Outlands College of Heralds

28 May 2005

From the Office of White Stag Principal Herald
Lady Sorcha MacLeod (Tammy Ackerson)
whitestag@outlandsheralds.org

UNTO the Outlands College of Heralds, the esteemed submitters, and all others who come by these letters, on this 28th day of May 2005, A.S. XXXX (2005 CE), does Lady Sorcha MacLeod, White Stag Principal Herald, send greetings.

The following items were sent to Laurel for final determination:

1- Katrine van Deventer. New Badge. Per chevron ployé purpure and argent, a mullet of eight points issuant.

Her name was registered in May 2003.

This submission is an appeal of a return in kingdom for conflict.  The original return (May 2004 Letter of Response: http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/2004-04-lop/0405-lor.html) reads:

This device is being returned for conflict with Katya Anna Sylvan, Per chevron throughout purpure and argent, two compass stars argent and a fox sejant gules, with only one CD for the change in number of the primary charge group (1 vs 3), and Rivenstar, Barony of, Azure, a riven star argent, with only one CD for changing the field (azure vs per chevron purpure and argent).

The appeal, written by Lord Pendar the Bard, reads:

The device of Pendar the Bard, registered in December 2002, which was used as a basis for this badge is: Per chevron ployé Or and azure, a demi-fleur-de-lys issuant from the line of division azure.

http://www.wombatinfestation.org/rampart/2002-06-lop/pendar2.gif If the same logic that was applied to Katrine's return was applied to Pendar’s, then it would have been returned for conflict with Elwyn of Snow Hill (8/79): Per chevron azure, ermined argent, and argent, in base a fleur-de-lis azure. With only 1 CD for changes to the field (since the move to base of the fleur in Elwyn's device is forced). We'd like to see a Laurel precedent set regarding this type of armory. Is it a charge on a field? If so, is the part of the field that it shares a tincture with considered to be part of the charge? Is it a unique complex line of division? If it is a complex line of division, would that make it field primary armory?

White Stag notes that applying the same logic to Pendar's device vs. Elwyn's, there is a CD for changes to the field, and there should be another for the difference between a fleur-de-lys and a demi-fleur-de-lys:

[a jester's cap vs. a jester's hood] [There is a CD] for the difference between a jester's cap and a jester's hood; the latter has the fabric which would normally extend down over the shoulders and well onto the chest, with large dags, and a hole in the front for the face to show through.  It was the consensus of those at the Laurel meeting that the difference was visually equivalent to the difference between a lion and a demi-lion, for which we also grant a CD.  (Gautier d'Isigny-sur-Mer, 8/94 p. 3)

While some may argue that there is no such difference between the two based on the return of Elspeth Fitzwilliam's device on the Dec99 LoAR, the return indicates that it was the manner in which the fleurs were drawn that brought in the conflict, and not the actual difference between fleurs and demi-fleurs:

This also conflicts with Alienor Beatrice Lucrezia (SCA) Azure, four fleurs-de-lys in cross bases to center argent., with one CD for arrangement, but nothing for the difference between the demi fleurs-de-lys and the complete fleurs-de-lys as drawn.

2- Lyonnete la Rousse.  New Badge.  Azure, a chimera statant to sinister Or within a bordure lozengy sable and argent.

3- Murchadh Mac Diarmada. Withdraw Device. Per pale Or and sable, a cross formy throughout counterchanged. The submitter wishes to withdraw this device, originally appearing on the Outlands March 2005 Letter of Intent.

4- Murchadh MacDiarmada. Device Resubmission. Per pale sable and Or, a cross formy throughout counterchanged.

The submitter has obtained a Letter of Permission to Conflict from Dafydd Morrison Per pale sable and Or, a cross of Santiago counterchanged Feb02 via the Outlands.

5- Rab Wylkyn. New Name. (see returns for device)

6- Sile O' Daragh. New Name. (see returns for device)

 

The following items were returned for further work:

1- Estevan de Sepultura. New Device.  Argent a wyvern erect azure tail nole 3 lozenges sable 2 and 1

I was unable to find any previous registration or submission of this name, and no name submission accompanied it.  This device must therefore be returned per AH II.A.1.

2- Giovanna figlia di Meir. New Name. New Device.  Argent, on a heart gules a dragonfly argent, chief gules.

Commentary indicates that the proper manner to denote Giovanna daughter of Meir would be simply "Giovanna di Meir." Noted on the LoP as "Submitter accepts all changes," the forms actually indicate that the submitter accepts no major changes.  Unfortunately, that means that this name is not correctly formed without dropping the entire word "figlia," which would constitute a major change, and this name must therefore be returned.  Please note that the s-gabriel website and its reports are not on the no-photocopy list, and copies of the full report or copies of the leading pages and the  pages on which the name elements are found are required to be attached - one copy per each copy of the form.  Copies of webpages must include the url and the date accessed on each page of the copies.

The device is returned for lack of a name to send it forward with.  The submitter is cautioned that the chief should be one-fifth to one-third the height of the field, and that her chief is closer to one-seventh the height.  It is possible that it might be returned at Laurel if resubmitted with identical design, and the submitter is strongly encouraged to redraw with a wider chief to prevent such a return.

3- Hammar Bowswayer. New Name. New Device.  Per chevron inverted argent and or, a phoenix gules.

Commentary indicates that S. Gabriel report 1915 identifies "Hammar" as a byname.  This name has no given name, and is therefore not properly constructed .  Listed on the LoP as "Submitter accepts all changes," the forms actually indicate that the submitter accepts no changes.  Please be aware that the s-gabriel website and its reports are not on the no-photocopy list, and copies of the full report or copies of the leading pages and the  pages on which the name elements are found are required to be attached - one copy per each copy of the form.  Copies of webpages must include the url and the date accessed on each page of the copies.  One commenter suggests as an alternative:

I'd tend to recommend the Old Norse masculine name <Ha/mundr> as the name that sounds the most like the submittor's proposed name yet can be confidently documented as an Old Norse personal name. <Ha/mundr> occurs in West Scandinavia from the time of the settlement of Iceland, and remained popular in Iceland though it became less used in Norway. It was also found in Denmark, and fairly frequent in Sweden, with some instances in runic inscriptions. <Ha/mundr> can be documented from p. 11 in Geirr Bassi, and also in Lena Peterson's Nordiskt runnamnslexikon. (WWW: Språk- och folkminnes-institutet.

http://www.sofi.se/SOFIU/runlex/ s.n. <Ha/mundr>).

Please also be aware that "Three Hundred Viking Names from the Sagas" is not a suitable source for our purposes - names have been normalized, mistranslated, and misdated, and the source includes names of mythical beings.  If the submitter wishes to be put in contact with Mistress Gunnvor, the Viking Answer Lady, that might assist him in the creation of a suitable Viking name.  Please note that the s-gabriel website and its reports are not on the no-photocopy list, and copies of the full report or copies of the leading pages and the  pages on which the name elements are found are required to be attached - one copy per each copy of the form.  Copies of webpages must include the url and the date accessed on each page of the copies.

The device is returned for redraw and conflict in addition to a lack of name to send it forward with.  The line of division is neither high enough to be per chevron inverted, nor low enough to be a point pointed, blurring the line between the two and violating RfS VII.7.  It is much closer to a point pointed, which brings in issues of contrast, since a point pointed is a charge, and must have good contrast with the field.  Further, a phoenix is a single charge, comprised of a flame and the top half to two-thirds of an eagle - this depiction is of an eagle and a base of flames.  One depiction of a heraldic phoenix may be found at: http://www.rarebooks.nd.edu/digital/heraldry/charges/birds.html, though the submitter should be careful to avoid copyright infringement in the redraw.  Conflicts, assuming a properly drawn phoenix and line of division, are with Laura Hawkwood - May of 1981 (via the East): Ermine, on a pile Or a phoenix gules and Morgan Morfydd Gwilym - October of 1982 (via the Middle): Pean, a phoenix displayed gules, issuant from flames, maintaining in its beak a dexter hand couped proper, with a single CD for the field in both cases.

4- Rab Wylkyn. New Device.  Per bend sinister sable and gules, a bend sinister argent between and eye of Ra and a rose slipped and leaved bendwise sinister Or.

This device is returned for lack of documentation of an "eye of Ra" as a period heraldic charge, or a suitable artistic motif or artifact known to period.  There is precedent that the charge is not suitable, considering returns of designs using an "eye of Horus," as found in:

The Eye of Horus is an abstract symbol or combination of symbols whose meaning was not understood by Europeans in the SCA period. Unlike the Eye of Horus, the occasional word or letter found in medieval and Renaissance heraldry were part of the languages and symbolic iconography of Europe. Nor is this symbol a reasonable heraldic depiction of an eye; a heraldic eye is a solid charge where the Eye of Horus is depicted as a thin line. As such, this belongs to the category of artistic designs which are not compatible with heraldry. [Sebastian Blacke, R-Trimaris, Aug 2001]

5- Sile O' Daragh. New Device.  Per chevron inverted abased Or,  on a heart gules a rose slipped and leaved bendwise Or and two chevronelles inverted abased gules.

This device is returned for redraw in an attempt to save the submitter excessive time.  It is a borderline case, and one commenter states:

I strongly suspect that the line of division is too far abased to be acceptable.  The argent really appears to be an unblazonable variant of a base, not a field partition.

 

There is also a possible contrast issue.  The line of division doesn't approach dividing the field in half.  If the field isn't evenly divided, RfS VIII.2.b.iii allowing any tinctures might not apply.

This last is particularly important to note - RfS VIII.2.b.iii states:

Elements evenly divided into two parts, per saltire, or quarterly may use any two tinctures or furs.

 

For example, a field quarterly could be composed of azure and gules, argent and Or, Or and ermine, or vert and vairy gules and argent.

Because the abased line of division causes the field to be unevenly divided, the low contrast of the two metals is in violation of this rule, and I therefore expect that it would be returned at Laurel.  I am unwilling to spend several months of the submitter's time to find out unless the submitter specifically wishes to send it as a test case.  If so, please send an appeal of this return.

Thus ends my Letter of Response.

In service and duty,
Sorcha, White Stag