Greetings from Garnet and Cornelian,
We would very much like to thank those who commented on these items: Aryanhwy merch Catmael, The Heronter Heralds Commenting Group, Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon and Thorvald Redhair!
The items accepted on this letter have been forwarded to Laurel for further consideration, where we anticipate they will be decided on in October 2006.
1. Æthelmearc, Kingdom of – New Badge accepted
Argent, on a chevron engrailed gules between three cauldrons sable five escarbuncles argent.
In response to commenters’ concerns, the badge was redrawn with the cauldrons slightly reduced in size, so as not to appear conjoined to the chevron.
2. Aíbell ingen Diarmata –Name and device accepted
Or, flaunches gules, in fess three snails counterchanged.
This has been re-blazoned at kingdom following the suggestions of commenters and following the example of: Richard Kenrick, Gules, two flaunches Or, in fess three hearts counterchanged (July 1992).
3. Andreas Jäger – Name and Device pended
Argent, a bear sejant erect sable and on a chief rayonny enarched gules a lightning bolt fesswise argent.
Unfortunately, this name conflicts with <Enderlin Jäger>, #4 on the West's 24 May 2006 ELoI. <Enderlin> is a diminutive of <Andreas> in German. Since Enderlin's name isn't registered yet, this can't be returned for conflict. We have pended the item to allow us to contact the submitter for further consultation.
4. Ardan Scot – New Name accepted
This was incorrectly given as <Arden> on the ILoI. The submitted form is actually <Ardan>, as supported by the documentation.
5. Cerridwyn ingen Cera – Name and Device pended
Argent, a lion’s head erased contourny vert
The combination of Welsh and Gaelic was ruled unregisterable in January of 2005.
We have pended the name to allow us to contact the submitter for further consultation. Additionally, without an accompanying name submission, this lovely device must be pended as well, although it appears to be otherwise registerable.
6.
Grímólfr Ormulfsson – Name and device accepted
Argent, on a chevron azure between three wolf’s heads erased gules three annulets argent.
7. Hrefna
Úlfvarinsdóttir – Name and device accepted
Per pale azure and argent, in fess an increscent, a crescent and a decrescent counterchanged.
8. Kiara Kavanagh – Name and Device pended
Argent, a rose purpure barbed vert seeded Or, in chief three crosses flory azure.
The documentation source given by the submitter for the given name is not adequately reliable as a scholarly source. Commenters found no acceptable documentation for the submitted given name, which appears to be a modern Anglicization of the Old/Middle Irish form <Ciar>. The byname appears to be an Anglicization of the Early Modern Irish descriptive byname, <Cáomhanach>. Although the submitter has requested authenticity for “Celtic,” she does not allow the major changes necessary to make this Anglicized name authentic to the Gaelic language. Even if the major change in language were allowed, the name <Ciar Cáomhanach> would appear to be unregisterable for being two steps from period practice: one for temporal disparity and another for lingual disparity.
We have pended the name to allow us to contact the submitter for further consultation. Additionally, without an accompanying name submission, we are forced to pend this device, which appears to be otherwise acceptable.
9. Sabina de Lyons – New Household Badge: House Laughing Fox pended
(Fieldless) A fox passant inverted gules.
Commenters found several rulings barring the registration of inverted animals, other than as part of a group in annulo. The Heronter Heralds referred us to Slater, The Complete Book of Hearldry, p. 221, which was said to include an image of a banner with a lion rampant inverted. The image cited depicts the lion sideways, not inverted.
Upon further research, however, we learn that the image is from the Banderia Prutenorum, a 15th century manuscript documenting 56 war banners captured from the Teutonic knights at their loss of the battle of Tannenberg in 1410. This manuscript depicts all of the banners sideways, as though hanging from a lowered horizontal hoist. (Because banners have their pole casings along the side, they will hang sideways when suspended from a horizontal pole, much like modern flags when they hang from their hoist edge.) In this particular case, the banner depicted in Slater includes a schwenkel, which confirms that the banner is depicted sideways. Thus, the lion represented is not inverted, but is a normal lion rampant.
Other banners from the Banderia Prutenorum, however, do provide examples of animals statant palewise and courant palewise, both of which are unusual orientations for animals. We have pended this item to allow for further consultation with the submitter, and to allow for further investigation of the unusual orientations in this manuscript.
10. Siobhan Challánach – Name and device accepted
Azure, a griffin dormant between three barrels fesswise argent.
Submitted as <Callánach>, we have added the lenition.
Commenters noted a possible conflict with: Maureen ha-Ivriah (Atenveldt, Jan 2001) "Azure, an Assyrian griffin couchant gazing to chief, wings displayed, argent."
Per the 09/2000 LoAR, there is no CD between dormant and couchant. However, the wing position of Maureen ha-Ivriah’s griffin is displayed, whereas the wing position of this submitted device is elevated and addorsed. Since such a difference of wing position would count for a CD in birds, we believe the primary charges of these two devices to be visually distinct. The addition of the barrels counts for a second CD.
This concludes our Letter of Report Æ 95 dated June 22, 2006.