ÆTHELMEARC COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #72
Knute Hvitabjörn


1. Aburgha Chaghadai -- Gules, on a sun argent a decrescent gules and in base an Oriental dragon passant argent.

Gules, in pale a sun argent charged with a decrescent gules and an Oriental dragon passant argent

The dragon is co-primary with the sun.

Conroy der Rote - June of 1976:
Gules, on a sun argent, a falcon's leg couped a-la-quise proper.

CD number of primary charges, CD type and tincture of tertiary group.

Clear

2. Adam Enstone on Tyne -- Argent, a monster consisting of the upper half of a moor and the lower half of a tree stump eradicated proper maintaining in its dexter hand a hammer sable, a ford proper.

Clear

3. Aíbell Shúlglas -- Azure, two barrulets wavy between three herons argent.

Anne-Marie l'Amasseresse - August of 1994 (via An Tir):
Azure, three ducks passant in fess between two bars wavy argent.

CD arrangement of birds, CD type of birds.

Clear

5. Aine ingean Ruaidri -- Purpure, a swan naiant and on a chief argent three trees vert.

Clear

6. Alan the Strong -- Or, a plow vert and on a chief embattled sable 3 garbs Or.

Clear

7. Annanias Fenne -- [Fieldless] In pale a moth displayed argent conjoined to a mount vert.

[Fieldless] a moth argent conjoined to a mount vert

Tergiant displayed is the default posture of a moth and the mount's defined location in base forces the arrangement.

The use of a mount, which depends on the edge of the field for it's shape, violates RfS VIII.5.

A mount couped looks clear.

Return for violating RfS VIII.5

9. Aurenca Mouly -- [Fieldless] A horseshoe sable.

Clear

12. Brian of Leichester -- Per fess sable and argent, in chief a house and in base 3 roundels counterchanged.

This would be the first registration of a house. This should be documented per AH IV.C.2. However the following precedent should also be noted.

[registering a domed mosque of one minaret] A question of reproducibility was raised in commentary in regards to this submission. Of particular relevance to this case are period heraldic depictions of buildings. There are, particularly in Continental heraldry, many coats incorporating everything from individual buildings up to entire cities. Even a casual examination of multiple sources will show that there was little regularity in depiction. The blazon for such charges is characteristically vague: "a church" or "a city". Clearly any variation in depiction is a matter of artistry, not heraldry.
In this case, anyone viewing the emblazon will recognize the charge as a mosque. A competent heraldic artist may not produce this particular mosque, but will presumably produce a drawing which, again, the viewers will recognize. This situation is no different from period heraldic depictions of churches.
This is a change to our normal policy of having the first registration of a charge not documented as having been used in period heraldry be the defining example of the charge. In this specific case, since the period usage of buildings varied so widely, we are comfortable with not having a defining example. ('Afra' bint Tamir al-Sahrahwayyiah, 5/98 p. 5)
Precedents - Jaelle, under Architecture

The precedent implies that the only question is whether this is a reasonable depiction of a period house.

The way that the windows don't line up on the door's level implies that this isn't a simple one story cot, but they aren't arranged the way that a two story house's windows would be either.

Clear

Document the house.

13. Bridget Walker -- Per fess enarched azure and argent, in base issuant from base a tree sable and a chief wavy argent.

Clear

14. Carlo Garlucci -- [Fieldless] A rooster vert.

...In the future I will be more likely to grant difference between different types of birds when they are (a) different in period, (b) in a period posture, (c) drawn correctly, and (d) there is some visual difference...[01/00, CL]
Precedents - Elsbeth, under BIRD -- Precedent on Difference

Society for Creative Anachronism - August of 1979 (via the West):(Tinctureless) A secretary-bird sejant regardant. [Sagittarius sepentarius]
for Privy Clerk to Morsulus Herald

Single CD for fieldless.

The secretary-bird isn't a period type of heraldic bird and doesn't have any well known distinguishing attributes. Therefore, it must be considered a generic bird because it fails to meet the listed criteria.

I hate this seal. The secretary-bird does not appear in the pic-dic or any any precedents since it's original registration at the great heraldicon, "the source of many of the most solecistic items we see in the Armorial today." (LoAR 05/98, Dálkr Hálftroll Snjolfsson R-Atlantia) This would NOT be registerable today. When I asked him at Pennsic XXX in reference to a similar conflict call, Morsulus stated that he didn't have a privy clerk and didn't know what it looked like. If this seal isn't being used, I feel that it should be released, freeing up space for dozens of pieces of simple armory. At the very least, I would like to see some kind of blanket permission to conflict given so that this obscure piece of heraldic history doesn't waste as much space.

Otherwise clear.

16. Dafydd MacNab -- Per fess embattled Or and vert, a tent vert and a dragon segreant Or armed and langued gules.

The tent isn't identifiable. It doesn't look like any type of period pavilion that I'm familiar with. There is no evidence of any supporting poles or ropes. The top should be a peak or ridge, not a dome. It looks like a helmet to me.

Clear

Redraw

17. Dafydd MacNab -- [Fieldless] A dragon per bend sinister Or and vert armed and langued gules.

Clear

18. Donnan the Solitary -- Azure, two rapiers in saltire Or, overall a dogwood blossom argent seeded Or.

Azure, two rapiers in saltire overall a dogwood blossom argent seeded Or

Clear, including quatrefoils.

19. Elizabeth Musard -- Ermine, three tygers purpure.

The tygers are a bit small.

Clear

20. Elizabeth Musard -- [Fieldless] A fret couped sable.

Clear

21. Franz Belgrand die Mus -- Argent, a brown mouse rampant proper maintaining a sword sable and on a chief purpure a longbow fesswise argent.

Clear

22. Ghalib al-Sami -- Or chaussé purpure, a natural tiger's head cabossed sable marked argent and a falcon's head erased sable.

[Gules chaussé Or, a seahorse sejant counterchanged] Conflict with ... Or, a pile gules. By long standing precedent, chaussé fields can alternatively be blazoned as having a pile, and both forms must be considered for conflict. Or, on a pile gules, a seahorse sejant counterchanged conflicts with Or, a pile gules, with only one CD for the addition of the tertiary charge. [Samhthann ni Giolla Mhuire, 10/99, R-Calontir]
Precedents - Elsbeth, under FIELD DIVISION -- Chaussé

Purpure, on a pile Or a natural tiger's head cabossed sable marked argent and a falcon's head erased sable vs

Thorkell Óláfsson - October of 1996 (via Trimaris): Purpure, on a pile Or a Danish axe gules.

Single CD for multiple changes to tertiary group.

Return for conflict.

23. Gideon Lydiard -- Vert, a cross moline and on a chief argent three torteaux.

Clear

25. Jean-Philippe Firmin d'Amiens -- Azure, a base Or.

Clear

27. Jochen Blitzger -- Azure, a helmet argent between and conjoined to 3 lightning bolts in pall throughout Or.

Azure, in pall a helmet argent between and conjoined to three lightning bolts throughout Or

The lightning bolts are long enough to be co-primary.

There is a weirdness for using the SCA compatible lightning bolts.

Jochen of Nithgaard - February of 2000 (via AEthelmearc):
Azure, a helm argent between three lightning bolts in pall Or.

Direct conflict - same person?

29. Katherine Loch Duibh -- Vert, in pale a trident issuing from a flame argent.

Clear

31. Khadel Kober -- (Fieldless) A mascle ployé and overall a bow reversed and a bow sable.

(Fieldless) A mascle ployé and overall two bows respectant sable

Clear

32. Konstantinos Akropolites -- Vert, a griffon sejant argent within an orle of fleurs-de-lys Or.

Clear

33. Lothar Hugelman -- Sable, three crampons argent.

Clear

34. Mailagnas Maqqas Dunaidonas -- Azure, a boar's head couped close and a chief argent.

Clear

35. May Wynn -- Azure, on a fess embattled between three mullets of eight points argent, a badger statant azure.

The embattling should be a little deeper.

Clear

36. Michelina da Trento -- Azure, 3 cups and on a chief argent, three fleurs-de-lys azure.

[a tankard vs a chalice] [There is a CD] for the very visible difference between a tankard and a chalice with its long stem and unique outline. (Brigid O'Farrell of Beckery, 9/95 p. 7) Precedents - Da'ud 2.2, under Cup

Caterina Amiranda della Quercia - July of 2002 (via Atenveldt): Azure, three tankards and on a chief argent a dragon passant sable.

CD tankard vs cup, CD multiple changes to tertiary group.

Clear

37. Miguel Flores -- Argent crusily flory gules, a heron statant azure maintaining in its beak a fish gules.

Argent crusily flory gules, a heron azure maintaining in its beak a fish gules

Clear

39. Odriana vander Brugghe -- (Fieldless) A furison sable.

Clear

40. Óláfr Thorvardarson -- Vert, a wolf statant ululant and on a chief embattled argent three dolphins azure.

The head posture of the dolphins is unblazonable and irreproducible because the term regaurdant would probably be interpreted to show the head above the body.

The head against the body hinders the identifiability of the dolphins.

The ululant posture is a weirdness.

Clear

Return for violating RfS VII.7.a and RfS VII.7.b.

41. Otelia d'Alsace -- (Fieldless) On a cross patonce Or a heart gules.

[a cross fleury vs. cross of Santiago] As of the March 2001 LoAR, "A cross patonce and a cross of Santiago are both considered artistic variants of a cross flory; therefore, there is no CD for a cross patonce versus a cross of Santiago." A cross fleury is even closer in depiction to a cross of Santiago than a cross patonce. [Cristoval Gitano, 08/01, R-Lochac]
Precedents - François, under CROSS

Eibhlín ní Chaoimh - April of 2000 (via AEthelmearc): (Fieldless) On four demi-fleurs conjoined in cross Or a torteau.

Single CD for fieldless, no CD for type only of tertiary charge, no CD for an artistic variant of a cross fleury vs. four demi-fleurs conjoined in cross which is essentially another artistic variant of a cross fleury.

Return for conflict.

43. Rhydderch ap Erwin -- Per pale azure and vert, a sword inverted argent between a caravel sails furled and a triple towered castle Or.

Clear

45. Seth Mac Michael -- [Fieldless] A gorilla statant argent.

[Fieldless] A gorilla statant contourny argent

Clear

46. Seth Mac Michael -- [Fieldless] A gorilla statant contourny argent.

[Fieldless] A gorilla statant argent

Clear

47. Sophie Davenport -- Sable, a bend sinister gules fimbriated Or between two scorpions argent.

Kelson de la Croix - June of 1973:
Sable, a bend sinister gules fimbriated argent, between a Latin cross and an olive branch bendwise sinister argent.

Single CD for type of secondaries.

Return for conflict.

48. Taileshíthe of the Greenwood -- Per pale sable and vert, a pall between two owls close respectant and a crescent argent.

Per pale sable and vert, a pall inverted between two owls close respectant and a crescent argent

The owls are in trian aspect.

Clear

Redraw

52. Vlksha Iakovleva -- Gyronny argent and gules, a cross of Toulouse sable.

Clear

53. Zoe Akropolitina -- Vert, a griffon sejant Or within an orle of fleurs-de-lys argent.

Clear

knute