ÆTHELMEARC COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #41
Debatable Lands Commenting Group


Unto Dagonell Collingwood, Garnet Herald, does Juliana de Luna, Gage Herald, send greetings! Enclosed find the comments from the 22 April meeting of the Debatable Lands commenting group. The following people were present: Myfanwy verch Rhiannon, Brandubh O/ Donghaile, Hildarun Hugelmann, Richenda du Jardin, Ailis Linne, and a mystery guest herald.


1. AEthelmearc, Kingdom of - Order of the Grand Caltrop

We are concerned about the appropriateness of this adjective for an order name, as it is very abstract. Additionally, pre-16th century citations seem to be used mostly with eminent people, like Alexander the Great. But, really, this is passable, if not good recreation, as a kind of TSCA order name.


2. Adwen verch Gryffyn

This name passed Laurel in January 2000.


3. Cerridwen de Skene

Cerridwen is SCA compatible (in the 12/95 cover letter among others - Precedents Da'ud, vol. 4). <de Skene> - Black (s.n. Skene) dates this spelling to 1296. After consideration, this should be passed up to Laurel, as the combination of Welsh and a Norman-styled Scots name may or may not be a weirdness (especially given that we do not have a precedent from the new Pelican).


4. Constanza Marina de Uella

Constanza and Marina are fine women's given names (both are cited in Elsbeth's "16th Century Spanish Women's Names.") Marina is not a surname, but two given names is feasible (though not probably) for late period Spain. While I do not doubt that various spellings may be found, the Catalogo gives <Huelva> as the period for the place whose modern spelling is the same. I suspect that <Uella> is an erroneous spelling, especially given the dubious provenance of the map.


5. Danyel Clermont de Toulouse

<Danyel> is dated to 1292, but it is a masculine name. There appears to be no evidence of a feminine form of in period either in English or France, but <Danyelle> would probably be passable. <Clermond> is cited in R&W as a patronymic, which makes the combination of <Clermont de Toulouse> reasonable.


6. Duarcan O'Raghailligh

Duarcan's name was on AEthelmearc's ILOI A40.


7. Edward O'Bannon

Both name elements are as cited. This would be better if the wolfhound were bigger and if it were more distinctly not a generic hound.


8. Fine ingen Concatha

<Fína> (note the accent) is dated to 805. We believe that the patronymic should be <Choncatha>.


9. Lodovic of Grays Inn

Consider Fabrisse Ter Brugghe (7/97), Purpure, a spiderweb throughout and a chief argent. There is only one CD, for the addition of charges to the chief.


10. Magnus Jager

"Flowers" is about right; they certainly look more like foliage than flames (which is of course what the earlier one had as well). Riordan Robert MacGregor: "Quarterly purpure and argent, a rams' head cabossed sable, armed Or." There is one CD for the field; is there a second for either the flames or the horns? This should probably be decided at Laurel.


11. Marguerite D'Honfleur

Marguerite is as cited. Honfleur is fine, but it should probably be <d'Honfleur>. The bend should be to the corner, not below it, and is too small. Additionally, the semy is not very evenly distributed. However, it should probably be sent up to Laurel (maybe reblazoned as "a bend debased"). Myfanwy has volunteered to redraw it, if you want it done before it's sent up.


12. Sean O'Faolain

As <Faolain> is Gaelic, it should probably be <O/ Faolain> (or <O'Phelan>. Nice armory, though the bend could be bigger.


13. Serena of Gaunt's Savoy

Serena is as cited. I don't see an a priori reason to assume that being from a castle is presumptious, so send it up.


14. Una nic Daffydd

Una is a fine Irish name (this I know, OC&M tell me so); Dafydd is a fine Welsh name (as a header form in Morgan and Morgan - note that there is only one f). There is no evidence for a name <Daffydd> in Scotland; the Scots form of the name is <David>. Black cites a name <Daídh> (s.n. Day) as a form of David in Gaelic; however, it would be pronounced \day\. This could be passed as <Una ferch Dafydd> (Irish/Welsh) or as <Una neyn David> (Irish/Scots).


15. Will Langdon of Greymorne

Looks fine


16. Ysabiau Visinant

<Ysabiau> is as cited. <Visinant> seems to be a plausible patronymic construction.