Society for Creative Anachronism
College of Arms

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Spokane, WA 99203
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For the May 2020 meetings, printed July 24, 2020

To all the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive, from Juliana Laurel, Alys Pelican, Cormac outgoing-Wreath, and Oddr incoming-Wreath, greetings.

* From Laurel: We Have Heirs

I'm pleased to announce that Baroness Emma de Fetherstan has been selected by the Board of Directors as the next Laurel Queen of Arms. Emma lives in Ansteorra, where she served as submissions and principal herald. She has been involved in heraldry at the Society level for a long time; she and I served as Pelican and Wreath together several years ago and she's worked for the team as post-meeting clerk pretty much since. You may remember that she briefly served as my predecessor as well. The Known World is in good hands. Details about the transition will follow.

I'm also pleased to announce that Viscountess Elizabeth Turner de Carlisle will be the next Pelican Queen of Arms. Elizabeth has been submissions herald for An Tir multiple times, and served as Princess of the Summits. She brings a lot of energy and knowledge to the job. She'll be taking over from Alys on October 1. For those of you keeping track at home, yes, that means for a just a little while, we'll have an all An Tir team.

* From Laurel: KWHSS 2020 - Thanks to All

This year's Known World was quite an adventure. We were scheduled to go to Lochac, then coronavirus got in the way and the event team turned it into an amazing virtual event instead. We had so many people who wanted to come that we had to turn them away. Five hundred people preregistered, over twice the number we've had at least in recent time, maybe ever, at a KWHSS. I had more students in one class than I've ever had before. We look forward to the Proceedings, which should be forthcoming shortly.

My thanks to Baroness Miriam bat Shimeon, the event steward, and her team. I want to acknowledge especially Mistress ffride wlffsdottir, who coordinated classes and edited the proceedings, and Lady Amelia de la Mere, who managed the bookings/preregistration. I also want to thank Baron Sorle Maknicoll, who was Crux Australis when this journey started, and Lady Amanda Martel, who was Crux by the time we got to the event. You all did an amazing job picturing an event you'd never been to, modifying it on the fly as expectations and possibilities changed, and in the end, produced an event so much better that I could have dreamed of. You inspire me! (And we're going to get to Lochac once the plague is gone from the land.)

It's bittersweet that my last Known World as Laurel happened virtually. I got to see and talk to so many people, but I didn't get to hug any of you. See you soon!

* From Laurel: KWHSS 2021 - Get the Bids In

As you all know, life has been a little disrupted recently. As such, we're not ready to announce a location for KWHSS 2021. Back in April, we extended the deadline for bids to September 1. We'd recommend that any bid include some thinking about a virtual event as well as a face to face one; we hope for the latter, but travel still may be an issue next summer. We look forward to seeing bids and announcing a decision in the fall.

* From Laurel: Brían dorcha ua Conaill

One of the great pleasures of being Laurel is getting to reward good work. The College of Arms has a rank of Herald Extraordinary that has a long and honored history. The rank was formally created and defined in the July 1981 Cover Letter by Wilhelm Laurel. The intent of the rank is to recognize and reward "... those heralds who have greatly served the College of Heralds and/or the College of Arms and have achieved the highest level of competence in heraldry."

What's rarer is to get to grant such a title live. At the Laurel Roadshow on July 12, with the blessing of their Majesties of Lochac, we created Brían dorcha ua Conaill a Herald Extraordinary. For those who weren't there: Pelican called upon him to offer commentary on a Gaelic name; he obliged with his usual great depth of knowledge and good judgement; Pelican pointed out that this needed acknowledgement; and we granted him the recognition at once. We exhort him to register a personal title of his choosing.

* From Palimpsest: Successor Sought

Palimpsest Herald is Laurel's Rules Deputy; that is, Palimpsest is the herald who helps manage the process of changing the rules and handbooks for heralds at the Society level. It's a position that requires attention to detail, fluency with words, strong familiarity with the current rules and handbooks, ready access to email and OSCAR, and general word processing skills. Also useful are the ability to edit HTML and familiarity with older versions of the rules and handbooks and the history of the CoA.

Palimpsest is responsible for: maintaining and managing changes to the Administrative Handbook and the Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory and their Appendices, the Glossary of Terms, Alternate Titles List, and other documents as directed; advising Laurel and Laurel deputies on other Handbook-type documents and questions relating to the rules, handbooks, etc.; answering inquiries regarding processes, rules, etc. from other heralds and the general populace.

Please contact Ursula ([email protected]) and Laurel ([email protected]) if you have questions about this position and/or are interested in taking on this office by September 1, 2020.

* From Ragged Staff: Call for Applicants

The time has come to seek a replacement deputy for Ragged Staff Herald. I must say that this has been the most challenging but rewarding experience of my SCA career. Please review the Ragged Staff job description and requirements. Do you have an administrative bent? Know how to make the trains run on time and enjoy doing it? Then this is the perfect job to learn more about the inner workings of the College of Arms. This is an unpaid position requiring around 25 hours of work a month. Letters of intent should be sent to [email protected] and copied to [email protected] before September 1, 2020. If you have any questions at all about the position, please do not hesitate to ask. I will be happy to answer. Think you're not qualified? I bet you are!

Thank you for your time and consideration. It has been the greatest pleasure working with the College of Arms.

In Service,
Magnifica Seraphina, Ragged Staff

Job Description: Ragged Staff Herald (Ragged Staff) is the file clerk for the Laurel office. Ragged Staff ensures that all submission paperwork from each kingdom's submissions herald is present in OSCAR, follows up with kingdom submissions heralds for omissions or discrepancies, checks forms for consistency with LoIs, assists with uploading additional material, summarizes forms for Pelican and Wreath meetings (at the behest of Pelican or Wreath as needed) and attend Wreath/Pelican meetings as needed or have a deputy attend.

Job Requirements: Computer with reliable internet access, reliable phone.

The successful candidate will possess the following qualities:

* From Pelican: The Problem of Place Names and Offensiveness

Questions were raised this month about whether the names of any places associated with Nazi prison, labor and concentration camps or other Nazi atrocities should be considered offensive name elements and banned from registration. Under SENA, "[o]ffense is not dependent on intent; the fact that a submitter did not intend to be offensive is not relevant. The standard is whether a large segment of the SCA or the general public would be offended." PN5A.

Based on commentary from heralds and non-heralds, as well as recent events, it is clear that a large segment of the SCA and the general public are offended by explicit references to Nazis. However, a blanket ban on every place name association with the Nazis would ban over 1,000 place names, not only in Germany but also in other parts of occupied Europe. Such a plan places an undue burden on people wishing to recreate German and Eastern European history. Therefore, after consulting with our cousins in Drachenwald (many of whom live in places that some have asked to be banned), Laurel will be putting forth a letter asking for commentary on certain specific camp names and whether the level of infamy for those names is sufficiently high that the name should be banned outright. We ask heralds to read and advise on the list of proposed names, either in OSCAR or in direct e-mails to Pelican and Laurel.

* From Pelican: Offensiveness by Association

Over the last year there has been a call to adjust SENA to incorporate the concept of offensiveness by association, rather than just offensiveness based on the meaning of a name element. In other words, name elements that are associated with morally offensive events, offensive people or other offensive concepts would be prohibited just as names with offensive meanings are currently prohibited.

On June 12, 2020 Palimpsest put forth a letter proposing specific amendments to PN5B and NPN5B, adding a new category of offensive names, Offensiveness by Association. We ask heralds to read and advise on the proposed language, either in OSCAR in direct e-mails to Palimpsest, Pelican and Laurel.

* From Wreath: On Imaginary Orles and Bordures

In the submission of the badge of Nathaniel Lennox, Checky vert and argent, a delf within a bordure gules, appearing in the Calontir registrations, kingdom noted that commenters raised the question of interpreting the submission as Gules, an orle checky vert and argent, and thus in conflict with Carson Wynne, Gyronny wavy sable and argent, an orle counter-compony vert and argent [Jan 2014, Gleann Abhann], with only 1 DC for the field. However, they correctly cited precedent that we do not penalize for the shape of our forms: "[Regarding Or, a bordure purpure semy-de-lys bases to center Or] Some commenters suggested that this submission has an equally valid blazon of Purpure, a delf within an orle of fleurs-de-lys bases to center Or, but this is not the case: we do not penalize submitters for the shape of our forms. Drawn on a different-shaped form, the field would not appear to be a delf." [Marceau de Valcourt, A-07/2009 via Atenveldt]

Having seen this issue raised on a regular basis over the past few years, we wish to remind commenters: a fixed, shield-shape charge such as a delf, roundel, or escutcheon, on a field of the same shape does not permit us to reinterpret the design as using a bordure or (as in this case) an orle instead.

We thank our colleagues in Calontir for reminding commenters of this fact.

* From Wreath: Claims of Marshalling - Order of Operations

This month, we were asked to consider armory that had previously been returned for the appearance of marshalling. Though the new design cleared the rule, commenters still asked whether the armory had the appearance of marshalling due to one of the rules under SENA A6F.

Like much of SENA, Section A6F is designed as a decision tree. If X is true, go to Y; else, go to Z. The section has three subsections: designs which aren't marshalling, designs which are, and designs which may or may not be. If the armory is described in the first section, it automatically clears presumption regardless of the rest of the section.

As an example: SENA A6F2c states that "When different sections of the field contain different types of charges, it creates the appearance of marshalling." Without SENA A6F1, this would prohibit the registration of Per bend sable and gules, a goat's head couped contourny and a raven argent or Per pale urdy Or and azure, a fox sejant guardant gules and a bee Or, both of which were registered on the April 2020 LoAR and which are cleared of presumption by SENA A6F1a and A6F1b, respectively.

* From Wreath: Old Business - Triskeles

On the December 2015 Cover Letter, there was a call for commentary to consider a step from period practice for the use of the triskele, or triskelion arrondi.

Since that time, our practice has been to state the use of the charge as a step from period practice. However, we neglected to make a formal declaration. We do so now:

The use of a triskele, or triskelion arrondi, is a step from period practice.

* From Wreath: Natural Rainbows Are Period

This month we were asked to consider whether the natural rainbow, being a heraldic charge with a complexity count of at least seven (usually eight, if the clouds are argent or sable), in combination with another charge, automatically breaks the complexity count restriction found in SENA A3E2. In the August 2008 registration of the device of Phillida Parker, Per fess wavy argent and Or, a natural rainbow proper clouded azure and three fir trees couped vert, it was ruled:

This submission includes indigo as one of the rainbow's tinctures. This matches the description of a natural rainbow proper provided by Laurel when one of Phillida's previous submissions was returned, in December 2002, and the description listed in the Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry. This contradicts the definition in the Glossary of Terms, which omits indigo following precedent from the tenure of Wilhelm von Schlüssel as Laurel. Given the inability of most people to see indigo, the use or omission of indigo in natural rainbows will be considered a matter of artistic license.

While the device has a complexity count of ten (argent, gules, orange, Or, azure, indigo, vert, purpure, rainbow, tree), which is greater than our guideline of eight, natural rainbows proper by themselves already have a complexity count of eight or nine, depending on the inclusion of indigo (either six or seven colors for the arch, argent clouds, and the rainbow as a type). If some additional complexity was not acceptable, natural rainbows by themselves on a field would be entirely unregisterable. Since natural rainbows always have this large complexity count, a complexity count of two greater than that of the rainbow by itself will be considered acceptable. Higher complexity counts may be registerable on a case by case basis.

The rainbow is a period charge, and the tincture of a heraldic rainbow proper varies depending on whether the rainbow appears on a color or metal background. Therefore we have no reason to overturn the 2008 policy at this time.

Furthermore, the tincture pattern of a natural rainbow was known in period, being a naturally observed phenomenon that was depicted in period art. As we have no other examples of maintaining a step from period practice for use of a tincture of a period heraldic charge, and as the natural rainbow would have been known to period artists, we explicitly overturn prior precedent. A natural rainbow no longer carries a step from period practice.

* From Wreath: Continuing the Transition and Division of Labor

As is customary, when we break in a new Sovereign of Arms, we do it gently by splitting the workload. This month, the decisions were split as follows:

For the month of May, Cormac wrote the decisions for the Kingdoms of Æthelmearc, An Tir, Ansteorra, Artemisia, Atenveldt, Atlantia, Avacal, Caid, and Calontir, while Oddr wrote the decisions for Drachenwald, Ealdormere, East, Meridies, Middle, Northshield, and Outlands.

* Society Pages

Please send information about happenings to major heralds and major happenings to all heralds to Laurel, so that it can be published here.

* Send What to Whom

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.

* Scheduling

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 May Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, May 10, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Sunday, May 3, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Middle (02 Feb, 2020), Calontir (07 Feb, 2020), An Tir (14 Feb, 2020), Æthelmearc (23 Feb, 2020), Ealdormere (24 Feb, 2020), Northshield (25 Feb, 2020), Artemisia (27 Feb, 2020), Atlantia (27 Feb, 2020), Avacal (27 Feb, 2020), Laurel LoPaD (27 Feb, 2020), Outlands (28 Feb, 2020), Ansteorra (29 Feb, 2020), Atenveldt (29 Feb, 2020), Caid (29 Feb, 2020), Drachenwald (29 Feb, 2020), East (29 Feb, 2020), Meridies (29 Feb, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (24 Mar, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Thursday, April 30, 2020.

The June Laurel decisions were made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, June 7, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, June 6, 2020. These meetings considered the following letters of intent: Palimpsest Rules Letter (03 Mar, 2020), Avacal (04 Mar, 2020), Gleann Abhann (04 Mar, 2020), Calontir (06 Mar, 2020), An Tir (10 Mar, 2020), Laurel LoPaD (23 Mar, 2020), Outlands (23 Mar, 2020), Æthelmearc (24 Mar, 2020), Ansteorra (24 Mar, 2020), Caid (24 Mar, 2020), Ealdormere (24 Mar, 2020), Northshield (26 Mar, 2020), Atlantia (27 Mar, 2020), Palimpsest Other Letter (27 Mar, 2020), Artemisia (29 Mar, 2020), Avacal (29 Mar, 2020), Atenveldt (30 Mar, 2020), East (30 Mar, 2020), Drachenwald (31 Mar, 2020), West (31 Mar, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (24 Apr, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should have been entered into OSCAR by Sunday, May 31, 2020.

The July Laurel decisions will be made at the Pelican meeting held on Sunday, July 19, 2020 and the Wreath meeting held on Saturday, July 18, 2020. These meetings will consider the following letters of intent: Meridies (01 Apr, 2020), Calontir (04 Apr, 2020), Lochac (06 Apr, 2020), An Tir (09 Apr, 2020), Caid (19 Apr, 2020), Æthelmearc (22 Apr, 2020), Atlantia (22 Apr, 2020), Ealdormere (24 Apr, 2020), Laurel LoPaD (25 Apr, 2020), Artemisia (28 Apr, 2020), Northshield (28 Apr, 2020), Ansteorra (30 Apr, 2020), Atenveldt (30 Apr, 2020), Drachenwald (30 Apr, 2020), East (30 Apr, 2020), Gleann Abhann (30 Apr, 2020), Outlands (30 Apr, 2020), and Laurel LoPaD (20 May, 2020) (redraws). All commentary, responses, and rebuttals should be entered into OSCAR by Tuesday, June 30, 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 2020-07-24T18:05:34