Copyright © 1995 - Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
The 2nd Tenure of Da'ud Ibn Auda (1st year)
Household[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]
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]
[Registering Evita Maria da Lombardia.] Submitted as Evita Matia di Lombardia, the ... Italian preposition used with places is "da" ("di" is used to form patronymics). [5/94, p.3]
[Returning Ryuugatani, Shire of.] There was a fair amount of commentary with the belief that a Japanese place-name does not appear to fall within the defined scope of the Society, which is pre-17th Century Western culture (RfS I.1. See also "Scope of the Society: Period and Culture" in the Organizational Handbook, pp. 74-75). "Its domain includes Europe and areas that had contact with Europe during this period." (RfS I.1.) It was noted that while there was clearly some contact in very late period between Europe and Japan, and evidence that some few Japanese actually visited Europe, the contact between Europe and Japan was not great enough to justify a Japanese place-name in pre-17th C. Europe. [6/94, p.17]
[Returning Monsdraconis.] The grammar appears to be incorrect; normal Latin formation would keep the elements separate as either Mons Draco (dragon mountain) or as Mons Draconis (dragon's mountain). In addition, the locative would almost certainly use the preposition de, which takes the ablative case, as de Monte Dracone or de Monte Draconis. [1/94, p.13]
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]
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]
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]
[Returning Ixtlilxochitl de los Indios.] No evidence was submitted or noted by any of the commenters supporting this combination of Nahuatl and Spanish. From all of the historical evidence we could find, the Native Americans were given Spanish Christian names by the Spaniards under their forced Christianization and at no time was a mixed name in this style ever done. [1/94, p.16]
No evidence was presented either in the appeal or in the commentary that [Abaddon] was ever used by humans, in or out of period. As a consequence, we are unable to register it here. [3/94, p.17]
One of the submissions considered this month (and another to be considered at an upcoming meeting) engendered a considerable amount of commentary regarding whether a specific symbol (or name) is offensive, and in what context, and what the College of Arms should do with such submissions. Indeed, the issue is a delicate one, and is one where rational argument can easily be put aside in favor of emotional reaction.
Commentary on this month's "issue" ranged from what I tend to think of as the "no way, no how" school to "well, I didn't recognize it as offensive so it must not be" to the "we can't let 'them' win" side. Since these are sensitive as well as emotional issues, I thought it would be well to discuss the general guidelines which are applied to submissions which may trigger "offensensitivity". These guidelines are written into the Rules for Submissions and have been in place since the current Rules were issued. They are [RFS I.2, IV and IX].
Reading through these sections carefully, and taking them as a whole, I believe that many issues involved become clearer. A return for offensiveness should be made only very rarely. This is at least in part because of the level to which the "offense" must rise before these rules are applied to return a submission. Almost every heraldic charge, and a number of names, could be considered offensive by someone. So the guideline is not whether they might be considered to be offensive by someone, but whether they are so "to a significant segment of the Society or the general population." (emphasis added). Additionally, consideration must be given to "the educational purposes {and} good name of the Society" and to "the enjoyment of its participants". In other words, will registration of a specific submission (thus giving it more or less "official approval" by the Society) put the Society in a negative light to a significant segment of the general population? Or will it cause sufficient offense to a significant segment of our own members as to be detrimental to their enjoyment of and participation in the activities of the Society? If the answer to either of these questions is "yes", then such should not receive the sanction of the Society by being registered. (How often is this likely to happen? Well, off the top of my head I can only remember two instances during the eight years I've been active in the College of Arms. I'd say that's sufficiently rare, especially given the number of items we process each year.) [12b/93c]
No one could document or justify the construction of Elkeheorte as a placename or even as a sign name, which it would need to be with "of". Additionally, this particular combination is a mixture of early modern English and old English, which is not permissible. [12a/93, p.16]
[Registering Golden Dolphin Herald.] To borrow from Baron Bruce's words in the March 1993 LoAR and apply them to this case, the title is taken from the Order of the Golden Dolphin, already registered to Atlantia. It is an ancient and honorable tradition to name heraldic officers after orders: Garter and Toison d'Or (Golden Fleece) are well-known medieval examples, while the classic Society example is (ahem) Laurel. [5/94, p.3]
This does not appear to follow any period exemplars of which we are aware, nor does it match in style their other "Dragon's {part}" proposals. Order names in period seem to have been based on tangible objects (such as the Order of the Golden Fleece) or on abstract concepts which members of the Order embody (such as the Legion of Honor.) The Order of the Dragon's Dream doesn't appear to fit either of these categories. [2/94, p.19]
Neither has "friendship" been accepted as an alternate designator for "order" or "award". [1/94, p.16]
We need documentation for the use of four given names in Portuguese in period. Even for the Iberian Peninsula, this seems a bit much. [2/94, p.18]
[Registering Mark FitzRoy.] RfS VI.1. states that "Names documented to have been used in period may be used, even if they were derived from titles, provided there is no suggestion of territorial claim or explicit assertion of rank." FitzRoy meets that criteria. RfS VI.3. states that "Names that unmistakably imply identity with or close relationship to a protected person or literary character will generally not be registered." There is no implication of "identity with or close relationship to" any protected individual or character as used here. Consequently, the surname here is not considered pretentious. [6/94, p.8]
[Returning Alastar the Arcane and Sable, two skulls and a mandrake, a bordure argent.] [W]hile the name does not in any way conflict with that of Aleister Crowley, the early twentieth-century writer on "Magick", the combination of given name, byname, and device certainly reminded more than half the commenters of him. Given the volume of that reaction, I believe that RfS I.3. (Inappropriate Claims) applies here [specifically with regard to name and armory combinations]. [5/94, p.15]
The discussion of the names of Lucia Visconti and Arianna Maria di Marchesi, reviewed in the April Laurel meeting, sparked quite a bit of commentary, particularly as regards the strictures of Rules for Submission VI.1. ... While both surnames Marchesi and Visconti are derived, in a more or less roundabout fashion, from the Italian equivalents of Marquess and Viscount, they were also clearly documented as surnames used by non-nobles. As a consequence, the applicable part of RfS VI.1. would be "Names documented to have been used in period may be used, even if they were derived from titles, provided there is no suggestion of territorial claim or explicit assertion of rank. For example, 'Regina the Laundress' is acceptable but 'Regina of Germany' is not." In the cases here, both names have been documented to have been used in period, and neither is used in such a way as to suggest either a territorial claim or an assertion of rank. That being so, both names have been registered. [4/94c, p.2]
[Registering a seahorse to a person named Rhiannon.] This brings the name Rhiannon within the scope of Master Bruce's ruling that "one allusion to a deity is acceptable when the name of the deity was also used by humans in period". [3/94, p.4]
[Registering Giacomo da Firenze.] Submitted as Giacomo Cavalliere da Firenze, caval[l]iere is the approved alternate title for "knight" in Italian. (Indeed, the submitter's own documentation notes it as meaning "knight".) As such, it should not be used in such a way that it may be mistaken as a title. Unfortunately, "knight of Florence" is just such an example. We have dropped the problematic element in order to register the name. [3/94, p.10]
[Returning Henry d'Agincourt.] While this name is, indeed, not a conflict with Henry V, and indeed does not violate any of the specific clauses of RfS V (or even IV), it does, however, fall within the aegis of RfS I.3.a. Conflicting Claims - "A name or piece of armory that creates a false impression of the identity of the submitter will not be registered." SCA names should not cause someone hearing the name to think of some individual other than the SCA person bearing that name. As an example, how many people hearing the name "Dick of Watergate" are going to think of anyone other than Richard Milhous Nixon, with whom the name "Dick of Watergate" neither conflicts nor is pretentious by the Rules? Very few in the SCA hearing the submitted name here are going to think of anyone other than Henry V. [2/94, p.18]
Baron Bruce covered the issue of pretention in the form of "X of Y" in Scottish names. "We will continue to prohibit the use of a Scots clan name with the seat or territory of that clan (e.g. Cameron of Lochiel), or a surname with the phrase of that Ilk (or its functional equivalent, e.g. Macintosh of Macintosh). That usage, with or without the given name, is the title of the actual chief of the clan or his immediate kin; its use in the SCA represents a direct infringement on actual nobility, and also appears to be a claim to rank, either of which is grounds for return. But by and large, the use of a Scots surname with a Scots placename is acceptable for SCA use." (LoAR March 1993, p. 8) Based on that precedent, [MacLeod of Duirinish] is registrable. [1/94, p.8]
[Returning Bayt al-Da'ud.] Conflicts with the Biblical King David, per RfS V.5., "Names that unmistakably imply identity with or close relationship to a specific person or literary character will not be registered." As Master Bruce noted, any claim of relationship -- be it "house of David", "descendants of David", or "drinking buddies of David" -- will run afoul of this Rule. And King David was known to the Arabs as simply Da'ud. [12a/93, p.15]
The submitter's original submission with a unicornate horse's head was returned in September 1986 for the use of the name Rhiannon combined with a horse or unicorn on the armory. Her resubmission, with a unicornate horse's head, was returned in February 1991 for the use of the name Rhiannon combined with a horse or unicorn on the armory. This is now being returned in November 1993 for the use of the name Rhiannon combined with a horse or unicorn on the armory. [12a/93, p.22]
Submitted as Sofia Staritskaia Rhosia; Rhosia appears to be extremely out of place in an otherwise Russian name and is placed inappropriately for Russian usage. We have therefore dropped it in order to register the name. [1/94, p.7]
[Returning Frostheim, Canton of.] There was some question as to whether "frost-home" is a reasonable period-style placename, even in Swedish. [6/94, p.13]
[Returning Mredyth Vetrgaupa.] There are no compounds of the form vetr-{name of animal}, and the examples cited in the LoI are not support for this form. Nor does the byname have any likely signification on its face. [5/94, p.14]
[Returning Eduardo Negro y Albo.] We need some documentation for the form of the byname; none of the commenters cited any examples of "[surname] y [surname]" to period. It is especially needed here, where the byname literally means "black and white". [5/94, p.19]
[Returning Ixtlilxochitl de los Indios.] No evidence was submitted or noted by any of the commenters supporting this combination of Nahuatl and Spanish. From all of the historical evidence we could find, the Native Americans were given Spanish Christian names by the Spaniards under their forced Christianization and at no time was a mixed name in this style ever done. [1/94, p.16]
[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]
[Returning Frostheim, Canton of.] There was some question as to whether "frost-home" is a reasonable period-style placename, even in Swedish. [6/94, p.13]
[Returning Eibhlin Niccluir.] The "patronymic" is unattested in the documentation. The only variant discussed in the documentation (dated to 1637) is Makcluir. Further, as an anglicized variant it is unlikely to have been combined with a Gaelic borrowing of the Norman Avelina and Emeline. The combination of two unlikely components is sufficient to cause return for rework and/or better documentation. [5/94, p.18]
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]
[Returning Kendrick of the Saxon Shore.] Kendrick is acceptable in this spelling only as a late period given name. The phrase "Saxon Shore" comes from a 5th Century document called the Notitia Dignitatem, which includes a list of stations under the command of an officer called comes litoris Saxonici ("Count of the Saxon Shore"). This title (not name element) dates from the late 3rd Century at the earliest, and [no] evidence of its use appears after the breakdown of Roman authority in Britain (late 5th Century). It does not appear to have been used in any other way (say, as a placename). The combination of an extremely unlikely placename, "lingua franca" or not, which would only have been used (if at all) in early period with a late period given name exceeds the "Rule of Two Weirdnesses", iterated by Baron Bruce in his May 8, 1993 Cover Letter: "If the elements of a submitted name are dated too far apart, then any other anomaly in the name may combine to force it to be returned. ... [H]enceforth, excessive temporal mismatch may contribute to a name's unacceptability; another problem with the name may cause it to be returned." (Cover Letter, May 8, 1993, p. 4) [4/94, p.18]
We need documentation for the use of four given names in Portuguese in period. Even for the Iberian Peninsula, this seems a bit much. [2/94, p.18]
This does not appear to follow any period exemplars of which we are aware, nor does it match in style their other "Dragon's [part]" proposals. Order names in period seem to have been based on tangible objects (such as the Order of the Golden Fleece) or on abstract concepts which members of the Order embody (such as the Legion of Honor.) The Order of the Dragon's Dream doesn't appear to fit either of these categories. [2/94, p.19]
[Greymist] is extremely unlikely. We know of no period name formations of this "misty" type. The many "color + thing" locatives the submitter cites in his documentation (e.g., Blackwood, Blackwell, Blacklock, &co.) are all much more "physical" than this proposal. [2/94, p.23]
[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]
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]
The submitted name is not just an Anglo-French hybrid; it has the specific form {English nominal descriptor} {French toponym}. The examples [are] of the form {English place-name} {surname of French owner}. Vair Couvert follows another pattern altogether, one that still hasn't been documented. (And since the pattern involves the use of two languages in a single phrase, it must be documented pretty thoroughly; one or two isolated examples would probably be insufficient.) [1/94, p.18]
[Returning Hashem, ábu Benjamin.] No documentation was presented, nor could any be found, to support the odd mix of languages and the unusual construction of the name. We would recommend that the submitter consider an all-Arabic, all-Hebrew, or all-English name, and then structure it in accordance with the normal word order and grammar for that language. [12a/93, p.15]
No one could document or justify the construction of Elkeheorte as a placename or even as a sign name, which it would need to be with "of". Additionally, this particular combination is a mixture of early modern English and old English, which is not permissible. [12a/93, p.16]
[Returning Alexander de Saytoune na Ban Dharaich.] There were two problems with the name. The first is the use of de with Saytoune, which is, in Lord Palimpsest's words, "probably not right", owing to the fact that Saytoune does not predate the 15th Century, well after use of "de" disappeared. The second, is that the Gaelic byname is unlikely in the extreme to have been used with what is essentially an English name. While the submitter allowed minor changes, we felt that dropping the "de" and either dropping the byname or translating it into English did not constitute minor changes. [12a/93, p.19]
[Returning Méadhbh Ysolde fra Skuyö.] Meadhbh (no accent) is a modern spelling of an ancient Irish name; Ysolde is an Anglo-French spelling of the Old French Iseaut, and the locative is modern Norwegian. Taken as a whole, the combination is too unlikely linguistically to be permissible. Additionally, there is some question about the locative being formed correctly. Unless the Swedish name of the island of Skye is Skuy, the submitted form is unlikely. [12a/93, p.20]
The name as submitted appears to be made up of modern variants of the individual elements. It is thus incompatible with the period and domain of the Society, as required by RfS I.1. As a consequence, we are required to return this for modification to period forms or for better documentation of each element than the works of Hanks and Hodges. [12b/93, p.11]
[Returning March of the Wild Hares.] None of the commenters could find any period models for this placename formation, nor was any documentation supporting this form included with the submission. Additionally, the name is obtrusively modern in that the first association many of the commenters had was the tea party with the March Hare described so amusingly by Lewis Carroll. [12b/93, p.12]
[Registering Golden Dolphin Herald.] To borrow from Baron Bruce's words in the March 1993 LoAR and apply them to this case, the title is taken from the Order of the Golden Dolphin, already registered to Atlantia. It is an ancient and honorable tradition to name heraldic officers after orders: Garter and Toison d'Or (Golden Fleece) are well-known medieval examples, while the classic Society example is (ahem) Laurel. [5/94, p.3]
[Returning Emer ni Maeve.] Émer appears to be a unique name, that of Cúchulainn's lady. It does not seem to have been borne by any other human. Ó Corráin & Maguire doesn't give a modern form, lending support to this belief. Coghlan, p. 19, gives the modern form as Eimhear, noting that the name has had a "modern revival". [3/94, p.20]
[Kambreda] also appears to be a name unique to one of the daughters of Brychan. This being the case we need additional documentation for its existence and its use by others before we can register Kambreda in the SCA. [12b/93, p.13]
Arion appears to be by the submitter's own documentation to be a unique name, that of a semi-legendary ancient Greek poet and musician. (The only other Arion found was a "fabulous horse", the offspring of Poseidon and Demeter.) We need documentation of its use by other humans in period before we may register Arion. [12a/93, p.15]
[Registering Aaron Direidus.] Submitted as Aaron ir Direidus, we have modified the name to drop the article, which appears from all the evidence not to have been used in Welsh bynames in period. [5/94, p.4]
[Registering Siani Euraid.] Submitted as Siani y Euraidd, we have dropped the intrusive particle, which was not used in Welsh when the given name is present. We have also modified the byname to the period form. [3/94, p.3]
[Registering ferch Rhys.] Submitted as ... ni Rhys ...; we have modified the patronymic particle to match the language of the patronym. [1/94, p.7]
[Returning Gwynedd Fairfax.] Gwynedd, though found in Withycombe's Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, is only noted there as an undated, modern form. The closest documentable period given name is Gwineth. [12b/93, p.13]
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