas, she did not demonstrate that the Norse had a pattern of naming households or other organized groups after a person's byname. Barring evidence of that pattern, this name is not registerable. [Kolfinna k{o,}ttr, 11/2003, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.11 | [Household name Halir yórs] No evidence was presented, nor could any be found by the College, that a household name meaning 'Thor's men' or 'Thor's heroes' would be a reasonable name for a group of people in Old Norse. Also, no evidence was presented that Halir was a term that would be used to describe a group of people, nor that a group of people would be named after a god. Lacking documentation to address these two issues, this name does not meet the requirement in RfS III.2.b.iv that "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people."
In addition, many commenters expressed concern that this name might be presumptuous. In resubmission, the submitter should address whether this name is presumptuous. [Ragnarr Gunnarsson, 11/2003, R-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.10 | [Household name House of the Black Unicorn] Submitted as Brotherhood of the Black Unicorn, the submitter justified the substantive part of the name on the basis of inn-sign names and the designator on the basis of religious groups.
However, RfS III.2.b.iv "Household Names" states that "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people." Period names for different types of organized groups of people followed different patterns. Guild names, inn names, clan names, et cetera, were all formed differently. The patterns for names based on religious groups (and thus appropriate for use with the designator Brotherhood) do not include names of the form [color] + [charge]. Names based on the name of an inn include names of the form [color] + [charge], but are not found using the designator Brotherhood. The designator used with a household name must be compatible with the construction pattern used for the entire household name. Therefore, while both Brotherhood and Black Unicorn are registerable, they are not registerable in combination. We have changed the designator in this name to House, a designator compatible with the inn-sign model used in the rest of this household name, in order to register this name. [Bjarki Hvítabjarnarson, 10/2003, A-Artemisia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.08 | [Household name Haus Tagestërne] Submitted as Tagstern, this submission had a number of problems. This household name was submitted as a constructed word using the modern German words tag 'day' and stern 'star'. No evidence was provided that tagstern is a word in modern German, much less a word used in period. Examples were cited for construction patterns for English inn sign names. However, evidence of a pattern in English is not evidence for the same pattern in German.
Metron Ariston found an Old High German dictionary online that lists tagestërne as a word in Middle High German:
This entry shows that tagestërne is equivalent to Morgenstern. Aryanhwy merch Catmael found Morgenstern as an undated surname in Bahlow:
Brechenmacher (p. 286 s.n. Morgenstern) dates Dietrich M. to 1374 and Heinrich M. to 1460, showing forms of Morgenstern were used as surnames in period. Given the examples of Leydestern and Morgenstern dated to period, combined with the dictionary entry showing tagestërne as a Middle High German word with the same meaning as Morgenstern, it is plausible that Tagestërne could have been used as a surname in period. As submitted, this household name included no designator, which is required for registration. The LoI noted:
However, the element -haus in this example is not used in the manner of a designator. Koira explains:
A household name formed from this hypothetical surname Tagestërne would take the form Haus Tagestërne. We have changed this household name to this form in order to register this name. [Edric Longfellow, 08/2003 LoAR, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.08 | [Household name Gwely Caradoc] Listed on the LoI as Clann Caradoc, this name was submitted as Clan Caradoc. The LoI stated that "The submitters note that 'If Clan is unacceptable, please change to correct Welsh designator.'"
RfS III.1.a requires linguistic consistency in a name phrase. As a household name is a single name phrase, the entire household name must be in a single language. As Caradoc is Welsh, it may not be used with Clann, which is Gaelic, or with Clan, which is Scots or Anglicized Irish. Harpy provided information regarding a word in Welsh that has a close meaning to clan:
Harpy explained that the form gwele found in the examples below is a non-standard spelling used in this source, and that the standard spelling for this time period would be gwely. She also provided the correct form of this household name using Gwely as a designator:
As the submitters allow any changes, we have changed this household name to Gwely Caradoc as recommended by Harpy to make this name completely Welsh in order to register this name. [Mat of Forth Castle and Adekin Caradoc, 08/2003 LoAR, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.07 | [Badge. (Fieldless) A mortar and pestle argent charged with a unicornate natural seahorse azure.] The LoAR designated the badge for use by a particular named academy and stated "Atlantia is not attempting to register the Academy Name at this time, merely wishing to associate the badge with that group." Only registered items (such as order names and household names) and generic identifiers may be associated with badges. As the (particularly named) academy is neither a registered item nor a generic identifier, it must be removed from the submission. One recent ruling affirming this long-standing administrative procedure is in the February 2002 LoAR: "The submission was designated as being for the Tinkerer's Guild. However, this is not a generic designation. A tinker is a period artisan, and thus a Tinker's Guild would be a generic designation (like a Blacksmith's Guild) which could be applied to a badge. However, tinkerer does not seem to be a period occupation. Since the branch does not have the name Tinkerer's Guild registered to them, the designation has been removed."
The Cover Letter to the December 2002 LoAR has a long discussion of what sort of identifiers are generic. The summary definition states, "Names that fall into the generic identifier category are names that would reasonably be used by more than one branch for common functions of the branch. All kingdoms can have a university. All baronies can have a baronial guard. All groups can have an equestrian guild." [Atlantia, Kingdom of, 07/2003 LoAR, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.07 | [Household name MacLeod Keep] This name implies that the submitter is head of the real-world Clan MacLeod and so violates RfS VI.1, "Names Claiming Rank", which states, "Names containing titles, territorial claims, or allusions to rank are considered presumptuous." (Designators, such as Keep and Clan, are transparent for conflict and presumption purposes.) Precedent states:
In this case, the submitted household name claims rank in the same way as a name submission of [given name] MacLeod of MacLeod. Both imply the submitter is the head of Clan MacLeod. Additionally, in the submitted household name MacLeod Keep, Keep is solely English and MacLeod is Scots. While Scots is a language closely related to English, they are not actually the same language. Therefore, the submitted MacLeod Keep violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency within a name phrase. Changing the household designator from Keep to Clan (i.e. Clan MacLeod) would resolve the linguistic consistency issue, but does not resolve the presumption issue with Clan MacLeod. The submitter may clear this conflict by adding an element that explicitly indicates that this household name is not the real-world Clan MacLeod. For example, Clan MacLeod of [a Scottish placename] would be registerable so long as the placename specified was not associated with the mundane Clan MacLeod. [Simon MacLeod, 07/2003 LoAR, R-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | [Household name Die Roten Dracken Kompanie] Listed on the LoI as Kompanie Röter Drachen, this name was submitted as Rote Drachen. The grammar was corrected at Kingdom and a designator added. The LoI did a good job of communicating the submitter's wishes regarding this name:
The elements for this name were documented from a modern German dictionary. The German language has changed over time and not everything in modern German is appropriate for period. Orle provided information regarding a period form of this name:
The change from Rote 'Red' to Roten 'Red' occurs because it is an adjective that modifies a plural noun ('Dragons'). We have changed this name to the form suggested by Orle to correct the grammar and use a construction plausible for period. [Erich von Drachenholz, 06/2003 LoAR, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | [Household name Dom Kazimira] This submission was documented as the Russian translation of the phrase House of Kazimir. However, no evidence was presented that Dom was a term used to describe a group of people in period Russia. In addition, no evidence was presented as to how household names in Russian might be formed from personal names; it is unclear whether they would use the given name, a patronymic form, a byname, or some other kind of element. Barring such evidence, this household name cannot be registered. [Dmitri Kazimirovich and Tatiana Gordeevna Kazimirova, 06/2003 LoAR, R-Æthelmearc] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | [Guild name Guild of the Gilded Spoon] No documentation was presented and none was found that Gilded would have been used as an adjective in a construction (including a sign name) that could be used as a model for a guild name. Lacking such evidence, this name is not registerable. [Starkhafn, Barony of, 06/2003 LoAR, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.05 | [Household name House Green Rose] This name is too evocative of the Order of the Rose to be registered. Precedent states:
House Green Rose and House Whitrose have the same level of difference from the Order of the Rose. Therefore, House Green Rose is too evocative of Order of the Rose to be registered. [Séamus mac Inneirghe, 05/2003 LoAR, R-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.05 | [Order Name Order of the Cherubim] The Order of the Cherubim was returned in the February 2003 LoAR for exact conflict with the House Cherubim also owned by the Barony of the Angels. The LoAR states "... Order of the Cherubim is registerable if House Cherubim is released." Following the publication of the return, a timely request, including all admistrative requirements, was made for the registration of the order name and the release of the household name. As this was recently discussed by the College, the extraordinary request is being accepted. [Angels, Barony of the, 05/2003 LoAR, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.04 | [Household name Der Drachenbrüder] This household name is being returned for multiple issues.
The LoI stated that the submitter believed that Der Drachenbrüder meant 'The Fraternity/Brotherhood of the Dragon'. In this name, the only element that could be considered a designator would be the element -brüder 'fraternity/brotherhood'. As designators are transparent for conflict purposes, this name would conflict with Dragon Principal Herald (registered in December 1975 to the Middle). The designator in this heraldic title is Principal Herald. The substantive portions of these names are Drachen- and Dragon respectively, and there is insufficient difference in both look and sound between these two elements. The LoI provided documentation for two period fraternities: Marxbruder 'Brotherhood/Fraternity of [St.] Mark' and Lux Bruder 'Brotherhood/Fraternity of [St.] Luke'. This documentation supports a construction combining a saint's name with the element -bruder or Bruder. No documentation was provided and none was found to support using 'dragon' in place of a saint's name in this construction. Lacking such evidence, this household name is not registerable. [Thorgrimr inn kyrri, 04/2003 LoAR, R-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.04 | [Household name Clan Finn] This name conflicts with Finns, the Swedish word for the ethnic group predominant over most of Finland, which has its own entry in the 1975 Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia. Designators, such as Clan, are transparent for conflict purposes. There is insufficient difference in both sound and appearance between Finn and Finns.
As this name was documented as Irish Gaelic, the submitter may also wish to know that while Clan Finn is an appropriate form for Anglicized Irish, the grammatically correct form of this name in Gaelic is Clann Fhinn. The submitter may clear this conflict by changing the name Finn to another name or by adding an element that would describe Finn. For example, if Finn had red hair, a clan named for him could be Clann Fhinn Ruaidh, literally 'children [of] Red Finn'. If Finn was a large man, the clan would be Clann Fhinn Mhóir, 'children [of] Big/Great Finn'. The corresponding forms of these names in Anglicized Irish would be Clan Finn Roe and Clan Finn More. Examples of this type of construction may be seen in bynames found in Woulfe (p. 348 s.n. Mac Dáibhidh Mór, p. 350 s.n. Mac Diarmada Ruadh, p. 477 s.n. � Conchobhair Donn). [William Guiscard, 04/2003 LoAR, R-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.04 | Household name Mönggülig Ordu] No documentation was presented and none was found to show that Mönggülig Ordu 'Silver Horde' is a phrase that would have been used in period Mongol. Metron Ariston explains:
Lacking evidence that a name meaning 'Silver Horde' is a reasonable description of a group of people in period Mongol, Mönggülig Ordu is not registerable. Additionally, no support was found that a word meaning 'Horde' would not be presumptuous as a designator for a household name. The modern normalized terms Mongol Horde and Golden Horde both refer to period groups of people that were the size of a nation. Lacking evidence that a word meaning 'Horde' would be used to refer to a smaller group of people, it is inappropriate for use as a household name. We would not register Duchy of [placename] as a household name because it is an explicit claim of rank by the owner of the household name and, so, violates RfS VI.1 "Names Claiming Rank". Similarly, without documentation supporting use of a word meaning 'Horde' for groups smaller than a nation, use of a word meaning 'Horde' as the designator in a household name is an explicit claim of rank in the same way as Duchy, violating RfS VI.1. [Gülüg-jab Tangghudai, 04/2003 LoAR, R-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.04 | [Household name House of the Silver Falcon] No documentation was presented and none was found that Silver would have been used in an English sign name. This topic was recently addressed:
Lacking evidence that Silver would have been used in a sign name in period, this household name is not registerable. [Elena verch Gwalchmai, 04/2003 LoAR, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | [Joint household name The Coribantes Compaignye] Submitted as The Coribant Compaignye, the LoI provided documentation that "There is a citation dated to 1380 in Chaucer Bo. (Benson-Robinson) 4.m.5.20: 'Ther is a maner peple that hyghte Coribantes [vr. coribandes] that .. betyn hir basyns with thikke strokes.'" This supports Coribantes as a term used in period for a type of musicians. However, the singular non-possessive noun Coribant does not make sense in this instance. A parallel could be drawn with a name meaning 'the musician company'. Such a name would combine two nouns, meaning 'musician' and 'company', which does not make sense. A possessive form meaning "musician's" or "musicians'" would resolve this problem. Based on period possessive forms, the plural of Coribant would be Coribantes. As the submitters allow minor changes, we have changed this household name to the possessive form Coribantes in order to register this name. [Sancha de Flores and Seán Ó Súilleabháin Beirre, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Æthelmearc] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | [Designator change Order of the Cherubim from House Cherubim] This submission is not simply a designator change. Household names and order names are different types of items and were formed in different manners in period. In this situation, the branch may submit a registration of an order name with a note that the equivalent household name be released upon registration of the order name.
As designators are transparent for conflict purposes, Order of the Cherubim and House Cherubim are identical and so may not both be registered, even to the same owner. The single exception to this policy is that a branch may register a heraldic title and an order name that are identical except for the designators. This exception is due to the period practice of deriving heraldic titles from the names of orders. One type of name (such as a household, order, or heraldic title) may not simply be switched to a different type of name by changing the designator. The one exception to this requirement is that heraldic titles may be formed from registered order names without redocumenting the order name. The reason for this exception is that there is sufficient examples of heraldic titles being drawn from order names in period to support such registrations. Additionally, no documentation was provided and none was found that Order of the Cherubim is a plausible order name in period. Meradudd Cethin's article "Project Ordensnamen OR What do you mean that the Anceint[sic] and Venerable Order of the Most Holy and Righteous Wombat's Toenail isn't period?" (http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/order/) dates the order name Seraphim to 1280 in Sweden. Given this example, Order of the Cherubim is registerable, if House Cherubim is released. [Angels, Barony of the, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | [Household name Academia Sancti Thomae Aquini] Listed on the LoI as Schuola di Saint Thomas d'Aquino, this name was submitted as Schola of Saint Thomas Aquinas and was converted to Italian at Kingdom to follow the submitter's request for authenticity for 15th C Italian since the submitter allowed any changes. Kraken provided information about the construction of this name:
D. S. Chambers, "Studium Urbis and Gabella Studii: The University of Rome in the Fifteenth Century", which appears in Cecil H. Clough, ed., Cultural Aspects of the Italian Renaissance; Essays in Honor of Paul Oskar Kristeller, mentions a reference to the Academia Bononiensis (the University of Bologna) in 1465. This Latin example supports Kraken's statement that a 15th C Italian school would have been referred to using a Latin name. There was some question whether an institution of learning would have used the term schuola in its formal name in the submitter's desired time and culture. Therefore, we have changed Schuola to Academia and registered this name in a fully Latin form to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. [Jason of An Tir, 02/2003 LoAR, A-An Tir] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | [Joint household name House of the Sword and Rose] This name is too evocative of the Order of the Rose. Precedent states:
House of the Sword and Rose and Order of the Anvil and the Rose have the same level of difference from the Order of the Rose. Therefore, House of the Sword and Rose is too evocative of the Order of the Rose to be registered. [Vivienne de Lampérière and Rotheric Kynith, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.12 | [House Njalsson] documentation was presented and none was found that House Njalsson follows a pattern "of period names of organized groups of people" as required by RfS III.2.b.iv. Examples of House + [inherited surname] are found in English and other languages in late period. In these cases, the house name refers to the inherited surname shared by members of this family. Since Norse used literal patronymics in period, different members (generations, et cetera) of a family would not necessarily have the same byname. Lacking evidence that house names would be derived from a patronymic byname in Old Norse, this name is not registerable.
The submitter may wish to know that Argent Snail found information in Magnus Olsen's Farms and Fanes of Old Norway that "some farm names in Old Norway (including Old Norse, since some of the names go back to far enough) were formed from personal names." So, a household name using the given name Njal as a root would be plausible in some form, though the submitted House Njalsson is not plausible. [Nonna the Midwife, 12/2002, R-Middle] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.11 | [Haus vom Cophus] As an inherited surname may include the preposition vom, this house name is registerable using the construction Haus + inherited surname. [Arkell vom Cophus, 11/2002, A-Ansteorra] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | [Company of the Red Luce] Listed on the LoI as Compagnie du Luce de Gueules, this household name was submitted as Compagnie du Gueules Luce and changed at Kingdom in an attempt to correct the grammar. The College found gueules used only as a heraldic tincture. Lacking evidence that it was used in contexts other than heraldry, it is not registerable in a household name. Compagnie du Luce Rouge would be the correct form of this name in French. However, changing de Gueules to Rouge is a significant enough change in both sound and appearance that it is a major change, which the submitter does not allow. The submitter specifically allowed changing this household name to the English form Company of the Red Luce (luce being a word referring to a particular type of fish in both English and French) if a form of Compagnie du Gueules Luce was not registerable. Therefore, we have changed the name to Company of the Red Luce in order to register this name. [Conrad von Zuberbuehler, 10/2002, A-Artemisia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | [Household name F�hnlein Lintwurm]Submitted as F�hnlein Lindwurm, the submitter requested authenticity for German language/culture and allowed minor changes.
Documentation has been presented supporting F�hnlein as a period term for a particular type of German military unit. Given this information, it is acceptable as a household designator. Currently, we know little about the actual naming of German military units in period. In the case of this submission, Lindwurm was documented as a house name that became a surname. Bahlow (s.n. Lindwurm) lists Lindwurm as a house name and dates Clesel zuo dem Lintworme to 1368 and Nickel Lintwurm to 1429. We are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt and assuming that a German military company could have been referred to by its commander's surname (as was done in other countries). As the dated spellings that were found use t rather than d, we have changed the spelling Lindwurm to Lintwurm to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity. Lacking more detailed information regarding the naming of German military companies in period, we are unable to confirm that this name is completely authentic for German as requested by the submitter. [Ludwig Gr�n, 10/2002, A-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | [Household name Draco Mercatoria] No documentation was provided and none was found that Draco Mercatoria, meaning 'Merchant Dragon', meets the requirements set down in RfS III.2.b.iv, which states:
Were documentation found supporting this name as a household name, the structure of this name would need to be corrected. The genders of the two elements in Draco Mercatoria do not agree. The correct Latin form of this phrase is Draco Mercatorius. Additionally, the currently submitted name has no designator. Since a designator is required for registration, one would need to be added. The designator used in a household name varies by the model used for the household name. Examples that appear in RfS III.2.b.iv quoted above include Clan, House, Guild, and Company. [Kirsten Dystel, 09/2002 LoAR, R-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.08 | [Damosels of Astolat] No documentation was presented and none was found that Damosels of Astolat meets the requirements set down in RfS III.2.b.iv which states:
With regards to this submission, no evidence was found that Damosels is a reasonable designator for an organized group of people. Additionally, Astolat was documented only as a placename from Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur. No support was provided and none was found that a placename only documented from literature is appropriate in a household name. Additionally, were these issues addressed, the combination Damosels of Astolat violates RfS I.3, Inappropriate Claims, which states, "No name or armory will be registered which claims for the submitter powers, status, or relationships that do not exist." Bright Leaf explains:
The combination of elements in the submitted Damosels of Astolat, all of which were documented in the submission only from Arthurian legend incidently, implies identity with the Arthurian character and so is not registerable. [Celestine Albret de Morat, 08/2002, R-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.08 | [Academy of the Falcon and Sword] Submitted as Academy of the Falcon and the Sword, documented examples of sign names combining two elements in this manner do not include an article before the second element. Therefore, we have removed the from before the word Sword.
Note: Academy is a household designator that may be used in household names registered to either individuals or branches. [Galen Storm, 08/2002, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.08 | [House Talbots Keep] This household name was submitted as Talbot's Keep and changed to House Talbot's Keep at kingdom to add a designator, as Keep was not thought to be an acceptable designator. However, Keep is an acceptable designator for a household name as noted by Sommelier:
The conflict called by Sommelier is correct since designators are transparent for conflict purposes. In the form House Talbot's Keep, House is the designator, making this form clear of Talbot Herald (which has Herald as the designator) by the addition of the element Keep. We have removed the apostrophe per this precedent: [Connor M'Eleam, 08/2002, A-Æthelmearc] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.06 | [Haus Hombaden] Submitted as House Hombaden, the submitter requested authenticity for German. Therefore, we have changed the designator from House to the German form Haus. [Brion Gennadyevich Gorodin, 06/2002, A-Trimaris] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.05 | [House of Five Belles] Belle was documented as a variant spelling of Bell from Reaney & Wilson (p. 37 s.n. Bell) which dates John atte Belle to 1332. Therefore, House of Five Belles follows the construction of a sign name referring to five bells. [Eridana Ambra Dragotta, 05/2002, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.05 | [Bear Clan] The submitter requested authenticity for a 10th C Norse Clan and allowed minor changes. The submission form gave the submitted household name as "Bear Clan (Bjarn Aett in Old Norse)". The LoI presented Bear Clan as the submitted household name, based on a Lingua Anglica equivalent of a Norse Bjarn Aett. In order to determine both registerable and authentic forms of this name, there are several steps that need to be addressed:
The vast majority of the documentation for this submission came from two sources: Mark Harrison and Gerry Embleton, Viking Hersir, 793-1066AD, volume 3 of Osprey Military Warrior Series; and Nurmann, Schulze, & Verh�lsdonk, The Vikings, "Europa Militaria Special No. 6". These are tertiary sources at best and their purpose is not onomastics. Therefore, they must be used with care when used as documentation for name submissions. A number of Norse sagas were mentioned in the LoI, but no photocopies of any of them were provided. As none of them are included in the Admin Handbook under Appendix H, "Name Books That Do Not Require Photocopies to Laurel", these mentions may not be considered documentation. Additionally, no sections of those sagas were cited with specific references to "Norse clans". Such references would be necessary as part of documentation from these sagas. Viking Hersir (p. 6) defines an aett as an "extended family group". However, no documentation was provided that aett would be included as part of the name of such a family group. The Vikings (p. 53) defines the term Vikinge-lag as "brotherhoods of mercenaries". On the same page, it specifically mentions a particular group whose name includes this term:
Based on this example, vikinge-lag (as in Jomsvikinge-lag) is an acceptable designator for an SCA household based on the model of the Jomsvikings. The Lingua Anglica equivalent for this designator would be the suffix -vikings, as in the example Jomsvikings. The submitted documentation implies that Jomsvikinge-lag is a reference to the location Jomsburg. Geirr Bassi (p. 20) lists the descriptive byname Bjarneyja- meaning 'Bear Island-', which documents this location in Old Norse, and so dates it to period. A household name referring to this island, based on the Jomsvikings example, would be Bjarnavikinge-lag in Old Norse. Lingua Anglica equivalents for placenames are based on their English rendering, not on a literal translation of the meaning of the placename. For example, the Lingua Anglica form of Tokyo (which means 'Eastern Capital') is Tokyo, not Eastern Capital. The submitter's documentation shows Bjarn Isle as the English form of the place referred to in the byname Bjarneyja-. Therefore, a Lingua Anglica form of Bjarnavikinge-lag would be Bjarnavikings, not Bearvikings or Bear Clan. A question was raised during commentary regarding whether Bear Clan was registerable using the model of a Scottish clan as cited in the Rules for Submission (RfS III.2.b.iv). In this model, Clan precedes the clan name (Clan [Surname]) rather than follows it ([Surname] Clan). Also, clan is a Scots word derived from the Gaelic word clann, meaning 'children'. (Scots is a language closely related to English.) The name of the clan is a Scots surname. While some of these surnames are also found in English, not all English surnames are found in Scots. Therefore, to comply with RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency within a name phrase, the clan name must be documented as a Scots surname. Occasionally, a locative may be included in the clan name, taking the form Clan [Surname] of [Location]. There is also a clan name model found in Ireland. However, in Ireland, the model that includes the word Clann in Gaelic (Clan in Anglicized Irish) is based on a given name found in Gaelic. Examples are found that include both Gaelic given names and Anglo-Norman given names that migrated into Gaelic. The Rules for Submission were most recently updated on July 20, 2001. Previous to that, the most recent update was November 1, 1995. All household names, except one, registered since that date that use some form of clan as a designator follow either the Scottish or Irish models described above. The single exception is Clann an Chullaich Bhain (registered February 1996) which was submitted as a "sign name" meaning 'the white boar'. As our knowledge of naming practices has expanded, doubt has been shed on the theory that Scottish or Irish clan names would be based on the English sign name model. Lacking evidence of such a construction, they are no longer registerable. Several registrations of clan names were specifically mentioned during commentary. Clan Baldwin (registered June 1996) follows the Scottish model since Baldwin is a plausible Scots surname. (Black, s.n. Baldwin, gives only dated examples of forms of Baldwin as a given name, but it could easily have followed the pattern of other Anglo-Norman given names that became surnames in Scotland.) Clan Hubert (registered February 1999) follows the Irish model since Hubert was among the Anglo-Norman given names that appear in Ireland. Clan Gara (registered September 1996) and Clan Gillemore (registered March 1998) also follow the Irish model as Gara and Gillemore are Anglicized forms of the Irish Gaelic masculine given names Gadra and Gilla Muire. Since Bear Clan does not follow either the Scottish clan name model or the Irish clan name model, it is not registerable as either a Scottish or an Irish clan name. [Erik the Bear, 05/2002, R-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.04 | [Eveninghold] There was some question regarding the registerability of this household name. The household name was submitted as a placename constructed from elements that supported either given name + hold or a reference to a hold used in the evening. Ekwall (p. 170 s.n. Evenlode) gives the meaning of this name as 'Eowla's passage or ferry' and lists three Old English forms of this placename. James Johnson, Place Names of England and Wales (p. 254 s.n. Evenlode) dates several Middle English forms of this placename including Evenlode to 1327. Johnson (p. 513 s.n. Winterhold Pike) dates the spelling Winterhold Pike to 1250 and gives the meaning as either 'hold for dwelling in in winter' or 'Winter's hold' where Winter is a reference to an Old English personal name. A placename that refers to the name of a season does not support a placename that refers to a time of day. In this case, the examples cited above do support Evenhold as a constructed placename meaning 'Eowla's hold'. Ekwall (p. 170 s.n. Everingham) dates the form Eueringeham to 1185 and 1191, and gives the meaning of this name as 'The H{A-}M of Eofor's people'. Therefore, a placename meaning 'the hold of Eowla's people' would take the form Eveninghold.
Since -hold cannot be used as a designator in a branch name or a heraldic title, there is no issue of confusion when it is used as a designator in a household name. It has been registered previously as the designator in a household name. For example, the household name Hasselhold registered in July of 1985 to Joan of Caernarvon uses -hold as the designator. [Ariana Irene de Caro, 04/2002, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.04 | [Clann Cléirigh] There was some question regarding whether the construction of this name was correct. This household name was submitted using the Irish Gaelic model, which is somewhat different than clan name models found in Scotland. In Ireland, clann was used literally and means 'children'. Cléirigh is the genitive form of the Gaelic name Cléirech. So Clann Cléirigh literally means 'children [of] Cléirech' or 'Cléirech's children'. A good example of how this type of name was used is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, vol. 3, (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005C/), entry M1340.4, which begins: "Clann Ualgairg U� Ruairc, Domhnall, Aedh, Giolla Criost & Ruaidhri". The corresponding entry in the 19th C translation reads: "The sons of Ualgarg O'Rourke, Donnell, Hugh, Gilchreest, and Rory". So, these four sons are members of the Ua Ruairc family, but together they are also clann Ualgairg. [Tiernan O'Shea, 04/2002, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.03 | [Household name Company of Saint Martha] Listed on the LoI as an order name submission for the Order of Saint Martha, the submission form listed the submitted name as Company of Saint Martha. Under submission type, "Other" was checked on the form and a note was written in below that said "for cooks' guild". We have returned the submission type and designator to the submitted form. [Lochmere, Barony of, 03/2002, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.02 | [ruling for a badge submission] The submission was designated as being for the Tinkerer's Guild. However, this is not a generic designation. A tinker is a period artisan, and thus a Tinker's Guild would be a generic designation (like a Blacksmith's Guild) which could be applied to a badge. However, tinkerer does not seem to be a period occupation. Since the branch does not have the name Tinkerer's Guild registered to them, the designation has been removed. [Dun Carraig, Barony of, 02/02, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.02 | [Inn of the Weeping Unicorn] There was mixed opinion regarding whether "Weeping Unicorn" fit the pattern of inn sign names. Pertinent precedents are:
[Avram Ibn Gabirol. Household name for House of the Wandering Dragon] Despite what was stated on the LoI, Wandering Dragon, does not follow the pattern of inns such as House of the White Hart. A white hart could be painted on an inn sign and be identifiable as such, a "wandering dragon" could not. Barring documentation of participles of this sort being used for inn names, this must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1998, p. 21)As weeping was documented as meaning 'crying' in period, and a weeping unicorn is an image that could be visually depicted on a sign, this name is registerable. Inn is an acceptable designator for a household name. [Kathryn atte Unicorn, 02/02, A-Ansteorra] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.01 | [Eplaheimr] There was some question about whether a Viking-era farm name is an appropriate model for a household name. Since we register household names based on late-period English manors, a Viking-era farm name is similarly registerable. [Ságadís Duncansdaughter and Sigmundr Hákonsson, 01/02, R-Drachenwald] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.01 | [Greyhound Pack] The first issue is whether Pack is acceptable as a household designator. The documentation provided in the LoI for use of Pack was:
The Oxford English Dictionary, Vol. 9, pg. 39, s.n. pack defines it as a company or set of persons and dates the word packe to 1578. The Middle English Dictionary, Part P.1, Sherman M. Kuhn, ed., published 1981, University of Michigan Press on pg. 560, s.n. pak defines the word as an assemblage of people; a company, band and dates the word pak to 1425 and pack to 1400.Given this definition, if we register Company and Band as household designators, we should also permit Pack. There are at least forty registrations of household names with the designator Company (not including variant spellings). There are three registrations that include some form of the word Band as the designator: The Blue Band (Fionnbhárr Starfyr of the Isles, October 1996), Drafen War Band (Gregory of York, April 1983), and Warband die Steiner Wache (Canton of Steinsee, April 1997). As Company and Band are registerable as household designators, Pack is as well. The second issue is whether the combination of elements in this submission is intrusively modern, which has previously been cause for return: [Artemisia, Principality of. Name for the Artemisian Tank Corps.] The name here is intrusively modern. The fact that the individual elements may be period (though with different meanings than the submitters are desirous of) is overwhelmed by the modern connotations of the phrase. (LoAR 02/91, R-Atenveldt)Grayhound was used in a period sign name, The Syne of the Grayhound, dated to 1522 on p. 83 (section 1, column 1) of William Jerdan, ed., "The Visit of the Emperor Charles V to England, A.D. 1522", Rutland Papers (Camden Society, 1842). Commenters voiced concern that Greyhound Pack was overly reminiscent of a group of dogs, specifically greyhounds. In the precedent above, a Tank Corps is not a period type of assembled group. The combination of Tank and Corps combined to form what could be viewed as a designator that was certainly not a period concept. In this case, a group of greyhounds is a period concept. Therefore, the secondary meaning of Greyhound Pack falls into the same category as Drew Steele. Both may be considered "joke names", but both are period concepts and so are not excessively obtrusive. Tank Corps falls into the same category as Porsche Audi, which was returned in August of 1992: 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. (Porsche Audi, Returned, LoAR 08/92, pg. 28)Therefore, as Pack is a registerable household designator and Greyhound Pack is not obtrusively modern, this household name is registerable. [Elizabeth Curry, 01/02, A-Ansteorra] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.12 | [House Talbot and Cross] Submitted as Talbot Cross, the LoI stated that "The name form is the same as Kings Cross and Charing Cross (erected 1290)". Actually, it does not follow that pattern. Trans-Pontine explains:
The evidence adduced does not support combining arbitrary objects with "Cross" to form place names-both King's Cross and Charing Cross are derived from royal actions. (Charing Cross was originally "Cher reine cross"-"dear queen cross", erected by an English king in memory of his deceased queen.)Talbot is not similar in meaning to either king or cher reine. However, Talbot and Cross is a reasonable sign name. [Evelyn atte Holye, 12/01, A-Ealdormere] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.11 | [Neuschel Consort of Musicke] Documentation included with this submission dates the term Consort of Musicke to 1575. In context in the documentation, this term meets the requirement for a household-that it describe an organized group of people. As such, Consort of Musicke is acceptable as a designator for a household name. Regarding the lingual mix, the designator in a household name may be rendered either in the language appropriate to the submission or in English. Just as House Neuschel is registerable, so Neuschel Consort of Musicke is registerable. [Wolfgang Neuschel der Grau, 11/01, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.10 | [Tigh Leoghann Ban] The name was submitted with the justification that Tieg Lion Ban means 'House White Lion' and follows the patterns of inn-sign names. Such patterns are well documented in English, and an inn known as The White Lion would be completely typical for that language. However, no documentation has been presented that such a pattern existed in Gaelic. Barring such documentation, this household name is not registerable. [Rowan the Shiftless, 10/01, R-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.10 | [Legio Ursi] There was some discussion regarding the use of Legion as an order designator versus as a household designator. The following items containing Legion have been registered:
Legion of the Black Fist is registered to the East (July 1974), but there is no indication in the O & A if it was registered as an order name or a household name. As the East Kingdom OP does not list it as an order, it is almost certainly a household name.Given that at least two registrations of Legion are in order names, this order name is registerable. [Meridies, Kingdom of, 10/01, A-Meridies] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2001.03 | [Castle Newmarch] ... Castle is a valid household designator... [Gryffri de Newmarch, 03/01, A-Meridies] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2001.02 | [Company of Pembroke] This conflicts with the borough of Pembroke, which has its own entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica. As this is a direct conflict, we are not at this time making a ruling whether Company of <Place> is registerable as a household name. Also, we wish to remind the College that for conflict purposes there are two kinds of names: personal and others. Household names, therefore, can conflict with place names, order names, or titles. [Conrad von Zuberbuehler, 02/01, R-Artemisia] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.11 | [House White Hart] The household name is in conflict with the inn of White Hart. While none of the real-world inns of that name is important enough to protect under our current rules, the one featured in Arthur C. Clarke's Tales from the White Hart is. [Gisla Rodumna, 11/00, R-An Tir] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.09 | [Capella Sancti Thomi et Sanctae Mariae Magdalenae] The argument was made in commentary that a chapel is a building, not a group of people, and that it should therefore not qualify as an alternative for household. However, the Oxford English Dictionary lists, among other meanings of the word Chapel,
7. A choir or body of singers attached to a chapel (usually of a king or prince); 'now extended to mean the choir or the orchestra, or both, of a church or chapel, or other musical establishment sacred or secular' (Grove Dict. Music). Often in French form chapelle, Ger. kapelle, or It. capella.The earliest dated example given for this meaning of chapel is from 1420. This leads us to believe the term can be used for organized groups of people and thus as an alternative for household. [Simon Justus, 09/00, A-Middle] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.07 | [House Wolfgang von Neunkirchen] No evidence was provided that ships in period were named after specific individuals. On the contrary, based on the knowledge we have, this seems not to have been the case. [Astrid Radulfsdottir, 07/00, R-Æthelmearc] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.07 | [Dragon's Bower] No evidence was provided that this is a reasonable construction for the name of an inn, or any other organized group of people. [Sile Linet O'Loughlin, 07/00, R-Meridies] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.07 | [Kegs End] Submitted as Keg's End, Smith, English Place-Name Elements, under ende lists Sewards End. Forming a hypothetical place name in the form <surname>s + End seems therefore reasonable. We have, however, removed the apostrophe, to conform with period usage. [Briged O'Daire, 07/00, A-Atenveldt] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.06 | [Guardians of the Golden Grove] No evidence was provided either by the submitters or the College that this would follow any of the known period patterns for the names of fighting units. [Gyldenholt, Barony of, 06/00, R-Caid] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.04 | [Wælsinges Hus] ... submitted as Hûs Wælsinges � The argument was made that the submission conflicts with the Wælsinges of Beowulf, which indeed were used as documentation. However, they don't have their own entry in general encyclopaedias, and the opinion of the College was sufficiently mixed that we don't feel compelled to protect them despite this. A similar argument was made about the Volsunga. However, it does not matter whether they are important enough to protect, as translations of a name do not by default conflict with each other. We feel that the difference in this case is, while close to the limit, still significant enough. The documentation for the name is scanty, but the Wælsinges of Beowulf were human; also, Ekwall (s.n. Walsingham) notes that the names of Great and Little Walsingham in Norfolk are derived from the name. We have changed the word order and removed the modern vowel length mark to be consistent with period usage. [Lupus of Arundel, 04/00, A-Caid] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.03 | [The Royal University of Meridies] With the exception of the University of Atlantia, registered in 1982, and the Royal University of Ithraall examples of universities are listed as references, not registered names. Therefore, we consider the name to be generic and thus not needing registration. [Meridies, Kingdom of, 01/00, R-Meridies] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.02 | [Company of the Pembroke Luce] The documentation given did not show that <place name> <noun> or <surname> <noun> was a pattern given to organized groups in period. "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people. Possible models include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart)" [Conrad von Zuberbuehler, 02/00, R-Artemisia] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.02 | [Middle Kingdom Archers] This name is too generic to register by itself, although it could be used as an identifier for a badge. [Middle Kingdom, 02/00, R-Middle] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.01 | The Administrative Handbook does limit joint registration to a "couple" but does not define the term (and the term is used very loosely, i.e., the rules do not specifically say that badges and household names can be registered by more than one individual, they just indicate how the name or badge should be referenced when registered by a couple). A couple does not require that the two people be of different sex, and as we do not inquire as to the exact relationship in general we do not do so here. We do, however, intend to alter the Administrative Handbook to be clearer on the issue and to allow registration of joint badge by any two (but no more than two) individuals. [Yin Mei Li and Marie Lorraine de Montclair, 01/00, R-Artemisia] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.01 | [Compagnie du Graal] This was pended to discuss whether a literary reference to the Knights of the Grail was important enough to protect. While I received little commentary, the evidence indicates that it is not. It is also true that there is a tradition of naming orders after important legendary artifacts, the most notable being the Order of the Golden Fleece. We therefore believe that such while such an order may imply a group intending to emulate the Arthurian knights, barring any notable actual Orders of the Grail, we must assume that they are not pretending to be the Arthurian knights. [Giovanni di Sienna, 01/00, A-Outlands] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.01 | [Thorne House] Conflict with Thornhold, registered to Ciorstan MacAmhlaidh. As hold is the designator, it does not contribute difference. [Yin Mei Li and Marie Lorraine de Montclair, 01/00, R-Artemisia] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 1999.12 | [House of the Amber Moon] While the submitter did give evidence that amber was used as a color towards the end of our period (although only in a poem), she did not give any evidence showing that <color> Moon is a reasonable household name, i.e., a name consistent with some period organized group of people. [Zhivana Anastasiia Svemirovna, 12/99, R-Caid] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 1999.11 | [House Open Hearth] No documentation was given to show that Open Hearth was a reasonable inn or sign name. Sign names of the form <adjective> <noun> tend to have adjectives that can be easily displayed on a sign. "Open" is not such an adjective when applied to hearths. [Jared the Potter and Sajah bint Habushun ibn Ishandiyar al-Hajjaj, 11/99, R-Atlantia] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 1999.08 | [House Stirling Hart.] The examples cited in the documentation were insufficient to justify the use of a town in an inn name. [Madog Maelgwn ap Llywelyn, 08/99, R-Caid] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 1999.07 | [Clan Caer Lonn] The name mixes two languages, Welsh (Caer) and Gaelic (Lonn) in one phrase, violating rule III.1.a, "Linguistic Consistency." Brian should also be informed that Clans were named after personal names and nicknames, not places. Lastly we would prefer to see some evidence that "Strong" is a reasonable adjective to apply to keeps. [Brian Brock, 07/99, R-Atenveldt] |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1999.03 | [Christall Gordon. Household name for Aggregation of Kith] The LoI notes the Society of Friends, dated to 1648, which is within our grey area, so suggests that therefore Aggregation of Kith is registerable. However, names from the grey area are permissible for use when there is a strong likelihood that they could have first been used prior to 1600, but were not recorded until afterwards (though prior to 1650). In the case of the Society of Friends it is well know when they came into existence, so it is not a period model. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1999, p. 12) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1999.03 | [Clan MacHardy] Note: this does not stop anyone from using MacHardy in their name. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1999, p. 6) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.12 | [Ciaran Mac Darragh. Household name for Wolf Keep.] While this name is technically clear of House of Wolf's Keep, every one who commented on it felt that it was too close, and the two names would be confused. Therefore we are returning this for violating RfS V. "Names may not be too similar to the names of others, as is required by General Principle 3a of these rules. Names need to be distinguished from each other both in their written form and when heard in announcements." (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR December 1998, p. 16) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.09 | [Aarnimetsä, Barony of. Household name for Korven kylä] A question was raised as to whether official SCA branches could register households which would be used as a designator for a subgroup of the branch. This has been done before, for the Borough of Felding (Barony of Carolingia) and the Household of Elmeston (Barony of Dragonship Haven.) The Administrative Handbook clearly states that Society branches may register household names and armory. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR September 1998, p. 4) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.08 | [Ahbel of Regnesfolc] The name is being returned for lack of documentation for Regnesfolc. According to the LoI it is a registered household name. However, that does not mean that the submitter can use it. Household names, unlike official SCA group names, are not automatically acceptable for SCA name usage. Please inform the submitter that barring documentation that Ahbel is a period form of Abel it is not registerable. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR August 1998) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.08 | [Yvon-Maurice Charon. Household name for The House of the Three Furies.] Dragon has provided documentation for Inns named after mythological characters. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR August 1998, p. 2) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.07 | [David Dr islav. Household name and badge for Warrior Haven] The name is being returned for nonperiod style. Possible models for household names include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart). This does not follow any period exemplars, and barring documentation must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR, July 1998) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.07 | [Dilan mac in tsaeir. Household name for Ballaí Bána.] The name is being returned for nonperiod style. Possible models for household names include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart). This does not follow any period exemplars, and barring documentation must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR, July 1998) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.07 | [Helmut zu Jülich. Household name for Haus Jülich.] This was an appeal of a kingdom return for conflict with the princely Haus Jülich. The submitter has provided documentation showing that Jülich is a town in Germany first mentioned in 356 C.E. While Jülich is also a town, that is not relevant in terms of conflict. Existence of other uses of Jülich does not clear conflict. The existence of York does not mean that we would register House York. Therefore this must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR July 1998, p. 12) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.06 | [Drusilla of the Drunken Archers] The submitter's legal sibling, Simon de la Palma de Mallorca had the household name Drunken Archers registered to him 8/89. Therefore, the usage is grandfathered to her. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR, June 1998) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.06 | [Edward Drake von Nordstrom. Household Name for Flammenhaus] The name is being returned for conflict with the Order of the Flames of Starkhafn. The group designator does not count for difference, nor does haus and Order. Therefore the only difference between them that counts is the difference between Flammen and Flames. There is a similar problem between the household name and Flame Pursuivant of Caid and the Barony of the Flame. Interestingly enough, this is a period German formation as according to Bahlow's Deutsches Namen-Lexicon in 1500, there was a haus name of zur Flamme, which translates as at (the sign of) the flame. Brechenmacher's Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Deutschen Familiennamen has, dated to 1469, Flammenhof, which would be equivalent to court of the flame. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR, June 1998) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.06 | [Elisheva bat Simon Halevi. Household name for House Thunder] This conflicts with Thunder Pursuivant, Kingdom of Meridies. RfS.V.2.b.i, Change of Elements, states that '...names do not conflict if each of them contains a descriptive element significantly different from every descriptive element of the other. .......House, Herald and College of, being designators, are not descriptive elements.' (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR, June 1998) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.06 | [Oengus Ó Flannagáin] Submitted as Oengus Cineal Aonghusa Cineal Aonghusa is the name of a clan (named after someone named Aonghus). A number of different words roughly equivalent to "clan" were used in Medieval Irish. The available evidence indicates that the way membership in such a clan (no matter what "clan" word was used for the group) was indicated in a personal name was by the use of ó (or older ua) plus the clan eponym in the genitive (i.e., ó Aonghusa) not by using a construction equivalent to "of Clan X". Therefore we have changed this to an alternative form which the submitter allows. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR June 1998, p. 5) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.04 | [House Whitrose] Per VI. 4. 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.
Such items include the peerage orders of the Society and such well-known items outside the Society as the Order of the Garter. The House of the Rose and Laurel does not conflict with the Order of the Rose or the Order of the Laurel, but it is too evocative of both to be registered. Similarly, the Award of the Blue Garter is too evocative of the Order of the Garter, whose badge is a blue garter. This is too close to the Society Peerage order, Order of the Rose, to be registered. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR April 1998, p. 22) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.03 | [Avram Ibn Gabirol. Household name for House of the Wandering Dragon] Despite what was stated on the LoI, Wandering Dragon, does not follow the pattern of inns such as House of the White Hart. A white hart could be painted on an inn sign and be identifiable as such, a "wandering dragon" could not. Barring documentation of participles of this sort being used for inn names, this must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1998, p. 21) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.02 | [Warmin of Belshire Household name House of Belshire] Found on the LoI as House Belshire, it was originally submitted as House of Belshire and changed in kingdom. Since House of Place follows documented period forms, such as House of York or House of Capulet, we have returned this to the originally submitted form. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR February 1998, p. 11) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.01 | [Morgaine FitzStephen. Name for Chateau Corbeau.] The name conflicts with the Barony of Mountain Freehold's "The Order of the Corbie". Corbie and Corbeau sound too much alike. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR January 1998, p. 18) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.06 | While normally household names require a designator such as house, clan, brotherhood, company, etc., the rules state "if the authorized form was used that way in period, like the English word shire, which appears as a part of the one-word name Worcestershire". Since Dùncreige contains a designator, we have registered it without it. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR June 1997, p. 4) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.04 | [Ravensrook] The earliest dated example of rookery in the OED is from 1725. Since that is after our period, it cannot be used in an SCA name. There are other period forms that would be acceptable, for instance Ravenhurst. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR April 1997, p. 18) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.04 | The submitter wanted an Anglo-Saxon name meaning House Ostentiousness. However, this name in either English or Anglo-Saxon, does not follow any period exemplars for Household names. RfS III.2.b.iv. notes that "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people. Possible models include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart)." (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR April 1997, p. 18) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.02 | [Damian von Baden] The Administrative Handbook defines Order Names specifically as "The name of a recognized Society honor, order or award" and goes on to say: "By Corpora such names may only be registered to kingdoms, principalities, baronies or equivalent branches." Therefore we cannot register 'Order' as a designator for a household name to an individual. We have substituted Company as the closest equivalent. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR February 1997, p. 7) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.01 | The household name [Argus] is being returned for conflict with Argos, which has its own entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica, and is thereby important enough to protect.(Jaelle of Armida, LoAR January 1997, p. 21) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.01 | The household name was supposed to be Gaelic for "Clan of the Mountain Hall"... this follows none of the period models for household names. (Aislinne of Alainmor, 1/97 p. 18) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1996.12 | [returning the household name Manor of the Silent Rose] (Sterling Schawn Leopard) [This] conflicts with the Order of the Rose. While in most cases, addition of an adjective clears conflict (eg. Order of the Golden Aardvark is clear of House Aardvark) the names of the SCA peerage orders and important mundane orders are given additional protection per RfS VI.4. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR December 1996, p. 15) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1996.12 | [returning the household name Manor of the Silent Rose] (Sterling Schawn Leopard) This is being returned for non-period style. By and large, manor names are ordinary English place-names, often modified to include the name or station of an early holder of the manor. Ekwall has many examples of this type, including: Melton Mowbray (Melton Moubray 1284) was held by Roger de Moubray c.1125; Melton Constable (sic 1320) was held by the constable of the bishop of Norwich; Dowlish Wake (Duueliz Wak 1243) was held by Ralph Wac in 1189; Felton Butler (Felton Butiler 1205-30) was held by Hamo fitz Buteler c.1165 and by Hamo Pincernator `butler' 1242; and Miserden (Musardera 1187) was held in 1086 by Huscoit Musard. In this last example Musard is a nickname from Old French musard `dreamer', and Ekwall glosses Musardere as `Musard's manor'. In a few cases the manor name is derived directly from that of a holder. For example, on p.195 of The Origin of English Place Names Reaney notes the example of Garnons (La Gernunere 1231 `the manor of the Gernons'), which in 1086 was held by Robert Gernun. Finally, many manor names are just ordinary English place-names; for example, McKinley mentions onomastic data from 1305 from the manor of Broadwell (modern spelling). (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR December 1996, p. 15) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1996.12 | This is being returned for non period style of the household name. RfS III.2.b.iv. requires that "Household names must follow the patterns of period names of organized groups of people." and notes that "Possible models include Scottish clans (Clan Stewart), ruling dynasties (House of Anjou), professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers), military units (The White Company), and inns (House of the White Hart)." Enduring does not fit any of these models. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR December 1996, p. 15) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1996.09 | [registering Company of Artificers of Marinus] Submitted as Company of Artificers, we have with the consent of the submissions herald, added the phrase "of Marinus" to make it less generic. (Marinus, Barony of, 9/96 p. 3) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.05 | [registering Brotherhood of the Seven Holy Sleepers of Ephesus] The submitter has chosen to protect the household name in English as well as in Finnish. Since they differ markedly in sound and appearance, the names would be independently registerable even if they were exact translations of each other, which they are not. (The English version is a trifle more explicit than the Finnish, which has nothing corresponding to of Ephesus.) No evidence has been offered for the use of such names in English, but even in the worst case the household name would be allowable as a lingua anglica version of its Finnish translation. (Peter Schneck, 5/96 p. 5) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.05 | [registering Seitsemän Pyhän Unikeon veljeskunta] The household name means 'Brotherhood of the Seven Holy Sleepers'; it refers to the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, who according to 6th c. legend were early Christians who were walled up in a cave near Ephesus while taking refuge from the persecution of Decius. God put them to sleep, and 200 years later they awoke to find their city Christian; soon afterward they died and were venerated as saints. The story was popularized by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century. Albion provided examples of 14th and 15th century guilds with similar names, e.g., Kolmen Pyhän Kuninkaan kilta 'Guild of the Three Holy Kings'. (Peter Schneck, 5/96 p. 5) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | [registering House Drakenmarsh] (Mora Naturalist of Blackmarsh) The household name was submitted as House Dragonmarsh, but as several commenters noted, the French import dragon does not seem to have been used in English place-names. The usual word is drake, from Old English draca, and Drakemarsh would undoubtedly be the most likely modern form. However, we were able to find one name, Drakenage (from dracen ecg 'dragon's edge (probably of an escarpment)'), in which the Old English genitive singular dracan has been preserved. It is likely that the inflectional -n owes its preservation in this name to the initial vowel of the second element; before m it would probably have been lost. Nevertheless, we have given Drakenmarsh the benefit as a possible period descendant of an Old English dracan mersc 'dragon's marsh' in order to stay as close as possible to the submitted form. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR April 1996, p. 6) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | On Clan Names ...In the... the registration of Clan MacKenzie of Ben Duff to Eoin Mac Cainnigh (An Tir), we had to consider what a Gaelic form of the name would look like (though we ended up registering the English form). It very quickly became apparent that an English Clan MacKenzie would be a Gaelic Clann Chainnigh, literally the 'clan of Cainnech'; the mac is dropped. More generally, a Gaelic clan name takes the form Clann <aspirated genitive case of personal name>; household names of this type should therefore omit the mac in Gaelic, though it appears to be perfectly acceptable in the English equivalents of such names. (CL 4/96) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | Shadewe is an attested surname; Shadewes Company is a reasonable name for a military unit organized or commanded by someone with that surname. Shadow Legion, returned 5/92 (Ilissa the Nightwatcher, Meridies), exemplifies a different construction, just as Shadewes (i.e., Shadow's) Cabinet is different from a shadow cabinet. (Olaf Blodhøx, 4/96 p. 11) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | The other matter came up in the registration of the name Óengus mac Domnaill Glinne Chomair (Atlantia), a Gaelic name that could be translated 'Angus son of Donald of Glencoe'. As it happens, there is a clan known in English as MacDonald of Glencoe, and it was suggested that the combination of patronymic and locative was for that reason a claim to chieftainship of the clan. However, Gaelic usage in such matters can be surprising: it turns out that the chief is in Gaelic simply MacIain (after the clan's progenitor). Thus, the submitted bynames are in Gaelic simply descriptive, meaning only what they seem to say. It appears that this example is not unique, so there may be a number of superficially disallowed combinations that in Gaelic are not at all presumptuous; the facts will have to be ascertained on a case-by-case basis. (CL 4/96) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | There was general agreement among those commenting that this was not a reasonable period name for a warband or any other type of household. As Ensign said, 'Why would a medieval military company be known as a canine tooth?' And in fact this meaning of fang seems to be rather late. According to the OED, the early meaning is 'that which is caught or taken'. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR April 1996, p. 18) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.02 | [registering Clann an Chullaich Bhain] The name was justified as an inn name in the LoI, but this is impossible: the root meaning of clann is 'plant', whence 'off-shoot; children, family, offspring; descendants, race'. Thus, the name must be justified as a clan name. Extant examples of these take the form Clann <genitive case of personal name>; strict adherence to these examples would obviously rule out the present submission. However, the Dictionary of the Irish Language cites mediæval use of an Cullach 'the Boar' as an epithet. This opens the possibility that the descendants of a warrior called an Cullach Bán 'the White Boar' might have taken his epithet as their clan name. In view of the loose standard of authenticity to which the College has traditionally held household names, we are willing to give the name the benefit of the doubt on this point. (Somhairle O Laidhigh, 2/96 p. 15) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda | 1996.01 | [Household name] Socio-political units do not seem to have been named after atmospheric phenomena in period. There are a few examples in which a fairly standard place-name element is modified by a word naming an atmospheric phenomenon; one is Windhill (Yorkshire West Riding). But before registering what is essentially House North-East Wind, we need evidence that such a name conforms to period practice. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR January 1996, p. 22) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.01 | [returning Haus Kaperschiff] Kaperschiff is German for a ship used by privateers. Haus Kaperschiff is therefore analogous to House Warship, House Q-Ship, and House Trawler. Such names are too generic to be registered and in any case do not follow any of the usual period models for household names (e.g., names of Scottish clans, ruling dynasties, professional guilds, military units, inns). Ships' names are probably another reasonable model, so perhaps the submitter should simply name his Kaperschiff. (Randwulf Widefarer, 1/96 p. 29) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.01 | [returning House Syrocco] The spelling syrocco is found in an English work of 1617, where it is described as the name given by the Italians to the South-East wind; this puts it within the Grey Area as a word. (The actual Italian term was apparently s(c)irocco or scilocco.) However, socio-political units do not seem to have been named after atmospheric phenomena in period. There are a few examples in which a fairly standard place-name element is modified by a word naming an atmospheric phenomenon; one is Windhill (Yorkshire West Riding). But before registering what is essentially House North-East Wind, we need evidence that such a name conforms to period practice. (Masala a'Laon, 1/96 p. 21) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.09 | Opinion was almost unanimous that fur axe was not a reasonable household name in any language. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR September 1995, p. 33) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.06 | [Aliena von Bingen, Household of Saint Hildegard] Some commenters were not entirely comfortable with registering this as the Household of Saint Hildegard, but as a number of equivalents for the designator (Company of Saint Hildegard, Abbey of Saint Hildegard) not only follow period exemplars but also do not cause such discomfort (probably because they follow period examples), we felt it would be unreasonable to disallow the equivalent specifically acceptable to the submitter here. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR June 1995, p. 1) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.04 | [registering Moneyers Guild of An Tir] Though a couple of commenters suggested that the name was too generic to register, the fact that "of An Tir" is an integral part of the name keeps it from being so. "Moneyers Guild" probably would be too generic to register. "Moneyers Guild of An Tir" is sufficiently specific to be registered. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR April 1995, p. 1) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1994.11 | Submitted as House of the Hidden Grove, Ensign was able to justify the form without the "of the"; as the meaning was most important to the submitters, we have dropped them to register the household name. You might also tell them that a more likely (and even more "hidden") form would be Derngrove. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR November 1994, p. 9) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1994.09 | [returning House of the Argent Horse] "Argent" is not a common English element; as an adjective referring to a color, its use is confined almost entirely to heraldry. English, unlike German, has no tradition of house names based on armory; the authentic usage would be White Horse. (Jonathan Thorne, 9/94 p. 18) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.06 | [Returning Ducal Household Brunwulf.] There is no period precedent for this style of household name. Though there were a number of "ducal households", they were not so styled as part of their proper names. [6/94, p.12] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.03 | Though it was noted by a couple of commenters that clan names are generally generated from given names or occasionally from nicknames, Bain's The Clans and Tartans of Scotland notes a number of clan name derived from surnames. [3/94, p.1] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.02 | [Returning House Caer Knot.] The name also has, to all intents and purposes, a double designator: in English, House Fort Knot. The fact that they are in different languages only serves to exacerbate the problem. He needs to choose just one. [2/94, p.23] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.01 | No support could be found by any of the commenters for [House Pillaging Falcons], nor does it appear to be formed in a period style. [1/94, p.16] |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.03.28 | The key is for the name to be unarguably generic. Lyondemere Baronial Guard is functional, generic, and thus not held to conflict standards. The Lyondemere Levy, a deliberately alliterative name, is not generic, and must meet the normal name submission standards; once registered, it is then protected equally with Order names. (Notice that there are no generic Order names.) Generic names may only be registered by SCA branches, for common branch functions; but such generic names need not be checked for conflict, any more than the names of officers. (28 March, 1993 Cover Letter (January, 1993 LoAR), pg. 2) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.10 | [Household name Teulu Ffynnon Ddu] Lady Harpy has noted that the use of teulu ("family") with a toponymic household name does not fit Welsh name structure. However, teulu also means "warband" which makes the name more plausible. (Giovanni Fontananera, October, 1993, pg. 9) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.03 | [Domus Artium Utilium, meaning House of the Useful Arts] This isn't an unreasonable name for, e.g., a school; it follows the pattern of the Academia Secretorum Naturae, founded at Naples in 1560 (1911 E.Brit., vol.I, p.99). (Domus Artium Utilium (Una Wynifreed Berry), March, 1993, pg. 15) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.03 | [The Caravan] The household name runs afoul of Rule III.1, which requires all names to have at least two name elements; group names must have a designator and "at least one descriptive element" (III.1.b). To put it another way, the name is too generic to be reserved to a single group. Just as we would decline to register The Household or The Group --- or, just as we declined to register The Buttery (Marion of Edwinstowe, LoAR of April 89) --- so must we return this name. If they add a descriptive element (and assuming no conflicts), it should be acceptable. (Taichleach Selwyn, March, 1993, pg. 25) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.01 | [Weasel Works] The household name doesn't seem to follow known period usage. The word works appears to be a late-period term referring to a factory; when modified with a noun, the noun is considered the product of the factory (e.g. iron works). A weasel works, then, would not be a factory owned by a man named Weasel, but a factory that made weasels. This appears highly implausible, even as a metaphor. We need some evidence of period compatibility before we can register this name. (Weasel Works (Morgaine Brisen), January, 1993, pg. 27) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.10 | RamSword does not appear to be a valid construction for a household name: the internal capitalization is implausible, and the word seems to have no meaning. By our rule of thumb on such names, if we wouldn't accept John RamSword (and we wouldn't!), we shouldn't accept House RamSword. (Alaric of Wyvernwood, October, 1992, pg. 31) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.10 | The household name and badge were twice submitted on the LOI: once under [the submitter's] name, and once under the name of [another submitter]. Per our current policy on joint badge registration (LoAR cover letter of 3 Aug 92) , one of these gentles must be designated the primary badge-holder. [Name and badge attached to other name and returned for unrelated reasons]. (Ursus Imminere (Jane Falada of Englewood), October, 1992, pg. 28) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | [House Castor Bellator] The household name is Latin for "warrior beaver". This doesn't follow our current guidelines for household names: we wouldn't register John the Warrior Beaver, so we shouldn't register this. It is barely possible that House of the Warrior Beaver might be a late-period English inn name --- but such a name wouldn't be in Latin. (Eadwyn Inhold., September, 1992, pg. 48) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | [Iron Horde of Cathanar] As in the case of the Company of the Checquered Shield of Western Seas (LoAR of 19 Jan 91), the use of the SCA branch name implies this is an official group of the Barony of Cathanar. As the submitter doesn't represent Cathanar, he may not style his household in a way that suggests official sanction. (If he has official sanction from Cathanar, the name should be registered to Cathanar.)
Normally, we'd delete the problematic part of the name, and register this as simply the Iron Horde, but that would then introduce conflicts. Specifically, it would conflict with the Iron Guard, a Rumanian fascist organization founded in 1924. Paramilitary and strongly anti-Semite, it played a major role in Rumanian history prior to and during World War II (including the assassination of one Premier and the installation of another). Since it's cited in several general references ( The New Century Cyclopedia of Names, vol.II, p.2135; 1991 Encyclopedia Britannica, vol.7, p.388), the Iron Guard is important enough to protect. (And in any case, I doubt the submitter would like a household name so close to a group whose atrocities offended even the Nazi Gestapo.) (Mengü of Cathanar, September, 1992, pg. 46) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | [Maison des Animaux] The name is intrusively modern, strongly evoking the film Animal House (of which the name is an exact translation). Translation into another tongue can bring a name clear, per Rule V.4.b --- but only if the pronunciation is significantly altered. The difference between Animal and Animaux is too small to be considered significant; and the household designator (House, Maison) is transparent, and counts for no difference. As for the "fame" of the conflict, if a sizable fraction of the populace (of which the College of Arms may be considered a representative sample) recognizes Animal House as a movie title, it's probably necessary to protect it from conflict --- not so much for its own sake, as to keep the modern movie reference from intruding on our medieval re-creation. (Jacqueline de Lyons, September, 1992, pg. 49) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | [Saltare] This was submitted as the name for the Kingdom dance guild. Unfortunately, the infinitive verb "to dance" (in English or in Latin) doesn't seem to be a valid group name. Similar guild names in period seem to have been straightforward descriptions of their craft: Company of Coopers, Baker's Guild, etc. We could see a bit more fanciful name, such as the Guild of St. Vitus or the Terpsichorean Guild. We could even see using the Latin saltare, properly conjugated, as part of a Latinized guild name. But the simple "to dance", with no noun or designator, cannot be accepted without more evidence than we've been given. (Kingdom of Meridies, September, 1992, pg. 49) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | [Seeker's Keep] Keep is the household designator here. (Seeker's Keep (Aelfric se Droflic), September, 1992, pg. 1) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | [Tempest Tower] If Tower is considered the household designator (and therefore transparent with respect to conflict), this conflicts with the Order of the Tempest ...Were we to add a designator (e.g. House Tempest Tower), so that Tower became the substantive element of the name, this would conflict with the Order of the Towers of Dreiburgen ...The designator is transparent; the addition of the branch name is worth no difference, per the ruling on the Golden Swan of Calontir; the only countable difference, under the current Rules, is the addition of the adjective Tempest --- which is insufficient, per Rule V.2. (David van den Storm, September, 1992, pg. 38) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | The sennachie, or seanchaidhe, were more than simply historians; they studied and told the old tales and legends, and were the keepers of genealogy and tradition in Ireland and the Scottish highlands. The sennachie became a semi-hereditary class, similar to bards; and it's worth noting that the office of the High Sennachie was the precursor to the Lyon King of Arms. As such, seanchaidhe is a title and rank, not merely the Irish for "historian"; it may not be registered as a household name. (Seonaid of Nairn, September, 1992, pg. 46) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.08 | [Egil's Nest] This conflicts with Eagle's Nest, a place among the Killarney Lakes in County Kerry, Ireland. It is cited in a general reference ( The New Century Cyclopedia of Names, vol.I, p.1379), so it's important enough to protect. (Egill von Stahl, August, 1992, pg. 27) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.08 | [House Catmask] Catmask doesn't seem to be a period term; the closest phrase in the OED, cat-face, dates to the 19th Century. Even as a constructed noun, it doesn't seem a plausible house name; it might conceivably be an inn name, but only if it were a period noun. (House Catmask (Iarngard Ragnarson), August, 1992, pg. 32) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.08 | [House Shadowglade] The household name does not appear to follow period exemplars. For one thing, it's nonsense: by definition, a glade is a sunny area. For another thing, we've no period documentation of shadow- used as a theme in English placenames. While I might have stretched that point for an otherwise-acceptable construction, I can't see period houses using such an oxymoron as this. (Tristan Blackmoor of Darkwoods, August, 1992, pg. 23) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.07 | [Wyvern Heyghts] If Heyghts is considered the designator (equivalent to House), then Wyvern is the substantive element here, and this is clear of Wyvernwood and Wyvern Cliff: their substantive elements are wood and Cliff, respectively. If Heyghts is not the designator (i.e. not transparent, but an integral part of the name), this is still clear, for changing the substantive element from Heights to wood or Cliff respectively. (Wyvern Heyghts (Elyramere of Tymbrelyne Heyghts), July, 1992, pg. 5) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.06 | Households, as they are generally known in the Society, don't appear to have historical equivalents; they seem to be unique to the SCA. My best definition would be: "A household is a non-official group of people who like to do things together in a Society context, to the point where they can be treated as a single unit." That definition covers groups of friends, small families, professional guilds (entertainment, brewing, waterbearers, &c), fighting units, and even businesses.
While there were no exact parallels in period to SCA households, there were historical groups that shared one or more functions with the latter. These include the Scots clans (Clan Stewart); ruling dynasties (House of Anjou); professional guilds (Baker's Guild of Augsburg, Worshipful Company of Coopers); military units, including mercenaries (The White Company); and inns (House of the White Hart). Such names as these groups took, then, should be the pattern on which SCA household names are built. Some house names were taken from the place of origin: House of York, House of Lorraine, House of Valois. Some were taken from a personal epithet of the founder, shared by neither his father nor siblings: House Capet. Some were taken from the founders' surnames -- which, in turn, might be derived originally from a patronymic (Clan MacGregor), a toponymic (Clan Kerr), or an occupation (Clan Stewart). Guild names were straightforward descriptions of their crafts. Mercenary units might be more fanciful, and inn names most fanciful of all; but these still referred to livery or signboards -- in short, to a badge, which was a tangible thing. House names in period don't seem to have been overly fantastic. For the most part, they come from the same linguistic well as period bynames. In particular, since a period house name was so often simply the surname, byname, or epithet of its founder, any such epithet that is acceptable in a Society personal name should be acceptable as a Society household name. This is the rule of thumb I've formulated for determining the acceptability of household names henceforth. If we would register John X, we should register House X as well. We would not permit John Starwalker, so we should not permit House Starwalker. We would register John of the Red Sickles (wincing, perhaps, but we would), so we should register House of the Red Sickles. (2 July, 1992 Cover Letter (June, 1992 LoAR), pg. 3) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1992.04 | [Household Crystal Scroll] "The household name is not one that would have been used in Period by any standards of name construction that we could find. Scrolls are not something that could be made from crystal. This is a fantasy-style name." (LoAR 4/92 p.17). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1992.02 | [House <Place>] "<Place> is a real place in the middle ages and should not be registered to a single individual in the SCA." [It is unclear if this means we are protecting every mundane place, or whether <Place> was considered famous enough to protect, and the ruling did not mention the fact] (LoAR 2/92 p.20). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.09 | [Latin Household name, meant to mean "Dead Historian's Society"] "In addition to the name being, even in Latin, an obtrusively modern take-off of a movie title and not Period in style, the grammar is incorrect...(All this leaving aside the question, of course, as to whether the household's members are all dead.)" (LoAR 9/91 p.15). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.07 | "Personal households may not incorporate the name of an SCA branch in their name." (LoAR 7/91 p.22). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1991.06 | [Elmeston] "While one root meaning for -ton is 'farm,' the much more common meaning is the geographic designator 'town.' 'Town' is not a suitable designator for a 'household', particularly one based on geography. Might we suggest 'House Elmeston'?" [The household name was returned.] (LoAR 6/91 p.19). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1991.04 | [Rolling Thunder] "That the natural phenomenon of 'a long drawn-out thunderclap' existed in period has never been an issue in previous returns of this name; the modern connotations of the name have been. The OED does not cite instances of 'roll' with either drums or thunder until well after period (1688 and 1700, respectively). The name is not period style but is obtrusively modern." (LoAR 4/91 p.13). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1991.01 | "Submitted as Company of the Chequered Shield of <Barony name>, the geographic name was dropped since it implied that the Company was an official group of the <Barony>. Were it such, the name should be registered to the Barony and not to an individual who happens to reside there." (LoAR 1/91 p.6). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1991.01 | "We have strong doubts about the propriety of the College registering an unofficial designation like 'borough' to an SCA group, past registration notwithstanding. If it's a household, let's call it a household and register it to the head of the household. If it's a geographic group like a canton or shire, let's register it as a canton or shire." (LoAR 1/91 p.24). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.11 | "The use of a clan name with an actual place in Scotland implies landedness in the possession of a feudal barony. See Scots Heraldry by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, pp. 203-205, for a fuller discussion of 'Territorial Designations'." (LoAR 11/90 p.17). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.11 | [Clan Stewart of <place>] "There is in the name 'Stewart of <place>' an implication of title, but not of landedness (since <place> does not exist as a place). See Scots Heraldry by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, pp. 203-205, for a fuller discussion of 'Territorial Designations'." [The clan name was registered] (LoAR 11/90 p.6). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.11 | [Guild of the Enchanted Needle] "We have serious qualms about registering 'enchanted' anythings. See RfS VI.2., Names Claiming Powers." [Guild name returned also because no given name present] (LoAR 11/90 p.16). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.10 | [Entertainer's Guild] "It was felt that the name was too generic to be registered to a single group." (LoAR 10/90 p.21). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.07 | [Gaesatae, used as the group designator for a household] "It seems unclear from the commentary whether the Gaesatae were a specific clan of Celtic nobility or a specific tribe (noted primarily for the use of the spear and going naked into battle). Either way it is not appropriate for registration." (LoAR 7/90 p.13). |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1989.11.26 | The new rules have dropped the specification of conflict where no presumption is involved, a step that made sense when the household name no longer affect[s] use of personal names. (LoAR 26 Nov 89, p. 25) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1989.05.20 | Effective immediately, the registration of a household name will not carry protection against infringement by others who may, through use of the name in their personal names, claim to be members of the household. Household names will continue to be protected against infringement by the names of official groups, orders, heraldic titles, other household names, etc. For example, the name of House Smith would not prevent registration of the name Peter Smith, but would prevent registration of House Green Smith, the Order of the Iron Smith and the title of Poor Smith Herald. (CL 20 May 89, p. 6) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1988.08 | [House (name of a town)] The town ... is an actual period town, one of no small size even in Domesday times. [Household name returned] (LoAR Aug 88, p. 20) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.04.26 | [Parish of Santz Martz] In such a situation, where a place name could only occur in a narrowly defined geographic area, although the location may not be in itself famous, there may exist a presupposition of infringement. (LoAR 26 Apr 87, p. 12) [Returned for conflict with Parish of Saint Martz, Lichtenstein] |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.04.26 | [Parish of Santz Martz] In such a situation, where a place name could only occur in a narrowly defined geographic area, although the location may not be in itself famous, there may exist a presupposition of infringement. (LoAR 26 Apr 87, p. 12) [Returned for conflict with Parish of Saint Martz, Lichtenstein] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1986.02.22 | I feel the amount of work involved in maintaining a system of household name/surname conflict exceeds any probable benefit. (In the argot of today's business community, it is not "cost effective.") It will increase the amount of work expected of the Principal Heralds, many of whom feel the present workload is excessive. It's time we got off the side-issues and back into the business of studying and practicing heraldry. It is therefore my judgement that "of X" should not, and therefore does not, conflict with the registered household name "X". [BoE, cvr ltr, 22 Feb 86, p.3] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1986.05.18 | The policy of the College of Arms is that secondary names (household names and alternate personae) may be registered only in conjunction with a badge. [BoE, 18 May 86, p.8] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1985.02.03 | The designation "Cult of N." is not appropriate for registration with the College of Arms. [BoE, 3 Feb 85, p.19] [N. was the submitter's SCA given name.] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1984.11.24 | ["Privy council of [territory]."] It appears from the definition in the OED that a privy council is not necessarily a state entity; individuals may have such councils as well. Nor do I find it inconsistent with past practice for Frypan de Tuckerbag to register a badge for the Lutenists' Guild of the Barony of the Great Pismire, if he is the guildmaster; so the designation "of Branch-name" is not reserved. But the privy council of an SCA branch would by rights be a governmental entity of that branch, and it is inappropriate for such a body to be regarded as the property of an individual. [BoE, 24 Nov 84, p.1] |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1982.06.18 | Household names may not be the names of actual places, as that would imply the head of the household was the ruler of that place. Household names may not be the surnames of actual families or clans, as that would imply that the head of the household was the head of that family or clan. Household names do not have to be registered, but if they are not registered, they are not protected. In order to be registered, a household name must not conflict with any other household names in the SCA or with any SCA Society names. Two household names conflict if they differ only by minor spelling variants or sound essentially the same ... A household name conflicts with a surname or place name of a Society name only when it is identical or a spelling variant ... The reverse is true for Society names conflicting with household names ... The principle is that there should be more difference between two household names than between a household name and somebody's last name. WVS [71] [CL 18 Jun 82], pp. 2-3 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1982.04.19 | I am rejecting the name of the household due to lack of documentation. WVS [67] [LoAR 19 Apr 82], p. 4 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1982.01.18 | The Amati were one of the principal artisan families of Cremona, second in fame only to the Stradivarii. While you can be of the family, you are not the head of the family, and so cannot use House Amati. WVS [61] [LoAR 17-18 Jan 82], p. 6 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1982.03.15 | The name is a joke name and is thus not acceptable for registration. WVS [65] [LoAR 15 Mar 82], p. 3 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.02.23 | The badge itself is OK, but the household name is not. Baldly placing two words from two different languages together like this is non-period usage. WVS [36] [LoAR 23 Feb 81], p. 7 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.09.15 | The household name conflicts with the Order of N. in the Kingdom of the East. WVS [52] [LoAR 15 Sep 81], p. 5 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1980.07.21 | If I followed your form of reasoning I could not reject any place name, as the person could then just say that that was the name of the mythical estate they had just made up for their persona. Or they could hang a sign on their doorstep with that name and say that was the name of their household. WVS [21] [LoAR 21 Jul 80], p. 14 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1980.07.21 | The surname conflicts with the N. household, who protest. Try something that sounds different. WVS [21] [LoAR 21 Jul 80], p. 10 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1980.09.16 | [N. Hightower.] You must still get permission from Randall of Hightower to use his household name. WVS [25] [LoAR 16 Sep 80], p. 7 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1980.02.13 | [N. Hightower.] The name conflicts with Randall of Hightower, the first Principal Herald in the Society and formerly Clarion King of Arms. You would have to get Lord Randall's permission to have such a similar name. Hightower was the name of his household. WVS [11] [LoAR 13 Feb 80], p. 7 |
| Karina of the Far West | 1979.06.30 | He cannot use the name House Burgundy. (KFW, 30 Jun 79 [25], p. 51) |
| Karina of the Far West | 1979.06.30 | There have been too many confederations for the name to stand by itself. Please contrive to call it "The Confederation of Something" or "The Something Confederation." (KFW, 30 Jun 79 [25], p. 60) |
| Karina of the Far West | 1978.03.10 | You may not call your household "Elvenhome." (KFW, 10 Mar 78 [18], p. 6) |
| Ioseph of Locksley | 1973.05.13 | We don t register household names. (KFW, 13 May 73 [41], p. 2) |
| Harold Breakstone | 1972.06.26 | BADGE registered to himself (he may not register it to the name of his household, because names of households are NOT the concern of the College of Arms and are not to be registered, at least at this time). (HB, 26 Jun 72 [54], p. 1) |