Available versions:   HTML     PDF     DOC

Æthelmearc Internal Letter of Intent Æ137
June 1, 2011


Fridrikr Tomasson        Garnet Herald, c/o Thomas Ireland-Delfs, 731 S. Main St., Newark NY  14513         garnetherald at aeheralds dot net

Commentary on these items will be due on: July 1, 2011
Commentary may be posted to the list-serve at: aethel-heralds@lists.andrew.cmu.edu
Commentary may be sent privately to: garnetherald at aeheralds dot net

1: Alistair of Canterbury - New Name  & New Device 

Argent, three swallows migrant azure, on a chief vert three hearts argent

Submitter desires a masculine name.

Alistair - Withycombe, p. 13, cites Alasdair as a Gaelic form of Alexander.

Canterbury - Ekwall, p. 85, sn Canterbury, cites Canterburie to 1086.

Herald of Record: Garnet


2: Astridr vigaskegg - New Name  & New Device 

Gules, three wolf's heads couped argent, and a chief argent fretty gules

Submitter desires a feminine name.
Culture (Old Norse) most important.

Astridr - Geirr Bassi, p. 8.

vigaskegg - "battle beard". Geirr Bassi, p. 29, cites "Víga" - battle; and, p. 20, cites "bláskegg" black-beard;, p. 7, "brieðskeggr" broad-beard; p. 21, "floskuskegg" Flask-beard. As to the combination, Geirr Bassi, p. 23, cites "hreggnasi" Tempest-nose. The same argument ("one whose beard is ready for battle" or a constant fighter) can be made with respect to "lafskegg" wag-beard, dangle-beard (p. 25) or "œðkollr" mad-head, wild-man; and "orðigskeggi" bristle-beard.

Herald of Record: Garnet


3: Aurora Swanhild - New Name 

Submitter desires a feminine name.
Sound most important.
Meaning most important.

Aurora - This name was registered sn Aurora di Rosalia, via Ansteorra in October 2008. At that time, Laurel commented as follows:

Though the LoI documented Aurora from de Felice, Nomi, s.n. Aurora, that source gives no indication that this name was used in the Middle Ages. The November 2006 LoAR notes that "Aurora is found in Roman Christian inscriptions, which would place it in the 5th or 6th C at the latest."
In commenting on the same item at Laurel, Juliana de Luna wrote:
William Alexander used <Aurora> in the early part of the grey period as a name for his (presumably human) mistress, to whom his poems are addressed. You can see, for example, this in Google Books, Specimens of the British Poets: With Biographical and Critical Notices. Brittanica dates the Aurora sonnets to 1604.
We feel that the name should be acceptable as a late period English given name, per Juliana's documentation. Specimens of the British poets is available at <http://books.google.com/books?id=8HQPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=William+Alexander+Aurora+sonnet& source=bl&ots=Tm5zWB4CF5&sig=fSQx5mvuKIS9VUBgFW8LOfJhXI4&hl=en&ei=9OLjTc_oGcm9tgf9iOW1Bw&sa=X&oi=bo ok_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=William%20Alexander%20Aurora%20sonnet&f=fa lse>, where it says:
William Alexander [Earl of Sterline], of Menstrie, travelled on the Continent as a tutor to the Earl of Argyll; and after his return to his native country (Scotland) having in vain solicited a mistress, whom he celebrates in his poetry by the name of Aurora, he married the daughter of Sir William Erskine.
His sonnets cycle was published in 1604.

Swanhild - Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek) Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames <http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/reaneyHZ.html>, sn Swanhild, cites Swanhild to 1227.

There appears to be an SFPP for time differences (16th c. given name + 13th c. surname/byname)

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


4: Ciarian MacAlasdair - Resub Name 

Submitter desires a masculine name.
No major changes.
Culture (12th-13th century Scots) most important.

His original submission, for Ciarain McAlister, was returned at Kingdom in March, 2011, because the byname and surname are two Steps from Period Practice, as they combine Gaelic and Scots (1 SFPP) and are more than 300 years apart (1 SFPP).

Ciarain - Mari nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien), Index of Names in Irish Annals: Ciarán <http://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/Masculine/ciaran.shtml>, cites Ciaran to 1061.

MacAlasdair - Mari nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien), Index of Names in Irish Annals: Alaxandar, Alaxandair (Alasdrann, Alasdar) <http://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/Masculine/Alaxandar.shtml>, cites Eoin, mac Alasdair to 1465.

There is one SFPP for the time difference.

Herald of Record: Ranya Hakonardottir


5: Englike veðr - New Name  & New Device 

Argent, three ram's heads cabossed sable

Submitter desires a masculine name.

Englike - Lind, col 235, sn Englike, cites one Englike Jennsøn herdsman konungx DN IV 680 (Sogn 1452) är kanske av utländsk härkomst., apparently referring to it s a name given to an outlander. I'm guessing that it refers to an Englander, but I could be wrong.

veðr - Geirr Bassi, p. 29, ilists this as a byname meaning ram, male sheep.

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


6: Katerin Starcke - New Name 

Submitter desires a feminine name.
Language (German) most important.

Katerin - a variant spelling of Katherin. Talan Gwynek (Brian M. Scott), Medieval German Given Names from Silesia: Women's Names <http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/bahlow/bahlowFem.html>, sn Katherine, cites Katherin to 1337 and Katerina to 1350.

Starcke - Brechanmacher, v. 2, p. 655, sn Stark, cites this spelling.

Herald of Record: Garnet


7: Lettice Boniface - New Name 

Submitter desires a feminine name.

Lettice - Brian Scott (Talan Gwynek) Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames <http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/reaneyHZ.html>, sn Lettice, cites Lettice to 1273, 1300, and 1357

Boniface - Reaney & Wilson, sn Boniface, cites Tomas Boniface to 1190.

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


8: Muirgheal inghean Dubhghaill - New Device 

OSCAR finds the name registered exactly as it appears in March of 2009, via Æthelmearc.

Per saltire azure and argent, on a chief Or three compass stars gules

Herald of Record: N/A


9: Nathaniel Chase - New Name 

Submitter desires a masculine name.

Nathaniel - Julian Goodwyn (Janell K. Lovelace), Pre-1600 English Brass Inscriptions: Men's Names Sorted by Frequency <http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/brasses/menfreq.html>, cites Nathaniel as occurring one time.

Chase - Reaney & Wilson, sn Chase, cires one John Chase to 1393. Beardsley, sn Chase, cites one John Chase as married in 1626.

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


10: Robert MacEwin of Thornhill - New Name  & New Device 

Per pale azure and argent, a lion gules within a bordure semy of phoens counterchanged

Submitter desires a masculine name.
No major changes.

Robert - Sharon L. Krossa, Early 16th Century Scottish Lowland Names <http://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/lowland16/>, cites 161 instances of Robert or its variant spellings.

MacEwin - Black, sn MacEwan, cites a MacEwin to 1581.

Thornhill - Black, sn Thornhill, lists a Thornhille to 1298.

Name Formation - While the use of a locative with a surname is "vanishingly rare" according to Krossa, it is not in SCA usage. However, it would be nice to have documentation from period.

Herald of Record: Arianna of Wynthrope


11: Rudolf Wilde - New Name  & New Device 

Sable, a bend sinister gules fimbriated between in chief four stag's heads cabossed argent and an hourglass Or

Submitter desires a masculine name.

Rudolf Brechenmacher, sn Rudolf, cites Joh gen. Rudolf Andelshofen to 1332.

Wilde - Brechanmacher, sn Wild, cites Herm. Wilde to 1172.

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


12: Seabhán of Skye - New Name 

Submitter has no desire as to gender.

Seabhán - Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien), Index of Names in Irish Annals: Siobhán, cites one Seabhan inghen Geroid Iarla to 1428.

Skye -The Isle of Skye is the largest and notth-most of the Inner Hebrides island of Scotland. Vraye & exacte description Hydrographique des costes maritimes d'Escosse & des Isles Orchades Hebrides avec partie d'Angleterre & d'Irlande servant… <http://maps.nls.uk/coasts/view-chart/?id=169> dated to 1580 clearly labels the island as spelled Skye

Herald of Record: Garnet


13: Sigrithr Biornulfsdottir - New Name 

Submitter desires a feminine name.
Culture (Old Norse) most important.

Sigrithr - Lena Peterson Nordiskt runnamnslexikon, p. 82, sn Sigríðr. The submitter will accept Sigriþr which is cited from runestone U884A.

Biornulfr - Lena Peterson Nordiskt runnamnslexikon, p. 16, sn BiarnulfR, cites Biörnúlfr as the Old West Norse spelling.

Herald of Record: Garnet


14: Verena von Wulfflingen - New Name Change  & New Device Change 

Azure, on a chevron engrailed between three wolf's heads Or, three nesselblats azure

Old Item: Verena von Talhain, to be retained.
Old Item: Vert, a hedgehog rampant and on a chief argent an ivy vine vert, to be retained.
Submitter desires a feminine name.
No major changes.

Her previously registered name Verena von Talhain and device Vert, a hedgehog rampant and on a chief argent an ivy vine vert were registered in February, 2010. As she has not stated a preference, we will ask that they be retained as alternate name & armory.

Verena - Sara L. Uckelman (Aryanhwy merch Catmael) German Names from Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg, 1441 <http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/german/rottweil1441.html>, cites Verena as a variant spelling of Frena.

von Wulfflingen - Sara L. Uckelman (Aryanhwy merch Catmael) German Names from Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg, 1441 <http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/german/rottweilsur.html> cites von Wúlfflingen

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


15: Vika Vyborgskaia - Resub Name  & New Badge 

Argent, a greyhound's head erased azure and another purpure addorsed

Submitter desires a feminine name.

Although this is marked as a resubmission, the forms give no information on the previous submission. Does anyone have this information?

Vika - Wickenden, 3rd ed., lists Vika to the 13th-14th centuries.

Vyborgskaia Vyborg is listed as a place-name in Wickenden, 3rd ed, dating to the 13th century. Wickenden, Locative Bynames in Medieval Russia <http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/toprus.html> sub "Type IV: Adjectives" states that

Type IV locative bynames are created by taking the toponym and adding an adjectival suffix (usually "-skii"/"-skoi"/"-skyi," or feminine "-skaia"). Often, the form is found in the genitive case ("-skogo"). Regardless of how it appears, the meaning is the same: "the person of <place name>" or "the <place name>-ish person." The person is described as being colored by his/her place of birth, bearing the place (so to speak) in their soul.

Herald of Record: Elsbeth Anne Roth


16: Wolfgang Starcke - New Name 

Submitter desires a masculine name.
Language (German) most important.

Wolfgang - Talan Gwynek (Brian M. Scott), Medieval German Given Names from Silesia: Men's Names, cites Wolfgang to 1491.

Starcke - Brechanmacher, v. 2, p. 655, sn Stark, cites this spelling.

Herald of Record: Garnet


This concludes the Æthelmearc Internal Letter of Intent AE137 for June 1, 2011
Standard Bibliography of Sources