An Tir Internal Letter of Intent
Free to all persons willing to comment on a regular basis
Commentary due on this letter by April 4th 2000
This letter is also available by subscription for $12.00 U.S./year
Email: rafaella@teleport.com
February 4, 2000
Unto the An Tir College of Heralds, greetings to all on this lovely day from Rafaella Lions Blood. I hope it's lovely where you are too.
Commentary on this Letter is due 4 April 2000
Thanks to all who commented at/for the January meeting: Simon von der Eisenhandlung, Fionghuala Friseil, Rosamund of the Misty Meadows and Dianna of the Silver Shore, Frederic Badger, Fionn B·n MacAoidh, Zenobia Naphtali, David of Moffat with Kathryn of Falconskeep and Natasha Orionova Zateeva, Eglentyne Merryweather, Francesca Testarossa de Martini, Elisabeth de Rossignol, Teceangl Bach with Sebastian (Sterne) of Dragon's Mist, Beatrice Domenici della Compana, Ciaran Cluana Fuerta, and Moreach Nicmhaolain.
News: I am happy to say that I have procured a new used Pentium 200 and am back online at home. Soonish the office will be receiving a new used scanner from Etienne d'Avignon (huzzah!). I'm looking for a few good volunteers to help me test and how taking the IL electronic would work. The paper IL won't completely disappear, as I understand the need to support all formats, but as many of you who have been around awhile have heard, the Internal/External Letter copying process is the most expensive part of the LB office. If your technology can support printing out the IL from the web, that would be a real bonus to the College. Please send me your questions, comments, concerns, and if you're willing to help test an electronic IL. Thanks in advance.
The March Lion's Blood meeting will be Sunday, 16 January 2000, 1pm (note time!) at the home of Dame Zenobia Naphtali, 8675 SW Avery St., Tualatin, OR. Phone # (503) 692-0177.
Directions:
Take Interstate 5, north or south to exit 289 in Oregon (Tualatin/Sherwood). Go West at the end of the offramp (a left from the northbound 5, a right from the southbound 5.) This puts you on Nyberg Rd. You will soon reach a "y" intersection. Stay right (on Nyberg). Make a left at the next light (Martinazzi). Go through a few lights, then make a right at the 2nd stop sign (Avery). Go a bit more than a block up. Just past the first stopsign, on your right.
Symposium preliminary event copy!!!
An Tir Kingdom Heraldic Symposium, College of St. Giles, (Victoria, BC)
April 8 & 9, 2000
The College of St. Giles in the Barony of Seagirt is proud to be host to the An Tir
Kingdom Heraldic Symposium. There will be many classes on a variety of subjects for
anyone interested in heraldry or heraldic display. There will also be an heraldic
consultation table, where you can work with a herald to design and document your name and
arms, a place to display your heraldically decorated items, and a Fools Feast in the
evening.
[and the Black Lion and Lions Blood meetings on Sunday!--RdA]
AUTOCRAT: Jacobus filius Catomagli (Mike Case), (250) 920-7948, case@islandnet.com;
Registration and Course Information: Frederic Badger, badger@nwlink.com
DIRECTIONS: The site is the University of Victoria.
From the Schwartz Bay (BC Ferries): Follow the Pat Bay Hwy to the McKenzie Ave/
University of Victoria exit. Turn left on McKenzie. Follow directions below.
From the North Island: Follow the Island Hwy south to McKenzie, turn left ont
McKenzie. Follow directions below.
All Routes: Follow McKenzie straight until you pass Gordon Head Rd. (first set of
lights after Shelbourne). The right lane will exit to the University. Turn right on Ring
Rd. and follow it around until you see the 'St. Giles' signs. For directions from other
ferry routes, and for general travel information, contact the autocrat.
The following have been sent to Laurel:
Csarea von Zwickau Name, New
There was some discussion in Kingdom regarding the presumptousness of <Csarea>, especially when combined with the locative byname. In the end we felt that <Csarea> is derived from but is not the same as the title in either German or Latin for "Caesar". A close look at RfS VI.1 was requested.
Cecilia Wildsmith Name, New
Demetrius il Condottiero, change to Demetrios Misthophoros Name, Change
I included the Greek characters in the Letter of Intent as the College recommended.
Dn na Laoich ²r, Stronghold of Name and Device, New
Per pale vert and azure a laurel wreath argent, in base two daffodils slipped in saltire and a chief embattled Or.
They will accept unspecified changes and wish a name meaning "the fortress of the golden warriors" in Gaelic.
Petitions with signatures of officers and populace are included for both the name and the device. Copies from The School Gaelic Dictionary (http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MF2/index.html) are included, listing the meanings of the words as "dn= fortress, na=the, laoich= warrior, an oir=gold". We received assistance from Baroness Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn regarding the name construction and quoted her email completely.
Iason Vorax Badge, New
(Fieldless) A bulb of garlic sable.
His name was registered in Nov. 1994 via the West.
James the Obscure Badge, Resubmission to Laurel
(Fieldless) Atop and conjoined to an open scroll fesswise a badger statant contourny argent
His name is currently in submission at Laurel (An Tir LoI dated 29 Oct 1999). This item was returned for lack of a name on the December 1999 LoAR.
Kirstin Macbeath Name and Device, New
Sable, a phoenix argent head to sinister issuant from flames proper and on a chief triangular argent three compass stars gules.
Submitter will accept unspecified changes and wishes a feminine name retaining the sound. We found <Kirstin> in Lind's Norsk-Islandska Dopnamn Ock Fingerade Namn Fran Medeltiden, Supplementband, p.587, sub. Kristin, "Kirstin Sigurdzd. (1509)".
Lucian MacCrimmon Name and Device, New
Per fess enarched gules and argent two owls respectant argent and a monkey statant collared and chained vert.
On the device consider: Beorhtric von Alderheim (1/93), Per chevron gules and argent, two owls argent and a wolf sejant ululant contourny sable. There is 1 CD for per chevron vs. per fess enarched. We're pretty sure there's another CD for the change from wolf to monkey (also tincture difference) but thought it best to mention it.
Rhiannon MacReadie Name, Resubmission to Laurel; Device, New
Quarterly azure and vert, a heart Or.
The lady's previous name submission of <Rhiannon Makreury> was returned on the Oct. 1998 LoAR for conflict with Rhiannon ny Rory. On the device we found 3 potential conflicts: #1, Erika von Goldenherz (8/71), Bendy embattled grady azure and argent a heart sundered in bend sinister dancetty Or. There is 1 CD for field, we're not sure if there is another CD for the type change of the heart (cracked) or not. #2, Karl von Schattenburg: (Fieldless) A seeblatt Or. There is 1 CD for field. Possibly another CD for charge type. We quoted a May 1993 precedent regarding seablatt vs. heart. #3, Elizabeth Talbot of Meath, (Fieldless) A heart Or pierced in saltire by two needles vert. There is 1 CD for the fieldless nature of this badge, but it is unclear whether the two needles are maintained charges, not entitled to a CD; or sustained charges, entitled to a CD.
Sofia Augusta di Livorno Name, New
We assisted with documentation for the name: <Sofia> is found on p. 335 of De Felice's Dizionario dei nomi italiani, and was the name of a martyr in Roman times, Santa Sofia, of Constantinople etc. <Augusta> is found on p. 81, sub. Augusto, of the same source and dates from classical times as a given name. <Di> is found on p. 74 of Mondadori's Italian-English Dictionary as the preposition meaning 'from', although there was some comment on whether "da" was more appropriate for the locative construction.
Stephen of Ropsley Name, New
Susanna Craven Name, New
The following have been Returned for Further Work (Jan. mtg):
Angus MacDougall Name and Device
Argent on a chevron throughout gules, in base an anchor sable, two rapiers in chevron points to center proper.
Unfortunately the name is so good, it's already registered: Angus MacDougall, December 1989 via the West. As we cannot forward a device to Laurel without a name to go with it, the device was also being returned.
Csarea von Zwickau Device
Gules a chevron inverted and in chief a Tau cross and three gouttes, one two and one, argent.
Returned for redraw, as the chevron inverted started from the corners of the shield. Drawing suggestions were provided.
Frederick of Zwickau, for Haushalt von Zwickau Household Name and Badge
Quarterly, gules and Or, a tau cross argent.
The household name of "Haushalt von Zwickau" conflicts with the mundane place of Zwickau. This is listed in its own name in the Encyclopedia Brittanica. This indicates that Zwickau is protected against conflict in the SCA. On the device, it was returned for being a single letter or abstract symbol, which is disallowed by precedent [4/94, p.15] and [Order of the Bough of Meridies (Kingdom of Meridies), July, 1993, pg. 15].
Sofia Augusta di Livorno Device
The device submission was returned for redrawing. Suggestion drawings were included. The placement of the dividing line of looked like several things, without being quite right for any of them. The top "outty" bits need to meet at the top, without showing the additional 'Y' or triangular bit of the lower tincture as in the drawing submitted. We were impressed with the nice engrailing and gave advice on various redraw/blazon options.
Stephen of Ropsley Device
Sable, a duck naiant argent.
Unfortunately the device had conflicts: Anne Aliz de Ble - May of 1998: Sable, a swan naiant argent and a bordure fleury Or. There is one CD for removal of the bordure. Sheryl of Thespis - January of 1973: Azure, a swan naiant argent crowned Or. There is one CD for change of field tincture, and nothing for the addition of a crown to a whole beast body. Meridies, Kingdom of - September of 1983: Per bend sable and argent, in sinister chief a swan naiant argent. There is only one CD for all changes to the field.
1. Alban the Ambivalent (Aquaterra) Name, New
Submitter will not accept major changes and wishes a masculine name. I love the documentation: "See p. 9 of 'The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names' by E.G. Withycombe. Examples are found in the 13th century and after the Reformation." I know I have trouble with this style of sobriquet (the X) bynames, so I'd appreciate assistance on dating "ambivalent" and if this construction is acceptable.
2. Anne Cary (Aquaterra) Name, New
The submitter will accept changes and wishes a feminine name appropriate for 16th c. England. A copy of a page from a museum antiquities website is included (Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, "Monumental Brass Rubbings for England, Devon", http://ashweb.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/ash/…iquities/brass/counties/Devon.html) is included, though as you can see the web browser truncated the address, drat [that's what the ellipses (three dots) is showing]. The page gives name listings of the people on these brasses and a date, but it doesn't say if it's the date the person died, or the date the brass was made or what. Underlined are "Sir John Basset and wives Honor & Anne, 1539" and "Sir William Cary in armour, 1540".
3. BrĢg ingen Beth·in (Dragon's Mist) Device, Resubmission to Kingdom
Lozengy argent and azure, on a pile vert three leaves inverted argent.
Her name is on the Nov. 1999 LoI. Her previous device submission, Lozengy argent and azure, an ivy leaf inverted vert, was returned for conflict with Bela of Eastmarch, (Tinctureless) A grape leaf inverted dependent from a tendril, and with Gryffyn Dunham, (Fieldless) A trefoil inverted vert. Since a grape leaf, a trefoil, and an ivy leaf are quite similar in outline, there is only one clear difference between the devices, that given for field versus fieldless. This device places the leaves on a pale.
4. Dreagate, Shire of (Dreaggate) Name and Device, Resubmission to Kingdom
Quarterly gules and sable per fess wavy a laurel wreath and a castle Or.
Previously submitted as <Dreadgate>, the submission was returned at Kingdom for inability to document the name, the device was returned as there was no name. They will accept changes and care most about the sound of the name. A very nice petition (with signatures and everything!) supporting both the name and armory is included. Documentation is cited as being Ekwall's Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names, 4th ed, p. 150, "Dreag OE". The construction is said to be Dreag+Gate, and spelling variations acceptable to the group are listed as 1) Dreagate, 2) Dreaggate, and 3) Dreag Gate, but the accompanying note also says "we decided to leave the exact spelling of the name to the College".
5. Elsabeth Catesby, for Hearth of the Cloven Hoof (Dawn Beveridge, Dragon's Mist) Household Name & Badge, New
Sable, in bend a hart's leg bend sinisterwise between two bulbs of garlic argent within a bordure checky gules and argent.
Her name was registered in April 1999. There is no supporting documentation for the
Household name. I can tell you from discussion with the submitter that they are looking
for a inn-sign type household name with a designator that has kitchen/cooking qualities.
They would also a "Freehold" or "Manor" as designators (and any
accompanying reshuffling of words, such as (Cloven Hoof Manor").
6. Everildis le Grey (Seagirt) Name and Device, New
Azure, on a plate a triskel vert.
The submitter will not accept major changes and wishes a feminine name authentic for Anglo-Saxon language/culture. <Everildis> is from Withycombe, 3rd ed., p. 38, sub. "Averil". <le Grey> is from Reaney & Wilson, p. 203, sub "Gray".
7. Francesca Testarossa de Martini (Dragon's Mist) Name and Device, New
Sable, a horse head uncrined and a point pointed Or.
The submitter will accept changes and cares most about the sound of the name. She is interested in an authentic feminine name of mid-late period Italy. She does not care for "di Martino".
<Francesca> is found in de Felice's Dizionario dei nomi Italiani, which gives FrancČsca as the female form of FrancČsco (no page #), common female name used from early period and really popular after St. Francis of Assisi in the 1300s. The accent appears to be a stress mark in de Felice. <Francesca> is also found in a couple of online reference found at the Academy of St. Gabriel website, one derived from the Online Catasto of 1427 and the other entitled "Italian Renaissance Women's Names" (copies included with the submission).
<Testarossa> is said to be a variant on "Testa", meaning "head"+color, "used as in English 'redhead' to indicate a person's hair color as a nickname which sometimes became a name." De Felice gives Testabruna (brown head) and Testaverde (green head) on p. 247 of Dizionario dei cognomi Italiani. Fucilla in Our Italian Surnames, p. 202 lists Testarossa (red head) and Testanera (black head) in a discussion of anatomical names involving capo or testa (head).
<de Martini> is said to mean "descended from Martin" and is found in de Felice's Dizionario dei cognomi Italiani, p. 163, header Martini, which says the name became popular due to St. Martin of Tours, who died in 397. Fucilla's Our Italian Surnames lists the name in a discussion of names formed from days of the week on p. 222.
The name is intended to be [personal name] [nickname/nickname which became personal name] [inherited surname] meaning Francesca, Martin's redheaded daughter or Francesca (the) redhead, Martin's daughter.
8. Francesca Testarossa de Martini (Dragon's Mist) Badge, New
(Fieldless) A horse head uncrined issuant from a chevron inverted Or.
The name is submitted above.
9. Gwenllyn le Potter (Dragon's Laire) Name and Device, New
Or, a dragon's head cabossed on a point pointed rayonny gules a pot Or a bordure sable.
The submitter will accept changes and wishes a feminine name authentic for 15th Welsh and English language/culture. <Gwenllyn> is cited as "Welsh, found in English border areas, p. 111 of Morgan and Morgan, s.n. Gwenlliam". <le Potter> is listed as "English, dates to 12th century (Seuard le Potter, 1172 from Reaney and Wilson's Dictionary of English Surnames p. 359 sub 'Potter'".
10. Gytha Corbin (Dragon's Mist) Name and Device, New
Argent, in pale a raven rising to sinister wings addorsed purpure sustaining a helm reversed sable.
Submitter will not accept major changes and wishes an authentic feminine name of 11th century England, but cares most about the meaning of the name which is listed as "War Raven". <Gytha> is found on p. 135 of Withycombe's Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. <Corbin> is found on p. 109 of Reaney and Wilson's Dictionary of English Surnames.
11. Harrows Cross, Canton of(Harrow's Cross) Name and Device, New
Per pale raguly azure and argent semy of crosses clechy fitchy azure, dexter a cross clechy fitchy Or surmounted by a laurel wreath Or.
The group will accept changes and has made no remarks regarding the name. The appropriate petitions with signatures are included for both name and device.
Name documentation includes photocopies from A.R. Myers' England in the Middle Ages(rev. ed.) in which is found a map of "England in the Late Middle Ages" [no page number] showing that battles happened at places called "Neville's Cross" and "Mortimer's Cross". Copies from British Battles by Ken and Denise Guest p. 40, show a chapter discussing the battle at Neville's Cross that occurred 17 October 1346, "...the English deployed on a narrow ridge near Neville's Cross, one of several ancient crosses which encircled the city of Durham." Another copy, which from what I can tell might be from The Dictionary of London by Christopher Hibbert (we've got verso but no t.p.), has on p. 367, the dictionary entries for the cities "Harrow Weald" and "Harrow-on-the-Hill" both listed as being in Middlesex. "Harrow Weald" is dated to 1303. The "Harrow-on-the-Hill" entry states: "Harrow derives from the Saxon word hergae, of which there are many variant spellings and which means a temple or shrine. The earliest known document relating to Harrow is a charter covering a grant of land by Offa, King of Mercia, to Abbot Stidberht of St Albans in AD 767."
11. Jacobus filius Catomagli (Seagirt) Device, Change
Ermine, fretty gules.
His name was registed in May 1998. If registered his current device of Argent, a winged seahorse erect sable on a chief azure three triskeles argent is to be released.
12. Lorn Stark (Glymm Mere) Device, Change
Argent, in pale three wolves courant to sinister sable
This device change is a substitution for a free resubmission of his badge return. If registered his current device of Ermine, in pale three wolves courant to sinister sable is to be released.
13. Meriel Kennet (Lion's Gate) Name and Device, New
Gules between four escallops inverted a cross erminois.
The submitter will accept major changes and wishes a 14th century English
feminine name and cares most about language/culture. <Meriel> is cited from
Withycombe, 3rd ed., p. 224 under "Muriel", and Bardsley's A Dictionary of
Welsh and English Surnames, p. 528, which has the header spellings of "Merrall,
Merrell, Merrill" and says "From an early period there was a disposition to
pronounce this name Meriel or Merrell." There is no dated citation of this spelling
in the Bardsley entry. <Kennet> is cited from Reaney & Wilson, p. 262 and is a
header spelling in Bardsley ibid., p. 445. The Bardsley citation has no match in this
spelling, the closest dates are "Peter de Kenet, 1273" and "William Kennett
1586".
14. Raulfr inn OrŽstŪri (Wyewood) Name, Resubmission to Laurel
The submitter's previous name submission of <Raudulf a Pelanari> was returned by Laurel in 1993 for insufficient documentation of name elements and evidence of Icelandic period practice. He will accept unspecified changes and wishes an authentic male 10th century Icelandic name. The meaning of the name is said to be "Redwolf the big word user" and I am going to present Master Raulfr's own words:
"Documentation for: Raulfr inn OrstŪri = "Redwolf the big word user"
Raulfr is an orthographic variation of Raulfr. The most accessible documentation for Raulfr can be found on page 14 of Geirr Bassi Haraldsson, The Old Norse Name (Studia Marklandica, 1977). The original source for Raulfr is the LandnamabŪk, for which a late thirteenth century manuscript is cited later in this documentation. It is also listed in Oxford's An Icelandic-English Dictionary, P. 484. [scanned image of page showing Rau-lfr]
inn, "the," This is the Old Icelandic demonstrative pronoun. Its use requires that the word it modifies take the dative case. This is a pattern documented by haraldson for names as "inn raui," Harraldson, P. 26
OrstŪri is an orthographic variation of OrstŪri, "big word user" An Icelandic-English Dictionary, P. 468. This is the dative form of the adjective orstŪrr, "Using big words." [scanned image of page showing or-stŪrr]
Compare with orlokarr, which Haraldsson defines as "One who shapes his words carefully" P.26
While the passage in question can be found in several of the manuscript folios of the Landn·mabŪk, the easiest to read is found on page 63 of the SturlubŪk folio. This text of Landn·mabŪk is dated to circa 1275-1280. (Benediktsson, P. IX) The lines in question are reproduced on` page 127 of the 1974 facsimile edition published by Stofnun ”rna Magnssonar, in ReykjavĢk. [scanned image of page showing text]
šstein sŪn Rauulfs Oxnaoris nam Land ni fra BŹgis an til KrŹklingakliae I bio at Loni.
šstein the son of Rauulfr Oxnaoris settled from BŹgis to KrŹklingakliae and dwelt at Loni. [Translation by Raulfr]
An explaination is required for the orthographic change from the authoratiatve use of to the use of . The intended date for this name is the mid to late tenth century. The use of the character (e) for a soft "th" in the place of a (orn) occurs relativly late in the development of Old Icelandic. Cleasby, Vigfussun, & Craigie in their discussion of the letter D on page 93 of An Icelandic-English Dictionary, tell us that the was borrowed from the A. S[Anglo-Saxon] at the end of the 12th century. As such the use of the in this instance would be an inappropriate and anachronistic for the intended period. [scanned image of page showing "Spelling- In very early Icel. MSS, the soft d in the middle or end of words was represented by (th)..."]
15. Rosalia La Gatta (Dragon's Mist) Name and Device, New
Or, a cat rampant to sinister sable queue forchy the tails ending in roses gules within an orle azure.
The submitter will not accept any changes and wishes an authentic feminine name for 15th c. Italy. Both names are cited from De Felice's Dizionari dei Cognomi Italiani, <Rosalia> from p. 216 and <La Gatta> from p. 133.
16. Roscelin the Silversmith's Daughter (Blatha an Oir) Device, Resubmission to Kingdom
Argent, a fuschia gules.
Her name is on the Nov. 1999 LoI. The previous device submission of Argent, a fuschia proper, slipped and nowed vert was returned at Kingdom at that time as it was found to conflict with Keinwen Ragnarsdottir, (Fieldless) a columbine purpure slipped and leaved vert. The submitter really wants a fuchsia flower and has included some information from the Fuchsia Society of America discussing how the genus was named in honor of Leonhard Fuchs (1501-66) who was an important lecturer and writer on botanical issues in period. Any of you horticultural/botanical types want to look extra hard at this one? Thanks muchly.
17. Rowan O'Moroghoe, change to Liadan ni Seaghdha (Three Mountains) Name, Change
The submitter will accept unspecified changes and wishes an authentic 8th-10th century Irish feminine name. <LĢadan> (with the accent) is a header spelling in O'Corrain & Maguire, p. 122. <SČaghdha> (with the accent) is found in MacLysaght, p. 269, sub. (O) Shea.
18. Tjrvi Fasthaldi (Montengarde) Device, Resubmission
to Laurel
Quarterly gules and sable, in chief two cat's eyes Or pupilled sable, a bordure argent
Her name was registered in April 1999. Her proposed device, Quarterly gules and sable, in chief two cat's eyes Or pupilled sable, a bordure argent was returned for redraw from Laurel who said "The cat's eyes do not resemble natural cat's eyes or the ones in the PicDic." The eyes have been redrawn.
In Service to Heraldry and AnTir,
Rafaella d'Allemtejo
An Tir College of Heralds - Internal Letter - February 2000