Feast of St. Aidan of Ferns
31 January, AS XXXV

Greetings from Myfanwy!

Herein pray find commentary on Æ 47. I tried to be as thorough as I could, although I didn’t conflict check things -- others are more adept at the new rules than I am.

I’m sending this out to various people (Dagonell, Cadell and Richenda). Fight amongst yourselves as to who does and doesn’t need copies (and who will forward them as appropriate in future) and let me know, although it’s as easy to type three email addresses as one.

I remain your servant and the Society’s.

Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
mka Ruth Morrisson
RMorrisson@aol.com

O’C & M (p. 15) gives "Aíbell: Aoibheall" as header forms; this spelling is the early Irish form. In old tales Aíbell is the daughter of Celtchar mac Uithechair, and Aíbell Grúadsolus is the daughter of the king of Munster

O’C & M (p. 174) gives "Uaine" as a header form; the citation says "This word means ‘green, verdant’, [sic] but Stokes felt that in this case it was an old word for ‘a lady, a queen’ [sic]" and cites the legendary (?) Uaine Buide.

Name registered October 1998 (via Æthelmearc), in the form "Ailionóra ingen mhic Gafraidh".

The term "adumbrated" is being used incorrectly. According to Brooke-Little (p. 31):

"Adumbration [sic] Used of a charge which is of the same tincture as the field, being shown as a shadow or in outline. Baynton of Yorkshire (1565 Visitation [sic]) bore: ‘or [sic], on a fess between three crescents gules, a lion adumbrated’ (or en umbre) [sic]. This word also refers to the shading used when simulating relief in the depiction of charges."

Parker (p. 8) says:

"Adumbration, or Transparency : [sic] the shadow of a charge apart from the charge itself, painted the same colour [sic] as the field upon which it is placed, but of a darker tint, or, perhaps, in outline only. The term belongs rather to the romance of he-[sic] aldry than to its practice, and is imagined by the writers to have been adopted by families who, having lost their possessions, and consequently being unable to maintain their dignity, chose rather to bear their hereditary arms adumbrated than to re-[sic] linquish them altogether. When figured by a black line the bearing is said to be entrailed [sic]."

Woodward (p. 706) gives the terms "Umbrated", defining it as as "shadowed" and (p. 738) its French equivalent "Ombré", meaning "shaded" but does not further specify the definitions.

The Withycombe cite for the header form "Alan" (pp. 7-8) do not give any feminized forms of the name, nor can I find any other source (R&W, Attwater, M2, OC &M) that give anything similar.

R&W (p. 5) gives, under the header "Alden, Aldin, Aldine, Aldins, Aliden, Auden, Olden", Walterus filius Aldan [sic], dated to 1218-19.

R&W (p. 84) gives, under the header "Carr, Ker, Kerr", Osbert de Ker [sic], dated to 1200, and Robert Ker [sic], dated to 1231.

Righteous name! [Sadly, one cannot really say the same for the armory....]

Possible reblazon: Sable, a rapier between two comets inverted in chevron, in base a mountain [all] argent.

The Withycombe cite is as given.

R&W (p. 282) gives "Logan" as a header form and dates this spelling to 1204. According to Grimble (pp. 128-29), the Logan clan did not appear to be in the area around Argyll, and there doesn’t appear to be any famous ones named Alexander.

Name registered March 1998 (via Æthelmearc).

The mini is pretty hard to decipher -- it looks like a color emblazon shrunk down. This really should have been re-drawn (especially if "The full size black and white is an a exact match"). In addition, the bend sinister should be larger (even if the other charges much be made smaller as a result).

{The artist of record makes gagging and retching noises, especially about the garden rose, but it’s grandfathered ....}

It isn’t apparent, without having the flower (which of course would be metal on metal, specifically Or), that this is indeed St. John’s Wort. And I’m the one who drew it.

The Withycombe cite seems to be as given. In addition, under the header "Sandra", the submitted spelling is listed as an (undated) Italian form. Avignon has been in existence since at least the 6th century CE, and is mentioned as a city by Gregory of Tours (p. 146).

It isn’t clear whether or not the ermine spots should follow the orientation of the charges. Foster (p. 196) shows a single instance of this for a fret, in the arms of Walrois de Valoynes, as well as showing (p. 24) ermine spots following the line of a bend (the arms of Thomas Blount); there are also instances of vair following the orientation of the charge, especially on saltires, as in the arms of Henry de Champernoun (p. 43). However, most of the arms that contain either an ermine field or an ermine charge have the spots upright: for example (p. 163), the arms of Richard de Polwhele, which has a saltire engrailed ermine.

I suspect that for this emblazon the ermine spots should be oriented in a standard arrangement (i.e., upright) on the bordure, although it’s probably okay for the fret. In addition, the spots should probably be both larger and fewer.

I couldn’t find him in the Laurel files. Are Charles the Acquisitioner and Charles Anderson the same person, and are they also this person?

If the device was originally returned for conflict, then I can’t see how he could have the device now.

"Daimhín" is given in O’C & M (p. 68) as a header form, but as a modern spelling.

The O’C & M cite for "Sinna" is as given; in addition, O’C & M (p. 164) gives the header forms "Senán: Seanán" citing it as a saint’s name.

Note that "Daimín" is a late or modern spelling, but "Senán" is an early one.

Boy, do I hate chiefs triangular. This one could be a tad further down on the field.

Name registered October 1998 (via Æthelmearc).

The charges seem to be unbalanced on the field -- they should be centered better, possibly by having them come up to the upper corner better.

The blazon seems clunky, but I’m at a loss for a better one.

not yet registered (name in process)

I believe that the name is on one of the LoI’s that just reached Laurel.

Withycombe (p. 124) gives "Gabriel(le)" as a header form, but says this spelling is a modern French form. The (undated) medieval spellings given are Gabriel [sic] and the Latin forms Gabriela [sic] and Gabella [sic] .

Nevers is mentioned as a city by Gregory of Tours (p. 433), so it has been in existence since at least the 6th century CE.

Hello Kitty! [These are obviously supposed to be "munchkin" cats, which CFA refuses to recognize as a true breed.... :-) ]. Why are these so unheraldic looking, when the rebec is rather nicely drawn? And why didn’t the emblazoner have access to a straight edge? Inquiring minds want to KNOW! I suppose that it would besides the point to mention that people in the SCA may be using fimbriation incorrectly -- mundane practice does not appear to use fimbriation just to get around color on color problems. Parker, (p. 255) gives two distinct examples: one appears as standard SCA-style usage (i.e., a bend sable on a gules field, fimbriated Or), but the other rather obviously does not (a fess sable on an argent field, also fimbriated Or).

Gee, should we assume the cites are as given? :-)

(badge) -- Azure, a catamount sejant guardant argent.

Name registered August 1996 (via the East).

Both the device and badge should have been re-drawn (hello Dagonell, that’s three on this letter so far....!) The badge emblazon in particular is pretty illegible on the LoI.

This was re-drawn over Thanksgiving weekend. Why is the re-drawn one (on the correct form) not included here? BTW -- the re-drawing follows the blazon, whereas this emblazon has pallets wavy. Someone please tell me which is right, and I’ll draw it again if needed.

Name registered October 1999 (via Æthelmearc) as Mary MacLeod, along with the associated device: Gyronny wavy argent and azure, a cup and on a chief Or three crosses fleury azure.

The documentation for the appeal certainly seems thorough. Of course, the decision being at a higher level (I disremember if the decision was originally from Laurel or Pelican), even if it wasn’t it would merely be forwarded onward and upward.

Looking online, I found an earlier dated citation for "Michelina". A google.com search turned up the following site "Patron Saints Index: Michelina of Pesaro"(http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/ saintm55.htm), which says that Michelina of Pesaro (also known as Michelina Metelli) lived from 1300 to 1356; she was widowed young and eventually became a Franciscan tertiary; she was beatified in the 18th century.

The online Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, says, under the heading "Gaul" (http://www.bartleby.com/65/ga/Gaul.html)

"In Roman Gaul it often became customary to call the chief center of a tribe or the country around it by some form of the tribe’s name. Many of these names survive today. The principal tribes of Gaul (with the modern survivals or locations) were: Abrincati (Avranches); Aedui; Allobroges; Ambiani (Amiens); Andecavi (Angers, Anjou); Atrebates (Arras); Baiocassi (Bayeux); Bellovaci (Beauvais); Bituriges (Bourges, Berry); Cadurci (Cahors, Quercy); Carnutes (Chartres); Catalauni (Châlons); Cenomani (Le Mans, Maine); Eburovici (Évreux); Helvetii; Lemovices (Limoges, Limousin); Lingones (Langres); Lexovii (Lisieux); Meldae (Meaux); Namnetes (Nantes); Nervii; Parisii (Paris); Petrocorii (Périgueux, Périgord); Pictones or Pictavi (Poitiers, Poitou); Redones (Rennes, Breton Roazon); Remi (Reims); Ruteni (Rodez); Santones (Saintes); Senones (Sens); Sequani, in the Franche-Comté; Silvanecti (Senlis); Suessiones (Soissons); Treveri (Trier, French Trèves); Tricassi (Troyes); Turones (Tours, Touraine); Veneti (Vannes, Breton Gwened)."

[Le Mans, which got its name from the Cenomani, is mentioned in Gregory of Tours (p. 157).]

A search using google.com found the following site: http://users.bart.nl/~roestb/franciscan/franautr.html, that listed "Richardus Cenomagus (Cenomani/Richard Le Mans, d. 1552/3 in Chartres)". I couldn’t find out what the site was -- it seemed to be a list of names. A further search on the name did not turn up anything else, but it does at least seem to be a later period citation than Roman Gaul!

The online Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, says, under the heading "Trent" (http://www.bartleby.com/65/tr/Trent.html)

"Ital. Trento, Latin Tridentum, city (1991 pop. 101,545), capital of Trentino­Alto Adige and of Trent prov., N Italy, on the Adige River and on the road to the Brenner Pass. It is an industrial and tourist center. Manufactures include leather goods, machinery, metals, textiles, printed materials, and food products. Probably founded in the 4th cent. B. C., Trent was later the seat of a Lombard duchy (6th cent.) and of a Frankish march (8th cent.)"

{The artist of record makes cranky noises about it not being a heraldic dolphin -- we really tried :-) }

The Withycombe cites are as given.

O’C & M (pp. 111-12) give a number of names of the form, although not this particular one, of "Gilla [name]: Giolla [name]" meaning "servant of [name]" (generally that of a saint). The closest seems to be "Gilla Comaill: Giolla Chomhghaill" (meaning "servant of St. Comgall") and citing the 11th c. poet Gilla Comaill Ua Slébéne.

FINALLY! Someone who understands what "barry" means!!!! Unfortunately, when colored in the cat loses all identifiability. Perhaps if the tail was in a more standard position? (as in heraldic -- yes, I know, I have four of the little monsters/darlings myself). Also, some internal detailing (like an eye) might also help.

Name registered November 1998 (via Æthelmearc).

Yeah, I guess it’s a cross cletchy, based on the way the ends are drawn.

However, this seems rather, well, attenuated, if not actually anorexic; the example in the PIC-DIC (fig. 165) is much more robust, and even the one depicted in Parker (p. 161, § 16) has more "meat" in the arms.

Withycombe (p.245) gives the header form "Philippa" but does not give the submitted spelling, the closest being the 15th century forms Philippe [sic] and Phillip [sic], both apparently feminine forms. A google.com search turned up the following URL, which appears to be some sort of genealogy site: http://www.empirenet.com/~lafaye/index/ind0088.html The page is titled "Phillippia DE SANDON -- Nancy DECK) and lists "Phillippia DE SANDON (ABT. 1220 - ____)".

The R & W cite is as given (p. 105).

A name registration in 1980 is effectively meaningless (why wasn’t this caught at the Pennsic consult by someone?). This is, BTW the *only* registration of "Persephone" listed in the O & A.

The online Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, says, under the heading "Persephone" (http://www.bartleby.com/65/pe/Persepho.html) that

"Persephone ... or Proserpine ...in Greek and Roman religion and mythology, goddess of fertility and queen of the underworld. She was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. When she was still a beautiful maiden, Pluto seized her and held her captive in his underworld. Though Demeter eventually persuaded the gods to let her daughter return to her, Persephone was required to remain in the underworld for four months because Pluto had tricked her into eating a pomegranate (food of the dead) there. When Persephone left the earth, the flowers withered and the grain died, but when she returned, life blossomed anew. This story, which symbolizes the annual vegetation cycle, was celebrated in the Eleusinian Mysteries, in which Persephone appeared under the name Kore."

I looked at what I thought seemed to be relevant precedents regarding names. (I’ll admit that I didn’t specifically search on the one cited.) The general consensus -- and this goes back to rulings in the Seventies -- is that if the name can be documented as a period name for humans, it is allowable as long as it doesn’t give connotations of the original entity; this goes for names in period fiction as well as mythology. As a result, I would like to see documentation that "Persephone" was actually used in France before 1600. In addition, I would not accept armory from the submitter that used, for example, pomegranates as charges. Troyes is dated to at least the 6th century CE, as it is mentioned by Gregory of Tours (p. 443).

The Withycombe cite is as given.

The branch name "Hunter's Home, Shire" of was registered September 1991 (via the East).

I did a precedent hunt on cantons -- what I found was that charged cantons are not permitted, except as an augmentation (ruling by Wilhelm von Schlüssel in 1980, and reiterated by Bruce Draconarius in 1993). There was also a return of a device with an uncharged canton by Alisoun MacCoul in 1988, but I don’t think it really applies since it was overlaying a bordure and really smacked of being an augmentation. There is a "sort-of" implication that uncharged cantons are okay, but I am unsure if this is actually the case, so this probably should be kicked up to Laurel.

In addition, the complexity count is eight (five tinctures, three types of charges); I don’t think having the fess overlaying the field division counts for a ninth.

Name registered August 1990 (via the East).

The commentary on the LoI says it all....This is extremely poor style, being of the "Smiley face" school of design. In addition it is rather busy for a badge.

Withycombe (pp. 254-55) gives "Robert" as a header form, citing its use in England from the time of the Norman Conquest, and dates the form "Robert(us)" to 1071-5, and to the Domesday Book (1086).

The R & W cite for "Marston" is as given (p. 300).

Name and old armory registered Sept. 2000, via Æthelmearc.

The O’C & M cites are, respectively, p. 165 and p. 154, and are as given.

Attwater, Donald. The Avenel Dictionary of Saints. New York Avenel Books, 1981. [formerly published as The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. Penguin Books; 1965, 1979.]

Brooke-Little, J. P. An Heraldic Alphabet. London Robson Books; 1973, 1975.

Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme and Akagawa Yoshio [Kevin Munday and Bruce Miller]. A Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry, 2nd ed., 1992.

Foster, Joseph. The Dictionary of Heraldry Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees. London, Studio Editions Ltd., 1992. [formerly published as Some Feudal Coats of Arms. (London ?) James Parker and Company, 1902.]

Gregory of Tours. The History of the Franks (trans. by Lewis Thorpe). Harmondsworth, Middlesex Penguin Books, 1974, 1983.

Grimble, Ian. Scottish Clans and Tartans. New York Harmony Books, 1973, 1986.

Morgan, T. J., and Prys Morgan. Welsh Surnames. Cardiff University of Wales Press, 1985.

O' Corráin, Donnchadh, and Fidelma Maguire. Irish Names. Dublin the Lilliput Press; 1981, 1990.

Parker, James. A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry. Rutland, VT Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1970.

Reaney, P. H., and R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of British Surnames, 3rd ed. Oxford Oxford University Press, 1995, 1997.

Withycombe, E. G. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed. Oxford and New York Oxford University Press; 1977, 1988.

Woodward, John, and George Burnett. A Treatise on Heraldry British and Foreign. Rutland, VT Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1969.

Laurel Precedents and URLs as listed in the commentary.