APPROVALS November 1985

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE APPROVED:

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Adrienne Desirde Montcalm. Name only.

Aeruin ni hearain o Chonnemara. Device. Per pall argent, vert, and azure, a Grey Heron displayed proper, beaked and membered Or, and in chief a compass star gules. (Ardea cinerea)

DISCUSSION: The Grey Heron is winged and tailed grey, breasted and throated argent, and crested and marked sable; basically, it is argent marked sable.

Aeruin ni hearain o Chonnemara. Badge. Per chevron inverted sable and vert, a Grey Heron displayed argent, beaked and membered Or, and in chief a compass star gules fimbriated argent.

Areanna Litelpage of Redore. Device. Per fess argent and gules, a thistle slipped and leaved sable and a Catherine wheel Or.

NOTE: The registered spelling of the byname (shown on the forms we received for the name) is Litelpage. The forms for the device show Litlepage. Which is correct?

Catriona MacEanruig. Name only.

Cynric of Bedwyn. Device. Per bend sinister sable and Or, a bend sinister of five rustres bendwise sinister conjoined counterchanged between an open book argent, bound Or, and a falcon to sinister close guardant gules, belled, jessed, and hooded sable.

Emrys the Welshman. Device. Per pale argent and azure, a bend sinister between two mullets within a bordure all counterchanged.

Ewen Blackpool. Name only.

Fiona Clare O Doinn. Device. Counter­ermine, on a chevron gules a poppy argent between two others Or.

Freydis Hakonardottir. Device. Azure, on a bend between two crosses gurgitee argent, three battleaxes palewise gules.

Gabran of Gaeth. Name only.

Geoffrey Cathan. Device. Argent, a lion couchant to sinister within an annulet azure charged with roses argent, barbed and seeded gules.

Helena of Owl's Keep. Device. Per bend sinister embattled argent and vert, a Long Eared Owl to sinister proper and a tower argent. (Asio otus)

DISCUSSION: The taxonomic name is correct. According to the Fieldbook of Natural History, a Screech Owl is Otus asio and a Long­eared Owl is Asio otus. (pp. 614 and 61;) [What are they trying to do, confuse people?]

Inloth Lamont. Name only.

Isadora Monette de Bordeaux. Name change (from Monette de Bordeaux).

Karel van der Deken. Name only.

Karl Michael Heimschmied. Name and device. Quarterly argent and azure, a sword inverted bendwise sinister proper between two anvils sable.

Klaus von Hallerstein­Obersudsland. Device. Gyronny of three arrondi Or, vert, and ermine, on a torteau a penannular brooch palewise, pin to sinister, Or.

DISCUSSION: "Alternative blazons for this pinwheel­like field division are 'Tierced in gyrons arrondi' and 'Tierced in gyron gyronnant.' We believe the first one given [gyronny of three arrondi] is the clearest and most descriptive, for someone who has acquired the basic heraldic vocabulary." (HB, 20 Sep 71, p. 5; in Prec I:29) UTSANNA NANDANA changed her arms in March 1984, so there is no conflict.

Leopold der Schwarzenschwann von Koenigs See. Name only.

Lucille of Elfsea. Name and device. Azure, a dragonfly tergiant displayed argent and in chief two snails respectant Or.

Marguerite de la Croix. Name and device. Quarterly Or and azure, a cross flory between in bend two others and in bend sinister six roses, all counterchanged.

NOTE: There is no accent on Marguerite. We have corrected the given name accordingly.

Michael von Donau. Device. Azure, a mace Or between two arrows inverted argent, all within a bordure Or.

Petros the Unmerciful. Device. Or, fretty purpure, on a golpe a dexter gauntlet aversant fesswise Or.

Phillip of Arindale. Device. Gules, a fess bretessed ermine surmounted by a horseshoe inverted Or.

Rainulf of Bari. Device. Per chevron azure and vert, a chevron nebuly and in sinister chief a wake knot Or.

NOTE: This could be improved by adding a second wake knot, in dexter chief, for balance. A chevron between three knots would be even better.

Roland Algernon de St. Cyr. Name and device. Per bend wavy purpure and Or, a dexter and sinister gauntlet aversant palewise counterchanged.

NOTE: The line of division should be more pronounced. Please correct the emblazon.

Ulric von Altdahn. Name only.

Wilhelm von den Rotenkeilern. Name and device. Per chevron Or and sable, two boars combattant gules and an eagle displayed Or.

Kingdom of Caid

Aldred von Lechsend aus Froschheim. Badge. Quarterly erminois and ermine, two chains joined in saltire throughout sable.

Amber Dorée de Lyons (submitted as Amber l'Or de Lyons). Name and device. Per pall inverted sable, argent and azure, a lion's head erased argent, a quill bendwise sable, and three mullets, one and two, Or.

NOTE: According to Lady Adelaide de Beaumont (our resident Norman), l'Or 'the gold' means that something is made of gold (the metal), while doré 'golden' indicates that it is gold­colored. We have substituted the feminine form of the latter for the former.

Aquila das Waisenkind von Drachenfels. Name change (from Andrew of Drachenfels).

Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme. Badge (reblazon). Two trefoil knots braced.

DISCUSSION: There is, in fact, a subtle distinction between braced and interlaced. Brace derives from Latin brachia 'the two arms', and means, among other things, "to render firm or steady by binding tightly" and "to join firmly, couple together." Interlace comes from laqueus noose, snare and means "to unite by intercrossing laces, strings, or threads." (OED, Webster's Second) This distinction does not appear to have been carried over into heraldry. The choice seems to be dictated by personal preference; and since (1) the submitter has indicated a preference, and (2) the change brings the blazon for the badge into line with the blazon of his arms, I see no reason not to accede to his request.

Caid, Kingdom of. Badge for the College of Equestrian Arts. Azure, a horse's head couped at the shoulders within a bordure embattled argent.

Caitlin mac Cumhaill na Cruachan (submitted as Caitlin mac Cumhaill an Filidh na Cruachan). Name only.

NOTE: The appellation an Filidh na Cruachan ("the Filidh of Cruachan") appears to be a claim to be the official ilidh [bard) of the King of Connacht. Titles of this sort are not acceptable. We have omitted an Filidh in order to register the rest of the name.

Collette la Fleur des Jardins. Name only (see RETURNS for device).

Cordelia Actaeone of the White Meadow. Name and device. Per bend sinister argent and azure, an escallop inverted gules and a narwhale embowed to base argent.

Diana Thjodhild of the Silver Whale's Tooth. Name change (from Diana Thjodhild).

Ealdgyth von Froschheim. Device. Quarterly argent and purpure, a bend countercompony Or and sable between a thunderbolt and a roundel argent.

Gabrielle Sternschauer. Badge for Fire Rose. Argent, on a flame azure a primrose Or seeded gules.

DISCUSSION: "Fire rose" is a household name.

Kevan o Rathkeale. Name and device. Per pale purpure and argent, a pall between an open book and two keyholes all counterchanged.

DISCUSSION: The keyhole, as an heraldic charge, would seem to be unique to the SCA. I could find no mention of the keyhole in any of the usual sources. The Ordinary yielded three prior instances in the SCA, the first registered in 1978. It should be noted that a keyhole and a chess­pawn are similar enough in shape to conflict.

Lughaid Eamon MacDiarmid. Name and device. Or, chaussé ployé vert, a smith's hammer.sable.

Mikhail Dmitri Joel de Maison. Name and device. Vert, a bend sinister raguly Or between an open book and an open scroll surmounted by a quill fesswise argent.

Mikhail Karten. Name and device. Quarterly gules and checky azure and Or, a plumed great helm facing to sinister argent.

DISCUSSION: Karten (German 'charts') may not be a valid surname, but I do not feel the questions raised have sufficient weight to justify returning it. Lady Adelaide says that Mikbail Karta 'of the Map' or Karti 'of the Maps' would be correct in Russian.

Thea Gabrielle Northernridge of Amberwood. Name change (from Thea Gabrielle Northernridge) and change of device. Azure, a dexter hand apaumy couped proper between in cross four mullets of six points all within a bordure Or. NOTE: Her old device is released.

DISCUSSION: Given the strong similarity between her old and new arms (she has replaced three mullets of six points with four), I feel the Grandfather Clause exempts her from the cited conflicts. Cf. Master Wilhelm's discussion of the Grandfather Clause on page two of his July 1980 cover letter, quoted in Precedents III, pp. 39­40.

Thea Gabrielle Northernridge of Amberwood. Badge. Azure, a dexter hand apaumy proper within eight swords, interlaced to form an eight­pointed mullet, proper all within a bordure Or.

DISCUSSION: The College found the term ' Morris rose unclear, and a couple of the heralds questioned whether it was necessarily accurate. Virgule and Batonvert both noted a distinction between "Morris" and "sword" dances, and said that in their experience the figure is most often called a lock or knot; according to Mistress Aelfwynn, the rose is the figure in which the lock is broken.*

* Just watch out for the propellers in the ceiling ...

Kingdom of the West

Amanda Edwin. Name and device. Or, two garden roses gules, slipped and leaved, stems conjoined, vert, between two chevronels inverted azure.

Audred Fitzgerald. Device. Per chevron embattled sable and argent, in base a saltire gules.

Brianna of Locksley. Name and device. Argent, two feathers in saltire between four crescents azure.

Cayotana Maria Nadjit. Name and device. Argent, on a pile inverted purpure between two roses gules, a wolf's head erased argent.

Gerald of Ipsley. Device. Sable, in cross four leopard's heads Or, jessant­de­lys argent, a bordure argent.

NOTE: Nice!

Gerhardt Raginharisohn. Name only.

NOTE: According to Star, ­sohn is the Modern High German for 'son'; the Old High German form would be -sunu. Please advise the submitter.

Hrolf Herjolfsson. Device. Quarterly sable and Or, a sun, cardinal points throughout, within an orle of roundels counterchanged.

Klement St. Christoph. Device. Azure, on a cross nowy cotised argent, a trefoil slipped vert.

NOTE: Very nice.

Klement St. Christoph. Badge. Azure, a pale argent, in fess three trefoils slipped counterchanged.

Lochac, Region of. Seal for Crux Australis Herald. On a roundel, on a pale between four mullets, two and two.', two straight trumpets palewise in fess, bells to base and chief.

DISCUSSION: This submission raised two questions: whether a regional herald was entitled to register a seal, and whether the badge itself was legal.

The first question is rather messy. I was unable to find any statement of the restrictions in the Rules for Submissions, and so turned to rulings from the LoARs. In April 1980, Master Wilhelm forbade badges for subsidiary offices "especially within the heralds. Seals may be used, but it is the opinion of myself and my staff that there is no need or justification for registering a seal to a heraldic office below the level of Principality Herald." In March 1981 he restricted heraldic seals to "titled Heralds and Principal Heralds." In March 1982 he said that "individual kingdom offices may register tinctureless seals." He barred tinctureless badges in May 1983, with the exception that "Titled heralds may continue to register tinctureless seals for use by their offices in sealing documents."

Crescent is of the opinion that "titled Herald" was being used sloppily here, to mean either "principality herald" or "kingdom or principality herald." This explains the otherwise redundant "titled Heralds and Principal Heralds" in the March 1981 ruling, and establishes a consistent policy beginning in April 1980.

As much as I would like this to be the case, I find that a seal was registered to Torch Herald in May 1983, and to Oaken Herald in December of the same year. Whether or not this represented a change in policy, from May 1983 onward it would appear that "titled herald" was being applied according to its common usage (also known as a "capital­H herald"). Crux Australis is a titled herald, and is therefore entitled, under the present rules, to register a seal. (Please note that this will not be the case in the future; see the cover letter for details.)

The second question has to do with the fact that this is a fieldless badge. According to the Rules for Submissions (XI.7), "Fieldless badges may not use charges that issue from the edge of the field, like a pale ... because there is no edge and so the shape is unspecified." The West has attempted to circumvent this problem by blazoning the seal as lion a roundel," which violates the spirit of the law. [V.11] It also runs afoul (technically, but not of the spirit) of the ruling prohibiting a roundel from bearing more than one charge. (15 Jul 83, P. 11)

It is not, however, altogether unreasonable to specify the shape of the seal as circular; and herald's seals do represent a rather glaring exception to the rest of the Rules. I also note that, in August 1982, Haster Wilhelm registered a seal for Sea­Wolf Herald: On a roundel a pale invected ... I am therefore making a specific exception to the Rules for this submission. [V.7)

Maeve as Ceithir Uamhan (submitted as Maeve a Ceithir Sloc). Name and device. Or, a cross azure between in bend sinister a wolf's head erased and a fleur­de­lys gules, a chief arched azure.

NOTE: On the advice of Brigantia, we have substituted as for a, and uamhan (the plural of uamh 'cave') for sloc 'den, pit, dungeon'. She has asked us to point out that 'the concepts associated with the sort of cave that is represented by 'uamh' in Scots Gaelic seem to have all sorts of overtones that the lady might not really want" ­­ derivatives of the word have meanings like 'horror', 'monster', and 'atrocity'. The best literal translation for "of Four Caverns" appears to be as Ceithir Tuill fo Thalamh, which is quite a mouthful. If she would prefer this form (or the English "of Four Caverns") to what we have registered, let us know, and we'll change it for her.

Valgard Stonecleaver. Name and device. Counter­ermine, a winged wolf rampant to sinister and a bordure invected Or.

THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSIONS ARE RETURNED:

Kingdom of Ansteorra

Aleana o'r Serennoggorwydd. Name change (from Aleana o'r Gorwydd Serennog); appeal.

REASON FOR RETURN: The examples submitted to support the appeal are based on known exceptions or modern examples. To the best of our knowledge, the name as submitted is grammatically incorrect.

DISCUSSION: According to the members of the College who can claim some familiarity with the Welsh language, the adjective normally follows the noun it modifies. As is common with many (if not most) languages, there are a handful of exceptions to the rule. Hen 'old', which occurs in most of the counter­examples cited in the appeal, is one of these exceptions. The other example, marchnerth ' 'horsepower', is a modern construct. Apparently, it is not uncommon for modern terms, especially technical ones, to be translated "straight," without regard for the usual word formation rules of the language that is acquiring them.

Drusilla of Northumbria. Device. Vert, a ring of three keys inverted argent and a chief embattled azure fimbriated argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: Fimbriation of chiefs (as well as bordures, flaunches, and "other such throughout abstract charges") was disallowed in Master Wilhelm's cover letter of August 19, 1983.

Giovanni dei Fiori. Device (appeal). Per pale Or and argent, the whole semy of roses gules barbed and seeded proper, on a bend azure a harp between two roundels Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: The design is too complex. Please simplify.

SYNOPSIS: This submission was previously returned in September 1984. At that time I noted that, "I do not know of any precedent for a semy covering both halves of a divided field. The result is complex and awkward to blazon. A bend between six roses would probably be acceptable, as would a plain field semy of a much smaller number of roses. The latter would provide better contrast." The submitter has appealed this, offering as precedent the device of ALIXIA AURORA AIRIELLE: Per pale vert and azure, both mulletty, a pale within a bordure Or."

DISCUSSION: My objection to the semy* was founded on two things: a ruling of Master Wilhelm's that "You cannot have semé overall like this, with [charges] overlying the lines of the chap?" (28 Mar 84, p. 11), and the lack of an established way of blazoning it. The usual SCA practice in the latter case is to make something up, a custom that has led to barbarisms such as the "bordurelet" and clusters of charges blazoned "in estoile."

When confronted with a coat that seems to evade the system of nomenclature, I tend to question the practice that requires the evasion. After all, if the language doesn't deal with the situation, it seems likely that the situation has never occurred before; ergo, we have prima facie evidence that the practice is out of period.

Now, asking questions of this kind too often is disruptive. You start looking askance at everything that passes in front of you; and it's hard to get any work done when you're looking up every other word in the dictionary. I therefore let a lot of these slip by. Other times I try to find an alternate blazon that avoids the problem. Frequently, I will look a term up, find it's being correctly used, and pass it. (If it seems interesting, and if I have the time, I usually mention this in the LOAR.) Sometimes I will approve a blazon, but question the terminology in the LOAR. And sometimes, as in the present case, I will raise the question as one of the reasons for returning a submission.

A single SCA example isn't very good precedent. It may be the product of ignorance, or sloppiness, or a practice that has since been abandoned. This doesn't mean the argument is invalid; just that there are others that may take precedence. Alixia's device has an ordinary along the line of division, so the semy does not actually cover the entire field; it is actually vert mullety Or on one side, and azure mullety Or on the other. I was looking for precedent for charges that overlapped the line of division.

The mundane instances cited by Treblerose (none of which, incidentally, are explicitly dated) may provide this precedent (it's hard to tell without knowing how they are emblazoned mundanely). I note that all of them are counterchanged, which doesn't answer my underlying question about the legitimacy of the present blazon.

However, if we accept Roger F. Pye's assertion that semy is a group of charges, then there is no reason the charges could not overlap the line of division. Despite the absence of examples, the practice would seem to consistent with mundane (and presumably period) heraldic practice. I still feel my question is a valid one, but on review, I find the underlying arguments are less strong than I believed them to be at the time. I therefore withdraw my objection.

This leaves the question of complexity (the second objection I raised), and for this I see no solution. We have (1) a low­contrast divided field, strewn with (2) a semy overall, which underlies (3) an ordinary, which is charged with (4) two different types of charges. Visually, there are four layers; and visually, the device is cluttered. I still feel that it needs to be simplified.

CONCLUSION: I am withdrawing my objection to the semy, but not to the complexity of the submission.

* Semant? Semé is the past participle of the French verb semer 'to scatter'. Semy of roses means "scattered [with] roses." You wouldn't refer to "a scattered of roses," however; you'd use the present participle and say "a scattering." The regular present participle of semer would be semant.

Well, it's a cute argument, but (a) it's pedantic, and (b) it overlooks the fact that a foreign word is being injected directly into an English sentence. In this context, semy is standing for the heraldic practice in which the term figures, and is either explicitly or implicitly italicized. As a word standing for itself, I guess it may legitimately be used as a noun.

End of digression.

Kief af Kiersted. Name only.

REASON FOR RETURN: Kief appears to be a place name, not a given name. (Please note that the submitter's source is an etymological dictionary of family names.)

DISCUSSION: Of the suggested variants listed in Star's subsequent letter of comment, I cannot find Cif, Cifing, or Kiefer in Searle's Onomasticon Anglo Saxonicum; and according to MacLysaght's Irish Family Names (pp. 176­177), Keogh is from Mac Eochaidh, which means that the initial "K" sound is the result of carrying over the consonant at the end of the patronymic particle. (Patrick Woulfe talks about this phenomenon in ' Irish Names and Surnames, p. 31. I believe I quoted the passage in a ruling a few months ago.)

Liam Oge of Cocraig. Device. Azure, on a heart argent a "heart trefflé of one inverted in chief" gules.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with ANN GERTRUDE LEONHARDT: Azure, on a heart argent a lion rampant azure. (SCA) There are two minor points of difference, for changing the type and tincture of a tertiary charge.

DISCUSSION: The charge is period and appears to be legitimate, but we do not know its name. The College found the submitted blazon confusing, and no one was able to suggest a replacement. We suspect the charge may not be a heart at all, although that is certainly what the shape suggests. Perhaps one of the Continental armorials would yield a blazon for RIBBING (Sweden, 1295) or HANS ADO VON SEEBACH (no date).

Kingdom of Caid

Collette la Fleur des Jardins. Device. Per bend sinister azure and argent, two seagulls in bend volant to sinister argent and a sprig of three violets purpure, slipped and leaved vert.

REASON FOR RETURN: This conflicts with MARITSA DMITRIEVNA: Per bend sinister sable and argent, a Russian cross argent and a violet purpure, slipped and leaved vert. (SCA) We count a minor point of difference for changing the tincture of half the field, and a major point for changing the type and number of the charges in chief. All of the changes take place in the upper half of the field.

Gulliver Blackrune. Name and device. Or, a fess between and conjoined to a pile and a pile inverted [a triangle issuant from chief and another from base?], all between four cat's paw prints sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: Gulliver is a surname, and does not appear to have been used as a given name in period. P. H. Reaney derives it from Old French goulafre 'glutton'. (Bardsley 342; Reaney DBS 158)

The device is not particularly heraldic. It appears to have been created by drawing a geometric pattern, and then attempting to decompose this into known heraldic shapes. Designs of this sort have been returned in the past. "Although it is certainly possible to construct abstract shapes by combining various ordinaries, as has been done here, the blazon is usually confusing and the overall effect non­heraldic." (BoE, 28 Sep 84, p. 17) I feel, in particular, that this is not a legitimate use of the pile. Please redesign, perhaps using one of the geometrical crosses "throughout" as the central charge.

Kathleen of the Golden Fingers. Device (appeal). Vert, on a bend sinister argent cotised Or three lumbar vertebrae sable.

REASON FOR RETURN: The lumbar vertebra is not a recognizable charge.

DISCUSSION: A quick check of several major references (Parker, Woodward, Papworth, Shield and Crest, An Heraldic Alphabet, and A Complete Guide to Heraldry) turned up instances of the following: the generic "long bone" (shank­bone, shinbone, thigh­bone, leg­bone), the skull (death's head), the jaw­bone (lower jaw), the human skeleton, and the "fanged tooth." This does not prove that the use of other bones is not heraldic or is out of period [in heraldry], but it does strongly suggest that heraldic usage is confined to these specific areas; and nothing the submitter has provided disproves this conclusion.

As I noted in my discussion on Lourana Moonwind (20 Oct 85, p. 2), period art is not necessarily a valid source for heraldic motifs. In the example provided by the submitter (a fragment of a polyptych with scenes from St. John the Baptist), the lumbar vertebra is part of a severed neck: it is identifiable by the context within which it is found. The same is true of vertebrae shown in human skeletons.

Heraldry is a system of recognizable symbols used for purposes of identification. Even in canting (which tends to use obscure names for symbols, rather than obscure symbols), the symbolic and artistic content is secondary to the recognizability of the bearings. If the charges cannot be identified, neither can the bearer.

I am reminded of a lovely quotation from an early set of College of Arms minutes:

If Her current Majesty complains about our heraldry, and offers to design her own, let us say to her, "Your Majesty, you are a creative artist, an expressive artist, and heraldry is a branch of mechanical drawing." (HB, 15 Feb 70, p. 7; in Prec I:58)

We would suggest she consider a whole skeleton; or perhaps a head and body.

Kingdom of the East

Sternwulf von Drakenwijk. Name and device. Purpure, six wolves passant guardant in annulo argent.

REASON FOR RETURN: ' Sternwulf does not appear to be correctly formed. Stern Istart is a common noun, and does not appear to have been used as a protheme. The device conflicts visually with HASTINI CHANDRA: Purpure, eight elephants passant in annulo, trunks conjoined to tails, argent. (SCA) I count a minor point of difference for the type of charge, and another minor point for number.

DISCUSSION: The device also conflicts, technically, with CASSANDRA CERNAKOVA: Purpure, six crescents in annulo argent. (SCA) The complete­difference­of­charge rule applies only when there are three or fewer charges. [XII.4] I questioned this application of the CDOC rule when it came up in March 1985 (Edward FitzRanulf, pp. 21­22), but the response from the College was unfavorable. The more I think about this, the less reasonable I find it.

It seems to me that a coat consisting of up to six identical charges, in a standard arrangement, ought to be able to invoke the CDOC rule on a case­by­case basis. As the number of charges increased, the requirement that the charges be distinctive would also have to increase. While it is not completely unreasonable to call "six wolves" against "six horses," one would expect a competent modern or medieval herald to be able to distinguish "a lion" from "a horse."

Kingdom of the West

Reynardine of Lochac. Badge. Per pale vert and purpure, a windmill, sails set saltirewise, Or.

REASON FOR RETURN: Conflict with TER MEULEN: Vert a windmill Or. (Rietstap) There is a minor point of difference for change in tincture of half the field.