Greetings unto the An Tir College of Heralds from Maryn Lion's Blood!

Well, let's get straight to it!

The March meeting will be hosted by Ruadhan O'Faolin in Blatha an Oir, his new address is 5426 South Steele Street, #35 in Tacoma. We'll be meeting at 11:00 on Sunday, March 14; we're also planning to do a kind of a lunch pot-luck-sandwichy sort of thing, so if you like, bring foodstuffs along. This is NOT required, you are welcome to attend the meeting without fetching food along! Here are directions: From I-5, north or south, take the 56th St. exit in Tacoma and head west. Take a right on Tacoma Mall Blvd., and a quick left onto 54th street. It is directly across from the Texaco which is on your right. At the stop sign, go straight. It kind of bends but you will see what I mean.

You will go around a curve. At the second turn to your LEFT; take a left and go up the hill. It kind of looks like a private driveway. Go to the very top of the street. You will see a row of apartments on your right called Los Altos. Those are mine. I am in the far LEFT side of the building at the top of the hill. There should be ample parking. The apartment section I am in has an address of 5426 South Steel St. I am in apartment 35. Just ring the buzzer and I will let you in.

April's meeting will be in Portland on Sunday after the Symposium at 11:00 am; we will be preceded by the Black Lion meeting at 10:00, for those who will be attending same. �•elfri• will be hosting us; here are his directions to the site:

FROM I-5 NORTHBOUND

From I-5, take the Portland Blvd. exit (#304). Take a left onto Portland Blvd. Follow Portland Blvd. to Willamette Blvd., where you will take a right. Stay on Willamette Blvd. for approximately one-and-a-half miles; the main entrance to the University will be on your left hand side. Follow the main University Road. Park in the lot just before the second forced left turn. Walk along the road towards Willamette Blvd. The first building you pass is Walshmit, the second is Christie Hall. Enter Christie Hall on the opposite side of the building from the road. Go in through the main doors, up to the first landing and then continue forward to the second set of stairs; continue down into the basement. At the bottom of the stairs make a right and go on through the door. If you were able to interpret these instructions correctly (and this is not in the April Fools letter) you should now be in the meeting area. I hope to have signs (Vert, two trumpets in saltire) directing the way as I did last year.

Failing all that you can ask some one to direct you to Christie Hall, and there will be a desk worker in the main lobby who will be able to direct you to the "Christie Hall Pub". Or call me at (503) 943-1015.

FROM I-5 SOUTHBOUND (ie coming from Vancouver)

From I-5, take the Portland Blvd. exit (#304). Take a right onto Portland Blvd. Same as above.

Also food wise there is a TB out on Lombard; the Cove, which opens at 10am on Sunday; is located in the pilot house which is the first building on the right as you come on campus (park behind it), or there are a few vending machines in the meeting area, providing a few small snakes (sic) and drinks.

Sorry, Good Aethelfrith, Kind Aethelfrith, who is finding us meeting space; I just love the idea of a vending machine that will give you a small snake for a few coins.

Sorry I neglected to mention commenters for December; they were: Zenobia Naphtali, Elisabeth de Rossignol, David of Moffat with Natasha Orionova Zateeva, Frederick Badger, Teceangl Bach, Vasilisa Myshkina, Beatrice Domenici della Campana, Rafaella d'Allentejo, Simon von der Eisenhandlung, and Ciaran Cluana Ferta with Sebastian Sterne and Teceangl Bach and Francesca Scanagatti and Aethelfrith Hluda.

Commenters for the January meeting were: Zenobia Naphtali, Emma Okenrode with Sorcha ni Fhaolain and Inguz sigrun Miksdottir and Arianwen verch Kynwraidd ap Aeddan, Vasilisa Myshkina, Etienne d'Avignon, Teceangl Bach, Frederick Badger, Tegan Conwy, Rafaella d'Allemtejo, Elisabeth de Rossignol, David of Moffat with Natasha Orionova Zateeva and Kateryn of Falconkeep and Lescelyn of Kailzie, and Aryanhwy merch Catmael.

OLD SUBMISSIONS:

The following have been sent to Laurel:

1. An Tir, Kingdom of. Acceptance of Transfer of Badge Azure a compass star voided argent.

An Tir is accepting on behalf of its Northern Region the transfer of this badge, presently registered to Astriel of Smael Nest. A letter signed by TRM Sven and Signy, King and Queen of An Tir, accepting this transfer is included in the Laurel Packet.

2. Arontius of Bygelswade for Alternate Persona, Justin Case Badge New (Dragon's Laire)

Per pale gules and sable, a winged cat sejant reguardant argent within a bordure ermine.

Even though this was intended as a device for Justin, it had to be treated as a badge for Arontius, and submitted on a round shape.

3. Arontius of Bygelswade Badge New (Dragon's Laire)

(Fieldless) On a flame azure a quill pen argent.

'Palewise' is the default for the quill pen, and was removed from the blazon.

4. Astriel of Smael Nest Transfer of Badge. Azure a compass star voided argent.

Astriel is transferring the badge registered to her in AS XX to the Kingdom of An Tir. A letter signed by Astriel granting the transfer is included in the Laurel packet. Crescent Principal Herald of Caid has been informed of this transfer and has been given a copy of the letter. Crescent has also been asked for a copy of Astriel's badge submission packet for our records.

5. Deorwine aet Earneleia Badge New

Or on an oak tree eradicated azure an eagle's head erased Or. (Vulkanfeldt)

We found this close to Allistair MacMitchell's (Fieldless) A tree eradicated azure its trunk entwined by a wingless wyvern passant to base Or. Technically we count 1 CD for fieldlessness, one for adding a charge on charge by X4i (the eagle's head) and another for removing a kind of overall charge (the wyvern). However, if the wyvern functions here as a charge on a charge, there is no difference for type only of charge on charge on a complex (un-voidable) charge like a tree, by X4jii. We suggested that a visual comparison may be needed. Also, the blue was so 'purple-y' that we feared that Laurel would return it, and so have sent re-coloured versions up. We need very mid-range colours, folks.

6. Emma Okenrode Name New (Wastekeep)

Submitted as <Emma Oakenroad>, the name was changed in Kingdom to the attested form <Emma Okenrode>; however, if the later form <Oakenroad> is registerable, we informed Laurel and the CoA that the client would strongly prefer it.

7. Halima al-Rakkasa Name and Device New (Cragmere)

Gules, a crescent, on a chief argent two pales wavy azure.

We took the first 'argent' out of the blazon.

8. Ingvar the Restless Device New (Lion's Gate)

Azure an owl affronty between six mullets of eight points in orle argent.

A little blazon fu. We sent it up, with the note that we are instructing the submitter to draw the mullets larger.

9. James the Obscure Name Resub/Kingdom (Madrone)

After all that discussion, this is what we decided we needed to send up: <James> can be found in Reaney and Wilson 3rd as a header.

For <the Obscure> the OED shows, under 'obscure', "Of persons, their station, descent, etc: Not illustrious or noted; unknown to fame; humble, lowly, mean'---1555 'It had byn better for hym to haue byn obscure & unknowen'.

The following have been returned for further work:

�thelfrith Hluda Badge New (Three Mountains)

(Fieldless) Two branches in saltire argent.

This was returned for reasons of identifiability and conflict. His branches were considered to be more like batons; this saved him from a conflict with palm tree trunks, but put him into conflict with the flag of Scotland.

NEW SUBMISSIONS:

1. �•elfri• se hluda, from �thelfrith Hluda Name Change, Badge Resub/Kingdom (Three Mountains)

(Fieldless) Two sticks in saltire argent.

His name was registered in September 1998. He includes several pages of learned discussion with Talan on the appropriate form of his.name for his time period, and how it would have been written. The short version of this points out that the aesc (combined a-e-digraph) and the edh (the 'd' with a stroke through the stem) would have been the usage for the 7th-8th century in East Anglia. Also, the form 'se hluda' would have been more correct than the registered <Hluda>, as <hlud> is an adjective, and, Talan states with references, "normal Old English practice with adjectival bynames was to use the definite article (and of course the weak, or definite declension of the adjective, as in <se Hluda>…". Also, Talan observes, "…if you want to make the name authentic for c. 800, you should go with <se Hluda>…". Well, he would like to make the name authentic for c.800. Talan cites Cecily Clark, 'Onomastics', in Richard M. Hogg, The Cambridge History of the English Language, Vol. I, subtitled 'The Beginnings to 1066', Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1992.

This just in: more correspondence with Talan. From the above citation, on page 470, examples as:

"In the vernacular, forms of this type abound: e.g.

<{AE}{dh}elfl{ae}d {th}eos hwite> 'the white-(or, fair-)haired',

<{AE}{dh}elric {th}es langa> 'the tall and thin', <Wulfm{ae}r se geonga> 'the young', and so on, normally with the adj. in the weak (i.e. definite) form and preceded by the definite article.

For the declensions (nominative singular masculine definite adjective ending <-a>, nom.sing.masc.demonstrative <se>), you can cite Randolph Quirk & C.L. Wrenn, An Old English Grammar (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc. no date, but a brief addition to the preface for this edition dated 1957), pp.33, 39."

There's more, but those are the high points.

His previous badge submission was returned at Kingdom (see above); he has resubmitted with much knobblier sticks.

2. Aethelred of Andredesleage Device Resub/Kingdom after lapse (Madrone)

Vert in pale Or a fess wreathed three stags attire Or.

His name was registered in 1991. The proposed blazon perhaps needs a little work, but the submitted device is handsome.

3. Blatha an Oir, La Gaunt d'Ory and La Lis Vert Order Names, New (Blatha an Oir)

Signatures of the ruling nobles are forthcoming. These are both extant awards; the barony would like to have the names registered. The paperwork states that <La Gaunt d'Ory> means 'The Golden Glove' and <La Lis Vert> means 'The Green Lily'. No documentation is included.

4. Denis de Loyer Badge New (Madrone)

Sable, four ermine tails in a cross Or.

His name was registered in June 1994 in the West Kingdom.

5. Diana MacLachlan Device New (Blatha an Oir)

No proposed blazon was submitted with this device.

Her name was registered in March 1996. This device, that incidentally also has no line drawings, has gold fleurs-de-lis on purple, and purple fleurs on gold. The pile is gold and purple, and the cats on it are black with gold spots and gold with black spots.

6. Elizabeth Braidwood Device Change (Lion's Gate)

Vert semy of holly leaves a bend Or.

Her name was registered in December 1990. If this device is registered, she wishes to release her previous device.

7. Enoch Sutherland Device Resub/Laurel (St. Giles)

Argent, two bendlets azure between to martlets gules.

His name was registered in December 1998. His previous device was returned for cotising multiple ordinaries - the bendlets - leaving a Precedent from 1991 standing. This submission addresses that issue.

8. Federigo da Giglio Nero da Cadiz Name and Device New (Blatha an Oir)

Azure, a bear sejant erect contourny maintaining in paws a drinking horn three bees Or.

This name is meant to be 16th century Italian, and to mean Federigo of the Black Lily of Cadiz. He will permit changes. Documentation included with this name is as follows:

Federigo is an Italian name that is period of the 16th cent, per Aestel Herald.

da Giglio Nero is straight Italian for Black Lily, per Aestel Herald

da Cadiz is a reference to the family origin of Cadiz, Spain.

Now, Aestel will probably be able to supply docs to the College for this name, but in future, Lion's Blood would like to receive copies or citations with the submission. "Per Aestel" is actually probably good enough for most of us, but we have to have more than that to send to Laurel, should this name pass Kingdom.

9. Grim the Black, change from Rupert of Runnymede Name Change Device New (False Isle)

Per pale purpure and sable, a dragon displayed Or, langued and armed gules.

Both <Grim> and <the Black> are referenced from Egil's Saga, the Glossary of Proper Names, on pages 243 and 244. He will accept unspecified changes to the name, which he would like to be authentic as 9th to 11th century Norse. Very fierce dragon, no?

10. Grim the Black Badge New (False Isle)

(Fieldless) Issuing from a dragon's foot, a dragon's wing Or armed gules.

Probably I should have listed this separately, under the submitter's registered name, but I thought that I would keep his "batch" together (at least for in-Kingdom).

11. Larisa Andriushkina zhena Ivanova doch Name and Device New (Glymm Mere)

Argent two annulets conjoined in fess within a bordure vert

She will accept changes, and wishes the name to be authentic for Russia. <Larisa> is found in the Dictionary of Period Russian Names by Paul Wickenden of Thanet, version 1.3, page 97, where it is dated to the 4th century. <Andriushkina> is found in the same source on page 14, and <Ivanova> derives from 'Ivan' found on page 79 of the same. She also includes a letter from Paul Wickenden of Thanet, in which he suggests the construction that she has here submitted, meaning 'Larisa, Andriushka's wife and Ivan's daughter'.

12. Magdalen de Feo Device Resub/Kingdom after lapse (Frozen Mountain)

Per bend embattled vert and sable, a sprig of four holly leaves bendwise sinister within a bordure argent.

Her name was registered in January 1997. Her previous device was returned for conflict with Alice of Kent's Vert, a sprig of linden fructed bendwise sinister argent. Normally, linden and holly are very different, but Alice's leaves were apparently very toothy. The addition of a bordure addresses this conflict.

13. Mora of Lincolnshire Device Resub/Kingdom (Valley Wold)

Vert, a tyger rampant to sinister and on a chief argent three moons in her plenitude azure.

Her name is currently before Laurel. Her previous device, Vert a tyger rampant contourny maintaining a moon it its plenitude argent was returned for conflict; the moon was too small to be a sustained charge, so could not be counted for difference. This resubmission addresses that issue.

14. Rhiannon Annsachd Device Change (Fire Mountain Keep)

Gules, a saltire cotised Or

This name was registered in 1995. This submission came in under the name <Maris Shee> which is listed in the on-line search material as having been both registered and changed in April of 1995, so I am unsure as to whether or not it is still a registered name. However, the submitter doesn't mind if we deal with it under her primary registered name. She wishes to release her old device, Per bend sinister Or and azure, a sun in its glory counterchanged, should this one be registered.

15. Rhiannon of Pembroke Castle Name and Device New (False Isle)

Or, a tower gules between two cats sejant respectant reguardant sable.

The name is meant to be 13th century Welsh; she will accept unspecified changes. She includes an email conversation with Couronne Rouge which mentions that <Rhiannon> is an SCA-compatible name, and documentation from Castles by Charles Oman discussing Pembroke Castle.

16. Robert William MacArthur Name and Device Resub/Kingdom (Three Mountains)

Per pale azure and gules, two heraldic dolphins respectant (?), in chief three plates.

His name and device were returned from Laurel in January 1998 with the following comments: "This conflicts with the already registered Raibert MacArthur. The armory is being returned for not using correct heraldic tinctures. The gules used was not red, but pink."

17. Seamus Ruadh Device Resub/Laurel (Valley Wold)

Gules ermined Or, a label argent.

His name was registered on the October 1998 LoAR. His previous device submission, Gules ermined Or, was returned on the same letter because it was judged to be a plain tincture, and unregisterable. This submission adds a label.

18. Seamus Ruadh Badge New (Valley Wold)

Quarterly gules ermined Or and pean

His name was registered on the October 1998 LoAR.

19. Shadhra Aliya Device Resub/Kingdom after lapse (Madrone)

Parted per bend sinister Or and purpure two camels countercoloured.

Her name was registered in February 1995. Her previous submission utilized two different types of camels, which has been remedied here. These camels appear to be statant. The colour submission forms for this device are quite, um, striking!

20. Sonnet Manon Device New (Madrone)

Argent, a dragonfly azure winged sable and on a chief engrailed azure three estoiles argent.

Okay, let's try this again. The name has gone up to Laurel, but I needed to have the College check conflict on the device when they possessed all the information. The chief is blue, and we're making the wings solid black.

21. Teceangl Bach Name and Device New (Dragon's Mist)

Sable, seven mascles conjoined three, three and one, argent.

She declines to accept major changes, and wishes to have the name be authentic for 6th century Wales. Her documentation is from Harpy Herald. Here is what Harpy said:

"This is to document "Teceangl Bach" as a plausible 6th century Welsh name.

The given name is derived from the territorial (earlier tribal) name found as "Tegeigl" in Modern Welsh. Giraldus Cambrensis, in his "Description of Wales" [1] notes a joke playing on this connection, reading (in translation): "Tegeingl is the name of a cantref in Gwynedd. Dafydd ab Owain ruled over it, but it had once belonged to his brother. It was also the name of a woman who had been the mistress of each in turn. Someone said: 'I don't think David should have Tegeingl. His brother had Tegeingl first.'" [Okay, so maybe medieval Welsh humor doesn't translate well.]

Early forms of the tribal/place name can be found in Imperial Roman contexts. One is an inscription on a lead ingot "Deceangl". (probably standing for an adjectival "Deceangl[icum]") dating to AD 74. (You gotta love that Roman beaurocracy! Makes the dating much easier.) The second comes from a manuscript of Tacitus where a later copyist has "inde cangos" for "in decangos", which seems best read as indicating an original "indec(e)ang(l)os". [2] The place name Tegeingl appears most likely to derive from the plural tribal form "Deceangli" (which explains the vowel affection in the second syllable, deriving from the final "i"). Thus, the feminine given name appears to be taken from the place/tribal name at some point after the inflectional form ceased to analyzable. If the given name derived from a Brythonic feminine form of the tribal name, we would expect something more like (Brythonic) Deceangla > (Modern Welsh) Tegangl. On the other hand, if the feminine given name were in use from an early period, the medieval form of it might well have been analogized to match that of the place.

The 6th century is very shortly after the loss of Welsh inflections, and for that reason the form of the name has been constructed as if it derived from a Brythonic "Deceangla" rather than as if it derived from Brythonic "Deceangli". By the late 6th century, we begin to see inscriptional forms of names that lack inflectional endings in the nominative, [3] (although it should be noted that the inflectional endings we find in Welsh inscriptions during this period are Latin, not vernacular) and this matches the expected spoken form of the language at that period. Otherwise, recorded names of this period do not differ significantly in form from Empire-era inscriptions. There is no data available about when, between the 1st century and the 12th, the initial letter changed from "D" to "T"-a change that is not part of any regular sound shift in Welsh. It may have occurred by the 6th century, it may not. I do not believe it is possible to know. All this suggests "Teceangl" as one plausible form of the name in the 6th century (having postulated that it was in use as such at that time).

The byname "Bach" (little, small) is quite common in medieval Welsh personal names. There is very little information about non-patronymic bynames in Wales from this period. However, the word "Bach" would have appeared in that same spelling by the late 6th century. (It derives from Brythonic "baccos", but by the late 6th century, original geminate "cc" was beginning to appear spelled as "ch".[4]) After a feminine given name, the sound of the initial letter will change to [v], however this sound-change was not represented in writing yet during the 6th century. Thus "bach" would be one plausible form of the byname in the late 6th century.

Documentation compiled by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Harpy Herald

[1] p.243 Gerald of Wales. "The Journey Through Wales/ The Description of Wales." New York: Penguin Books, 1978.

[2] p.331 Rivet, A.L.F. & Colin Smith. "The Place-Names of Roman Britain. "Princeton; Princeton University Press, 1979.

[3] Jones, Heather Rose. "The First Thousand Years of British Names" in "Y Camamseriad" #3, 1994.

[4] p.566 Jackson, Kenneth H. "Language and History in Early Britain." Edinburgh: The University Press, 1953."

So, as a wise person once said, "Am I gonna argue with Harpy? I don't think so!"

22. Tegan ThorbergsdÛttir Device Resub/Kingdom (Montengarde)

Argent, a stallion rampant azure, tongued gules, on a chief invected gules two fleams argent.

Her name is before Laurel. Her previous device was returned at Kingdom for a redraw, as it had too many "invects". This one is juuu-uust right. We did reblazon the 'stallion' to a 'horse'.

23. Tir Bannog, incipient shire Branch Name and Device New (Telkwa, BC)

Per fess indented argent and sable a bear statant and a laurel wreath counterchanged.

This is an interesting submission. It came in in December, and I set it aside so that I could address the fact that it came in on old forms, no extra copies, no line drawings, and with no petition. Unfortunately, instead of writing the letter right then, I buried the folder - definitely my bad. So in partial recompense, I am starting the process now, instead of waiting until they get all the paperwork right. They have been sent new forms, a branch name form, and a couple of 'how-to's', so I anticipate no problems.

Included with the submission is a copy of correspondence with Aestel Herald, noting discussion with Harpy concerning the formation of the proposed name. From Aestel's letter:

"Proposed shire name is 'Tir Bannog', translating roughly as "peaky land". Existing Welsh place names using "tir" more often identify the land by a salient owner, e.g. "Tiresgob" (Bishop's land), "Tir Ifan" (Ifan's land), "Tir y Brenin" (the king's land). However, there are also examples where the land is identified by some topographic feature -"Tirllannerch" (grove land), "Tir y coed" (land of the wood) - or by an adjective - "Tirnewydd" (new land; probably referring to former wasteland claimed for agriculture). Examples are all from Melville Richards' Welsh Administrative and Territorial Units (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1969)."

There is also a letter discussing the Welsh words involved from Olwn Pen Aur. While the word <Bannog> does not appear to translate directly to "peak", it does refer to something 'high, turreted and/or horned' such as a high peaked mountain. <Tir> translates to "land, earth, ground, territory'. These translations are from Y Geiriadur Mawr, The Big Dictionary, publishing information included.

24. Vladimir Andreivich Aleksandrov Badge New (Cold Keep)

(Fieldless) An orthodox cross per pale sable and argent.

His name was registered on the July 1996 LoAR.

Whew! And that's all for this one!

An Tir College of Heralds - Internal Letter - February 1999