An Tir Internal Letter of Intent
Free to all persons willing to comment on a regular basis
Commentary due on this letter May 9th for the May 11th 1997 meeting
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7 March AS XXXI (1997 CE)
Unto the An Tir College of Heralds and others who may read these words, Greetings from Ciaran Cluana Ferta, Lion's Blood Herald.
The Kingdom Heraldic Symposium has been set for the 19th of April at the Springwater Grange southeast of Portland Oregon. Sponsored by the Barony of Three Mountains (and held in conjunction with their Seargent-Yeoman-Gallant trials), there will be a potluck Fool's Feast in the evening. On Sunday, the 20th, the Lion's Blood meeting will be held at 11am (please note this change in time), followed by a Black Lion Staff meeting, both at Black Lion's home (Torric Inn Bjorn). Both these meetings are open to ANYONE interested in how the An Tir College of Heralds operates).
Comments on this letter are due no later than the 9th of May for inclusion in the decision made at the meeting on the 11th. Spakbjorn de Olnei will be hosting us at his home (2300 S. Alpine St., Cornelius, OR. Call (503) 359-1519 for directions.)
Comments on the February letter are due by the 18th of April for inclusion in the decisions made on the April 20th (see above for site details).
Comments for the January 1997 IL (yes, the one that went out without a date) are due by Friday, March 14th. The meeting will be at Torric's home on March 16th at noon.
Barnes and Noble is currently offering James Johnson's Place Name of England and Wales, for $7.95 (plus shipping). Laurel says this is well worth the money (although not as good as Ekwall). If there isn't a Barnes & Noble near you, they have a toll-free phone number: 1-800-843-2665 (1-800-THE BOOK).
Thanks to those who provided commentary for, and/or attended the February meeting: Baron David [Electrum] (Natasha Orionova [Be Wayre], Kateryn of Falconkeep, Daire MacTaggart), Dame Zenobia [Courrone Rouge], Adrianna the Fierce [Western], Fionn B·n MacAoidh [stel] (Eglantyne Merryweather [River's Bend], Aed Deoradh·in [Fire Mountain Keep]), Antoinette Jarlshammer [Curragh Mor].
Old Submissions
The following have been forwarded to Laurel, Pelican and the College of Arms:
Originally submitted as Aodh an Deoradhan. The period form is shown to be Aed in ² Corrain and Maguire. MacLysaght shows ² Deoradh·in.
While personally leery of sending things to Laurel in the absence of documentation (other than e-mail correspondence), Harpy (the cited Herald) is the acknowledged authority in Welsh for the CoA, and we saw no reason to dispute this name.
Christophe de Lascaux (Name only)
Cragmere, Incip. Shire of (Name & Device)
Argent, on a chevron gules three swans naiant argent, in base a laurel wreath sable.
While the people of Curragh Mor seem to pronounce the name of the Port: "Crogmore" the proper pronounciation would be "cuhr'-agh more". This is significantly different from the current submission.
The device was reblazoned to reflect the fact that we do not blazon differences in varieties (except in certain cases, such as dogs).
Esperanza Razzolini d'Asolo (Badge)
(Fieldless) On a cross flory azure a cross flory between four fleurs-de-lys florency bases to center Or.
This is her fourth armory submission.
Gules, a griffin segreant checky argent and azure.
The name was changed to reflect the unstressed final syllable evident in the cited example of Matheus de Flandre.
The device was found to conflict with Morgan ap Siarl: Gules a griffin segreant ermine maintaining in its dexter foreclaw a cross of four lozenges Or. There was a single CD for the tincture of the griffin, but nothing for the maintained cross. A letter of permission to conflict was obtained from Morgan by Dame Zenobia. Thanks to both.
(see Pendings for Device)
Kateryn Garnett (Name & Device)
Gules, two Catherine wheels in pale between a pair of flaunches argent each charged with a step-cut gemstone fesswise gules.
Additional documentation for the surname was found in Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed., p. 184, sub Garnet) dated to 1379.
The blazon was corrected.
Laurencia de Saint Germain (Device)
Per pale purpure and argent, a horse's head couped and a celtic harp on a chief per pale argent and purpure an arrow fesswise, all counterchanged.
The blazon was corrected to reflect the policy of not blazoning varietal differences within a species (see above) and the non-jagged line of the horse's neck. While partially obscured by the mane, this emblazon is definitely couped.
The following have been pended at Kingdom:
Per chevron sable mulletty Or and azure a tower argent and in base a laurel wreath Or.
Several commenters noted the "flatness" of the per chevron field division. The seneschal was contacted, and if no redraw is forthcoming before the March meeting this will be sent to Laurel.
Purpure, three chevronels inverted braced and on a chief doubly enarchedOr three triquetra gules.
The triquetra were not the usual depiction, so we have given the submitter the opportunity to redraw them.
Sarasi Chandra (appeal-L/Device)
Per bend sinister wavy and per fess azure and ermine on a roundel counterchanged an increscent double enarched sable.
The submitter's mother has been asked to provide a letter documenting their relationship.
The following have been returned for further work:
Gules chausse per chevron sable and vert fimbriated argent a satyr stant playiug a trumpet Or in chief two comets conjoined at the head in fess argent.
The device was returned for stylistic and identifiability problems. First, this is not a pile but a chausse field division, and one cannot fimbriate a field division. As a chausse, it must have good contrast with the rest of the field. None of the commenters could show any period example of the rest of the field being divided. The horns on the satyr are not goat horns but bull horns. The tails of the comet were hard to identify due the fine nature of the flames which make up the tails (they need to be [to be quote Laurel]: Big, bold and BUTCH).
(Fieldless) Two comets conjoined at the head in fess argent overall a trumpet inverted Or.
The badge also had identifiability problems (a frequent comment was that at first glance it looked like a dragonfly). Most commenters thought that the estoile portion of the comet needed to be drawn larger.
Sable, on a bend argent three birds rising wings addorsed sable.
This was returned for conflict with Marieke van de Dal: Sable, on a bend argent a bendlet voided azure therein five beech leaves palewise vert,and with Siegfried von Hoflichskeit:Sable, on a bend argent a mullet of four points elongated to base gyronny Or and sable. In both cases one CD is realized by the changes to the tertiary group, but no other differences are available.
Kassandra der Mond Schwert (Name)
The name means (literally) Kassandra the moon sword, but the formation of the noun-aggregate does not make sense in German according to our local German expert, and no one found justification to see this as a period epithet.
Seumas Camshronach an Lochabair (Badge)
This was returned for the strong resemblence to a fylfot (swastika) given by the two "wolf-hooks", which we would have reblazoned crampons.
New Submissions:
1) ¡ed Deoradh·in (Fire Mountain Keep) resub-K/Device
Per bend sinister dovetailed sable and vert, a comet bendwise sinister and a trumpet benwise sinister reversed Or.
His name is pending on the February LoI. His previous device submission was returned for various artistic problems. This is a complete re-design.
2) Bjorn Vargsson (Glymm Mere) new/Name & Device
Sable mullety of seven points argent a bordure Or.
Bjorn is shown from Geirr Bassi's The Old Norse Name (p. 8)., but the submitter asks for help with the surname. He is willing to accept (as a substitute for the surname) the patronymic Ulfsson which can be shown from the above source (pp. 15 & 17).
3) Deorwine aet Earnelia (Vulkanfeldt) resub-K/Device
Per chevron inverted azure and Or, an eagle displayed Or and three oak trees azure fructed Or.
His name was registered in September 1984. His device submission was returned at kingdom for conflict with Isabel Eagelstone of Glynwood (SCA): Per fess raguly vert and argent a eagle perched on a bow and three trees counterchanged. The return suggested a change in the tincture of the trees (from vert to azure) and discussed the unusual depiction of the eagle. The issue of the trees has been addressed here.
4) Druim na Doineann, Incip. Shire of (Western) new/Name
Druim is cited from Edward Dwelly's The Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary (Gairm Publications, Glasgow, no date) p. 365 as the singular nominative and dative forms meaning (definition 2):ridge of a hill. P. 349 of the same source shows Doineann (s. f.) Inclement weather, tempest, storm.
5) Fionnbharr Starfyr of the Isles (Glymm Mere) new/Badge
(Fieldless) a comet fesswise Or bearded argent.
Her name was registered in May of 1990 or earlier.
6) Fionnbharr Starfyr of the Isles (for The Blue Band) (Glymm Mere) new/Badge
(Fieldless) a harp argent.
Her name was registered in May of 1990 or earlier, and the household name was registered in October 1996.
7) Fire Mountain Keep, Shire of - resub-K/Badge
Per chevron sable and gules, a bordure embattled argent masoned sable.
The Shire's name was registered in June 1992. Their previous badge submission was returned at Kingdom for conflict, but there were also artistic reasons discussed. This is a complete re-design.
8) Girard aus Bremen (Glymm Mere) new/Name & Device
Sable, on a plate an oak leaf vert within a bordure argent.
The submitter claims the name is German, meaning Girard from Bremen. No documentation is submitted. Help is requested in documenting this name.
[This submission was previously listed in the February 1997 Internal Letter. I assume this one just got past Ciaran. :) - Etienne]
9) Ippolita Giachetta d'Alessandria (Valleywold) new/Name & Device
Argent goutty des larmes, vetu ploye azure a swan rising argent.
De Lamar Jensen's Renaissance Europe (D.C. Heath & Co., Lexington, MA & Toronto, no date) p. 252, talks about Ippolita, the wife of Alfonso II King of Naples from 1494. Hanks and Hodges A Concise dictionary of First Names (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford & New York, 1992) p. 111, sub Jaquetta, "Respelling influenced by Jacqueline of the Italian name Giachetta, a feminine diminutive of Giac(om)o, the Italian version of James." Alessandria is shown from Atlas of Medieval Europe (Facts on File, Inc., New York, no date) no page number.
10) Jacques Louis de Normandie (Dragon's Laire) resub/Name & Device
Per saltire sable and azure, a latin croos formy argent.
His previous submission (Jacques de Normandie) was returned in April of last year for aural conflict with Jaquelin of Normandy. The addition of the second name (Louis) clears this conflict. Marshall Davidson's The Horizon Concise History of France (American Heritage Publishing, New York,1971) p. 65 mentions Jacques Cartier (the explorer) c. 1524. Louis is shown from Colin Jones' The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Press Syndicate of the Univ. of Cambridge, Cambridge 1994) p. 123 mentions Louis XI (King of France 1461-1483). Cassell's Concise French-English English-French Dictionary (MacMillan, New York, 1968) p. 496 sub Normandy shows the French spelling to be Normandie.
The device had to be returned with the name.
11) Kateryn of Falconkeep (Glymm Mere) new/Badge
(Fieldless) A tower quarterly sable and argent.
Her name was registered in January 1995.
12) Kyre Êt HrÊfnswudu (Glyn Dwfn) new/Name
Kyre is a hypothetical construction. Searle's Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum (p. 160) notes the masculine Cyra as a backformation from the placename Cyranleah. On p.xxii Searle notes that masculine monothematic names ending in "-a" correspond to similar feminine names ending in "-e". Some Anglo-Saxon names beginning "cy-" show spelling variants with an initial "K-", e.g. Kinegif (for Cynegifu 1043). Ekwall (pp. 381-2) lists several placenames beginning "Ravens-", e.g., Ravenscroft, Ravensdale, etc. HrÊfn is said to be the standard Anglo-Saxon spelling of Raven. The second part of the name, as well as the overall construction of the name can be found in Tengvik's Old English Bynames(Almqvist & Wiksells Boktryckeri-A.-B., Uppsala, 1938), where on p. 35 it shows a "Wulfstan Êt Sealtwudu dated to 1060.
13) Laurencia des Jardins (Corvaria) resub-K/Device
Per chevron sable and argent, a foxglove purpure slipped and leaved vert.
Her name was registered in October 1995. Her previous submission (Per pale indented argent and sable, to dexter a foxglove purpure slipped and leaved vert and to sinister two bears in pale statant contourney Or) was returned in September 1996 for stylistic and artistic problems. this redesign addresses the concerns noted in the return.
14) Leif McBride (Glymm Mere) new/Badge
(Fieldless) a water bouget Or.
His name was registered in December 1989.
15) Oriana of Myrtlewood (Dragon's Mist) resub-K/Device
Argent, a rabbit rampant contourney sable within a bordure purpure.
Her name was registered in April 1995. Her previous device submission (Purpure on a pile argent a rabbit rampant contourny sable) was returned in October 1996 for conflict with Julia of the Purple Mist (Purpure on a pile argent two springs of laurel proper.) This redesign clears the conflict.
16) Rhonwen McBride (Glymm Mere) resub-K/Device
Per chevron rayonny azure and argent, two estoiles of eight points Or and a tree eradicated proper.
Her name was registered in October 1996. Her previous device submission, (Per chevron rayonny enhanced and throughout ermine and azure, in chief four estoiles in base a sea stag argent,) was returned at Kingdom for artistic and identifiability issues. While retaining the same field division, this is a significant redesign.
17) Rhonwen McBride (Glymm Mere) new/Badge
(Fieldless) a moon in her plenitude purpure.
Her name was registered in October 1996.
18) Seth Foxley (Corvaria) resub-K/Device
Azure, a fox salient argent and a chief embattled Or.
His name is pending on the January LoI. His previous device submission was returned at Kingdom for artistic reasons . Blazoned the same as this submission, the embattling of the chief was felt to be too shallow to pass the scrutiny of Laurel. While that has been addressed here the position of the fox remains unchanged as does the possible conflict with Robina Wycliff (SCA): (Azure a wolf rampant argent maintaining a spear flying to sinister a pennoncelle gules fimbriated all within a bordure Or,) (both of which were voiced as concerns in the previous return) remains unanswered.
19) Siobhan Rua ni Mathghamhna (Dragon's Laire) new/Name & Device
Checky vert and argent, on a bend sinister sable three lions rampant regardant argent.
Siobhan is shown from Patrick Woulfe's Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall (Special revised edition 1992, Irish Genealogical Foundation, Kansas City, MO) p. 217, sub Siobhan, "... brought into Ireland by the Anglo-Normans, where it has ever since been one of the most popular of women's names." Page 391 of the same source (sub Mac Mathghamhna) speaks of a family by that name from County Clare, Ireland descended from Murtagh More O'Brien (d. 1119 AD). Rua is said to be Irish Gaelic meaning red (and implying red-haired). Plate #5 from Mairead Dunlevy's book, Dress in Ireland (Holmes & Meier NY, NY, 1989) has a caption: "Maire Rua O'Brien of Lemenagh, Co. Clare, about 1640,...
Michael O Siadhail's Learning Irish, an introductory Self Tutor (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven and London, 1988)p. 301 shows rua as meaning reddish-brown.
20) Thomas Ward (Dragon's Mist) new/Name & Device
Azure, on a pall inverted argent between three compass stars Or three arrows points to center gules.
Thomas is cited from Fosters The Dictionary of Heraldry (p. 223). Ward is shown from Blacks Surnames of Scotland (p. 801).
21) Walram von Laufenberg (Glymm Mere) new/Badge
(Fieldless) Between a pair of wings inverted argent a flaming sword proper. (NOTE: the sword is shown on the color emblazon as silver-bladed, gold hilt and pommel, the blade is surrounded in red, with yellow "tongues" of flame, and several red highlights in the "tongues".)
His name was registered in January 1985 or earlier.
22) Windwyrm, Shire of (Avacal) new/Badge
(Fieldless) A dragon's head affronty between in fess two dragon's heads addorsed all conjoined at the neck gules.
The Shire's name was registered in October 1983.
An Tir College of Heralds - Internal Letter - March 1997