Last modified: October 12, 2004


Outlands College of Heralds

From the office of the Rampart Herald
Lady Alia Marie de Blois
rampart@outlandsheralds.org

UNTO the members of the College of Heralds of the Kingdom of the Outlands, and all others who generously give of their time and talents in commentary on this Letter of Presentation, upon this 11th day of October, A.S. XXXVIII (2004 CE), does Lady Alia Marie de Blois, Rampart Herald, send greetings and those commendations which are appropriately due.

In the past, I have occasionally let local heralds slide on the timeliness of payment for submissions, when the funds from the submitter were in their hands. I will no longer do so. At the direction of Sorcha White Stag, Rampart will only accept complete packets - including forms and documentation and the check from the local branch. If your local exchequer needs to send the check directly to me, please indicate the check number in your packet and be aware that Rampart will not put the items on a Letter of Presentation until the check is received.

In case anyone is in doubt about how many copies to send, please refer to A Guide to Submissions Heraldry in the Outlands (http://www.outlandsheralds.org/Weel/OHSH1st.doc). For your submitters please feel free to print out copies of the "Life of a Submission" (http://www.outlandsheralds.org/Rampart/lifeofasubmission.html for HTML and http://www.outlandsheralds.org/Rampart/LifeSubmission.doc for Word), so that they can provide you with the right number to begin with. I keep a little chart taped to my shelf of Rampart books, so that I always have it handy when making packets for Laurel.

Anyone who wants to may send me a letter of comment regarding this Letter of Presentation. I prefer them via email.
Please send commentary to: alia 'at' swcp.com or the address above.
Please have your commentary on this letter to me by mid November 2004 - the Rampart decision meeting is scheduled for the second Thursday.

Line Emblazon Sheet
Color Emblazon Sheet
October 2004 Letter of Presentation
November 2004 Letter of Response
November 2004 Letter of Intent
March 2005 LoAR Results
Return to the Rampart home page.

On behalf of Lady Sorcha MacLeod, White Stag Principal Herald, I present the following items for your consideration:

(Unless otherwise noted, all submittors will accept all changes, have no authenticity requests, and wish a name with the "common sense" gender, based on the submitted name.)

  1. Arianne La Boiteuse. New Primary Name and New Device. Or, a pale of mascles interlaced vert between two wheels sable.
    Included with this submission was a Consulting Herald's Report, which indicates that she wants her name to be French, but the heralds were unable to document "Arianne" as French, although they were able to find it as Italian and she is willing to accept that. However, it doesn't say where they were able to find it as Italian, or provide any documentation of "La Boiteuse".
    She cares most about the meaning "Arianne the Lame" and the language/culture, and would like her name changed to be authentic for "French" language/culture.
  2. Artorius Greyhawk. Resubmission - Kingdom Device. Azure, a hawk striking argent, on a chief Or a pheon between two pairs of arrows in saltire inverted sable..
    His name was registered in September of 2000 via the Outlands. His previous device submission, Sable, a hooded hawk's head argent and on a chief azure three pheons Or, was returned by Rampart in January 2003 for identifiability issues with the hooded hawk's head and contrast issues between the chief and the field. This is a complete reworking.
  3. Ashi'al Külüjin. New Primary Name and New Device. Gyronny vert and sable, a horse rampant Or within a bordure gyronny sable and vert.
    "On the Documentation and Construction of Period Mongolian Names" by Baras-aghur Naran (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/mongol.html) was used for general construction. The actual name elements are found in The Secret History of the Mongols translated by Urgunge Onon. Ashi'al is formed from "Ashiq" (helmet, found as the name of a cook on page 199 of the Secret History) and "Al" (red or crimson, found on page 222 of the Secret History and in Baras-aghur's article). Baras-aghur mentions specifically that the final consonant of words are often dropped when forming compound names, such as Temujin (Temur + jin). Külüjin is formed from "Külü" (horse, found on page 38 and 134 of the Secret History) and -jin, which is a standard suffix with the relative meaning "of", as noted in Baras-aghur's article. The name in whole might be loosely translated as "Red helmet of the horses".
    He will not allow major changes, cares most about the language/culture, and wishes his name to be changed to be authentic for "Mongolian" language/culture. From what little I know of Mongolian names, this seems pretty straightforward.
    Unfortunately, this device must be returned for violating Rules for Submission VIII.2.b.iv. "Elements evenly divided into multiple parts of two different tinctures must have good contrast between their parts." For example, checky argent and gules is acceptable, but checky azure and gules is not.
  4. Charismos of Lacedaemon. New Primary Name and New Device. Argent, an uppercase greek lambda gules, in base an octopus sable.
    Charismos is a Theophoric name deriving from the Greek goddess Charis. The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, in its section on "Meanings" of Names (http://www.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/names/meaning.html), says,"A distinct and important category of names was those based on the names of gods, ‘theophoric’ names. This group provides the most common of all Greek names, the simple adjectival forms based on the gods Apollo (Apollonius), Dionysos (Dionysios) and Demeter (Demetrios)." This also demonstrates that male names were formed even from the names of female goddesses - Demeter becomes Demetrios. Charis or Kharis is mentioned as a Greek goddess in Homer's Iliad, "and Charis of the gleaming veil came forward and marked her -- fair Charis, who the famed god of the two strong arms had wedded", and also by Pindar in his Olympian Odes, 1 str 2, "Kharis (Grace or Beauty), who brings fulfilment all things for men's delight, granting honour again, many a time makes things incredibe seem true".
    Lacedaemon is a city of the Peloponnesus, the capital of Laconia, called also Sparta, according to Harry Thurston Peck's Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aid%3Dlacedaemon). It's also listed in the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacedaemon) which says, "Lacedaemon, or Lakedaimon, in historical times, was an alternative name of Laconia. Homer uses only the former, and in some passages seems to denote by it the Achaean citadel, the Therapnae of later times, in contrast to the lower town Sparta."
    He cares most about the sound and language/culture, and wishes to have his name changed for authenticity for "480BC Sparta" time period and language/culture.
    While the lambda is not centered vertically, I hesitate to say that the charges are "in pale", since the octopus is clearly much smaller than the lambda.
  5. Halla in heppna Kn{o,}rsdóttir. Resubmission - Kingdom Device. Paly purpure and argent.
    Her name was registered on the March 2004 LoAR. If this submission passes Kingdom, she wishes to withdraw her current device submission (on the August LoI), Argent, a serpent nowed purpure.
  6. Heinricus Landœse. New Primary Name and New Device. Per fess sable and argent, a horse courant argent and three gouttes two and one gules.
    Heinricus is found in "German Given Names 1200-1250" by Talan Gwynek (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/germ13.html), where it is cited as a given name once before 1200 and 22 times between 1200 and 1250. Land{oe}se is found in "Some Early Middle High German Bynames" also by Talan Gwynek (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/Early_German_Bynames.html), where one Walerus Land{oe}se is dated to 1226, and this name is given the meaning "land-waste" or "one who ravages or lays waste the land".
    He cares most about the language/culture, and is interested in having his name changed to be authentic for "13th Century German" time period and language/culture.
  7. Lucius Avisius Seneca. New Change of Registered Name and New Change of Registered Device. Gules, a boar contourny between in pale two aspen leaves Or.
    His current name, Talore MacConlae was registered in July 2000. All parts of this name are documented from the Nova Roma website (http://www.novaroma.org/via_romana/names.html). On this site, Lucius is listed as a praenomen, Avisius is listed as a nomen, and Seneca is listed as a cognomen. This name follows the standard Roman naming pattern of "praenomen + nomen + cognomen".
    He will not accept major changes, cares most about the sound and language/culture, and wants his name changed to be authentic for "1st/4th Cen. Roman" time period and language/culture. He also will not allow the formation of a holding name; however, since this is a change of registered name, if the new device is registrable, but the new name is not, the new device will be registered under the existing name. Additionally, if this name is registered, he wishes the default action, that the old name, Talore MacConlae, to be released.
    His current device, Azure, a chevron argent between in dexter chief a sun in his splendor and in base three aspen leaves Or, was registered in July 2000. If this device is registered, he wishes the default action, the old device to be released.
  8. Milesius O'Brien. New Primary Name and New Device. Per pale sable and argent, in pale three lions passant counterchanged.
    Milesius is mentioned by Socrates Scholasticus (c 379-450) in his Ecclesiastical History, book IV, chapter XII (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/26014.htm), in which he discusses a letter from Liberius Bishop of Rome, to the Bishops of the Macedonians, specifically addressed to a number of individuals, including one Milesius. "Cartographica Neerlandica Map Text for Ortelius Map No. 186" (http://www.orteliusmaps.com/book/ort_text186.html) says, "Anaximander, pupil of Thales Milesius designed, as Strabo testifies, the FIRST GEOGRAPHICAL CHART. {1595L{Anaximander, lived in the time of Servilius}1595L} {1606E only{Tullus the VIth}1606E only} {1595L{King of Rome}1595L}, {1606E only{was born in the first year of the 35th olympiad, which was the first year of the reign of Ancus Martius, the 4th king of the Romans, 639 before the birth of Christ}1606E only}" (where the differing dates indicate different translations). In this case, Milesius is used as an unmarked patronym. O'Brien is the submitters legal last name, as attested by Lady Mór inghean Cathail, who visually inspected his driver's license.
    He will not allow major changes, but specifically allows that "if the Latin form Milesius cannot be sufficiently documented, then Miles is an acceptable substitute as a possible Anglicized form". He has no other requests.
  9. Outlands, Kingdom of the. New Badge. Vert, on an open scroll argent in saltire a brush and a quill pen sable within a bordure embattled Or.
    If registered, this badge is to be associated with the Scribe's Guild.
    Perhaps this should be, to put things in primary-secondary-tertiary order: Vert, on an open scroll argent within a bordure embattled Or, in saltire a brush and a quill pen sable.
  10. Roderick Conall MacLeod. Resubmission - Laurel Badge. (Fieldless) A unicorn's head couped sable, collared Or..
    His name was registered in November of 1995. His previous badge submission, (Fieldless) A caravel in full sail proper sails argent was returned by Laurel in November 2002 for conflict. If this item is registered, he still has another badge resubmission awaiting him (for a different badge, returned by Rampart in November 2002).
  11. Tessa Elizabeth de Strathairn. New Primary Name and New Device. Per fess azure and sable, a chevron fracted and inverted Or.
    Tessa is derived from Theresa (Italian/Spanish 11th C) was used more widely in England aroudn 1515-1582 by fame of St. Teresa of Avila, as noted in Withycombe's Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, on page 276. Elizabeth from 13th-14th C. England, not common until the 15th C., as noted in the same source on page 99. Strathairn is dated to 1200 AD in the name of "Waldevas de Stratheihan", as found in the Dictionary of British Surnames (author?) on page 310 under the header Strathan.
    She will not allow major changes, and wishes her name changed to be authentic for "1500's" time period.
    I should rather wish that the chevron were larger and steeper, especially with the fracting - it's almost hard to tell that it's a chevron at all.
  12. ŢorvaldR í Vaksfjall Ţórólfsson. Resubmission - Laurel Change of Registered Name. Change from Thorvaldr Gángläre Vakkerfjell.
    His currently registered name, Thorvaldr Gángläre Vakkerfjell, was registered in November of 1992. His previous change of registered name, to Thórvaldr í Vakkerfjelli Thórólfsson, was returned by Laurel in January 2003 for problems with the name portion í Vakkerfjelli, particularly that this element (as Vakkerfjell) was registered using the registered name of a shire in the SCA, elements documented in this fashion can only be used in exactly the form registered, and it was being used in a mutated form as part of a locative formation. (For more details, please see the actual LoAR.)
    In this case, ŢorvaldR and Ţórólf are both found in Geirr Bassi's The Old Norse Name, both on page 16, and Ţórólfsson is the patronymic form. í Vaksfjall is documented as a constructed locative from the name Vakr (Geirr Bassi, page 15), and the word fjall, with examples and construction advice given by Mistress Gunnvör silfrahárr (aka The Viking Answer Lady) and additional examples given by Lady Halla in heppna Kn{o,}rsdóttir. Mistress Gunnvör lists several place names which end in -fell or -fjall in the Landnámabók (as found at http://www.snerpa.is/net/snorri/landnama.htm), including ones from human personal names. In particular, she mentions the following (with her translations) Arnafell (Arni's mountain), Gunnólfsfell (Gunnólfr's mountain), ţórgerđarfell (ţórgerđr's mountain), and Ţórólfsfell (Ţórólfr's mountain), all as "human personal name" + -fell. She also mentions Reyđarfjall ("whale-fell") and Ytrafjall ("outer-fell"), indicating -fjall as an alternate form for "fell, mountain". Lady Halla also adds the following similar placenames: Skáneyjarfjall (Skáni's mountain, as found in Hćnsna-ţóris saga (http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/haensna.htm)), Hafnarfjalla ("haven/harbor fell", as found in the Landnámabók (as above)), and Dofrafjall (the Dofra range in Norway, as found in the Magnúss saga berfćtts (http://www.snerpa.is/net/snorri/mag-berf.htm)).
    Unfortunately, this submission does not answer one particular point of the return from Laurel:
    Additionally, no documentation was provided and none was found that a locative byname in Old Norse would use a construction like í Vakkerfjelli. The LoI cited Lindorm Eriksson's article "The Bynames of the Viking Age Runic Inscriptions" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/lindorm/runicbynames/places.htm), which gives an example of a name which includes both a patronymic byname and a locative byname: Ólaf Erlendsson á Bygglandi 'Ólafr of Byggland, Erlendr's son'. From this example, if documentation were provided supporting Vakkerfjell as a plausible placename in Old Norse, Thórvaldr Thórólfsson á Vakkerfjelli would be a registerable form of this name.
    However, the submitter does allow any changes, specifically requests that í Vaksfjall be dropped if it cannot be made registrable, and is interested in authenticity for "Swedish 10th Cent." language/culture.
  13. Wade Averey of Woodstock. New Primary Name and New Device. Azure, a lion passant reguardant within a bordure Or semy of water bougets azure.
    Wade is found in Reaney's Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed. (I think this is both Reaney and Wilson, then) on page 470 with one Wade le Fol dated to 1297. Averey is found in the same source on page 19, with one Walter Averey dated to 1279. Woodstock is mentioned in Academy of St. Gabriel report 2453 (http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/showfinal.cgi/2453.txt), which mentions that "a fox tail was used as a badge by Henry IV and by Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester (both in the 14th century)".
    He has no requests.

Line Emblazon Sheet
Color Emblazon Sheet
October 2004 Letter of Presentation
November 2004 Letter of Response
November 2004 Letter of Intent
March 2005 LoAR Results
Return to the Rampart home page.

Anyone who wants to may send me a letter of comment regarding this Letter of Presentation. I prefer them via email.
Please send commentary to: alia 'at' swcp.com or the address above.
Please have your commentary on this letter to me by mid November 2004.