ÆTHELMEARC
COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #104 Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Feast of St. Brieuc
1 May, AS XLII
Greetings from Myfanwy!
Enclosed pray find commentary on Æ #104. Everything was conflict
checked through the December 2006 LoAR. I had hoped to get this done
before the last minute, but events conspired....
I remain your servant and the Society’s.
Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy@nauticom.net
1. Andreas Jäger von Holstein (resub name and device) -- Argent, a
bear sejant erect sable and on a chief rayonny enarched gules a
lightning bolt fesswise argent.
I don’t have Brechenmacher but the other name
docs are as cited.
The resubmitted emblazon is clearly an improvement over the
prior submission attempt [c.f. URL: http://www.
aeheralds.net/Letters/AE95/iloi.html]. However, the center of the
chief still seems to be a bit high up on the field.
In my previous commentary I said that the enarched
chief with a
complex line of division was weird but probably registrable. Unless
it has been specifically overturned (and the only way to know for
certain is to scroll the the LoARs for the past several years, since
the end of Shauna’s tenure as Laurel) this Precedent from
François’
tenure applies:
[a chief enarched and invected ]
[sic] To quote from the LoAR of June
1997, "While it is true that lines could be enarched and also
embattled,
engrailed, et cetera, the enarching was basically to show the
curvature
of the shield". Enarched lines are an exception to the general
practice of
disallowing the combination of two different complex lines of
partition
into one line of partition, so this enarched and invected chief may
be
accepted. [ Justinian the Gentle ,05/02 ,
[sic] A-Outlands]
no conflicts found
2. Berewyn Connell of Blackwode (device resub) -- Per chevron
sable and purpure, a chevron indented Or and in chief two wolves
combattant argent.
The chevron seems almost too large [wow, did *I* say that? :-) ]; it
seems to crowding the wolves. Additionally, it seems somewhat
strangely drawn, with the center indents narrower and steeper than the
rest; however, this form *is* depicted in Fox-Davies [p. 123, fig.
132] (although with the chevron a bit thinner overall, and starting
further down on the shield. While not my first choice, for a source
for emblazons, Fox-Davies is a pretty standard beginner heraldry
book, due to it’s relatively low cost and general availability (von
Volborth being -- sadly -- out of print). The emblazon still makes me
twitch, but it’s probably registrable.
no conflicts found
3. Petr Kotok (name change from Petr Kotov)
The documentation provided appears to support this submission. Is it
a name change, however, or an appeal? If an appeal, it would be
forwarded to Laurel for Wreath’s (or Laurel’s) consideration; if
merely a change, it would go to Pelican as would any normal name
submission or name change submission.
4. Rhiannon le Meke -- Per pale azure and Or goutty de sang, a harpy
displayed counterchanged.
The Precedent for use of <Rhiannon> as SCA-compatible has been
upheld
as recently as July, 2001. with the name <Rhiannon of Sevenoaks
(7/01
West)>.
The docs for the byname are as cited.
There may be some problems with the name, however. While English and
Welsh in combination may be acceptable, the byname appears to derive
from the Middle English <meke> and Middle English in combination
with
(Early) Welsh has been ruled not registrable (Taliesin of Lyonesse,
6/05) [URL: http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/sca/
weirdness_table.html]. As <Rhiannon> is technically the name of a
goddess, it isn’t clear how early the name is to be found. The name
is found in two stories in TheMabinogion; the earliest more or less complete
manuscript form, the White Book of Rhydderch, dates to c. 1325, with
some fragments, according Jeffrey Gantz, dating to about a century
earlier, but it is unclear how far back the stories, particularly
those of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi (two of which: “Pwyll Lord
of Dyved” and “Manawydan Son of Ll{yˆ}r”, have a character named
Rhiannon) are found, in either manuscript form or oral tradition.
If the name is indeed considered Early Welsh, then this name may have
to be changed to some registrable form (such as <Rhiannon the
Meek>);
however, the submitter has not requested authenticity.
This appears to be a non-standard depiction of a harpy [c.f., PIC-DIC,
figs. 346 and 347]. I’m not sure why it seems to be wearing a hat;
von Volborth [p. 46, figs. 359 and 363] depicts harpies wearing
crowns, in the arms of Liechtenstein and of Emden. Lower Saxony, as
well [op. cit., fig. 361] as the arms of Nuremberg (which in part of
its history was apparently actually an eagle with a king’s head), but
in all these the crown is specifically blazoned. Woodward [pp.
294-95] cites (but does not depict) several uses of harpies as
charges, but in most cases, the crown is again specifically blazoned,
and I have not found any instances of other headgear. The nearest I
could find remotely like it is in the depictions of a Greek sphinx and
of an Assyrian sphinx [c.f., von Volborth, p. 47, figs. 371 and 373
respectively] but it isn’t clear whether or not these are stylized
generic depictions; certainly, the Assyrian sphinx appears to have a
crown, and for the Greek one it may be a crown as well. In any case,
this submission gives enough of the impression of a crown that
(unless, the submitter has a baronial title or greater, and submits
some proof thereof) this may need to be redrawn.
The gouttes are a bit small. While they are probably acceptable, the
likely need for a redraw anyway means that they could be made a bit
larger.
There may be some issue with commenters concerning the combination of
the name and armory as there is a Precedent from Bruce’s tenure as
Laurel:
[Rhiannon de Licorne ] [sic] "It is a long-standing
policy that the name
Rhiannon may not be coupled with horses or unicorns, in view of
Rhiannon's
function as a horse goddess." [AmCoE, 27 Sept 86] (Rhiannon de
Licorne of
Carreg Cennen, October, 1992, pg. 27)
I know that this was cited in commentary when I changed my own arms
(registered 11/01, Æthelmearc), although I believe the final
decision
came down to unicorns and horses being considered sufficiently
different charges in period (the LoAR doesn’t say, but I was on Laurel
staff at the time). Likewise, there is another Precedent from Bruce’s
tenure that is relevant here:
Note: the fact that [the harpy or
frauenadler ] [sic] were considered distinct
charges in period allows us to grant a CD against eagles. (Barony
of Red
Spears, September, 1993, pg. 25)
so there should not be a problem, even if the other Precedent is cited
by other commenters, and the (given) name should be acceptable with
the submitted armory (barring other issues such as conflicts).
Possible reblazon: Per pale azure and Or goutty de sang, a harpy
displayed [and crowned?] per pale Or and azure.
Possible reblazon: Per pale azure and Or goutty
de sang, a harpy
displayed guardant [and crowned?] per pale azure and Or.
probably clear of: John of Melniborne (1/73 ??) -- Per pale
azure and Or, a winged passion-nail, wings displayed, counterchanged.
There is a CD for adding the semy, and probably one for type of
primary (although it may warrant a visual check to be certain.
clear of: Martinus Draco Byzantinos (2/03 Calontir) -- Per pale azure
and Or, a double-headed eagle and in chief two chi-rhos all
counterchanged.
There is a CD between a harpy and an eagle, and there is at least one
CD for significant changes to the secondaries.
5. Siobhan Griffyn (change of holding name from Siobhan of Misty
Highlands)
The docs for the given name are as cited. Note that while the ÓC
& M
cite gives the name with the accent (it’s the post-1200 header form),
the other cite gives at least two instances in the raw data of the
submitted spelling (i.e., without the accent) -- one dated to 1370 and
one to 1383.
Obviously there is a typo in the citation for the byname :-) [the
actual URL is: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/
tangwystyl/lateirish/ormond.html]. The information about
<Griffyn>
being an unmarked patronymic is found in the “Glossary of Elements in
Bynames” [URL: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/lateirish/
ormond-glossary.html#Glossary]; it is also found in the marked
patronymic form <McGriffyn>; however, as a given name it is not
found
in that form, but as <Griffinus>, <Griffino> (ablative) and
<Griffinum> (accusative), and in a Welsh -- rather than an Irish
--
context [URL: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/lateirish/
ormond-given.html#Given]. It is not entirely clear whether the byname
forms are in a Welsh or Irish context; there is a cite from Reaney and
Wilson, but the submitted spelling is not found under the header form
<Griffin>. The submitted spelling *is* a subsidiary header form
in
Morgan and Morgan [pp. 102-5], which says:
[p. 104] Examples of Griffyn, Griffin [sic] are
found in a variety of
documents throughout the early period and one is persuaded at times
to believe it was a natural hypocoristic version of
Gruffydd/Griffith;
but we prefer to think it was a form used by Anglo-Norman and
English
clerks, (as a sort of translation); they were familiar with a word
like it,
namely the mythical bird Griffin [sic]; and there
is evidence that Griffin
was an English surname in the thirteenth century, e.g. ELS
Cumberland,
p. 7, Blencow, Thomas Griffin, Adam Griffin; p. 18, Rouclef, Adam
Griffin.
This form persisted in the English courts, InvECP 58, ... [sic]
Elizabeth ...
[sic] daughter and heir of Griffin Donne; John Donne father of the
said
Edward and Griffin; (Carms 1544) 53. Griffith Donne; ibid Griffin
Hygon
of New Caermarthen = [sic] Griffith Hyggons (1544. [sic] we do not
therefore think it proper to treat it as a hypocoristic name.
These examples, of course, are not in an Irish context at all.
Gaelic and Welsh together as name elements are not registrable [URL:
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/sca/weirdness_table.html]; however,
Gaelic with either Anglo-Norman or English is registrable, being one
step from period practice, as is English with Anglicized Irish. This
is probably going to have to be a judgment call as to whether
<Griffyn> can be considered an English name in an Irish context,
or a
Welsh name.
6. Thorolf the Blak -- Quarterly sable and Or, in bend sinister a
Thor’s hammer and a wolf’d {sic] head ululant couped contourny sable.
I don’t have the source cited in the documentation, although I presume
that since copies are provided the cites are relatively accurate. The
Geirr Bassi and Reaney and Wilson docs are as cited; however, it is
somewhat troubling that the prototheme <Blak-> can only be found
in
forms of (mostly) placenames that are much later than the given name;
this may be a temporal incompatibility than would cause the name to be
returned for a second step from period practice (in addition to the
language issue). The spelling <blak> may need to be checked in
something like the OED, which I don’t have (and I don’t have access to
the online version).
This (as emblazoned) looks more like a capital <I>, or possibly
an
anchor without the ring -- certainly not a Thor’s hammer [c.f. PIC-DIC
fig. 336b]. I have never seen a Thor’s hammer depicted with the top
crossbar.
The wolf’s head should have a little bit of internal detailing -- the
color html version makes it look more like a bear’s head, and even on
the B&W version having only the outline makes it difficult to
identify
the type of head. In addition, I had to look twice to make sure that
it was really couped, and not humetty (i.e., the cut line following
the shape of the shield); couping this with a horizontal line (rather
than diagonal one) will help solve this problem.
However, there is an additional problem -- this submission has the
distinct feel of marshalled arms. The Rfs XI.3 says:
Period marshalling combined two or more separate designs to
indicate
descent from noble parents and claim to inheritance. Since members
of
the Society are all required to earn their status on their own
merits,
apparent claims to inherited status are presumptuous. Divisions
commonly
used for marshalling, such as quarterly or per pale, may only be
used in
contexts that ensure marshalling is not suggested. a. [sic] Such fields may be used with identical
charges over the entire
field, or with complex lines of partition or charges overall that
were not
used for marshalling in period heraldry.
In this instance, there are two different charges on a quartered
field, and no complex line of division or overall charge.
no conflicts found
7. Tigernach mac Cathail -- Per bend Or and azure, a dragon
segreant vert and a unicorn rampant to sinister argent.
The dragon should be a little more upright (this is somewhere between
segreant and segreant in bend) but is probably okay.
Possible reblazon: Per bend Or and azure, a dragon segreant vert and a
unicorn Per bend Or and azure, a dragon segreant vert and a unicorn
rampant to sinister argent. argent.
no conflicts found
Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme [Bruce Miller] and Akagawa Yoshio
[Kevin Munday]. APictorialDictionaryofHeraldryAsUsedinTheSocietyforCreativeAnachronism,
2nd Ed., 1992.
Fox-Davies, A. C. ACompleteGuidetoHeraldry. New York:
Bonanza Books, 1978.
Gantz, Jeffrey (trans.) TheMabinogion. New York: Dorset Press, 1976, 1985.