ÆTHELMEARC
COLLEGE OF HERALDS - commentary archive
Letter of Intent #96 Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
29 June, AS XLI
Greetings from Myfanwy!
Enclosed pray fin commentary on Æ #96. Everything was
conflict-checked through the February 2006 LoAR, and #1 was rechecked
with the amended emblazon.
I remain your servant and the Society’s.
Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy@nauticom.net
1. Arn{th}óra Grimarskona -- Sable, a bear rampant contourny and
on a
chief engrailed argent, three bear’s paw prints purpure.
The Geirr Bassi docs for both name elements are as cited. While the
spelling changes from <-rr> to <-rs> works for the genitive
form
with <-son> and <dóttir>, I don’t know whether that
would also be
the case for <-kona>, so I am unsure as to whether the byname is
formed correctly. I suspect it probably is, but this should probably
be forwarded on to Laurel with a request for assistance, given that
the submitter has requested authenticity.
The chief should come down a bit further (but is not too bad) and have
fewer and more pronounced “bumps” -- even if the bear has to be a tad
smaller as a result. It probably doesn’t need to be redrawn, just an
artist’s note to the submitter.
I presume that these are, indeed bear paw prints -- note that there is
no difference between these and any other type of paw prints.
Reblazon: Sable, a bear rampant contourny and on a chief invected
argent, three bear’s paw prints purpure.
clear of: Donneuuald MacEwen of Caer Arthwen (2/97 Middle) -- Sable,
a bear salient contourney [sic] reguardant argent, on a chief indented
Or two compass
roses sable.
There is a CD for changing the tincture of the chief, and one for
significant changes to the tertiaries (type, number tincture); there
is probably also one for the change to type of complex line on the
chief; note, however, that there is *not* a CD for the posture of the
bear.
possibly clear of: Sibella Denton (2/06 Meridies) -- Sable, a lion
sejant erect contourny maintaining in its forepaws a snake erect and
on a chief embattled argent three cinquefoils azure.
There is a CD for changing the type and tincture of tertiaries, and
probably one for the type of complex line. While there *should* be a
CD between the type of beasts, there may have to be a visual call
between the two pieces of armory as to their respective postures, as
there is a conflict between rampant and sejant erect. This is as per
a François Precedent:
Conflict ... There is one CD for fieldlessness, but nothing for the
posture change
from rampant to sejant erect guardant. [ Judith Maryse
[sic],10/01 , R-Trimaris]
2. Calylvorr Ine Skylycorne (resub name and device) -- Per pale
argent and sable, two griffins sejant respectant, forepaws raised,
counterchanged.
the docs for all name elements are as cited.
Hmm. This is not particularly well blazoned, because “dexter forepaws
raised” sort of implies that they are actually sejant erect (i.e.,
with *both* legs raised), but I’m not sure what a better blazon would
be.
As emblazoned, the griffins are both (sort of) in chief. They should
be more centrally placed on the shield (yes, there really is room to
move them down without either shrinking or contorting them), or else
this needs to be reblazoned. They also should maybe have a bit more
internal detailing -- I checked both the color and B&W html
versions
to be sure. Possible reblazon: Per pale argent and sable, in chief
two griffins sejant respectant, each with one forepaw raised,
counterchanged.
clear of: Grifphon Shadow, Shire of (1/97 Meridies) -- Per pale
argent and sable, two griffins combattant each maintaining a chalice
and an laurel wreath counterchanged.
There is a CD for changing the posture of the griffins, and one for
removing the laurel wreath. (Given the blazon I presume that each
griffin has a chalice, rather than maintaining one between the two of
them; as maintained charges, they count for nothing).
3. Duncan von Halstern (change of name)
I presume the given name is being grandfathered.
The website cited in the documentation really does not seem to still
exist --I got a 404 error message (in German) which appears to say
something to that effect: Error 404: Datei nicht gefunden! Das angegebene Dokument konnte auf diesem Server leider
nicht gefunden werden.”
I also did a Google search [URL: http://www.google.com] for “Halstern
Löhn Mennighüffen 1347” to see if I could find the page, or a
similar
one, but only the 4/03 Eastern Internal Letter of Report and 4/04
Eastern XLoI (both quoting the same website translation) were found.
While the spelling <von Halstern> was indeed registered 9/04, the
relevant LoAR does *not* provide the documentation given here. It
merely says:
Sichelgaita von Halstern. [sic] Name and device. Per
bend purpure and Or, a
harp counterchanged and in sinister chief a mullet Or.
Submitted as Sichelgaita Von Halsstern [sic], no
documentation was provided
and none found that Halsstern [sic] is a reasonable
variant of the German
placename Halstern [sic] or that it followed
patterns of German placename
construction. In addition, the preposition in period German
locative bynames
appear in lowercase. We have made these corrections and changed the
name
to Sichelgaita von Halstern [sic].
I also checked Bahlow, while at Margaret Makafee’s, but found nothing
close.
This seems to imply that <Halstern> is indeed a placename, but
there
doesn’t seem to be any actual documentation available. The file for
Sichelgaita von Halstern may have to be pulled at the Laurel level to
see if a photocopy of the original documentation is actually there.
This has a Scottish given name and a German byname; it is one step
from period practice, but the submitter does not request authenticity.
4. Gaston de Barre (device change) -- Per pale gules and sable, a
tyger rampant within a bordure argent.
Nice armory!
possibly clear of: Brian ua Brénainn (11/98 Drachenwald) -- Per
pale
gules and sable, a monster composed of the forequarters of a goose and
the hindquarters of a pig statant, wings elevated and addorsed, a
bordure argent.
There is a CD for change of posture; I would think that there should
also be a CD for the difference between a tyger and a chimerical
monster (especially this one) as well.
possible visual: Tegan Silverwolf (1/91 East) -- Per pale gules and
sable, a wolf rampant between three roses within a bordure argent.
There is a CD for removing the roses; there should be a CD between a
wolf and a tyger, but it will have to be a Wreath judgment call, given
that both are rampant.
5. Grímarr Bjarnarson -- Sable, a bear’s head caboshed and on a
chief
Or three fleurs-de-lys vert.
The Geirr Bassi docs for both name elements are as cited.
The head seems to have an awful lot of interior detailing -- maybe it
should get reblazoned as “or, marked sable”?
possibly clear of: Ari ben Abraham (7/83 Caid) --Sable, a lion’s head
caboshed, upon a chief Or five mullets of six points sable.
There is a CD for significant changes to the tertiaries; there may
need to be a visual check, because both heads are caboshed.
clear of: Owain ap Morgan of Chaderton (8/89 Middle) -- Vert, a
bear’s head cabossed and on a chief Or, a drawn bow, string to base,
sable.
There is a CD for changing the field tincture, and one for significant
changes to the tertiary charges.
possibly clear of: Margarette Catherine Helen de Burgh of Silvermoor
(8/86 Caid) -- Sable, a natural leopard’s face Or between two
flaunches ermine and on a chief Or three fleurs-de-lys gules.
There is a CD for removing the flaunches; there may be one for the
type of head, but this probably warrants a visual comparison. Note
that there is only change of tincture of the tertiary charges.
6. Skalla-Valgar{dh}r Gunnarsson (badge resub) -- Purpure, on a pile
embattled argent, a raven Volant [sic] bendwise sinister head to base
sable.
The name was registered 4/01, via Æthelmearc. This should have
been
on the submission paperwork, but since Arkhelaia is a relatively new
herald, I’m willing to cut her some slack.
The embattled line is very badly drawn -- part of it looks more like a
raguly line, instead of embattled [I gather a ruler was unavailable at
the time? :-( ]
possibly not clear of: Geoffrey Fitz Roger (8/84 East) -- Azure, on a
pile raguly argent, a male griffin segreant sable, armed Or.
There is a CD for changing the field tincture, but probably not one
for the type of complex line (given the poor emblazon on the
submission); there may only be change of tertiary.
possibly not clear of: William de Lacy of Sherborne (8/83 Ansteorra)
-- Purpure, on a pile raguly argent a glove aversant gules.
There is a CD for changing the type and tincture of tertiary charge,
but there may not be one for the type of complex line on the pile,
especially given the poor emblazon on the submission.
Bibliography:
Bahlow, Hans. DictionaryofGermanNames, 2nd Ed. Trans. and Rev. by Edda Gantry.
Madison, WI: Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies
[University of
Wisconsin – Madison], 2002.