ÆTHELMEARC
COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #123 Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Feast of St. Eligius (Eloi)
1 December, AS XLIV
Greetings from Myfanwy!
Herein pray find the first part of the
commentary on Æ LoI #123. I
didn’t have time this month to check the O&A for conflicts, but
have
conflict-checked in the LoARs up through September 2009 (which was
just uploaded within the last few days).
Note that I am a bit concerned about the quality of this LoI. There
seems to be a preponderance of submissions this month in which
documentation is either missing, doesn’t say what they think it says,
or is just plain wrong and seems to say the opposite of what they
claim. That suggests that either heralds are not being trained in how
to do consults adequately or are not bothering to check what the
submitter has provided. We need to be doing a better job in training
both the College and the general population in the kingdom.
I remain your servant and the Society’s.
Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy@nauticom.net
1. Ælfgifu Falkenglen -- Azure, on a gore sinister Or a thistle
proper.
The docs for the given name are as cited [URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ælfgifu_of_Northampton] and [URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/marieke/anglosaxonfem/].
I don’t have Mills or Ekwall. I did a Google search for <Magna
Glen>
and found the following website [URL: http://www.
medievalgenealogy.org.uk/fines/xml/CP_25_1_126_69.xml]. It seems to
list a series of fines in period; I originally copied the entire text
because it seemed to be mostly all on one (very long) line (and not in
a useful format), then deleted things that seemed to be just more of
the same type:
abstracted by Chris Phillips This piece contains fines numbered
26-50.
AALT images are in directory (full path) [sic] AALT2/CP25no1/
CP25_1_126. 2009-01-24 Last updated ... 3850 Leicestershire.
Westminster.
Two weeks from St Michael, 10 Richard [II] [sic] [13 October 1386]
[sic].
John Skynnere of Tylton' [sic] , chaplain, querent, and Agnes Child'
[sic]
of Magna Glen, deforciant [sic]. 1 messuage and 2 virgates of land
in
Billesdon' [sic]. Plea of covenant. Agnes has acknowledged the
tenements
to be the right of John, and has remised and quitclaimed them from
herself and her heirs to him and his heirs for ever. Warranty. John
has
given her 20 marks of silver. John Skinner, Agnes Child Tilton on
the
Hill, Great Glen, Billesdon 3851 Leicestershire....
The gist of this (and all the deleted portions) is to cite <Magna
Glen> as a place known in England in period, but much later than the
Mills cite. Cameron [p. 103], however, gives the name as <Glen
Magna>. Cameron [pp. 39-40] gives the inversion compound name
<Glendúe> in Northumberland as being of Celtic organ:
There is, however, also a distinctively Celtic type of compound,
usually
called and inversion compound, in which the defining element
follows.
Professor Jackson has shown that place-names [sic] of this type were
not
given at all during the [p. 40] British period and that they
probably first
appear no later than the 6th century. The reasons for suggesting
this date
are that they occur in the more westerly areas of England and in
districts
settled late by the Anglo-Saxons and that they must have been
prominent
here by the late 5th and again in the late 6th century. They are of
course
com- [sic] mon in Wales and Cornwall as also in Brittany. One
feature of
the inver- [sic] sion compounds is important. Their modern form
often
has the stress on the second element in contrast to the stress
pattern of
names of English and Scandinavian origin. So, we have Glendúe
(Nb)
[sic]
literally ‘valley dark’ [sic] and Tretire (He) [sic] ‘ford long’
[sic]; this stress
pattern is a characteristic of later Celtic names and is almost a
sure sign of
Celtic origin.
Cameron [p. 61] also gives the derivation of the name <Glendale>
in
the chapter examining name construction from the Anglo-Saxon and
Danelaw areas:
In the four northern counties, as in some of the southern counties
of Scotland, the division is into wards [sic]. this apparently
means ‘district
to which certain defensive duties were assigned’ [sic], and its use
in this
sense seems to belong to the period after the Norman Conquest. Many
of these wards are named from river-valleys [sic], as in Glendale
(Nb)
[sic], Eskdale (Cu) [sic], and Lonsdale L(We) [sic], from the Glen,
Esk,
and Lune....
I also checked in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle; I did
not find any place-names in the Index with <Glen> as either a
prototheme or a deuterotheme.
Note that the combination of Anglo-Saxon/Old English with either
English or Middle English has been ruled to be one step from period
practice; the combination of Anglo-Saxon with either Gaelic or with
Welsh has also been ruled one step from period practice [URL:
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/sca/weirdness_table.html]. The use of
<-glen> as a deuterotheme does not seem to be dated earlier than
the
mid 13th century; while <Falcon-> appears to be (relatively)
temporally consistent with the given name (i.e., within 60 years),
there may be an overall temporal incompatibility, which would make for
a *second* step from period practice. The name, as a result, may not
be registrable as submitted.
The use of charged gores has been long
prohibited: the Precedent dates
back to Da’ud’s first tenure as Laurel:
"Based on the consensus of those commenting on this issue,
the College
will ban the use of charged gores and charged gussets, matching the
ban
on charged tierces. Uncharged gores, gussets and tierces will
continue to
be registerable [sic]. Any charged gores or gussets currently
pending at
Laurel will be processed as having been 'in the pipeline' before the
ban
went into effect. Therefore, after March 1, 1992, we will no longer
register
charged gores or gussets." (CL 12/21/91 p.2) [sic].
This armory will have to be returned for further work.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
2. Cameron Da’Bryt -- Azure, a rabbit’s head cabossed argent.
The documentation for the submitter’s legal given name should have
been provided to start with. It should not have to be solicited after
the fact. That suggests that we may be failing in the education
department as to what is required.
I don’t have Bardsley; the other citations for the byname appear to be
as given (the Uckelman docs can be found at URL:
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/english/
surlondon1319.html]). There does not seem to be any evidence for
<Da’> as an English name element, which the documentation does
not
appear to support, only <le>.
Um, shouldn’t the allowed holding name be <Cameron of
Myrkfaelinn>? Additionally, I don’t know
whether the submitter has been given any alternatives (like documented
forms). :-(
Okay, I’ll bite. Is there a reason the rabbit is cross-eyed? This
looks less like period armory and more like a cartoon -- and I doubt
that it will be drawn this way on any award scrolls the submitter
gets... :-(
no conflicts found in the LoARs
3. Ciar inghean Uí Chrotaigh -- Per pale wavy argent and
azure, a fish naiant within a single tressure counterchanged.
The registration date for the name is as cited
Hmm. In retrospect, I’m wondering if the tressure is a little thick. I
remember discussing this at the Coronation consult table before I
drew it.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
4. Cormac Ainsheasccar mac Muirdaich -- Per pale argent and sable, a
bat displayed counterchanged.
The docs for the given name are as cited; in the Raw Data, citations
for the submitted spelling range in date from 762 to 1413.
The docs for <Ainsheasccar> are more or less as cited: documented
forms of the name in the Raw Data are <Insescar>,
<ains.esccar>, and
<Ainshesccar>.
The docs for the byname in the O’Brien article do not match the
submitted spelling. IT seems that the name might better be <Cormac
Ainshesccar mac Muirdaig> for a more authentic
form.
This is not particularly well drawn, especially with the head position
[c.f. PIC-DIC, fig. 40]. However, the wings are pretty obviously
bat’s wings, so it *is* identifiable (somewhat).
There is a relevant Precedent from François’ first tenure as
Laurel:
[a reremouse displayed head to dexter] [sic] The
reremouse is both displayed
and guardant by default. Since this reremouse is displayed but has
its head
turned to dexter, its posture has been explicitly blazoned for
clarity. [Mat
of Forth Castle, 03/02,
A-Meridies] [sic]
Additionally, there is another Precedent from François’ first
tenure
which specifically allows the use of the term <bat> rather than
<
reremouse>:
The submitter requested that these charges, normally blazoned as reremice [sic] , be blazoned using the common term
bats [sic]. Since the
term bat [sic] for this animal is not heraldically
ambiguous, and it has
been registered recently (in July 2001) [sic], we may accede to her
request. [Elynor O'Brian,
09/02, A-Caid] [sic]
Reblazon: Per pale argent and sable, a bat displayed, head to dexter,
counterchanged.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
5. Fredeburg von Katzenellenbogen (badge) -- (Fieldless) A printer’s
ball Or.
Very nicely drawn!
no conflicts found in the LoARs
6. Gabrielle Winter -- Per chevron sable and argent, a chevron azure
between in dexter chief a mullet of four points argent and in base a
fox passant guardant gules.
The name was registered and can be found on the June ‘09 LoAR.
Is this the best blazon for this?
Possible reblazon: Per chevron sable and argent, a chevron azure, in
dexter chief a mullet of four points argent, in base a fox passant
guardant gules.
Possible reblazon: Per chevron sable and argent,
a chevron azure, in
base a fox passant guardant gules, [and] in dexter chief a mullet of
four points argent.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
7. Halima bint Da’ud al-Attarah -- Per pall inverted azure, sable and
argent, in base a hippogriff statant gules.
All the individual name elements are as cited.
The name construction form is not specifically attested to in the
cited documentation: it has to be somewhat inferred by careful reading:
Arabic name elements may be divided into five main categories, with
the last category having several sub-types....
5. A nisba [sic] (pronounced NISS-bah)[sic] , a
byname. Nisbas [sic]
follow the ism [sic] or, if the name contains a
nasab [sic] (of however
many generations) [sic], generally follow the nasab
[sic].
I am also unsure whether the nisba should be
feminized, and if so, if the grammar is correct. I would recommend
forwarding this to Laurel with a request for further assistance.
This is very poorly drawn -- I had to read the blazon to identify the
charge; additionally, this looks less like per pall inverted and more
like per pale, with a charged point pointed. Furthermore, the color
mini is a different drawing from that of the black and white version.
Do you want me to redraw this?
no conflicts found in the LoARs
8. Hrafn Haraldsson (name and device change) -- Per pale argent and
sable, a raven displayed within a bordure embattled counterchanged.
The docs for both name elements are as cited.
The use of a raven displayed is one step from period practice.
Very nicely drawn.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
9. Jaqueline de Moliere
The docs for the given name are as cited.
The Labarge docs should have been provided -- I doubt that it’s on the
“Do Not Photocopy” list. Once again we appear to be failing in the
education department. :-(
The Dauzat and Rostaing docs are as cited. Additionally, Morlet [p.
701, sn Moliera] gives <Molières> as a subsidiary header
form, and
says:
(Limou- [sic] sin), n. de localité d’origine Molière(s)
[sic] (Dor- [sic] dogne,
Drôme, Tarn-et-Garonne). -- Les Mo- [sic]
lieres (essonne), cant. de Limours....
There is not a dated citation in Morlet, however.
10. Katharine McClung -- Sable, on a bend sinister argent between two
cogwheels Or a spear inverted [sic].
This is not identifiable as a spear (maybe a fletchless arrow?). It
is also missing its tincture. The bend sinister, as the primary
charge, should also be somewhat wider. Do you need me to redraw this
one as well?
Note that there is a CD between a cogwheel and a wagon wheel; this is
from the May ‘09 LoAR (registered via Drachenwald):
Matthias de Flintbeke [sic}. Device.
Argent, a cogwheel and a base wavy
azure.
This device is not in conflict with that of Eldred Ælfwald,
Argent, a wheel,
a bordure embattled azure [sic]. There is
a CD for the type change between a
base wavy and a bordure embattled. There is another for the
difference
between a cogwheel and a default wagon wheel. Both types of wheel
were
seen in period heraldry (Siebmacher has some examples on plates 74
and
86) [sic], so we rule that there is significant (CD) [sic], though
not substantial
(X.2) [sic] difference, between the default wagon wheel and a
cogwheel.
Reblazon: Sable, on a bend sinister argent
between two cogwheels Or a
spear inverted sable.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
11. Katla úlfhé{d-}inn (badge) -- Gules, a bend sinister
counter
ermine [sic] fimbriated argent between two crosses of Cerdaña
argent.
The bend sinister, as the primary charge, should be somewhat larger,
even if the crosses have to be made somewhat smaller. I’m not sure
whether the ermine spots have to follow the line of the bend (i.e., as
opposed to being in a palewise orientation), given that this is a
tincture and not a charged bend sinister.
The cross of Cerdaña has been most recently been registered in
2002
with the arms of Ana María de Cerdanya (7/02 Ansteorra)
“Purpure, on a
pile inverted between two crosses of Cerdaña argent a tortoise
vert.” Note that on the May 2009 LoAR, the Cover Letter has a section
redefining how crosses will be treated. It says in part:
Substantial difference under X.2 will henceforth be granted between
crosses appearing below that do not belong to the same family.
One of the families listed is that of “Crosses flory, floretty,
patonce, clechy, Calatrava, and Santiago.” While crosses of
Cerdaña
are not specifically listed here, there is a Precedent from
François’
first tenure which says:
Some commenters asked whether the cross of Cerdaña should
continue
to be allowed in SCA armory, because it is an SCA-invented charge
without a strong pattern of SCA use. The cross of Cerdaña is
listed
in
the Pictorial Dictionary [sic] as an "SCA
invention; it's essentially a square
set on one corner, with a semi-circular notch on each side." [sic] This
description makes the cross sound much less period than it appears.
The cross of Cerdaña is a minor artistic variant of a cross
clechy [sic],
which is a standard period cross. We therefore see no reason to
disallow
the continued registration of this type of cross. [Ana María
de Cerdanya, 07/02, A-Ansteorra] [sic]
no conflicts found in the LoARs
12. Máirín O’Cadhla
The ÓC&M docs for the given name are as cited. I couldn’t
find the
Precedents cited as such, but they were in the relevant LoARs.
I don’t have Woulfe. The other docs for the byname are as cited, but
are missing any evidence for a lenited form of the byname. That
information can be found in Krossa’s “The Spelling of Lenited
Consonants in Gaelic” [URL: http://www.medievalscotland.
org/scotlang/lenition.shtml]: the lenited spelling for <c> before
roughly AD 1200 is <ch>; after AD 1200, it is <ch> or
<c.>. A
footnote to the article says:
7 A common modern editorial convention is simply to use an <h>
[sic] after a letter even when the original manuscript used a
punctum
delens [sic] over the letter. For example, to use <fh>
rather than <f.>
and <sh> rather than <s.> to represent the punctum
delens [sic] over <f>
and <s>.
The documentation does not seem to support the name as submitted,
especially since the given name has been ruled unacceptable in the
past. The name <Maire Uí Chadla> may be an authentic (and
registrable) form. Does the submitter allow any changes? Has she
checked the magic “authenticity” box on the form?
13. Martyn Kinnish
The docs for the given name appear to be as cited.
The docs for the byname are online {URL: http://www.isle-of-man.com/
manxnotebook/manxnb/v06p058.htm] (this information should have been
noted) and also appear to be as cited. Note that the submitted form
of the name is in the grey area (i.e., before 1650).
14. Odette d’Arques -- Or a chevron vert between two ram’s heads
erased combattant and a fleur-de-lys sable.
The chevron is too small, too far down on the field, and somewhat too
shallow an angle, but this may just need an artist’s note.
I think this needs to have some work on the blazon, though, because
“combattant” suggests two critters that are rampant and facing.
It would be better period style if the heads were both facing the same
direction, instead of each other (and even better if there were three
heads!).
The coloration seems a bit strange -- was this done as
computer-generated? If so, the green is not a particularly good
shade, and I had to look at enlarged versions of both the color and
black and white images to make sure that they were the same drawing
(since the outline of the chevron has disappeared in the color mini)..
Possible reblazon: Or, a chevron vert between two ram’s heads erased
respectant and a fleur-de-lys sable.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
15. Ragnar the Fierce
The Geirr Bassi and St. Gabriel docs for both name elements are as
cited.
I was unable to find the citation in Precedents (it *was* in the July
LoAR). However, I was able to find similar rulings as recently as
François’ second tenure:
... the Lingua Anglica allowance requires that the byname be a
translation
of an attested byname in the original language. The cover letter
that
accompanied the January 1993 LoAR included a clarification of the
Lingua
Anglica allowance, including:
Less codified, but of long practice, has been the translation of
epithets
into our lingua franca. Again, this follows a common historian's
usage:
Harald I of Norway, for instance, is far better known as Harald
Fairhair
than by the untranslated Harald Haarfagr. Eric the Red, Philip the
Good, Charles the Fat, all are translations of the period names,
not
the period names themselves. SCA names are permitted a similar
translation: a simple epithet, documented as a period form, may be
translated into English. (We prefer to register the untranslated
form,
but I concede that such rigor doesn't always serve our clients'
best
interests.) [sic] [Cover Letter for LoAR
January 1993] [sic]
16. Ruland Burckhart -- Quarterly purpure and sable, in bend to [sic]
bulls rampant argent.
The docs for both name elements are as cited.
Hmm. Was the tincture of the color mini done on a computer? This
doesn’t look like Crayola purple, and when I looked at the enlarged
version, there seem to be a couple of weird thicker lines on the bulls
(around the head on one, and below the head on the chest of the other)
that I don’t remember drawing. Is this going to be a problem (in
which the color and black and white minis don’t match?
no conflicts found in the LoARs
17. Sultana bint Mihail -- Gules, a chevron argent between two
dumbeks Or and a nine man morris board argent.
This has the opposite problem of the other submissions with ordinaries
this month -- the chevron is TOO big [yes, I am the one saying this. It
happens. :-) ]. It is also a bit too shallow (the angle should be
90° or less). I’m not sure I would have identified the dumbeks as
such (I thought they were cups until I actually read the blazon, and
did conflict them that way as well as if they were really just badly
drawn dumbeks). Note the return of the badge for Marceau de Valcourt
(7/09 Atenveldt) “Sable, semy of dumbeks Or, two women vested statant
respectant maintaining between them a brazier argent flammant proper,
on a chief Or three cups purpure”; the return says in part:
This badge is returned for multiple reasons....
Second, it is returned because the semy of charges on the field are
not recognizable. It is not possible to tell if the depicted charges
are
drums or chalices/goblets [sic]. This problem causes the submission
to
violate section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, which says
"Elements
must be recognizable solely from their appearance" [sic]
no conflicts found in the LoARs
18. Tufa Gunthamunths -- Pily gules and Or, a bear’s pawprint sable.
The docs for the given name are as cited [the URL for the Wikipedia
cite is http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoacer]. I don’t know how good these sources are. I
also checked in Gregory of Tours’ History of the
Franks, but did not find any of the name elements; I did find
a couple of references [pp. 101 and 132} to someone called
<Odovacar>, who may be the same individual as <Odoacer>.
I was unable to verify the O’Neill cite for the byname -- I got an
error message which said in part “Sorry, the GeoCities web site you
were trying to reach is no longer available.”; when I tried to find it
as an archived site [URL: http://www.archive.org/web/web.php] it got
a hit in the search results for “Dec. 11, 2007” but then I got another
error message which said:
Failed Connection. [sic] We're sorry. Your request failed to connect to our servers.
This may
be due to temporary problems in our data center, or difficulty
serving a
higher-than-usual volume of traffic.
A Google search for the byname only turned up this LoI.
The St. Gabriel docs are as cited, but don’t seem to support the
submitted name.
I’m not sure I would have identified this as pily (as opposed to
“three piles inverted”); this is an argument that I’ve had for a while
with folks about stuff like “paly” and in this case I really do think
there’s a difference. I’m also not certain whether or not “pily” is
throughout by default.
This looks enough like a bear’s paw print that it’s probably okay. Note
that it would not be a CD from any other type of pawprint, if the
tinctures were the same (since this is effectively “[Field] a pawprint
sable”.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
19. Vigo da Napoli -- Or, a horse’s head erased and in base a
cinquedea dagger fesswise sable.
The docs for the given name are as cited. The combination of the docs
for the given name seem to support it as a possible diminutive or
vernacular form.
The docs for the byname are also as cited. While the given name may
be in a reasonable form (even though from different regions, adding a
byname from a different region seems a bit odd; however Uckelman’s
“Names from 15th Century Naples” [URL:
http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/italian/naples.html] gives
<Ludovicus> as a latinized version, with seven instances of
variant
forms, and gives <Lodovico> as what the contemporary Florentine
version would be. O’Brien’s “Italian Men’s Names in Romei, 1473-1484”
[URL: http://medievalscotland.org/kmo/
Studium/GivenAlphaExamples.shtml#Lodovicho] gives <Lodovicho> as
a
header form, and gives <Ludovico de Vassiano,, dated to 1482. This
suggests that the name may be registrable.
Artist’s note: the submitter expressed a preference for this
particular type of knife, when shown various examples in the PIC-DIC.
I’m not certain whether the word “dagger” needs to be in the blazon,
but it probably doesn’t hurt (I wouldn’t have known what a “cinquedea”
was had I not looked up in knife variants in the PIC-DIC for the
submitter to look at. Additionally, I tried to draw the head large
enough in comparison to the knife so as not to blur the distinction
between co-primaries (in which case it could be reblazoned as “in pale
a horse’s head erased and a cinquedea”, and a situation of
primary/secondary.
no conflicts found in the LoARs
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2nd Ed., 1992.
Cameron, Kenneth. EnglishPlaceNames, new rev.
Ed. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd.,
1996, 1997.
Dauzat, A. and Ch. Rostaing. DictionnaireétymologiquedesnomsdelieuxenFrance,
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1981. 1990.
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Margaret
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