Last modified: May 10, 2008


Outlands College of Heralds

May 14, 2008
From the Office of the Castle Herald
Baronessa Francesca di Pavia, OP, OL
castle@outlandsheralds.org

UNTO the Outlands College of Heralds, our respected friends and colleagues who give freely of their time to provide commentary, and all others who come by these letters, on this 14th day of May A.S. xxxxiii (2008 CE), does Maestra Francesca di Pavia send greetings on behalf of The Honourable Lady Marie de Blois, White Stag Principal Herald.

Here follows the Kingdom of the Outlands Letter of Presentation for May 2008. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Errors found herein are undoubtedly mine.

Anyone may comment upon the items found herein, and e-mail commentary to the herald's commentary list is encouraged. Please have comments on items contained herein to Rampart Herald by June 14, 2008, for the decision meeting tentatively scheduled for June 15, 2008.

Line Emblazon Sheet
Color Emblazon Sheet
May 2008 Letter of Presentation
June 2008 Letter of Response
June 2008 Letter of Intent
October 2008 LoAR Results
Return to the Rampart home page.

1. Cecilia de Courcy. New alternate name for Anne Aliz de Bȃle.
(al-Barran) Gender: Female. Submitter cares most about the language/culture of the name, and requests a name authentic for 12th Century Norman. No major changes accepted.
The primary name was registered in December 2002.
Cecilia: "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English English Surnames" by Talan Gwynek (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/reaney.cgi?Cecilia) dates this name (from the Old French Cecile) in this spelling to 1154-89. Numerous examples from the 12th to the 15th Centuries are cited.
de Courcy: "French Names from Two Thirteenth Century Chronicles" by Arval Benicoeur (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/crusades/crusadesLieux.html) defines Courcy as a place name used as a locative surname, with the preposition de, dated to the 13th Century.

2. Eleanor Grey of West Riding. New alternate name for Fatimah bint Omar al-Esfahani.
(al-Barran) Gender: Female. No major changes accepted. The primary name is also submitted on this Letter (see #3).
Eleanor: Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) Encyclopedia Britannica Online (http://www.brtiannica.com/eb/article-9032256/Eleanor-of-Aquitaine)
Grey: Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk (1517-1554) Encyclopedia Britannica Online (http://www.brtiannica.com/eb/article-9070171/Henry-Grey-duke-of-Suffolk)
of West Riding: the West Riding of Yorkshire is cited as a period location from multiple sources: Domesday Book (http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/westriding.html); the University of York Centre for Medieval Studies Gazetteer Index of Gilds and Services of Late Medieval Yorkshire (http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/cms/resources/crouch/K.htm)

3. Fatimah bint Omar al-Esfahani. New name and device. Per pale embattled gules and Or, a semy of crosses pattees and a semy of crescents counterchanged.
(al-Barran) Gender: Female. No major changes accepted.
Fatimah: one of the daughters of Mohammad, b. 605 in Mecca, cited in this spelling in the Encyclopedia Britannica Online (http://www.brtiannica.com/eb/article-9033822/Fatimah)
Omar: Omar Khayyam, Persian poet (1048-1131) - Encyclopedia Britannica Online (http://www.brtiannica.com/eb/article-9057079/Omar-Khayyam)
Esfahan: a city in western Iran, with a history dated to the 11th Century - Encyclopedia Britannica Online (http://www.brtiannica.com/eb/article-9033003/Esfahan)
Documentation for the patronymic and locative formations is not provided.

4. Fiore Leonetta Bardi. New name.
(Caer Galen) Gender: Female. No major changes accepted.
Fiore: "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" by Arval Benicoeur (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/) cites 10 instances of this name in this 15th Century Florentine census.
Leonetta: "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 142" by Arval Benicoeur (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto/) cites 1 instance of this name in this 15th Century Florentine census.
Bardi: "Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/catasto/newsearch/family_names.html) cites family names found in this document. Bardi occurs 60 times.

5. Hayashi Ryôichiro Katanori. New name and device. No proposed blazon provided, and I am at a loss on the hexagon [Castle].
(Caer Galen) Gender: Male. The submitter cares most about the Japanese language/culture of the name. Changes accepted.
Hayashi: Nihon Zatsuroku: An Online Japanese Miscellany (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/names.html) explains the grammar of Japanese names. The surname comes first, Hayashi is cited as a surname dated prior to 1600.
Ryôichiro: Nihon Zatsuroku: An Online Japanese Miscellany (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/names.html). The zokumyô is a name taken at a young man's genpuku, or coming of age, ceremony. It reflects the individual's birth order in his family. Often this numerical name has an auspicious description added before it. "Ryô" means "good" and "ichiro" means "first son".
Katanori: Nihon Zatsuroku: An Online Japanese Miscellany (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/names.html). The nanori, or "true name", is a man's formal adult name, which was also taken at the genpuku. It usually consisted of two kanji, and usually four syllables. "Kata" and "nori" are two common pro/deuterothemes listed in the article.

6. Llywus ap Alan. New badge. Argent, a natural panther sejant within six candles in annulo sable.
(Drygestan).
The name was registered in September 2003.

7. Mari Sol. Name change from Maria Sol de Leon.
(al-Barran). Gender: Female. No major changes accepted, but the submitter will accept "Mari Sol de Leon" if necessary. If this name is accepted, the submitter wishes to keep her original name as an alternate.
The original name was registered in December 1998.
Mari: "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century" by Juliana de Luna (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/isabella/) cites eleven examples of this name.
Sol: Colección Diplomática de la Catedral de Huesca, p 821. No title page or other information given. The citation on the copied page in its entirety is "SOL, dona, (1183) 387."

8. Pádraig Ó Súileabháin. Device resubmission. Gules, a sinister hand apaumy Or within a bordure embattled argent.
(Caer Galen)
The name was registered in February 2007.  The previous device submission, Argent, a sheaf of spears gules, was returned on the October 2006 Outlands Letter of Response for conflict. This is a complete redesign.

9. Rab Wylkyn. Device resubmission. Per bend sinister sable and gules, a bend sinister argent between an eye and a rose slipped and leaved bendwise sinister Or.
(al-Barran)
The name was registered in September 2005. The previous device submission, Per bend sinister sable and gules, a bend sinister argent between and eye of Ra and a rose slipped and leaved bendwise sinister Or, was returned on the May 2005 Outlands Letter of Response: "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 of "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]." " The present submission changes 'eye of Ra" to simply an eye.

10. Sáerlaith inghean Roibeárd. Name and device resubmission. Vert, on a bend between two unicorns rampant respectant argent, three trefoils bendwise vert.
(al-Barran) Gender: Female. The submitter cares most about the Gaelic/Celtic language/culture of the name, and requests a name authentic to 12th-14th Century Irish Gaelic that means, "Shyla, Robert's daughter". No major changes accepted.
The previous submission, Seale inghean Roibeard, was returned on the July 2007 Letter of Response for lack of documentation for the name "Seale". The device was returned for lack of a name.
Sáerlaith: "Index of Names in Irish Annals" by Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/Feminine/Saerlaith.shtml) dates this name in this spelling to 10th-13th Century Middle Irish Gaelic.
inghean: "Quick and Easy Gaelic Names" by Sharon L. Krossa (http://www.medievalscotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/), under "Spelling and Pronunciation", lists "inghean" as the post-1200 AD nominative case of "daughter".
Roibeárd: "Index of Names in Irish Annals" by Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/Masculine/Roibeard.shtml) lists Roibeárd as a masculine given name dated 1167-1608, with 35 occurrences. This spelling is the Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c1200-c1700) nominative form of the name.

11. Shoshanna Simcha bat Reuven. New name.
(Caer Galen) Gender: Female. Submitter cares most about the Jewish language/culture of the name. No major changes accepted.
From the consulting herald: We could find nothing in the standard resources and have so advised the submitter. Please help!" Source provided: "Behind the Name: the etymology and history of first names" (http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/jew_f2.php), in which the names listed are undated.
Shoshanna: Hebrew variant of "Susan/Susannah", meaning "rose" or "lily". Appears in the Bible, Song of Solomon 2:2.
Simcha: a feminine/masculine Hebrew name meaning "happiness, joy"
bat Reuven: Hebrew form of the masculine name Reuben. "Bat" means "daughter of".

12. Síle inghean Duíbh Darach. Device resubmission. Or, on a heart gules a rose slipped and leaved bendwise Or.
(al-Barran)
The name was registered in September 2005. The previous device submission, Per chevron inverted abased Or,  on a heart gules a rose slipped and leaved bendwise Or and two chevronelles inverted abased gules, was returned on the May 2005 Outlands Letter of Response: "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.”

13. Violante d'Atayde. Name change from Merlyn Vollarc and device resubmission. Gules, a chevron rayonny Or.
(Caer Galen) Gender: Female. The submitter cares most about the language/culture of the name, defined as 16th Century Portuguese. No changes accepted. If this name is accepted, she would like to release her current name.
The current name was registered in July 2007. The previous device submission, Gules, a winged gyno-sphinx rampant to sinister Or, was submitted under the name Merlyn Vollarc and was returned on the March 2007 Outlands Letter of Response for multiple conflicts. This is a complete redesign.
Violante: "Portuguese Names from the 16th Century: Letters from the Court of King John III" by Juliana de Luna (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/portugal16/) dates this woman's name to  1524.
d'Atayde: "Portuguese Names from the 16th Century: Letters from the Court of King John III" by Juliana de Luna (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/portugal16/) lists this name as a common 16th Century Portuguese locative surname.

14. Violante d'Atayde. Badge resubmission. (Fieldless) A winged gyno-sphinx rampant to sinister Or supporting a mullet of five points gules.
(Caer Galen)
The name is submitted on this Letter under item 13. The previous badge submission, (Fieldless) A winged gyno-sphinx rampant to sinister Or, was submitted under the name Merlyn Vollarc and was returned on the March 2007 Outlands Letter of Response for conflict.


Thus ends the May 2008 Letter of Presentation.

Your servant,

Francesca di Pavia
Castle Herald

Line Emblazon Sheet
Color Emblazon Sheet
May 2008 Letter of Presentation
June 2008 Letter of Response
June 2008 Letter of Intent
October 2008 LoAR Results
Return to the Rampart home page.