Many thanks to November's commenters: Aimeric de Mireval, Aryanhwy Boke, Bruce, Cnute, Egill Scarlet Guard, Fridrikr Sycamore, Gilles Keystone, Ian Dunbreck, and Myfanwy.
The items accepted in this letter have been forwarded to Laurel on XLoI Æ83/84 (January 25); they will be decided on in May 2005.
Argent, semy of oak trees vert, on a pale sable three goblets argent.
Purpure, a chevron ermine between five escallops in fess and a dragonfly argent.
Or, an oak tree blasted conjoined in pale with an oak tree blasted inverted purpure.
The two oak trees conjoined at the bases are effectively indistinguishable from 'a tree blasted and eradicated.' By François' precedent of July 2000: "There is no CD between a tree eradicated and a tree blasted and eradicated, as noted in the August 1994 LoAR... This is because there are period depictions of trees with only a few leaves."
Thus, this device should be conflict checked as though it was 'Or, a tree (blasted and) eradicated purpure' in which case it is in conflict with Ealasaid ingen Ioan (Per saltire Or and argent, a tree blasted and eradicated purpure) with one CD for the field, Roana de Laci ([Fieldless] A rowan tree eradicated purpure) with one CD for field vs. fieldless, and John Claymore (Or, an oak tree eradicated and a chief indented purpure) with one CD for removal of the chief.
Originally submitted as Nia Katherine Rose of Bannockburn, the submitter was looking for a name that sounded like "Nivah or Nevah" on the basis of an ancestress known by such a name.
Unfortunately, we were unable to find documentation for a Scots name used in period with that sound. The Gaelic name Niamh could theoretically have been used, but then the name would have been returned by Laurel for being two steps away from period practice: one for combining Gaelic and Scots in the same name, and a second for using a double given name in Scots.
We consulted at length with the submitter, and for purposes of registration she was willing to drop the problematic "Nia" and go with the all-Scots name Katherine Rose of Bannockburn.
Originally submitted as Niamh ban Bran Ó Labhradha, the submitter mistakenly stated that ban was a Gaelic word for wife. The marker for 'wife' is ben (early) or bean (late), and we have changed it accordingly. After bean, her husband's name needs to be lenited and put into the genitive case, and we have done this as well.
Or, a wolf rampant sable within a bordure sable estoily Or.
Nice name and device!
We believe the device to be clear of with Magdalena Ysabel von Wolfengerg (Or, a wolf rampant sable within a bordure gules crusily swallowtailed Or) with one CD for the tincture of the bordure and another CD for changing the type of the tertiary charges as per the RfS X.4.j.ii: "For armory that has no more than two types of charge directly on the field and has no overall charges, substantially changing the type of all of a group of charges placed entirely on an ordinary or other suitable charge is one clear difference." Rafe's armory has no more than two types of charge directly on the field (i.e. wolf and bordure) and the tertiaries are on an ordinary (i.e. the bordure).
Argent, on a bend azure between two ravens close sable, three oak trees argent.
Azure, a reremouse and on a chief argent three card piques sable.
This name is being returned for a lack of documentation. No documentation was provided by the submitter, and none was found, showing Hmurovic to be a medieval Polish byname. Overall, the name has a variety of problems, including the submitter's request for authenticity to Poland with a Russian form of the given name; the aforementioned undocumented first byname; and an improperly formed locative byname. We will be working intensively with the submitter to develop a form of his name appropriate for registration.
Without a registerable SCA name, we must return his device as well, although there do not appear to be any problems with it.