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APPROVALS 1 10 August XX (1985)

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE APPROVED:

Kingdom of Calontir

Aethelthritha of Whitby. Device. Erminois, on a long Celtic cross sable, a stag lodged reguardant argent vulned on the shoulder sable.

NOTE: The ermine spots should be more prominent, as should the vulning on the stag's shoulder: see the illustration on page 607 of Parker for an example.

Axed Root, Canton of. Badge for Axed Root Militia. Or, a doublebitted poleaxe bendwise sable between in bend sinister a boar's head couped and another couped to sinister gules.

Axed Root, Canton of. Badge for Guild of Fools. Or, a jester's belled hood affronty gules between in fess a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy azure.

DISCUSSION: I have blazoned this as a "jester's belled hood" (the term used for ALFREDO EL BUFON in the July LoAR) rather than a "jester's cap" on the assumption that a cap sits on top of the head (as in the device of BRYNACH MACCALLUM, below), while a hood covers the ears and the shoulders.

Brión Robor. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Brynach MacCallum (submitted as Bryn MacCallum). Name and device. Azure, a bear rampant argent vested in a fool's motley lozengy Or and gules, grasping in both forepaws a needle point to base Or.

NOTE: Bryn is the Welsh word for 'mountain' or 'hill'; it was not used as a given name until recent times. At Brigantia's suggestion, we have substituted Brynach, the name of a Welsh saint, in order to register the device.

Christian d'Hiver. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Coel Lonydd (submitted as Coel Lonydd ap Bryn). Name and device. Per pale azure and Or, three anvils in pale and in chief two swords fesswise points to center counterchanged.

NOTE: Bryn (Welsh 'hill; mountain') was not used as a given name until modern times. We have omitted the patronymic in order to register the device.

DISCUSSION: The swords were originally blazoned as respectant. While there is some precedent for this (the axes in the arms of Grimarr of Nordheim are so blazoned), I feel this is poor usage. Respectant should only be used to describe animate charges.

Dafydd Gwynfardd. Device. Per chevron vert and argent, a sun in splendour Or and a chessrook sable.

NOTE: Nice heraldry.

Gerdhny Gunnarsdottir. Name and device. Argent, two lozenges in pale and on a chief gules two saltorels couped argent.

Guthrum Godar. Name and device. Per pale sable and Or, on a tau cross counterchanged, an eye argent, irised azure.

DISCUSSION: Baron Charles and Count Jehan de la Marche expressed concern at the symposium over the possible magical content of this submission, saying that both charges have symbolic meaning to the Egyptians. Further investigation has confirmed this, at least in part. The eye could be an amulet of the Eye of Horus, or Utchat, which was worn "to bring ... the blessings of strength, vigour, protection, safety, good health, and the like." (E. A. Wallis Budge. Egyptian Magic, pages 5558. Dover, 1971. Reprint of 1901 edition.) Budge notes in particular that the eye was frequently made of lapis lazuli, which is blue. The Eye of Horus, however, was depicted in profile. "The Utchat is of two kinds, one facing to the left and the other to the right." It also appears to have been drawn with a specific stylization, unlike the eye in this device.

The symbolism of the cross is more tenuous. The ankh, which is a symbol of "life," is identified with the Greek Tau cross, and figures in early Christianity. (Anthony S. Mercatante. Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology, page 10. Clarkson N. Potter, 1978.) My references diverge at this point into Christian symbolism, so I haven't been able to establish that the Egyptians used the Tau cross itself (as opposed to the ankh).

Even if a stronger symbolic connection could be established, I do not believe this would be sufficient reason to return the device. Appendix II of the Rules for Submissions ("Guidelines on Offensiveness") bars "excessive symbolism" or "defaced or basely treated religious symbols," neither of which applies in this instance.

If the applicant is a fighter, and therefore likely to bear this coat upon the field, one could possibly base an argument on Governing and Policy Decision #27. ("No combatant at an official Society event shall knowingly and deliberately use any amulet or artifice of magical, religious, or psychic nature to achieve thereby an advantage upon the field.") But since neither of the charges has been shown clearly to be such an amulet, the argument would be a weak one, and we should not invoke the Policy on Magic and Religion lightly. (Consider how sweeping the consequences would be if we did.)

CONCLUSION: While there is some similarity, the charges in the device do not actually appear to be symbols of Egyptian magic; and even if they were, their nature and the use to which they have been put is not sufficient cause to return the submission.

Hertha Blair of Froggescow. Name and device. Or, a frog rampant within a bordure wavy vert.

Isadora of Orange Wode. Name only.

Kevin of Shadowdale. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Michael of Deodar (submitted as William le Rous). Name and device. Per pale embattled gules and argent, a pale between chief two roundels, all counterchanged.

NOTE: The name William le Rous ("William the Red") conflicts with that of William Rufus (same translation), son of William the Conqueror, who went ahunting and was shown the arrow of his ways.* We have used a holding name in order to register the device.

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* i.e., someone quarrelled [with] him.

Michael MacNaughton of Loch Ness. Device. Sable, a Bengal tiger's head cabossed proper, ruffed argent, and on a chief triangular argent a mullet of six points sable.

Randwulf Witlac. Device. Sable, a padlock and on a chief argent three wolves' heads couped sable.

NOTE: Very nice.

Missing submission;;;

Sigurthr Ormsson. Name and device. Per pale argent and sable, a demi-unicorn rampant counterchanged.

NOTE: Beautiful! The body of the unicorn should be couped horizontally, and the charge should be moved further to dexter, so more of it lies on the argent half of the field. This will improve the contrast.

Talbot MacTaggart. Name and device. Azure, a saltire Or, overall a talbot rampant argent within a bordure embattled Or.

Vainö Hämäläinen. Device. Azure, on a triangle inverted concave throughout argent a snowflake sable.

Volkmar Katzbalger. Name only.

* * * * * * *

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE RETURNED

Kingdom of Calontir.

Brión Robor. Device. Azure, a pall Or between two swords in saltire proper and two reindeer's heads caboshed Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with MICHAL DOLINAR O"MOURNE DE STARHAVEN: Azure, on a pall Or, a Florida panther's head couped revered sable between three hears gules. (SCA). There is a major point for adding a group of secondary charges, and a minor point for removing a group of tertiaries. A case can be made for allowing a little more difference, since both groups consist of dissimilar charges, but the heralds at the Symposium seemed to feel that the two conflicted. Note also the arms of the town of ISSOUDIN: Azure, a pall between three fleurs-de-lis OR (Woodward 150).

DISCUSSION: We have blazoned these as reindeer's heads because they have two sets of antlers. The heraldic reindeer is distinguished from the stag "by double attires, one pair erect, the other pendent." (Parker 196).

Christin d'Hiver. Device. Per pale dovetailed Or and azure, a chevron counterchanged.

REASON FOR RETURN. This infringes on GRUBER OF NUREMBERG: Per pale Or and azure, a chevron counterchanged. (Rietstap) There is a single point of difference, for the line of partition.

Elizabeth von den Bleiberg. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: To quote Brigantia: "As 'Berg' is a masculine noun and 'von' takes the dative, the article must be the dative masculine form 'dem' or be dropped entirely, making Bleiberg a proper place name, i.e. 'von dem Bleiberg' or 'von Bleiberg'." The submitter has asked us not make any grammar corrections to her name.

Kevin of Shadowdale. Device. Per chevron vert and argent, two towers argent and a portcullis chained sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with the SHIRE OF VIELBURGEN: Per chevron vert and argent, two towers argent and an imperial eagle sable environed of a laurel wreath vert. (SCA) I count a major point of difference for changing the eagle to a portcullis, and a minor for removing the laurel wreath. The only changes are to the charges in base.

Robin de Shealladh. Badge for Hidden Lair. Sable, two cat's eyes in fess Or, pupilled sable within a bordure Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with the logo for the musical Cats. (It was noted that, since the border is a standard mark of cadency, these must surely be the arms of the sequel: Kittens.).

Southreach, Shire of. Name only (appeal).

REASON FOR RETURN: The name conflicts with that of the SHIRE OF SOUTHERN REACHES.

SYNOPSIS: This submission was returned by Master Wilhelm in March 1984. They have appealed the ruling on the grounds that (1) "the names both look and sound sufficiently different in the opinion of the shire, and each phrase means something entirely different," and (2) the Shire of Southern Reaches is defunct. The point was also raised, in the correspondence, that (3) the two branches are some 12000 kilometers apart.

DISCUSSION: (1) Rule VI.4 states that "a name conflicts with another if it looks or sounds enough like the other name to cause confusion." Southreach and Southern Reaches are both visually and aurally similar; enough so that someone not personally familiar with the two branches is going to confuse them. I also believe that what we in the SCA would refer to as "the Southern Reaches" would have been known in the mundane world as "Southreach" in other words, the two names are linguistically identical.

(2) Names of defunct branches are protected, just as the names and arms of inactive and deceased SCA members (not to mention mundanes) are protected. While it may be true that the arguments supporting this practice are no better than the ones opposing it, the fact remains that a decision was made, long ago, to protect such names, and that this policy has been upheld more than once, by the Board as well as by the College of Arms. We can stretch the point, on occasion, when the forms of the names are different (such as the Canton of White Stone vs. the Shire of Carreg Wen), but this is out of the question when the two are nearly indistinguishable, as in the present case.

(3) Geographical proximity really isn't relevant. Modern technology makes it possible for a single kingdom to administer lands on two separate continents, and the great freedom of movement of our members means that two people who lived 12000 kilometers apart yesterday may be neighbors tomorrow. Many of our contacts are impersonal (through newsletters and such), and this lack of personal knowledge increases the chance of confusion.

Virgule has also noted that "the South Reach is a major portion of Earthsea in the trilogy by Ursula LeGuin," which raises the issue of a second potential conflict.