Feast of St. Osburga
30 March, AS XV
Greetings from Myfanwy!
Herein pray find commentary on Æ LoI #93. Everything was
conflict-checked in
the O and A, which has apparently been updated through December 2005,
the most
recent LoAR posted online.
I remain your servant and the Society’s
Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy@nauticom.net
1. Alicia Hennenburg -- Per pale vert and sable, two peacocks pavonated
addorsed and in chief two acorns slipped and leaved inverted argent.
no conflicts found
2. Anton Vadim -- Per fess sable and purpure, thirteen double-bitted
axes Or.
Since the submitter is not requesting authenticity, the submitted form
“Anton”
is probably okay (although “Antonin Vadim” really would be much better,
as more
temporally consistent).
The docs for both name elements are as cited.
I looked at the color html page and did a version of the 10 foot (i.e.,
sat
back about 5-6’ from the computer screen and squinted. Not only do you
lose
some identifiability of the tinctures by doing that, but you also lose
some of
the identifiability of the charges (due to the thinness of the hafts)
-- they
look sort of like bow ties. Part of this comes, no doubt, from the
nature of
the charge, but part of it also comes, I think, from somewhat odd
arrangement.
If the submitter is going to insist on the number of axes, then yeah,
well, the
arrangement probably should be specified -- although I would personally
have
drawn them so that the “rows” were not overlapping, i.e.,:
| | |
| | | | | |
this: | | |
rather than: | | | | |
| | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
(but that may be just me). Personally, I’d rather blazon it as a semy,
regardless of the actual arrangement, but scribes might not emblazon it
the
same way I would.
no conflicts found
3. Béibhinn Mackynnay -- Per bend engrailed argent and sable, a
raven and a
decrescent counterchanged.
The bird may not be quite “hairy” enough, but the shape of the beak
definitely
makes is sufficiently crow- or raven-like to probably be a registerable
depiction.
possibly clear of: Béla Kós (11/02 Outlands) -- Per bend
argent and sable, a
hawk stooping and a skull counterchanged.
possibly clear of: Wolfram Ericson (11/91 Calontir) -- Per bend argent
and
sable, a raven and a wolf’s head erased close counterchanged.
In each case, there is a CD for adding the complex line of division,
and there
should be one for changing the type of half the charges
clear of: Eleanor Deyesson (10/89 Calontir) -- Per bend engrailed
argent and
azure, a dove volant and an escallop counterchanged.
There is a CD for changing half the field, and at least one for
changing the
type and tincture of one of the charges.
4. Camy inghean Mhic Culloch of Cardoness
The docs for the given name are ac cited. Note however, that there is
only a
single instance cited.
Black [pp. 483-84, sn MACCULLOCH] says:
Much obscurity enshrouds the origin of this old Galwegian name, and no
satisfactory pedigree of the family exists.... The name may G. Mac
Cullaich
[sic] or
Mac C(h)ullach [sic], ‘son of (the) boar’ [sic].
Numerous variant spellings are cited in Black, but they are almost
entire of
the form <Mac> or <Mc>, with a few <M’> and
<Mak> forms
sprinkled in. None of the citations in Black use the form <Mhic>
or
<mhic>.
The docs for the locative are as cited. The website gives a brief
history of
the McCulloch family in relationship to the castle (mostly dating to
the 16th
and 17th centuries).
If the McCullochs are connected with Cardoness Castle, does this bring
up the question
of presumption?
5. Deirdre Scot
The Black citations are mostly as given: the header form [p. 714] is
actually
<Scott> and the cited name [p. 715] is <Willelmus Scot de Bal-
[sic]
weary>.. Note that dated citations closer to the submitter’s desire
(if not
actual request) include <Uchtred filius Scot> , dated to c. 1124;
and
<Henricus de (read ‘le’) [sic] Scotte>, dated to 1195-8.
Additionally,
there are several 13th century citations (although later than that of
the
submitter’s expressed time frame) for <Magister Isaac Scotus>,
dated to
1202; <John the Scot [sic], Earl of Chester> dated to
1219;
<Ade le Scot>, dated to c. 1221; and <Ali- [sic] saundre Scot
of
Perthayk>, dated to 1296.
The docs for the byname are as given. Note that the cite is from Black
[p. 204,
sn Deirdre]
6. Ka{dh}lin Sigsvaldiskona -- Per bend sinister wavy argent and gules,
four
domestic cats counterchanged.
The Geirr Bassi cite for the given name is actually “Ka{dh}lín”
(i.e., with the
accent mark) but I don’t know how much that makes a difference in
Norse.
[Please note that I finally actually looked up what the Daud notation
for an
edh is supposed to be! All this time I had been using {d-}, apparently
in
error.]
The docs for the byname are as given. From reading the commentary on
the LoAR,
it appears that the byname is formed correctly.
The cats are sejant. I’m not sure if the arrangement needs to be
blazoned, but
it might be. Note that Brooke-Little [p. 60, sn Cat-a-mountain] says:
The domestic cat is simply blazoned a cat unless of a definite species,
like
the Siamese cats which support the arms of Lord Snow.
Possible reblazon: Per bend sinister wavy argent and gules, four
[domestic]
cats sejant in bend sinister, two and two, counterchanged.
Possible reblazon: Per bend sinister wavy argent and gules, in cross
four
[domestic] cats sejant counterchanged.
no conflicts found
7. Sifrid der Blint -- Quarterly vert and argent, a mace bendwise
argent
between two wolf’s heads erased vert.
The docs for the given name are as cited; note that <Sifrid>
appears to
be a variant form of <Sigfrid>.
The docs for the byname are also as given However, it should be noted
that
while <Blint> is the attested Middle High German word, this is
only a
header form, and the cited names all appear to use Latin rather than
German:
<Erlunc cecus> and <Hiltiger cæcus>, both dated to
the 9th century
<Ludolfus Cecus> , dated to 1135.
Further, it should be noted that none of the cites are dated to the
mid-13th
century (all are at least a century earlier), which does not meet the
submitter’s request for authenticity. It would be nice to see a
citation that
specifically uses the Middle High German <Blint> rather than the
Latin
forms.
I don’t know if the grammar is correct. Is <Blint/Blind>
masculine (therefore
requiring <der>, and, if so, would this also be the case for
medieval --
rather than modern -- German?
Unlike the previous submission, I believe that the arrangement (i.e.,
“in bend
sinister” does not have to be specified: the heads are in a forced
position due
to tincture.
All the charges could do with being a bit larger. There is also an
awful lot of
internal detailing on the heads [Frankenwolf, anyone? :-) ].
This is a flanged mace [c.f., PIC-DIC, fig. 486b]. I checked someone
else’s
PIC-DIC to get information about mace types. According to the PIC-DIC
[sn
Mace], variant types of maces carry no difference heraldically, but if
a
specific type is desired the head type should be blazoned.
Possible reblazon: Quarterly vert and argent, a flanged mace bendwise
argent
between two wolf’s heads erased vert
no conflicts found
8. Sigvaldi inn enski -- Per chevron argent and sable, a crescent
counterchanged.
The name docs are as given. I presume that this is the Sigvaldi to whom
Ka{d-}lin is wed?
no conflicts found
9. Sorcha inghean Airt (device resub) -- Vert, on a lozenge argent a
butterfly
displayed azure and a chief wavy argent.
The lozenge seems a bit small -- remember, it is supposed to be the
primary
charge, not the chief (although the chief should *not* be any smaller).
no conflicts found
10. Sven Tyrvisson (device resub) -- Vert, a Thor’s hammer inverted and
in
chief three mullets of six points Or.
The original armory was returned by Laurel in 3/94 (East) for redrawing
issues,
and for conflict. It was completely different from this. (Short of
looking
through *every* LoAR for every month between then and now, I don’t know
if
there were any intermediate submissions between then and now.)
possibly clear of: Ancel FitzCharles (badge, 11/91 Middle) -- Vert, a
stone
hammer within a bordure embattled Or.
There is at least one CD for changing the type and number of
secondaries;
however, there may or may not be a CD for the type of hammer,
especially since
I presume that a “stone throwing hammer” has its head to chief by
default.
clear of: Styrbjörn Halte (8/94 Drachenwald) -- Vert, in pale a
crescent
inverted and a Thor’s hammer Or.
There is at least one CD for changing the type and number of
secondaries; there
is also a CD for the orientation of the hammer.
11. Tristán Isidro de Alcaçar -- Gules, a trebuchet and
on a chief embattled Or
three towers sable.
The docs for the given name are as cited.
The docs for “Isidro” are more or less as cited (except that the
citation is
fully on p. 235 -- the p. 234 cite appears to be for a different
saint). Is
Love still considered a reputable source? While the other cite gives
“Isidro”
as a “variante” [sic], it isn’t clear whether this is in fact a period
form of
the name from this source.
I did find a single instance of <Isidro> from another source:
“Medieval
Spanish Names from the Monastery of Sahagun” by Antonio Miguel Santos
de Borja
(mka Tony Borning) [URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/miguel/sahagun/]. It is
found in the page links “Second Group, 1097-1101” [URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/
miguel/sahagun/sahagunNames2.html#names] and “Third Group, 1289-1300”
[URL:
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/miguel/sahagun/sahagunNames3.html#names
The documentation for the locative are more or less as given, although
neither
source uses <de>. I am unfamiliar with even modern Spanish
grammar, so I
am unsure whether the name should be <Alcaçar> or <de
Alcaçar>.
It’s good that the submitter has not requested authenticity, since it
is
unclear if the name is temporally consistent. I have found no evidence
for
<Isidro> after 1300., while the rest of the name elements appear,
from
the documentation, to be pretty solidly 15th century.
Borrowing someone else’s PIC-DIC, I looked up various types of siege
weapons.
Trebuchets were cross-referenced under the general header
“Catapult”[c.f., fig.
95]. The PIC-DIC says:
The type in most common use in medieval times was called a “trebuchet”
[sic] or
“swepe” [sic].... This is the most common type in Society heraldry....
All types of catapult are depicted by default in their “rest” [sic]
position,
with
the arm neither cocked and ready, nor at full release.
It isn’t entire clear if the orientation (i.e., with the throwing arm
to
sinister) is the SCA default., but the *position* of the arm does not
appear to
be as shown in the PIC-DIC. Parker [p. 542, sn Sling} says:
The sweep [sic] (more correctly spelled swepe [sic]) is
used as
synonymous. It
is, however, the same as the balista [sic], and is so blazoned
in one
coat; it is a
more formidable engine of warfare, similar to the catapult or man-
[sic]
qonel
[sic], whence in one case the play on the name.
The illustration in the margin appears to be for the arms of Magnall:
“Argent,
a sweep (or sling) [sic] azure charged with a stone or [sic]”, and
shows the
implement with the arm facing to sinister, not dexter, as best as I can
tell --
the throwing arm is centered on the upright, sort of like a playground
seesaw,
but the part holding the stone is to dexter chief, sort of like this:
o
\ |
\|
|
|\
| \
Woodward [p.365] says:
THE CATAPULT [sic], or BALISTA [sic], is known in Armory by the old
name of a swepe
[sic]. I am only acquainted with one instance of its use. MAGNALL [sic]
bears: Argent,
a swepe azure, charged with a stone or [sic].
A depiction is not given, but since this is the same blazon as in
Parker,
presumably the emblazon would be much the same.
There should be a slight artistic note -- the towers should not be
lined up so
uniformly with the embattlements on the chief (it makes them look like
they are
overlapping a plain chief and are counterchanged per fess sable and Or!
I would
also have drawn the chief with a couple more embattlements, and
possibly also
brought it a bit further down on the shield (i.e., with the upper part,
not the
lower part, aligned wit the tick marks on the form).
Nice armory, otherwise.
clear of: Nicholas the Unshod (9/87 West) -- Gules, a battering ram
argent,
armed and trimmed Or.
There is at least one CD, probably two, for adding the charged
complex-line
chief. There should also be a CD between the two different primary
charges:
Parker [p. 48] gives the depiction of a battering ram, and it is pretty
significantly different from a trebuchet.
Bibliography:
Arana de Love, Francisca. Nombres Propios Españoles.
Barcelona: Editorial Vosgos,
S.A., 1982.
Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland:
Their
Origin, Meaning, and History.
Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd., 1999, 2004 [copyright: The New York Public
Library,
1946].
Brooke-Little, John. An Heraldic Alphabet, Rev.
Ed.
London: Robson Books Ltd., 1975,
1985.
Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme [Bruce Miller] and Akagawa Yoshio [Kevin
Munday].
A Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry
As
Used in The Society for Creative
Anachronism,
2nd Ed., 1992.
Geirr Bassi Haraldsson [??]. The Old Norse Name.
Olney, MD: Yggssaldr Press, 1977.
[Studia Marklandia I]
http://oanda.sca.org
http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar
http://www.scadian.net/heraldry/daud.html
Parker, James. A Glossary of Terms Used
in
Heraldry. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., 1970.
Paul Wickenden of Thanet [Paul W. Goldschmidt]. A Dictionary
of
Period Russian
Names, 3rd Ed. Normal, IL: S.C.A. Inc. -- Free Trumpet Press
West, 2000.
Woodward, John, and George Burnett. Woodward's Treatise
on
Heraldry, British and
Foreign. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., 1969, 1971.
other URLs as cited