Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms
For the January 2020 meetings, printed March 22, 2020
To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Juliana Laurel, Alys Pelican, and Cormac Wreath, greetings.
We want everyone to know that we're paying careful attention to the evolving situation. At this time, operations are continuing normally, as our meetings are mostly virtual. We know that submissions may drop off, so we won't be as concerned as usual with the requirement that letters be issued every two months.
We exhort those kingdoms who have traditionally had face to face meetings to abide by the policies of their kingdom and the mundane authorities. If they need assistance in establishing virtual meetings, the Laurel office is glad to help. But please keep in touch and let us know as you run into issues.
We will not be making a decision about Known World Heralds and Scribes until mundane instructions about travel and gatherings for July become clearer. As soon as we have anything, however, we'll share information.
We encourage heralds to work with their kingdom and local leadership to keep alive the magic of court and pageantry in this difficult time.
From Pelican: This month I would like to thank Seraphina Ragged Staff for her contributions in commentary. Not only does Seraphina do the time-consuming and difficult job of Ragged Staff -- ensuring that necessary forms and documents are uploaded to the packet and following up with Kingdoms when things are missing -- she also finds time to add valuable name commentary. She has helped save a number of names that were not properly documented in the Letter of Intent. My job would be so much harder without her.
From Wreath: Commendations to Sir Kean de Lacy, Brachet Herald, who has been stepping up in recent months and providing consistent and useful commentary.
By precedent, the Gaelic given name Róisín was not registerable because we had no evidence of its use in period. [Róis ni Brian, 4/2007 LoAR, A-Caid] In commentary on this month's submissions, Brían dorcha ua Conaill made a convincing argument for how Róisín could be constructed in period.
Róis was a Gaelic feminine name in the 15th and 16th centuries. During the same period, we have evidence of the Gaelic suffix -ín being appended to existing names to create diminutive forms. This suffix was applied both to names that originally existed in Gaelic and to Gaelic names that were adapted from English, such as Seoin/Sean which became Seoinín. In addition, Brian provided data showing that -ín and its antecedent forms historically were used to create diminutives for masculine and feminine nouns, not just names.
Róisín also potentially could be the Gaelic root of the attested Anglicized Irish feminine name Rosina, found in the Fiants of Edward VI.
Accordingly, we hereby overturn the April 2007 precedent and all other precedents barring the registration of Róisín as undocumented. Beginning with this month's letter, this name can be registered as a 15th-16th century Gaelic feminine name.
On the April 2018 Cover Letter, we set forth the requirements for registration of names and badges for Hamlets. Among those requirements is a petition of support. The exact form of that petition of support was left unclear.
For all Hamlet names or badges submitted after the publication date of this letter, we will require a petition of support signed by at least three individuals: (1) the Seneschal of the group sponsoring the Hamlet; (2) the designated contact person for the Hamlet; and (3) at least one person who resides within the Hamlet. As with other petitions of support, these individuals must sign with their legal names as well as providing their SCA names. The persons residing within the Hamlet do not need to be members of the Society in order to sign the petition in that capacity. The petition of support must be dated on the petition itself. Dating the submission form is not sufficient.
If the name and the badge are submitted at the same time, the petition of support should use the following language:
"[Society branch name of Sponsoring Group] is the sponsor of the Hamlet of [Submitted Name]. As Seneschal of [Society branch name of Sponsoring Group] and members living within the proposed Hamlet, we, the undersigned, affirm that we approve the submission of the Hamlet branch name [Submitted Name] and badge [blazon], pictured below."
If the name and badge are submitted separately, use the appropriate parts of this language.
We ask Palimpsest to update the Administrative Handbook, Appendix D - Suggested Standard Form Letters.
Two submissions were pended in August 2019 to look into the use of voided/fimbriated hexagons in period Mon. In O-umajirushi and Daibukon, we find stylized hexagons representing tortoise-shell plates as early as the Kamakura period, always charged, appearing singly or triply one and two. The plates are detailed with one or more concentric hexagon outlines (usually two), which differentiate them from hexagons in the same way that the details of a moon in her plenitude identify it as blazonably distinct from a plate.
Examples of tortoise-shell plates appear on pages xxiv, xxv, and 214 of O-umajirushi, and pages 16 and 20 of Daibukon.
Color depictions of Mon are exceedingly rare, as most manuscripts have tinctureless depictions. The two examples found in our research were the kimono of Naoe Kanetsugu, found on page xxxiii of O-umajirushi, and the fukinuki and tsukaiban of Sakai Shigezumi. In the former, featuring three tortoise-shell plates, the innermost hexagon of each plate is the same tincture as the field, while the two surrounding hexagons are of a contrasting tincture. The chasing on the contrasted portions of the charge distinguish them as tortoise-shell plates. In the latter, a single tortoise-shell plate charged with a contrasting five-petaled flower is a solid hexagon with a single line of chasing; given the size of the hexagon there's almost no way a second outline would be possible.
There are two examples of octagon enclosures in O-umajirushi, both with the kanji "san" (meaning 'three') and both with a contrasting outline surrounding an interior the same tincture as the field. According to Kiho, this is "an oshiki , a wooden tray used to make offerings to Shint{o-} gods. The three character is a reference to the name of the {O-}mishima Shrine, which literally means 'Great Three Islands Shrine.'" This therefore appears to be an entirely distinct charge from a tortoise-shell plate, and the expectations for defining features are different.
The chased interior hexagons are a defining feature of a tortoise-shell plate, just as the face of a moon in her plenitude or the walls of a labyrinth define the charges as distinct from a roundel. Tortoise-shell plates are always charged. Use of tortoise-shell plates with an outer edge that contrasts with both the field and the interior will only be accepted if they are in groups of three, arranged one and two.
This month we were asked to consider (Fieldless) A unicorn argent charged on the haunch with three lozenges one and two azure. Many commenters recognized this as an obtrusive reference to the character Rarity from the animated television program My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and all commenters recognized this as a character from the My Little Pony (MLP) franchise.
In the universe of MLP, each pony bears a distinctive mark on its hindquarters. Known as a "cutie mark," this functions as the equivalent to heraldry or a logo. In the current series, Rarity is a main character, a white unicorn who bears three lozenges on her rump. While the current submission doesn't feature Rarity's purple mane and tail, such details are considered artistic license; the lozenges unmistakably identify the charge as Rarity, and pull the observer kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Even if the particular tincture of the primary charge and the choice of tertiary charges didn't match a particular character in the franchise, the placement of the cutie mark on the haunch of a horse, unicorn, or pegasus is a pattern that unmistakably reminds people of MLP. The practice has not been found in period, as most charged animate charges are charged on the breast or midsection. Therefore, unless documentation is provided, charging a creature on the haunch will be considered obtrusively modern and disallowed.
On February 28, 2020 at Bright Hills Baronial Birthday in the Kingdom of Atlantia, Their Majesties Cuan and Signy inducted Beatrice Shirwod, Golden Dolphin Herald (Submissions), into the Order of the Golden Dolphin. The Order of the Golden Dolphin is Atlantia's grant level order for service.
On March 7, 2020, Þorkell Palsson, Laurel Exchequer, was inducted into the Order of the Pelican by Christian and Hélène, at An Tir's Kingdom Arts & Sciences and Rapier Championships.
Please send information about happenings to major heralds and major happenings to all heralds to Laurel, so that it can be published here.
Letters of Intent, Comment, Response, Correction, et cetera are to be posted to the OSCAR online system. No paper copies need be sent. All submission forms plus documentation, including petitions, must be posted to the OSCAR online system. While black-and-white emblazons must be included in the Letter of Intent, only colored armory forms need to be posted in the forms area.
Cheques or money orders for submissions, payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms" are to be sent to Trent Le Clair, 928 Frazier Dr, Walla Walla WA 99362
Send roster changes and corrections to Laurel. College of Arms members may also request a copy of the current roster from Laurel.
For a paper copy of a LoAR, please contact Laurel, at the address above. The cost for one LoAR is $3. Please make all checks or money orders payable to "SCA Inc.-College of Arms". The electronic copy of the LoAR is available free of charge. To subscribe to the mailings of the electronic copy, please see the bottom of http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/lists.html#lists for more instructions.
For all administrative matters, please contact Laurel.
Items listed below in square brackets have not been scheduled yet. For information about future scheduling, please review the status table located on the Web at http://oscar.sca.org/index.php?action=137.
The January Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, January 12, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, January 19, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Lochac (31 Aug, 2019) (pushed due to packet not uploaded), Calontir (05 Oct, 2019), Middle (05 Oct, 2019), Æthelmearc (13 Oct, 2019), Æthelmearc (14 Oct, 2019), Palimpsest Rules Letter (15 Oct, 2019), An Tir (22 Oct, 2019), Atenveldt (25 Oct, 2019), Ealdormere (27 Oct, 2019), Artemisia (28 Oct, 2019), West (28 Oct, 2019), Outlands (29 Oct, 2019), Drachenwald (30 Oct, 2019), Ansteorra (31 Oct, 2019), Atlantia (31 Oct, 2019), Caid (31 Oct, 2019), East (31 Oct, 2019), Meridies (31 Oct, 2019), Northshield (31 Oct, 2019), Laurel LoPaD (01 Nov, 2019), and Laurel LoPaD (30 Nov, 2019) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Tuesday, December 31, 2019.
The February Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, February 16, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, February 9, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Calontir (05 Nov, 2019), Æthelmearc (07 Nov, 2019), Middle (11 Nov, 2019), Lochac (14 Nov, 2019), Laurel (15 Nov, 2019), Northshield (24 Nov, 2019), Atenveldt (25 Nov, 2019), Ealdormere (25 Nov, 2019), Atlantia (26 Nov, 2019), Outlands (27 Nov, 2019), Ansteorra (29 Nov, 2019), An Tir (30 Nov, 2019), Artemisia (30 Nov, 2019), Caid (30 Nov, 2019), Drachenwald (30 Nov, 2019), East (30 Nov, 2019), Gleann Abhann (30 Nov, 2019), Gleann Abhann (30 Nov, 2019), Meridies (30 Nov, 2019), Middle (30 Nov, 2019), Trimaris (30 Nov, 2019), West (30 Nov, 2019), Laurel LoPaD (01 Dec, 2019), and Laurel LoPaD (31 Dec, 2019) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Friday, January 31, 2020.
The March Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, March 8, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, March 15, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Æthelmearc (07 Dec, 2019), Calontir (07 Dec, 2019), Avacal (18 Dec, 2019), An Tir (20 Dec, 2019), Ealdormere (24 Dec, 2019), Lochac (28 Dec, 2019), Artemisia (29 Dec, 2019), Caid (29 Dec, 2019), Atenveldt (30 Dec, 2019), Outlands (30 Dec, 2019), An Tir (31 Dec, 2019), Atlantia (31 Dec, 2019), Drachenwald (31 Dec, 2019), East (31 Dec, 2019), Meridies (31 Dec, 2019), Northshield (31 Dec, 2019), Laurel LoPaD (01 Jan, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (03 Feb, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Saturday, February 29, 2020.
Not all letters of intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this cover letter. The date of posting of the LoI, date of receipt of the Laurel packet, or other factors may delay consideration of certain letters of intent. Additionally, some letters of intent received may not have been scheduled because the administrative requirements (receipt of the forms packet, receipt of the necessary fees, et cetera) have not yet been met.
REMINDER: Until all administrative requirements are met, the letter may not be scheduled.
Pray know that I remain,
In service,
Juliana de Luna
Laurel Queen of Arms
Created at 2020-03-22T14:53:35