| Laurel: | Date: (year.month.date) | Precedent: |
| Shauna of Carrick Point | 2004.04 | Submitted as Belen bat Kedar, the given name was documented via the legal name rule. However, this rule only allows a name to be used as the same type of name as found in the person's legal name. Belen is the submitter's middle name; both given names and bynames/surnames are used as middle names. While the College documented similar names used as given names, it has only found this particular spelling used as a byname or place name. Therefore, we are changing the name to Belin bat Kedar; the given name is dated to 1348 in Aryanhwy merch Catmael's article "Jewish Given Names Found in Les Noms Des Israélites en France." [Belin bat Kedar, 04/04, A-Atenveldt] |
| Shauna of Carrick Point | 2004.03 | [...] The submitter noted she will accept her legal given name Keryl; however, this introduces a new problem. The use of a legal given name which has not been documented as a period name is one step from period practice:
Using an an SCA compatible name element such as the Wanderer is also a step from period practice. As Keryl the Wanderer would be two steps from period practice, we cannot make these changes either. [Karolyne, called the Wanderer, 03/04, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2004.03 | Berik was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation was provided supporting Berik as the submitter's legal name. Lacking such support, this name is not registerable under that allowance.
Berik was also documented as a Hunnish name. However, there is no evidence for contact between the Huns and the part of central Asia where Sugdak is located. Barring that evidence, the combination cannot be allowed. His armory is registered under the holding name Berik of Wealdsmere. As explained in the Cover Letter for the June 2002 LoAR (in the section entitled "From Laurel: Regarding Mundane Given Names Used to Create Holding Names"), use of Berik in his holding name does not grandfather this element for use in an SCA name, since no documentation was provided in this submission supporting Berik as his legal name. [Berik of Sugdak, 03/2004, R-An Tir] |
| François la Flamme | 2004.01 | Note: Amy is her legal given name and Marie is her legal middle name. [Amy Marie MacCormack, 01/2004, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.11 | Note: Daffydd is his legal given name. [Daffydd ap Owen de Caledon, 11/2003, A-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.09 | From Pelican: Providing Documentation for the Legal Name Allowance
Several submissions have recently provided inadequate documentation for name elements submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. The normal method of providing such documentation is to provide a photocopy of a legal form of identification for the submitter. Information required in such documentation includes:
Photocopy of ID When providing documentation via a photocopy of a form of legal identification (birth certificate, driver's license, military ID, et cetera), we need to be able to determine what type of ID this was and the submitter's full, legal name as shown on this ID. Certificate numbers, driver's license numbers, et cetera, may be blacked out along with other information we do not need. In the case of a driver's license or other form of ID that includes a signature, it is also often in the submitter's best interest to leave that section visible in a photocopy. As an example, my driver's license shows my legal last name as "OBRIEN" while my signature on my license shows my last name to be "O'Brien". This would support the O'B- spelling in O'Brien if I wanted to submit it under the Legal Name Allowance. A recent submission blacked out all portions of the submitter's name except the desired element. This is not acceptable documentation. It prevents us from (1) determining the position of this element in the submitted name and (2) confirming that the submitted ID is for the same person whose name was on the submission form. Different states put name elements in different orders. Some states put the first name first. Other states put the last name first. Some types of ID allow nicknames to be used rather than the legal given name. For example, while a driver's license may show a woman's given name as "Margaret", her library card or work ID may show it as "Peg" if she usually goes by that name. We only register elements of the legal name. In this example, we would register "Margaret" but not "Peg." For this reason, we need to know what type of ID is being used for documentation. Documentation Without a Photocopy In certain circumstances, a submission may document an item for the Legal Name Allowance without providing a photocopy. In such circumstances, the information that should be provided includes:
This requirement was discussed in the December 2001 LoAR:
A good example of this type of documentation appeared in in the Caid LoI of October 6, 2003:
This information was written on the submission form and signatures of the heralds appear below this information on the form. This submission provides (1) the submitter's full legal name, (2) the type of ID, (3) the reason for submitting without a photocopy (no photocopier was available at this kingdom consultation table), (4) the heralds who saw the ID. [Cover Letter to the 09/2003 LoAR] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.09 | Boyd was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. The LoI stated that the submitter's driver's license shows "that Boyd is the submitter's legal mundane given name". However, no photocopy of his driver's license was included with his submission form. As Boyd was a surname or byname in period, not a given name, it is not registerable in a given name position except via the Legal Name Allowance. Lacking supporting documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) for the Legal Name Allowance, we must return this name. [Boyd the Rus, 09/2003 LoAR, R-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.09 | Kim was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. No photocopy of a legal form of ID was included with this submission to support Kim as her legal given name.
The submission included a printout of a note from a herald whose name is not included in this printout. It is impossible to tell who wrote this note by looking only at the printout, though the LoI noted the name of the herald who saw the ID, so he is presumably the author of this note. However, this note does not list the submitter's full name - only noting that Kim is "her given name". As Kim is often a nickname for Kimberly, there was some question in the commentary which of these was her given name. In cases where a documentation for the Legal Name Allowance is provided without a photocopy, the question of a nickname versus a legal name is one reason that the submitter's full legal name should be written down at the time that the herald is viewing the ID. In this case, we are giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt and are registering her name. Please see the Cover Letter accompanying this LoAR for more information about required documentation for the Legal Name Allowance. [Kim of Wolfshaven, 09/2003, A-Ansteorra] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.08 | Note: Max is his legal given name and Erich is his legal middle name. As Erich is, by type, a given name, it may be used in a given name position in this name. [Max Erich von Baden, 08/2003 LoAR, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.08 | Submitted as Pierre von Vorman RaKogscy de Saint Germain, there were a number of issues with this name.
Several elements of this name were submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. The submitted documentation states that the submitter's legal name is Pierre von Vorman Philosephales d'St. Germain. However, no photocopy of documentation (such as a driver's license) was received by the Laurel office supporting this as the submitter's legal name. Lacking such supporting documentation, this name must be evaluated without benefit of the Legal Name Allowance. [...] The form Pierre Vorman de Saint Germain also avoids conflict with the submitter's possible mundane use name of Pierre von Vorman d'St. Germain by removal of the element von. [Pierre Vorman de Saint Germain, 08/2003 LoAR, A-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.08 | The forms asserted that Shereif was the submitter's legal name, but no documentation of this fact was included as required when submitting a name element under the Legal Name Allowance. Were such documentation provided,
Shereif would not be registerable, even under the Legal Name Allowance. Shereif is a variant of Sharif and so is a name that was a title in period, not a personal name. As such, it falls into the same category as Earl and Duke, noted in RfS VI.1 cited above, and is not registerable.
In any resubmission containing a form of Sharif, evidence must be presented that Sharif was used as a given name in period, or it may not be registered, even under the Legal Name Allowance in the form Sherief. [Sharif 'Abd al-Salam ibn Salah, 08/2003 LoAR, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.07 | Douglas was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation was presented to support that this is his legal given name. Lacking such evidence, this name is not registerable via the Legal Name Allowance. Douglas is documented to period as a feminine given name in J. W. Garrett-Pegge, A Transcript of the First Volume, 1538-1636, of the Parish Register of Chesham, Buckingham County which lists Douglas lovet, buried October 28, 1592, as "the systers daught." of a person previously mentioned. Given this information, Douglas is registerable as a given name in this submission. [Douglas of Ravenslake, 07/2003 LoAR, A-Middle] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.07 | Steavean is the submitter's legal middle name. As it is a variant of Steven it is registerable in a given name position. [Steffan Glaube, 07/2003 LoAR, A-Lochac] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.07 | Submitted as Lothair Splittstoesser, Splittstoesser was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no photocopies (such as of a driver's license or other legal document) were submitted demonstrating that Splittstoesser is the submitter's legal surname. Crescent found that "Bahlow/Gentry 3rd (sn Splettstö�er, p. 483) dates Splittstö�er to 1309." We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name. [Lothair Splittstö�er, 07/2003 LoAR, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.07 | Submitted as Carolin vom Adlersberg, Carolin is the submitter's legal middle name. As it is a given name by type, it may be used in the given name position in an SCA name. [Carolin von Adlersberg, 07/2003 LoAR, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | The name Dana the Quarrier is clear of the submitter's legal name Dana Quarrier by the addition of the word the. A parallel example is given in section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook, which states that a person whose name is Alan Miller may register the name Alan the Miller. [Dana the Quarrier, 06/2003 LoAR, A-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | This name change has previously been returned for conflict against the submitter's use name of Mari Alexander as her name was Mari Alexander [surname]. In the current submission, the submitter has provided evidence of a legal name change which removes Alexander from her name entirely. As Mari Alexander is no longer a use name for her, we are registering this name change. [Mari Alexander, 06/2003 LoAR, A-West] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | Hidalgo is the submitter's legal surname.
There was some question whether the combination Hidalgo de Valencia violated RfS VI.1 "Names Claiming Rank". Siren provided information regarding this issue:
Given this information, use of the byname combination Hidalgo de Valencia is not an explicit claim of rank any more than the use of Hidalgo would on its own. The second part of this issue is whether Hidalgo is an inappropriate claim of rank. From the information provided by Siren, the use of Hidalgo claims the rank of gentry. The following precedent is relevant to this issue:
This precedent implies that a simple claim of the status of gentry, no higher, is acceptable for registration. Therefore, the submitted name is registerable as it claims a status no higher than gentry. [Madelena Hidalgo de Valencia, 06/2003 LoAR, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.06 | Kaires is the third name of the submitter's legal name (which has four elements). As it is not her first name, it is considered a middle name. Middle names are registerable by type: if it is structurally a given name it can be used as a given name, but if it is structurally a surname it can only be used as a surname. The College found evidence of Kaires as a surname, but none for Kaires as a given name. Therefore, the submitter may register Kaires as a surname, but not as a given name. [Kaires the Healer, 06/2003 LoAR, R-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.05 | No documentation was provided to support Tudja as a period name in Hungarian. The submitter provided a copy of her birth certificate which lists Tuger as her surname. As the Legal Name Allowance only allows registration of the actual form of the legal name element, this documentation would allow registration of Tuger under the Legal Name Allowance, but would not support registration of Tudja. [Soffya Appollonia Tudja, 05/2003 LoAR, R-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.05 | Submitted under the name Alida de Conti, the submitter's name was returned on the October 2002 LoAR for lack of documentation for Alida, which was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. Her armory has been registered under the holding name Alida of the East. As explained in the Cover Letter for the June 2002 LoAR (in the section entitled "From Laurel: Regarding Mundane Given Names Used to Create Holding Names"), use of Alida in her holding name does not grandfather this element for use in an SCA name, since no documentation was provided in this submission supporting Alida as her legal name. [Alida of the East, 05/2003 LoAR, A-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.05 | Avalon is her legal given name. A question arose whether the given name Avalon is excessively obtrusively modern, and so not registerable, even under the Legal Name Allowance. Avallon is a period location in France. A reference to this location appears in the name Guillaume, d'Avalon found in Hercule Geraud, Paris sous Philippe-le-Bel: d'aprés des documents originaux et notamment d'aprés un manuscript contenant Le R�le de la taille imposée sur les habitants de Paris en 1292 (p. 63, column 1). Therefore, Avalon is a period placename being used as a modern given name, putting it into the same category as names such as Lorraine, Brittany, Wesley, and Ashley. As it is not excessively obtrusively modern on the same level as the example of Moon Unit, it is registerable. [Avalon Dubois, 05/2003 LoAR, A-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.03 | Richard was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was submitted to support Richard as the submitter's legal given name. Without such documentation, this name is not eligible for the Legal Name Allowance. As the College provided alternate documentation for Richard, this name is registerable. [Richard of Dragon Castle, 03/2003, A-Ealdormere] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | From Pelican: A Clarification Regarding the Legal Name Allowance
Discussion has been raised regarding various details of the Legal Name Allowance, so a clarification is in order. The two main points of discussion are (1) whether or not use of the Legal Name Allowance carries a weirdness, and (2) how the language of the legal name element(s) should be judged. Precedent states: Beginning with the 5/96 meeting, therefore, use of two individually permissible non-period elements in a single name will be considered two 'weirdnesses' and will be grounds for return. Such elements include non-period names allowed under the Legal Name Allowance as well as those names, apparently not used by human beings in period, that have been declared 'SCA-compatible', e. g., Briana, Ceridwen (in several variants), Gwendolen/Guendolen, R(h)onwen, and Rowena. (Talan Gwynek, Cover Letter to the January 1996 LoAR, pp. 3-4) Therefore, a name which falls in the category of "non-period names allowed under the Legal Name Allowance" (emphasis added) described in the ruling cited above carries a weirdness. If the name element can be documented as being used in the submitted position in period, there is no weirdness for use of this name element. As an example, if John is submitted as a masculine given name under the Legal Name Allowance, there is no weirdness for use of this element, because it is documentable as a masculine given name in English in period. On the other hand, if Craig is submitted as a masculine given name under the Legal Name Allowance, there would be a weirdness for use of this element. In this case, Craig would be the submitter's legal given name. While Craig is a commonly accepted masculine given name today, no evidence has been found of it being used as a given name in period. It is registerable as a given name only through the Legal Name Allowance and so carries a weirdness. In some submissions, multiple elements from the submitter's legal name are used. In these cases, there is only a single weirdness for invoking the Legal Name Allowance, not one weirdness for each element submitted from the submitter's legal name. As an example, a submitter whose legal name contains both a non-period given name and a non-period surname could register [legal given name] [legal surname] of London, because these portions of this name, which use only the Legal Name Allowance as documentation, would only have one weirdness for use of the Legal Name Allowance and so would be registerable. It is important to note that we have traditionally ignored the language of the legal name element, just as the language of a branch name is traditionally ignored when of [branch name] is used as part of a personal name. The exception, in the case of the Legal Name Allowance, occurs when the legal name element is excessively obtrusive when combined with other elements of the name, as can be seen in the rulings: While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction. [Ciarmhac Sayenga, 07/00, R-Æthelmearc] The combination of a legal name element from one language with elements from a different language in an SCA name will be judged on a case by case basis. Only if the combination is felt to be excessively obtrusive, will the submitted name be returned. The standard of whether or not a name combination is excessively obtrusive is, of necessity, a subjective standard. The best description of this level of obtrusiveness was provided by Bruce, Laurel, in regards to the different topic of joke names: 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, August, 1992, pg. 28) While joke names are a separate topic from the Legal Name Allowance, the standard described by Bruce is appropriate in this case. If the combination of a legal name element when combined with other elements of the name produces a name that will "grab the listener by the scruff of the neck and haul him, will he or nill he," out of any medieval ambience upon hearing the name, it is not a name we should register. [Cover Letter for the 02/2003 LoAR] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | The submitter's legal name is Courtney Dallas Houghton. By modern standards, Courtney D. Houghton is a normal and expected use name. Section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook states:
The level of difference between the submitted name Courtney de Houghton and the submitter's use name of Courtney D. Houghton is equivalent to the difference between David Kellahan and David Callahan addressed in the ruling:
Therefore, the submitted Courtney de Houghton conflicts with her use name Courtney D. Houghton, since there is insufficient difference in pronunciation. Since a small change in pronunciation is sufficient to clear a conflict between a Society name and a submitter's use name, this name would be registerable as Courtney of Houghton. As the submitter allowed no changes, we were unable to change de to of in order to clear this conflict. [Courtney de Houghton, 02/2003 LoAR, R-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | Eric was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was provided to support Eric as the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such evidence, Eric is not registerable via the Legal Name Allowance.
Siren found that Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn (vol. 5, column 735, s.n. Erik) shows several examples of Eric as a Swedish masculine given name, including Eric Stook dated to 1460. Therefore, this submission is registerable as a Swedish given name with an English byname. [Eric Haukeseye, 02/2003 LoAR, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.02 | This name was originally submitted as Bronwyn Rhiannon Mewer. Bronwyn is the submitter's legal given name. The element Rhiannon was dropped at Kingdom because it was felt that "this particular combination of names, one being a legal name variant on an SCA compatible name and the other being a purely SCA compatible name," was not registerable.
As this topic generated a variety of discussion, a clarification is in order. Precedent states:
In the case of this name, no evidence has been found that Bronwyn was used as a name in period. Therefore, it falls in the category of a "non-period names allowed under the Legal Name Allowance" (emphasis added) described in the ruling cited above. Therefore, this name has one weirdness for the use of Bronwyn. The addition of Rhiannon would add a second weirdness, as Rhiannon is only registerable as an SCA-compatible name. We have left the name as modified by Kingdom, to avoid having two weirdnesses, in order to register this name. (For a clarification of some details regarding the Legal Name Allowance, please see the Cover Letter.) [Bronwyn Mewer, 02/2003 LoAR, A-An Tir] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.01 | This name was submitted as Neathery de Safita. Neathery is the submitter's legal given name. A question arose whether the given name Neathery is excessively obtrusively modern, and so would not be registerable, even under the Legal Name Allowance. Neathery is an English byname used as a given name, along the same lines as Ashley and Wesley. As it is not excessively obtrusively modern on the same level as the example of Moon Unit, it is registerable. [Neathery of Safita, 01/2003 LoAR, A-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.01 | Brian was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. As no documentation (such as a photocopy of the submitter's driver's license) was included with the submission supporting Brian as the submitter's legal name, it is not registerable under the Legal Name Allowance. The College found alternate documentation for Brian, making it registerable. [Brian Silverswan, 01/2003 LoAR, R-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2003.01 | Submitted as Katheryn von Schlegel, this submission was an appeal of changes made to this name when it was registered in the November 2001 LoAR as Katheryn Slegel.
The submitter provided documentation supporting Schlegel as her legal surname. With this documentation, she may use the Legal Name Allowance to register Schlegel in a surname position in her SCA name. However, the Legal Name Allowance only supports registration of the name element in the exact form in which it appears in the submitter's legal name. Therefore, the Legal Name Allowance allows her to register Schlegel as a byname, but it does not allow her to register von Schlegel because von Schlegel is not part of her legal name. To register von Schlegel, documentation would need to be provided that von Schlegel was used as a byname in period or that Schlegel was the name of a town in period. Documentation was provided for two individuals whose surnames were von Schlegel. However, these people were born in 1697 and 1772 and so do not support von Schlegel as a surname before 1600 or even 1650. Documentation was also provided for modern locations in Germany named Schlegel. No evidence was found that these locations date to period. Bahlow (p. 493 s.n. Schlegel) indicates that this byname means 'hammer'. Given this information, it seems unlikely that a period location was named Schlegel. Lacking evidence of a period place with this name, the byname von Schlegel is not registerable. We have dropped the particle von and registered her byname in the form Schlegel, as permitted under the Legal Name Allowance, in order to register this name. [Katheryn Schlegel, 01/2003 LoAR, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.12 | No documentation was presented and none was found that Dianna is a reasonable period variant of Diana, which is dated to 1580 in Withycombe (pp. 83-84 s.n. Diana). The LoI stated that "[t]he submitter's legal first name is Diann." However, no documentation was provided supporting Diann as the submitter's legal first name. Lacking such documentation, it is not registerable under the Legal Name Allowance. Further, the Legal Name Allowance only allows the exact form of the element from the submitter's legal name to be registered. Therefore, were documentation provided supporting Diann as the submitter's legal given name, only the form Diann would be registerable. The form Dianna would not be registerable under the Legal Name Allowance since it is not an element in the submitter's legal name.
For the rest of the name, the submitter provided a copy of her German birth certificate, which lists her birth name as Regina Oettel. From her mundane name listed on her submission form (which includes a middle name that is not Regina), it does not seem that Regina Oettel is retained as part of her current name. If that is indeed the case, then Diann Regina Oettel would not be one of her use names, and it would be registerable if documentation were provided to support Diann as her current legal given name. As the submitter allowed no changes, we were unable to change this name to Diana Regina Oettel in order to register the name. [Dianna Regina Oettel, 12/2002, R-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.12 | The submitter requested authenticity for 14th C Spain and allowed minor changes. Adam was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was provided to support Adam as an element in the submitter's legal name. Lacking such documentation, this name is not eligible for the Legal Name Allowance. [Adam Carlos Diaz de Castile, 12/2002, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.12 | Larcombe was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, Larcombe is the submitter's legal middle name, not his given name. Legal middle names are not automatically registerable as given names:
DeWayne is the submitter's middle name, not his given name. A Middle name is treated by type: if it is structurally a given name it can be used as a given name, but if it is structurally a surname it can only be used as a surname. DeWayne is structurally a surname so cannot be used as a given name. [DeWayne of Locks, 10/99, R-Calontir] Since Larcombe was originally a locative byname, it is registerable in a byname position, not in a given name position, under the Legal Name Allowance. [Larcombe the Merchant, 12/2002, R-Meridies] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.12 | In this name, Ryan and Murdoch may be considered as two given names. Therefore, this name is registerable, though use of two given names in Scots is a weirdness.
Note: Ryan, which is his legal given name, is grandfathered to him from his previously registered name. [Ryan Murdoch Mackenzie, 12/2002, A-Middle] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.11 | Submitted as Renée Claymore, Renée was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. The photocopy provided of her driver's license shows Renee to be her legal middle name. (Her signature included as part of the license only includes R. as her middle initial.) We have changed this name to the form Renee shown in the submitted documentation (her driver's license) in order to register this name.
If the submitter provides alternate documentation showing Renée as her legal name, we will happily register that form. [Renee Claymore, 11/2002, A-Æthelmearc] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.11 | D'Etcheverry was documented as the submitter's maiden name, which she has retained as part of her legal name. The photocopy of her driver's license shows the form DETCHEVERRY in the printed area while the signature shown on the driver's license shows D'Etcheverry. Given that the form D'Etcheverry is included as part of her driver's license, it is registerable. [Mylisant D'Etcheverry, 11/2002, A-Ansteorra] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | Amanda was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was provided to support Amanda as the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such support, Amanda is not registerable under the legal name allowance.
Reaney & Wilson (p. 10 s.n. Amand) date Amanda filia Johannis to 1221. Therefore, Amanda is documented as a feminine name in period and is so registerable. [Amanda of Stonemarche, 10/2002, A-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | Note: Gordon is his legal given name. [Gordon of Westover, 10/2002, A-Æthelmearc] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | Judith was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was provided to support Judith as the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such support, Judith is not registerable under the legal name allowance. As alternate documentation was found for this element, we are able to register this name. [Judith Fletcher of Wellow, 10/2002, A-Lochac] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.10 | Alida was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was provided to support Alida as the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such support, Alida is not registerable under the legal name allowance. [Alida de Conti, 10/2002, R-East] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | Evangeline was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation was provided supporting Evangeline as the submitter's legal name. Lacking such support, this name is not registerable under that allowance. Bright Leaf provided information regarding the name Evangeline:
Evangeline is not obtrusively modern. Therefore, if documentation is provided that Evangeline is the submitter's legal name, it would be registerable under the Legal Name Allowance. [Evangeline Bajolet de Roubidoux, 09/2002 LoAR, R-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | Submitted as Terryl MacAodhagáin. Terryl is the submitter's legal given name. Since the submitter is female, Terryl is used here as a feminine given name. Bynames in Gaelic were used literally in period. Since a woman cannot be anyone's son, the particle Mac is incorrect in the submitted name. The Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c. 1200 to c. 1700) form of this byname would be inghean Aodhagáin. The Old Irish Gaelic (c. 700 to c. 900) and Middle Irish Gaelic (c. 900 to c. 1200) form of this byname would be ingen Áeducáin. As the Early Modern Irish Gaelic form is closer to the submitted form, we have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name. [Terryl inghean Aodhagáin, 09/2002 LoAR, A-Middle] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | Shez was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance, but no documentation was provided demonstrating that Shez is the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such documentation, the Legal Name Allowance is not available.
Even were documentation provided supporting Shez as the submitter's legal given name, it would not be registerable, since the College felt that the name Shez is obtrusively modern. An obtrusively modern name element is not registerable in an SCA name, even under the Legal Name Allowance (RfS II.4). Obtrusively modern elements may not be used in a holding name, per the ruling for Jay MacPhunn in the LoAR for July 1993 (West returns). Lacking a given name that may be used in a holding name, no holding name can be formed. [Shez of Lonely Tower, 09/2002 LoAR, R-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | This submission is an appeal of the same name returned in the January 2002 LoAR:
There was a typo in this ruling. The final line should have read "use name" rather than "legal name". As the appeal addressed the issue of Mari Alexander as a use name rather than as a legal name, the appeal was unaffected by the typo in the ruling. It is noted here for the sake of completeness. Kingdom appealed the return, asserting that this ruling was not a proper interpretation of what is meant by a use name in the Administrative Handbook and that this interpretation was new with the current Pelican Sovereign of Arms. In fact, the Mary Amanda return cited in the previous return of this name appeared in the September 2000 LoAR when Master Pietari Pentipoika was Pelican King of Arms. Regarding the interpretation of a "use name", section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook, "Name Used by the Submitter Outside the Society", states:
The key portion of sections III.A.9 as regards this submission is "common use names ... that ... identify an individual" and "This restriction is intended to help preserve a distinction between a submitter's identity within the Society and his or her identity outside of the Society." A use name can take many forms. Often, the common use name of a person is simply their given name. In other cases, it is a nickname. And in some cases, a use name contains more than one element. Use names containing more than one element fall into two basic categories: (1) two given names, and (2) a given name and what appears to be a surname. Common examples of the first case in today's society are women who are known by both their given names (Jane Ann, Mary Jane, Rose Ann, Jeanne Marie, Mary Louise, etc.). An example of a man whose use name contains two given names is King Juan Carlos of Spain. His full name is Juan Carlos Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón (per http://cervantesvirtual.com/historia/monarquia/juancarlos1.shtml). In the second case, a person may currently have multiple surnames in their legal name. A prominent example of this is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In her will (http://www.courttv.com/legaldocs/newsmakers/wills/onassis.html), she gave her name as JACQUELINE K. ONASSIS. Being a will, it is certainly a legal document and indicates a legal representation of her name. In addition to her legal name, there are a number of use names that are instantly recognizable as referring to her, including Jacqueline Kennedy, which is a rendering of her legal name with only the final surname removed. The amount of difference required between a person's SCA name and their mundane name is much smaller than any other type difference required to clear a conflict. The standard of difference set down in III.A.9 is:
This level of difference is neither overly burdensome nor unreasonable. In the case of this submission, the submitted name Mari Alexander contains the first two names of the submitter's legal name. Therefore, it is in conflict with Mari Alexander, a legitimate use name derived from her legal name of Mari Alexander [surname], and must be returned. [Mari Alexander, 09/2002 LoAR, R-West] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.09 | Note: Akiyo is the submitter's legal middle name. Under the Legal Name Allowance, we register middle names by their type. Since Akiyo is used modernly as a given name, it is registerable as a given name in this name. [Ed. Note: at issue was that we could not determine what "type" this name element was as we would with many English middle names. So, the submitter was given the benefit of the doubt of it as a middle name. - Mari (who was Pelican and wrote this ruling)] [Taira no Akiyo, 09/2002 LoAR, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.08 | Listed on the LoI as Carlo Galucci, the name submission form lists the submitted byname as Gallucci. Also, this surname was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance and the attached photocopy of the submitter's driver's license shows his surname to be spelled Gallucci. Therefore, we have corrected this name to Gallucci. [Carlo Gallucci, 08/2002, A-Æthelmearc] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.08 | Phaedra was submitted under the Legal Name allowance. However, no documentation was provided demonstrating that Phaedra is the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such documentation, this element is not registerable via the Legal Name allowance.
Phaedra was also documented as a name from Greek literature. Since "[t]he story of Phaedra was very well-known in period, particularly in Renaissance France" (as noted by Metron Ariston), Phaedra is registerable in this name under the guidelines for use of literary names (see the Cover Letter for the February 1999 LoAR for more details). [Phaedra filia Roberti, 08/2002, A-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.07 | Dorothea was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance as it is the submitter's legal given name. Elements of a submitter's legal name are registerable under the Legal Name Allowance. However, if the other elements in the name, when combined with the element from the submitter's legal name, produce a combination that is excessively obtrusive, the name may be returned per the precedent:
Dorothea is documentable as a German given name and a late period English given name. Either way, this submission combines three languages. There was considerable discussion about the registerability of a name with this lingual combination. A name combining three languages is registerable, so long as the lingual mix complies with RfS III.1, which states:
So, the question is whether a mix of English, Italian, and French or a mix of German, Italian, and French is plausible for "the culture of a single time and place". Neither of these combinations have been demonstrated to fulfill this requirement. Lacking such documentation, these combinations are not registerable. However, because Dorothea was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance, the question becomes whether combining Dorothea in an otherwise Italian and French name is excessively obtrusive. Given that the Italian name Doratea is documented to 1427 in Arval Benicouer's article "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/), the inclusion of Dorothea is not excessively obtrusive and this combination is registerable. [Dorothea Micola d'Isigny, 07/2002, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.07 | The submitter requested authenticity for 12th to 14th C French and allowed no changes. Jeanne-Marie was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, the photocopy of her driver's license provided with this submission shows her name as JEANNE M [surname]. Therefore, this document does not support the form Jeanne-Marie for registration under the Legal Name Allowance. RfS II.4 states that "The allowance is only made for the actual legal name, not any variants." The provided document does not support the form Jeanne-Marie as her legal name. Alternate documentation was found for the elements Jeanne and Marie. The issue of hyphens in French names was addressed in the precedent:
As no evidence was found for double given names or hyphenated given names in her desired period, we were unable to make this name authentic for that time and culture. [Jeanne-Marie Dubois, 07/2002, A-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.07 | The element Kathoum, used in the byname ibn Kathoum, was submitted as the father's legal given name. The Legal Name Allowance only applies to elements of the submitter's own name. At the same time as this submission, the submitter's father submitted an Arabic name using Kathoum as his given name via the Legal Name Allowance. (That submission is returned this month for other issues.) The Grandfather Clause allows elements of immediate family members to be used in the same manner and exactly the same spelling as in the registered name regardless of the current registerability of that element, so long as no new violations of the Rules for Submissions exist in the new name that did not exist in the registered name. In Arabic, given names used in a patronymic byname have the same case as given names used in given name positions, so the spelling of Kathoum used in a patronymic byname would not change from the spelling Kathoum used as a given name. Therefore, if the submitter's father registers Kathoum as the given name in his SCA name, the submitter may register ibn Kathoum as an Arabic byname in his SCA name. Since Kathoum is a modern Arabic masculine given name, the byname ibn Kathoum complies with RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a byname. [Rami Hussein ibn Kathoum, 07/2002, R-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.06 | From Laurel: Regarding Mundane Given Names Used to Create Holding Names
An issue regarding holding names arose in reviewing a submission this month. A holding name occupies a special, purely administrative, status as stated clearly and concisely by Baldwin of Erebor, Laurel King of Arms: Please remember that a holding name is intended as a temporary measure. It allows us to register a piece of armory now, rather than having to wait for the person to choose a new name and resubmit. There is no fee for changing a holding name. [BoE, cvr ltr, 29 Dec 85, p. 4] If a submitted name is not registerable for one reason or another and the submitter has also submitted armory that is registerable, then either the armory must be returned for lack of a name or a holding name must be created in order to permit registration of the armory. If the submitted name form indicates that the submitter will accept a holding name, a holding name is usually created. The Administrative Handbook, section III.1.A, states, "Once registered, an item shall be protected until written notice of release is received by the Laurel Office from the registrant." This policy follows Corpora VI.C.3.b, which states: Any item once registered shall remain registered unless the owner requests its release, and shall be accepted in the Society for the person for whom it was registered without regard to changes in the rules and standards applied to future submissions, or to the membership status of the owner. Therefore, when a holding name is registered, a holding name is protected from conflict and will continue to be a registered item until the submitter submits a name change and has that name change registered. Upon registration of a name change, the holding name is automatically released. There is no charge for a name change from a holding name. The issue that has currently come under discussion is what elements of a holding name may be claimed by the submitter for use in an SCA name under the Grandfather Clause. Section III.1.A of the Administrative Handbook and section VI.C.3.b of Corpora, both cited above, guarantee protection of the registered name, in the complete form in which it is registered, until such time as the submitter shall request release of that item. Since holding names are automatically released upon registration of a submitted name, submission of a name change acts as a request for release of the holding name upon registration of the new submission. The Grandfather Clause is not addressed in these two documents. Rather it is covered in RfS II.5, which states in part (emphasis added): Registered Names. - Once a name has been registered to an individual or group, the College of Arms may permit that particular individual or group to register elements of that name again, even if it is no longer permissible under the rules in effect at the time the later submission is made. This permission may be extended to close relatives of the submitter if the College of Arms deems it appropriate. Currently at issue are mundane name elements taken from submission forms in order to create a holding name, most notably elements used as given names in the holding name that is created. A holding name is often created using the given name the submitter has listed on their submission form. However, unlike with a given name submitted under the Legal Name allowance (RfS II.4), no documentation is normally provided to support that name as the submitter's legal given name. In most cases, the name listed is likely the name they commonly use. Often this is indeed the submitter's legal given name. In other cases, it may be a nickname or a middle name that they use as their common use name. Grandfathering these undocumented elements creates a situation where documentation requirements have been circumvented. Therefore, only elements in a holding name that were documented in the original submission will be eligible for reuse without new documentation via the Grandfather Clause. The alternative would be to either (1) not use any mundane name element from the submitter's form in a holding name unless it is accompanied by supporting documentation as required by the Legal Name Allowance, or (2) not register holding names. Either of these options would be unreasonably burdensome on submitters, the majority of whom do not encounter this situation. In the interest of balancing fair application of documentation standards for all submitters, versus ease of submission, we have chosen to limit grandfathering of individual elements from a holding name to those elements that were acceptably documented in the original submission. A submitter wishing to preserve that name element in a resubmission may submit documentation as specified by the Legal Name allowance and may register that item via that rule. This policy change replaces previous policy, including that covered in the "Holding Names" section of the March 1997 Cover Letter, and will go into effect at the January 2003 decision meeting. [Cover Letter for the 06/2002 LoAR] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.05 | Krista is her legal given name. Silverlock is her father's registered byname. [Krista Silverlock, 05/2002, A-An Tir] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.05 | The submitter requested authenticity for pre-12th C Persian. Tavia is the her legal given name. As Tavia is usually a short form of Octavia, which was not a name used in Persian, we were unable to make this name authentic for the submitter's requested time and culture. [Tavia of Persia, 05/2002, A-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.05 | Gemini is the submitter's legal name. There was some question regarding whether Gemini was excessively obtrusive and thus unregisterable due to RfS II.4 which states:
Cornelian found that a letter from Pliny the Younger (died AD 113) was addressed to a Geminus. Kraken found evidence of an Italian given name Gemino, and "Gemini is the genitive of Latin Geminus and Italian Gemino (de Felice p.181 s.n. Gemello)". Additionally, Gemini appears as a feminine given name in J. W. Garrett-Pegge, A Transcript of the First Volume, 1538-1636, of the Parish Register of Chesham, Buckingham County. Gemini West is the mother in a baptismal record dated to February 22, 1606/7 on p. 99. The burial record for this child appears on April 11, 1611 (p. 300) where his mother is listed as Gemini West widow. She also appears as Gemini West widow in a marriage record on June 14, 1614 (p. 218). The first two examples show that Gemini is not obtrusively modern. The example of Gemini West shows the form Gemini to have been used as a feminine given name in late period England (since the woman in question had a child baptized in 1606/7). Therefore, this name is registerable as a period name, quite apart from the Legal Name Allowance. [Gemini de Grendel, 05/2002, A-West] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.04 | Vaska was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, since no documentation was provided (such as a photocopy of a driver's license, et cetera) that Vaska is the submitter's legal name, it is not registerable under the Legal Name Allowance. Since Wickenden (3rd ed., p. 387 s.n. Vasilii) dates Vaska Nozdria to c. 1495, Vaska is registerable as a Russian masculine given name.
Therefore, this name combines a Russian masculine given name with a Scots byname. Mixing Russian and Scots in a name has previously been ruled unregisterable: There was sufficient contact between England and Russia to allow mixed names under our rules. There was no such contact between Scotland and Russia, but we have seen documentation that MacNeill appears as a surname in England as well. Note, however, that mixed Scots / Russian names are not acceptable, barring new evidence. [Nastasiia MacNeill, 09/00, A-Caid] As no evidence has been found that McCormick was used in English in addition to Scots (and Anglicized Irish), this combination is not registerable. Documentation that the submitter is entitled to use the Legal Name Allowance would not resolve this problem since names which contain elements used via the Legal Name Allowance are not registerable if the combination of the elements are excessively obtrusive: While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction. [Ciarmhac Sayenga, 07/00, R-Æthelmearc] Combining a Russian given name with a Scots byname is no less obtrusive and so would be returned. [Vaska McCormick, 04/2002, R-Calontir] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.03 | Submitted as Ignacio James, Ignacio was documented from Withycombe (p. 162 s.n. Inigo) as "a Spanish given name found since the 8th Century A.D.". The LoI also states that it is the submitter's legal given name but gives no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license or other proof) to support a claim for the Legal Name allowance. Therefore, the name must be considered only on the merits of the documentation. [Ignazio James, 03/2002, A-Atenveldt] |
| François la Flamme | 2002.01 | The submitter's legal name is Mari Alexander [surname]. Therefore, this submission contains the submitter's first two names in the same order as in her legal name. A similar submission was recently returned:
The submission consists of the given names, in order, of the submitter. As this is one of the possible common use names, we have to return this submission for conflict against the submitter herself, protected under section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook. [Mary Amanda, 09/00, R-Artemisia]Therefore, just as Mari [surname] would be conflict with her legal name, so the submitted Mari Alexander conflicts with her with her legal name. [Mari Alexander, 01/02, R-West] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.12 | Katja was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. ... In the case of the Legal Name Allowance, the documentation takes the form of a photocopy of an acceptable form of identification. ... A question was raised regarding exempting submissions taken at large consultation tables from this requirement since they often do not have access to photocopying. Every effort should be made to get the photocopy. Some consultation tables routinely ask the submitter to send a photocopy to their kingdom submissions herald after the event. This resolves many of these problems. In cases where this is not possible, the following information should be recorded on the submission: the full legal name of the submitter, what type of document was presented, where the submission was taken (Pennsic/Gulf Wars/Estrella consultation table, et cetera), and the name of the herald(s) who viewed the form of identification. Submissions that are calling on the Legal Name Allowance and do not have a photocopy of identification included as part of the submission will be considered on a case by case basis. This seems to be a reasonable balance between applying the same standards to all submitters and allowing for "hardship" cases. [Katja Gaussdottír of Storvik, 12/01, A-Atlantia] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.10 | Additionally, the submitter documented Béla via the Legal Name Allowance. However, the submitter's name does not have an accent on his driver's license. Therefore, Bela, rather than Béla, is registerable to this submitter via the Legal Name allowance. [Béla of the Kyrghiz , 10/01, R-Outlands] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.09 | Submitted as Katherina Elyscia de'Mosher ... Documentation provided for the Legal Name allowance shows her last name as Mosher not de'Mosher. Therefore, we have made these changes in order to register the name. [Katherina Elycia Mosher, 09/01, A-Caid] |
| François la Flamme | 2001.08 | As Fiona is the submitter's legal given name, it is only automatically registerable in the corresponding part of a Society name. The Legal Name allowance would permit this submitter to register Fiona as her given name. However, regardless of whether Fiona is viewed as registerable via the Legal Name Allowance or as an SCA-compatible name, it still counts as a weirdness since the name Fiona was not used in period. Names which were not used in period, but are registerable via the Legal Name Allowance, were ruled to be a weirdness in January 1996:
[W]e see no reason to distinguish between "SCA-compatible" names and other non-period names permitted under the provisions of RfS II.4 (Legal Names): both are allowed as concessions to modern sensibilities despite their inauthentic nature.[Aislinn Fiona of Rumm, 08/01, R-An Tir] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2001.04 | Liora is her modern Hebrew given name; such names were ruled registerable under the legal name allowance by Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme in September 1992. [Liora eishet Yehoshua, 04/01, A-Middle] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2001.02 | As we wrote in the July 2000 LoAR,
While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction.Combining an English given name with a Hindi byname is no less obtrusive. [Margaret Singh, 02/01, R-Outlands] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.09 | The submission consists of the given names, in order, of the submitter. As this is one of the possible common use names, we have to return this submission for conflict against the submitter herself, protected under section III.A.9 of the Administrative Handbook. [Mary Amanda, 09/00, R-Artemisia] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.07 | While we allow real-world name elements in SCA names without further documentation, this is restricted to cases where "such elements are not excessively obtrusive." Combining a Gaelic Irish given name with what appears to be a non-European surname falls afoul of this restriction. [Ciarmhac Sayenga, 07/00, R-Æthelmearc] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 2000.04 | His legal name is Jeffrey Montgomery; your primary persona name must differ at least slightly from your legal name. [Geoffrey Montgomery, 04/00, R-Æthelmearc] |
| Elsbeth Anne Roth | 1999.10 | DeWayne is the submitter's middle name, not his given name. A Middle name is treated by type: if it is structurally a given name it can be used as a given name, but if it is structurally a surname it can only be used as a surname. DeWayne is structurally a surname so cannot be used as a given name. [DeWayne of Locks, 10/99, R-Calontir] |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1999.06 | [Erin Amazonia the Tall] Erin is the submitter's legal name, and while registerable under the legal name allowance, is not a period name. [Name returned for combination of issues.] (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR June 1999, p. 9) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1999.04 | [Shaun of the Forrest] Shaun is the submitter's legal first name. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR April 1999, p. 3) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1998.04 | [Graham of the Bright Hills] Note: Graham is the submitter's legal given name. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR April 1998, p. 4) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.12 | Note: Lynn is the submitter's legal name. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR December 1997, p. 4) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.11 | Submitted as David Kellahan, this is too close to his legal name, David Callahan, which is a violation of III.A.9 Protected Names: Name Used by Submitter Outside of Society of the Administrative Handbook. We have changed the name to a form that is acceptable to the submitter that does not violate this rule. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR November 1997, p. 9) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.07 | [returning the given name LarsEllen] [LarsEllen Laurearsi MacAvoy] The given name, with the capital "E" in the middle of the word and the mixture of elements make this name unacceptable, even under the mundane name allowance bringing this up to the "Moon Unit" range. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR July 1997, p. 17) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.07 | [returning Trey Chiché] Trey is not the submitter's legal name, but what he uses, something very different. The rules, under part II.4 state: Legal Names � Elements of the submitter's legal name may be used as the corresponding part of a Society name, if such elements are not excessively obtrusive and do not violate other sections of these rules.
This allows individuals to register elements of their legal name that cannot be documented from period sources. The allowance is only made for the actual legal name, not any variants. Someone whose legal given name is Ruby may register Ruby as a Society given name, but not Rubie, Rubyat, or Rube. Corresponding elements are defined by their type, not solely their position in the name. This means a person with the legal name Andrew Jackson could use Jackson as a surname in his Society name in any position where a surname is appropriate, such as Raymond Jackson Turner or Raymond Jackson of London, not just as his last name element. Since all the paperwork was clear on the fact that Trey was his use name, not legal name, we could not use Trey to form a holding name. There was no clear evidence to what his legal name is, so we are forced to return the armory as well. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR July 1997, p. 18) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1997.03 | [returning the given name Legend] [Legend of Hunter's Home] The given name Legend is the submitter's legal given name, and was submitted under the mundane name allowance. It was the feeling of the majority of the members of the College commenting on this name, as well as virtually everyone at the Road Show meeting, that this name was obtrusively modern. Since there is no way to form a holding name, the armory is being returned as well. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1997, p. 14) |
| Jaelle of Armida | 1996.07 | Morigianna is the submitter's mundane middle name. After much thought, it was our conclusion that Morigianna is not obtrusively modern, nor a surname, and therefore can be used by the submitter in the SCA. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR July 1996, p. 9) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1996.04 | The name was submitted as Bryn y Pobydd, intended to mean 'Bryn the Baker', Bryn being the submitter's modern given name. However, bryn is also Welsh for 'hill', and the name is a Welsh phrase meaning 'the baker's hill'; it would have made an excellent place-name. In this context the modern name Bryn is unusually intrusive; if the language involved were as widely known as French, say, we would have returned the name. (Thus, for example, we would not register Champ des Croix 'field of the crosses' even to someone whose modern given name was Champ.) Welsh being much less familiar, we have given the name the benefit of the doubt, but we have also thought it desirable to bring the name closer to normal Welsh naming practice by dropping the definite article and leniting the byname. (Bryn Bobydd, 4/96 p. 2) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.11 | Laurel has not been shown to be period, but it is her modern given name. As a given name it is no more presumptuous than Rose, which we have registered many times (and as recently as 6/95): the names of Society orders are neither titles nor styles of address. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR November 1995, p. 10) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.11 | Lea is the submitter's modern middle name. As Laurel noted in returning Needham Bledsoe (10/91 LoAR, Outlands), a modern middle name may be used as a Society given name only if it is a given name by type, and Lea is not; originally: it is a locative surname derived from Old English leah `glade; meadow; wood'. [The name was returned for this and other reasons.] (Lea of Crystal Mountain, 11/95 p. 12) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.09 | Madigan is her modern given name; as an Anglicization of the Irish name Madagán, it is compatible with the Afghani locative only by virtue of the Legal Name Allowance. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR September 1995, p. 20) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.08 | [N] was instead justified by appeal to RfS II.4 (Legal Names), but no proof was offered. While we do not doubt that [N] is his modern given name, we do require adequate documentation of that fact. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR August 1995, pp. 5-6) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.08 | A modern middle name may be used as a Society given name only if it is a given name by type. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR August 1995, p. 18) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.08 | Shannon is her legal name. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR August 1995, p. 5) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.08 | The Legal Name Allowance in Practice, or How to Appeal to RfS II.4. A submitter who wishes to appeal to RfS II.4 (Legal Name Allowance) must provide evidence justifying the appeal. A photocopy of a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, or other standard form of identification will do nicely. In general we are willing to accept the word of the herald preparing the LoI that he or she knows so-and-so to be the submitter's mundane name, but documentation removes all doubt. We do need to know the full name, however, since the application of RfS II.4 to a name element depends on how that element is used in the modern name. (CL 8/95) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1995.07 | [Keldon an tSneacta] This was a difficult decision. On the one hand, Keldon, of unknown provenance but seemingly a surname in origin, is actually his middle name and is orthographically incompatible with the Irish byname. On the other hand, it is not overly intrusive to the ear, and he apparently uses it as a given name. However, his forms show that he would really like the given name Caledon, if possible; and at the last minute Pelican found a rare Roman gentilicium Caledonius. This would be an acceptable given name in the later Roman Empire and for a few centuries thereafter, but combining it with the modern purely Gaelic orthography of an tSneachta `of the snow' is very questionable. Nix is the Latin for `snow', and niveus is `white as snow'; either Caledonius Niveus or Caledonius Nix would seem to be acceptable. We are therefore returning the name in order to allow him to make a more informed decision. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR July 1995, p. 8) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda | 1994.08 | [Wesley] The first name was only a surname in period, but is registered to the submitter under the Legal Name Allowance. The use of two locative surnames is unusual and not typical. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR August 1994, p. 2) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda | 1994.08 | Angelena was stated to be a diminutive of the submitter's legal name. The legal name allowance only covers the exact form of the submitter's legal name, not variants or diminutive. We need documentation for Angelena. No documentation was submitted for the byname, nor did any of the commenters find any support for it. We need documentation that "of the Wild Roses" is a period byname or follows a specific pattern of period bynames. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR August 1994, p. 19) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year) | 1994.08 | Submitted as Jenni Ilaria Morgan, no documentation at all was included to demonstrate that Jenni is the submitter's legal name, and the spelling she used on the form was Jenny. As has been stated before we do not register variants of a name under the legal name allowance. We have therefore dropped the problematic element as the submitter's forms allowed in order to register the name. (Da'ud ibn Auda, LoAR August 1994, p. 7) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.04 | A few commenters noted the similarity between the submitter's legal given name (Cymbric) and the Welsh word for the Welsh (Cymri); the consensus among those who discussed it and those attending the Laurel meeting was that it was not sufficiently obtrusive to warrant return. The general guideline Laurel tries to use here and in similar cases is how obtrusive the name is to the average "SCAdian on the street", rather than the much higher standards of the College's onomastics experts. [4/94, p.1] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1994.02c | Let me make my position concisely and clearly: as long as I am in this office, I am not going to remove the legal name allowance from the Rules for Submissions. Names submitted under the legal name allowance do not have to be proven compatible with period naming style and practices. (If they could, we wouldn't need the allowance.) The only criterion regarding registration of names under the legal name allowance is whether or not the name is obtrusively modern (to the average "Joseph" on the SCA street, not just to knowledgeable onomastics members of the CoA). [2/94c] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1993.12a | Additionally, [the submission] is too close to his legal name, even under our more relaxed standards. The minimum change guaranteed to be sufficient is the deletion or addition of a syllable: John Smith to John the Smith. [12a/93, p.20] |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) | 1993.12a | Some of the commenters objected to registering Gordon under RfS II.4., Legal Name, on the grounds that Gordon was only used in period as a locative surname and was thus too obtrusive to register. The rule clearly states that "elements of the submitter's legal name may be used as the corresponding part of a Society name, if such elements are not excessively obtrusive and do not violate other sections of these rules." (emphasis added) Gordon seems no more obtrusive than Ruby, the example used to illustrate this rule. [12a/93, p.1] |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.09 | This submission raised the question of how much difference is needed between the SCA and mundane names. In the LoA&R of November 1992, I returned us to our previous standard of non-identity: "The minimum change (the one regarded as a loophole by liberals and conservatives alike) is probably the addition or deletion of a single syllable (e.g. John Smith to John the Smith)." [LoA&R of April 1985]. Any changes smaller than a single syllable may not be sufficient; they must be argued case by case.
In this case, the submitter's mundane name (Valerie La Rue) was too close to the name she submitted (Valerie Le Roux). The fact that the bynames had different derivations and spellings was irrelevant; their pronunciation was nearly identical. Even under our new relaxed standards, there was not enough separation between the mundane name and SCA persona. Fortunately (!), the submitted byname was also grammatically incorrect: it used the masculine form of the adjective. The feminine equivalent is la Rousse and this is sufficiently different from La Rue to be acceptable in this case. (Valerie la Rousse, September, 1993, pg. 16) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.06 | Jay is documented only as a noun and surname in period; as it's the client's mundane given name, it was submitted under the aegis of Rule II.4. Such submissions, while usually acceptable, can be returned if the name is "obtrusively modern". We find Jay to be obtrusively modern, by virtue of its sound: it sounds like an initial, as in J. P. Morgan, and thus post-period.
We might have considered this acceptable as a "bird name", akin to Robin, had we been shown a common pattern of usage that birds were used as given names in period. But we could think of no examples offhand, save Robin; and one can make a good case that the bird's name derived from the given name (a diminutive of Robert) rather than the reverse. Without period examples, Jay must be considered intrusively modern, and unacceptable even under the Legal Name Allowance. (Jay MacPhunn, June, 1993, pg. 23) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1993.01 | [Terrill ferch Mordeyrn] Terrill is documented only as a surname (v. Reaney DBS 350), not as a given name in period. It also happens to be the submitter's mundane middle name. Rule II.4 permits the submitter to use her mundane middle name as her SCA middle name; to use it as any other part of the SCA name requires evidence that the usage is appropriate. We have no evidence in this instance. (Terrill ferch Mordeyrn, January, 1993, pg. 26) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.11 | It has long been one of the axioms of the Society's re-creation that our players' SCA names should differ from their mundane names. The purpose of the rule is to distance the SCA and mundane worlds, and it's considered almost as fundamental as the requirement for period garb at events. The rule is currently found in the Administrative Handbook, Protected Items --- I: Any name or armory used by the submitter outside the Society.
Until the current Rules, the ban on mundane names was narrowly defined: anything that changed the spelling and pronunciation was sufficient difference from the mundane name. "The minimum change (the one regarded as a loophole by liberals and conservatives alike) is probably the addition or removal of a single syllable (e.g. John Smith to John the Smith)." [BoE, 14 April 85, p.16] However, under the current Rules, the same standard of conflict was applied to the mundane name as to any other protected name. This is a much broader ban, and requires a greater change from the mundane name. Given the fundamental reason for the mundane name ban, I believe that our current standard is too strict. The Rules say that "no item will be registered to a submitter if it is identical to an item used by the submitter ...outside the Society." (emphasis mine). This suggests that non-identity should suffice to distinguish the Society persona from the mundane. The situation isn't quite the same as for the other names we protect: the concept of "conflict" isn't apropos, there being no infringement involved, and in any case the submitter could always grant himself permission. Henceforth, I shall apply the previous standard of non-identity: a significant change in spelling and pronunciation will clear a submitted name from the mundane name. In the present case, the addition of the preposition atte suffices to bring the name clear of the submitter's mundane name. (Kenrick atte Kyte, November, 1992, pg. 8) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.09 | There remains the question of whether a Hebrew name is in fact a "legal name" within the meaning of II.4. Not all religious names are necessarily legal names; I once had the dubious pleasure of meeting someone from a New Age commune known as Brother Sunshine. In this case, however, the Hebrew name is used in legal documents, including marriage contracts, divorce records, and the like (Michael Asheri, Living Jewish: the Lore and Law of Being a Practicing Jew, p.31). I think it qualifies as a "legal name". (Levia Rhys Llaw Wen, September, 1992, pp. 16-17) |
| Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme | 1992.07 | When the mundane middle name is a given, not a surname, it can be used as the SCA given name per Rule II.4. (Dyan of Caledonia, July, 1992, pg. 8) |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1992.03 | [Patrick MacManus] "Conflict with Patrick F. McManus, a well-known modern writer of humor. His name is apparently too recent to appear yet in any of our standard sources, but he is clearly well known enough to warrant protection. (Even Lord Laurel who has read none of his works, is familiar with all the titles mentioned by the commenters.) [The] statement that 'there is no problem with conflict' because of the middle initial 'F' is in error. We do protect against legal use names. In this specific case a legal name for the author is indeed Patrick McManus: this is a conflict." (LoAR 3/92 p.14). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1992.01 | "Because this name differs only by adding an 'e' to the surname, this is technically in conflict with her legal use name, per the Administrative Handbook part I, Protected Items I, which states in pertinent part that 'no item will be registered to a submitter if it is identical with an item used by the submitter legally or in common use outside the Society.' It may not be the name she commonly uses, but it is legally available to her to be used at any time, and is therefore (one of her) legal name(s)." (LoAR 1/92 p.19). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.11 | "Lorraine is the submitter's legal given name. Especially given the modern-day use of Lorraine as a feminine given name, I am extremely hesitant to refuse to register it, even given the region Lorraine's position in the history of Europe (which probably helped lead to its use as a personal name). Lorraine does not seem nearly so obtrusive a usage as, say, 'England' or 'Italia' would." (LoAR 11/91 p.7). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.11 | "RFS II.4 states that 'elements of the submitter's legal name may be used as the corresponding part of the Society name if such elements are not excessively obtrusive and do not violate other sections of these rules.' Unfortunately, Deyrni is 'excessively obtrusive', owing at least in part to the great popularity of Kathrine Kurtz's Deryni series. (That she is well known as a Countess in the SCA doesn't help, either). Nearly every commenter who had anything to say about this name noted the problem of reading the given as 'Deryni'." (LoAR 11/91 p.19). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.11 | "RFS II.4 states that 'elements of the submitter's legal name may be used as the corresponding part of the Society name if such elements are not excessively obtrusive and do not violate other sections of these rules.' Unfortunately, Deyrni is 'excessively obtrusive', owing at least in part to the great popularity of Kathrine Kurtz's Deryni series. (That she is well known as a Countess in the SCA doesn't help, either). Nearly every commenter who had anything to say about this name noted the problem of reading the given as 'Deryni'." (LoAR 11/91 p.19). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.10 | "Rule II.4 states that 'elements of a submitter's name may be used as the corresponding part of a Society name.' The subtext goes on to explain that 'corresponding elements are defined by their type, not solely their position in the name.' The submitter's middle name... is a surname by type. It may not therefore be used as a given name in the SCA." (LoAR 10/91 p.19). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.09 | [<name> of <place>] "The name is effectively identical to the submitter's use name outside the Society, <name> <place>." [The name was returned] (LoAR 9/91 p.17). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) | 1991.07 | "The pronunciation of the SCA [name] is insufficiently different from the submitter's mundane [name] to be considered registerable by the College (Administrative Handbook, Protected Items I). If the submitter would consider nearly any change (for instance, adding 'de' in front of <the locative>), this would be sufficient." [Note that the Administrative Handbook only requires non-identity, not non-identical pronunciation. Also note a previous ruling in the LoAR 1/91 p.23 where addition of the article "the" in between the given name and surname was not enough to prevent conflict with a mundane name.] (LoAR 7/91 p.20). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1991.02 | "While it was a surname in period, Lynne is also a diminutive of a given name. Hence we felt that II.4 (Legal Names) could be applied here." (LoAR 2/91 p.1). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1991.01 | [<given name> the <epithet>] "Conflict with the submitter's legal name, <given name> <epithet>. Society names should not be the same as the members' legal names. (See Administrative Handbook, Protected Items I.) Addition of the article 'the' is insufficient. (See RfS, V.4.) Addition of a given, surname, adjective or adjectival phrase would clear this." (LoAR 1/91 p.23). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.11.05 | "There was...some discussion about the Mundane Name Allowance (not the 'Mundane Name Loophole'). Such allowance is neither 'vile' nor purposeless; it is a courtesy we extend to those who wish to use a single given name within and without the Society. If someone who wishes us to remove this courtesy from the Rules for Submissions can present evidence that the occasional abuse which is made of it heavily outweighs the benefits of good public relations and simplifying the lives of those members who choose to use it, we will discuss the possibility of rescinding it. Until such time as that, however, the Allowance remains." (CL 11/5/90 p.3). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.10 | "Submitted as Chantal <surname>, the submitter was requesting a compromise of the mundane name allowance to permit a less obtrusive spelling of her mundane given name. The bulk of the commentary on this issue was not in favor of such a relaxation of the mundane name allowance, especially given that 'Chantal' was a placename in period." (LoAR 10/90 p.11). |
| Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) | 1990.09 | [Je Nell, a mundane given name, used as an SCA middle name] "While the addition of Je Nell was somewhat intrusive, it was not sufficiently so to cause return of the name." (LoAR 9/90 p.5). |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1989.04.30 | To take advantage of the mundane name allowance, a name must be in the same relative position it occupies in the mundane name.... This ruling has been repeatedly affirmed under several Laurels. (LoAR 30 Apr 89, p. 15) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1989.05.21 | If the submittor's actual legal name is [Name], then he should be able to provide [documentation] easily.... If it is not [Name], then he is not entitled to the leniency of the "mundane name allowance". (LoAR 21 May 89, p. 18) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1988.08 | NR11 specified that a submittor's Society name may not be identical in sound or spelling to his mundane name. (LoAR Aug 88, p. 16) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1988.07 | Whether the overall effect of the "given name" is intrusively modern is admittedly a judgement call: on either side some element of the subjective must be present.... The determination that the name was excessively modern was based on "test exposure" to a fairly large sampling of gentles in the street (i.e., those not members of the College of Arms who uniformly had problems with the name. [Registered for other reasons.] (LoAR Jul 88, p. 3) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.11.28 | [Dublin] "The stated intention of NR12 is to make allowance for the submittor who bears what is now thought of as a given name but in period was only a surname." ... This is not the case with Dublin.... Clearly, the "modern" effect here is so disruptive that the leniency granted to mundane names which will not overly disrupt the medieval ambience of the Society cannot be allowed in this case. [Registered on appeal for parallel with period Irish given "Dubhlan", Jul 88] (LoAR 28 Nov 87, p. 7) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.09.27 | NR12 requires that the name which seeks an exemption by virtue of its being the mundane name must be used as [the] portion of the name "corresponding" to the mundane name element, i.e. first name to first name, last name to last name, etc. (LoAR 26 Jul 87, p. 9) (See also: LoAR 27 Sep 87, p. 12) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.09.27 | The exception for mundane names in the Rules for Submission applies to the actual mundane name, not to a supposed variant or to a translation. (LoAR 27 Sep 87, p. 8) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.02.28 | She enclosed a Xerox of her birth certificate: that's documentation! (LoAR 28 Feb 87, p. 6) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.05.24 | While this name [Andrew] undoubtedly violates the spirit of the law requiring a modification of the mundane name [Andy], it clearly adheres to its letter. (LoAR 24 May 87, p. 6) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.01.25 | [Dublin O'Guinn Silverwolf] NR10 notes with regard to a mundane name used as a Society name under the mundane names exemption that "it must still be a recognized name. Some names, such as Moon Unit, are in the gray area between these rules and judgement will be exercised on appropriateness." In this case, Dubhlin is, both in period and today, perceived as a famous place name and is not a recognized personal name. (LoAR 25 Jan 87, p. 17) |
| Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane | 1987.01.25 | The name was submitted as [Diminutive Name].... We have substituted the non-diminutive form of the name. Although he may be commonly called [Diminutive Name], the presupposition is that his legal given name is [Name] or some other full name. (LoAR 25 Jan 87, p. 5) |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1985.12.29 | First of all, the provision [permitting the use of the mundane given name as the SCA given name] is not (as many people seem to think) absolute. The rule further states that "Such names may not be used in such a way as to violate any other rule concerning names," and the discussion goes on to bar titles that were not used in period as given names, and to make some additional restrictions concerning conflict. In practice, this tends to allow occasional use of surnames, place names, common nouns, and out-of-period coinages, as given names. This is what is meant by "regard for whether they are in period". I do not feel this extends to blatantly inappropriate names such as that of "Moon Unit" Zappa. [BoE, cvr ltr, 29 Dec 85, p.2] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1985.12.29 | The rule [permitting the use of the mundane given name as the SCA given name] is not an omission or an ambiguity, it is a specific provision, and it serves an important purpose. People's identities -- their feelings of 'self' -- are often tied up in their names, and it is not uncommon for someone to want to carry over some degree of self into her Society name. By being more lenient toward people who make this choice, we are recognizing a situation that, due to the nature of the SCA and its membership, is inevitable. This is both reasonable and sensible: failure to compromise on the issue would cost us good will and cooperation from the populace. [BoE, cvr ltr, 29 Dec 85, p.2] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1985.04.14 | In light of the responses I have received to my proposal to drop Rule VII.3, and given the underlying reason that has been advanced, I believe we need to require slightly more than a simple difference in form. I am therefore advancing the standard mentioned above (significant change in spelling or pronounciation) as a working definition. The minimum change (the one regarded as a loophole by liberals and conservatives alike) is probably the addition or removal of a single syllable. (e.g., John Smith to John the Smith). A change between de and du (assuming the result is grammatically correct) would also be sufficient. [BoE, 14 Apr 85, p.16] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1985.04.14 | In my March 2nd cover letter, I proposed dropping Rule VII.3 altogether, on the theory that we were attempting to legislate something that was basically a matter of personal taste. The responses I have received so far (from non-heralds as well as heralds) have supported the rule. The operative principle is the need to distance the mundane individual from his or her persona, and is thought by some to be almost as fundamental as the need to wear suitable garb. [BoE, 14 Apr 85, p.16] [The rule in question does not permit a submitter's SCA name to be identical to his mundane name.] |
| Baldwin of Erebor | 1984.12.16 | In all fairness, the question "Is the use of surnames as given names a period practice?" is capable of being answered correctly in both the affirmative and the negative. ... I consider our present policy to be a workable compromise between these two extremes. It treats the general practice as being out of period (thus removing the need to distinguish by country or period of persona, which is tricky when you're dealing with hybrids), but it permits exceptions when a specific name is shown to have been used in period, or when it is the applicant's mundane given name. [BoE, 16 Dec 84, p.17] |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.10.26 | [Regina.] Appeal accepted on the grounds that Regina is her mundane given name. This name is not available for general use, as it is a title. WVS [55] [LoAR 26 Oct 81], par 7 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.07.29 | [Regina.] You cannot use titles as given names, even if it is your given name. The given-name exception allows names that are otherwise out of period, but does not provide exemption from the other rules on names. WVS [48] [LoAR 29 Jul 81], p. 13 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.07.29 | N. is out of period. I have therefore changed it to the period form of M. If his legal name is actually M. ... then he can have M. WVS [48] [LoAR 29 Jul 81], p. 9 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.09.15 | A person may use her mundane given name, but is not guaranteed use of her middle name. WVS [52] [LoAR 15 Sep 81], p. 2 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1981.04.20 | N. is a variant of her first name, M., so she can have it. N. seems to be out of period, so this is a specific and not a general approval of the name. WVS [40] [LoAR 20 Apr 81], p. 4 |
| Wilhelm von Schlüssel | 1980.02.13 | A person can always use their first name, as long as they difference it properly. Nobody else can use N. as a name unless they also have it as their first name. This is a specific exception to the normal rules, granted only to her. WVS [11] [LoAR 13 Feb 80], p. 5 |
| Karina of the Far West | 1979.06.30 | Do you REALLY want to have the College of Arms process you into its mechanical record-keeper with your mundane name spelled backwards? Please resubmit. (KFW, 30 Jun 79 125], p. 68) |
| Karina of the Far West | 1979.06.30 | Eldarion was the son and heir of the King Elessar. You cannot bear that excessively famous name, even with modifiers, even if it is your mundane name. (KFW, 30 Jun 79 [25], p. 76) |
| Karina of the Far West | 1977.06.09 | [Vala of Colfre'] Vala is a name used by both William Blake and Tolkien (not to mention Philip Jose' Farmer, who was copying Blake) for divine or angelic beings. I don't know of any medieval humans named Vala. The letter V is not used in Welsh. I understand Vala is the lady's mundane given name but it doesn't make it acceptable for the Society, any more than one can use his mundane arms. (KFW, 09 Jun 77 [13], p. 2) |
| Karina of the Far West | 1976.06.16 | We will use the mundane surname until an SCA one is chosen. (KFW, 16 Jun 76 [6], p. 5) |