Unto Juliana of the Many Titles, Interim Garnet Herald, do Lady Ailis Linne and Lord Cadell Blaidd du, Comet Pursuivant, send fondest greetings! Herein, please find our commentary on AEthelmearc Internal Letter #AE53. You may take absence of commentary on an item as indication that we found the commentary to be as cited, and that there were no conflicts.

Name: Ailis notes a possible name conflict with Anastasia Germain.

Device: The tree is "blasted and sundered." Furthermore, it seems that the tree is the most prominent charge on the device; therefore, we suggest the blazon "Argent, a tree blasted and sundered issuant from base sable and in chief two hawks striking respectant." However, as submitted, we suggest that this might conflict with Thorfinnr inn vegsvinni Ingason (Feb 88 Out): "Argent, two falcons rising wings addorsed respectant, maintaining between them a stone sable," counting only one CD for the addition of the tree.

Name: "en la Fenne" is found in R&W under the header "Fenn, Venn."

Name: The submitted name is "Medvid," but the documentation seems to be for several similar forms (including "Medved" and "Medvíd"). Is the submitter interested in a reasonable extrapolation, or was there an accent missing from the heading?

Device: The bear is not "salient;" the closest we could determine is "statant erect," which was registered to Ragnar of Silverlake in Dec 95.

Name: Is this a name conflict with "Brian McNaughton" (June 86 Tri)?

Name: "Bresal" is given a dated citation in OC&M, pg. 85 (sn. Eithne): "Eithne, daughter of Bresal of Brega, who died in 768." "Bressal" is also found in "100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland" by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, with 43 occurrences found in M.A. O'Brien's Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae.

Device: Nice armory!

Ailis notes a possible name conflict with "Brocc Huntington" (Feb 99 AEth). Also, the cited R&W documentation seems to be for "Brient" as a surname, not a given name. We could find no evidence that "Briant" (or any form other than "Brian") was used as a given name in period, and thus we must suggest this name be returned for lack of documentation.

Name: R&W, pg. 78 (sn. Bythesea) cite "William Bythesee" from 1336.

According to the cited article, the genitive form of the patronymic is "Donngaile," not "Donngamle," and that is the spelling we suggest. (Cadell notes that, as a vocal herald, if he were presented with the name "Donngamle," even as a genitized patronymic, he would assume there had been a misspelling somewhere along the line.)

Reblazon: "Quarterly gules and Or, a cross argent between four crosses of Jerusalem counterchanged."

Reblazon: "[Fieldless] A swallowtail cross gyronny of eight azure and Or."

Name: While we agree that the construction of the name is valid, we would like to see some evidence that "Locha" is a period Irish term for "Lake," as no such evidence exists in Woulfe that we could find. (Cadell says so; he owns it. :-) )

Device: Cadell says: More friggin' trees to check. Grumblemumble... In all seriousness, while I appreciate the artistic difference possible in heraldry, I am concerned that we are starting to blur the lines between different types of a charge. Oak trees, for example, are grouped under "Tree - Rounded shape" in the Ordinary. While this tree is easily identifiable from close up as an oak tree (due to its having acorns), from far away, I am unsure. This, unfortunately, brings this device into possible conflict with Mustafa al Jabal Tariqi (Oct 86 Atl): "Argent, a palm tree couped gules within a bordure sable." There is one CD for changes to the field, leaving the second CD to be derived from the change to the type of the tree. In addition, I am unsure as to whether the line of division is now obscured by the low-hanging branches; I think that is not the case when the tree is drawn as "trunk-and-blob".

Name: The name should be notated <Faílenn de Céarsaigh>. The given name can be found in OC&M as a header form (pg. 93).

It seems to us that these are two alternatives that she will accept. My suggestion, in the absence of personal contact, would be to submit the first one (the frog) if it is clear, and the second one (the decrescent) if the first is not. That said, the first device, which should be reblazoned "Argent chaussé vert, a frog tergiant inverted sable," seems to be clear of conflict. The second device, which should be reblazoned "Argent, two pallets sable, overall a decrescent counterchanged," also seems to be clear of conflict.

Name: Let's cite some more examples of Gregory (same source, sn. Gregory) as a given name: Gregorius Dunchelensis as cited, Gregorius episcopus de Ros, 1171-84, Gregory of Rutherford "was a charter witness in reign of William the Lion." As for the surname, as written, the documentation is grammatically incorrect (with three quotation marks). Try this:

Glencairn - Black, pg. 312 (sn. Glencairn) "Sir Fergutianus de Glenkarn appears as witness in a document of c. 1222 and as Fergus de Glencarn appears as witness in Dumfries about the same period.

Again, while we agree with the construction of the name, we would like to see some evidence of the meaning of "Schwarz-" as a prototheme, to ensure that it makes sense when combined with the deuterotheme "-rose." Cadell is thinking of the meaning of "Schwartz" from "Spaceballs," and is not sure that's the meaning Gunther wants to put forth. :-)

Name: Hannah is a header form in Withycombe, who states: "The name of the mother of the prophet Samuel. ... Hannah came into use at the Reformation, and was common in the 17th C."

Device: As the Pic-Dic states "The default mullet has five points," this should be reblazoned as a "mullet of six."

The Ordinary groups Lemmings with mice, but we can't tell if this is more like a long mouse or a snub-nosed weasel; either way, what happened to the poor thing's tail? And this seems to blur the distinction between "sejant erect" and "salient," a confusion that has been grounds for return in the past. Additionally, this may be in conflict with Halldor Arnkellsson (Oct 90 Cal): "Argent, goutty de sang, a mongoose rampant bearing two swords sable, standing upon a snake dismembered at the neck vert," with one definite CD for the field, none for the forced restriction of the secondaries. This begs the question: Are Halldor's swords or snake large enough to count for difference?

We bring to Garnet's attention Miranda de la Shalamar (May 85 Caid): "Pean, a maiden statant affronty proper, vested argent, crined Or, holding in dexter hand a sword bendwise proper, between three crescents, horns to center argent." There is one CD for the field. We believe that, while there is not a CD for the position of the secondaries, there is probably a CD for changing the orientation of two of the three secondaries. But, your show, your call. (Cadell laments her old device, on which he consulted with her...)

Reblazon: Remove the first "purpure" from the blazon. The chief is engrailed, not invected.

Name: We are unfamiliar with "Jan Jonsjo" as a source, and unless this is a direct extraction (i.e., not a construction), we are unsure of the plausability of "kind heir" as a descriptive byname.

Device: This "horned owl" has no horns. This must either be reblazoned (by finding a species of owl that looks like this and is brown), or should be returned for a redraw.

Device: We call to Garnet's attention Paul the Pleasant (Jan 96 East): "Argent, a sinister gauntlet clenched transfixed at the wrist by an arrow fesswise reversed within a bordure sable." While there is one CD for the field, we are unsure about the prominence of the arrow, as well as whether clenching a gauntlet is worth a CD, especially when the charges are sable.

Name: The surname documentation is miscited. "Egan" is the Anglicization of <Áeducán>, which is found in OC&M on page 14, who state "This name was widely used in early Ireland and gave rise to the surname Mac Aodhagáin (Mc Egan) - the outstanding legal family of medieval Ireland." Woulfe, pg. 170 (sn. Ao{d.}agán) cites the Anglicization of that name as "Egan," and construct the genitive form as <Ao{d.}agáin>. In both sources, the name is marked as a diminutive of <Ao{d.}> or <Áed>, which is documented in OC&M (pg. 13, sn. Áed) to the 7th century.

Device: We submit as a possible visual conflict Wilhelm von Buren (Jul 91 Cal): "Per pale azure and Or, a nesselblat counterchanged."

Device: This conflicts with both Tova Egeskjold (Jul 87 Mid): "Azure, a bend sinister engrailed between a feather and an oak tree eradicated argent" and Camilla Seawood of Torpoint (May 83 Mer): "Azure, a bend sinister engrailed between a sea lion erect and a lozenge argent." In each case there is only 1 CD for changing the type of secondaries.

Name: As "Avignon" is the name of an actual place in France, we would assume that "d'Avignon" means "of Avignon," not "of Avalon."

Reblazon: "[Fieldless] An escarbuncle argent, overall a golpe" (or "...overall a roundel purpure.")

What was the original name?

Device: This conflicts with Citadel of the Southern Pass, Barony of the (Feb 88 Out): "Azure, a rapier argent between two piles inverted Or." There is no CD for the tincture of the hilt of the rapier, leaving only one CD for changing the type of the secondaries.

Reblazon: "...belled and jessed sable."

Response to Ravenstongue: While we agree that there are two different types of crosses on this device, an earlier submission on this same letter (David of Sterlyngevayle) provided documentation of this practice in use in period (with crosses, even!); therefore we recommend it not be returned for this reason.

The Patron Saints Index entry on Seraphina Sforza (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saints65.htm) lists her as "Also known as Sueva Sforza" and as being born in 1432.

Household name: We cite a possible problem with "Ludwig von Lemminghaus." Will Therion need a letter of permission from Ludwig? If not, at least this might give some credence to "Lemming" as a registerable, if not necessarily period, word. Then again, Ludwig's name was registered in 1981...

Name: The surname should be <Mag Shamhráin>.

Device: Possible conflict with Allistair MacMitchell (Jul 89 Caid): "(Fieldless) A tree eradicated azure, its trunk entwined by a wingless wyvern passant to base Or," depending on the significance of Allistair's wyvern.

Reblazon: "[Fieldless] On a roundel embattled per pale vert and sable sustained by a dragon's jambe palewise erased, a decrescent argent."