September 1999 Internal Letter of Intent

All I've got to say is "whew!" Thanks to everyone who has helped get me up and running this last month. Biggest kudos to Her Ladyship Maryn Grey for making it look easy. I can only hope to aspire to her gracious wit in these letters, so bear with me as I stumble through this the first couple of times. For those of you who've said "I can never find when commentary is due!" please see the new sidebar below. I plan to make this a regular feature.

And just so you know, my phone/email is above, please do contact me with your comments, concerns, questions, etc.

Administrative Stuff: Please remember the ONLY books that should be cited without including photocopies are those books found in Appendix H of the Administrative Handbook. Please encourage your submitters to read & follow the "How to Fill out the Forms" article. Please send electronic commentary in the body of the message (numbers and names appreciated) as my PC does not like attachments very much. Thanks muchly.

Thanks to those hard working commenters for the August meeting: Elisabeth de Rossignol, David of Moffat, Zenobia Naphtali, Teceangl Bach, Francesca Testrossa de Martini, thelfrith se Hluda, Frederic Badger, Fionghuala Friseil, and SHOW (the Sun-blessed Heralds of Wastekeep: Emma Okenroad, Sorcha ni Fhaolain, Inguz sigrun Miksdottir).

Upcoming Lion's Blood Meetings & Commentary Due Dates (Thank You!)

10 Oct 1999 - Countess Elisabeth's, Renton, WA Comments due 8 Oct

21 Nov 1999 - HL Ciaran's Portland, OR Comments Due 19 Nov

12 Dec 1999 - Lord Ruadhan's, Blatha An Oir Comments Due 10 Dec

16 Jan 2000 - Rafaella's or close in Dragon'sMist/3M, Comments due 15 Jan

13 Feb 2000 - Beatrice's, Coeur du Val, Comments due 11 Feb

Highway 167 and follow it north to the SW 43rd/S 180th St exit. Exit right onto Petrovitsky. Follow this east to the stoplight at Petrovitsky and 140th St. Go straight through this light to the next light about a block farther along, at the Texaco station. Turn left at this light. Follow this street until it comes to a stopsign. Go straight through the stopsign. Now in half a mile or so you want to be looking for a cross street marked 160th Place SE, Division 15-17. Turn left here. This will now put you onto a winding residential street. Follow it until it dead ends. The house is the second from the dead end on the left, house number 16308. It is a gray split level with a white minivan in the driveway

From the North: Go south on I-5 to I-405, then to Highway 169 (#4) exit, Renton/Maple Valley Highway. This will put you onto a street you will have to follow through a couple of lights that runs parallel to the freeway. Finally you will see the light at 169, turn left (east). Follow this past the community center on the right, the golf course on the left, until you come to a light at 140th. Turn right here. Follow this winding road up the hill until you come to a light at Fairwood Boulevard. Turn left there into an area called Fairwood Greens. Follow Fairwood Boulevard through its twists and turns until it dead ends at a stopsign. Turn left at the stopsign. The street you have just turned left onto has now metamorphosed into Fairwood Boulevard. Now in half a mile or so you want to be looking for a cross street marked 160th Place SE, Division 15-17. Turn left here. This will now put you onto a winding residential street. Follow it until it dead ends. The house is the second from the dead end on the left, house number 16308. It is a gray split level with a white minivan in the driveway.

The November Lion's Blood meeting will be Sunday, 21 November 1999, 11:30am at the home of HL Ciaran Cluana Ferta, 9312 N. Fairhaven Ave., Portland, OR 97203. Directions will be in the October Internal Letter.

With the submitter's approval, we changed name from <thelstan of Carlisle> to make the locative appropriate for his chosen time period.

Vert in saltire a rapier and a sewing needle inverted, on a chief argent three trees proper

Sable a bear's head couped close contourny and on a chief argent three crosses of Calatrava vert

The name was registered in March 1994. The hoe is the standard hoe as shown in the PicDic.

We changed name from <Arnulf of Cilli> to make the locative appropriate for his chosen time period.

The Barony's name was registered in 1981. The name is modeled after <Golden Fleece>.

Borealis, Barony of, for the Order of the Silverwolf (Arts and Sciences) New Badge

Azure, in pale two wolf's heads erased addorsed and conjoined at the neck argent and two calipers in chevron inverted the chiefmost prongs crossed Or

The Barony's name was registered in 1981. The situation of multiple badges under one name is unusual but desired by the branch. If this designation cannot be registered, I have requested (with the branch's permission) that we please register them as undesignated badges.

Azure, in pale two wolf's heads erased addorsed and conjoined at the neck argent and two swords inverted in saltire Or

The Barony's name was registered in 1981. The AnTir CoH is aware that [swords and rapiers] are heraldically identical, but we know of no ruling that prevents our sending this up and feel there is blazonable difference between them.

Azure, in pale two wolf's heads erased addorsed and conjoined at the neck argent and two arrows in saltire Or

Azure, in pale two wolf's heads erased addorsed and conjoined at the neck argent and two rapiers inverted in saltire Or

The Barony's name was registered in 1981. The AnTir CoH is aware that numbers [swords and rapiers] are heraldically identical, but we know of no ruling that prevents our sending this up and feel there is blazonable difference between them.

The Barony's name was registered in 1981. While prior registration patterns do not necessarily imply current registerability, this seems analogous to the "Wolf's Tooth" which was registered in January 1994 to the Principality of Ealdormere.

The name was registered in 1979. She would prefer <de la Marchena>, but her documentation supports <de Marchena> and she will accept this change if necessary.

His name was registered in 1996. We believe this to be clear of Trimaris, Kingdom of (Fieldless) A triskele vert, with 1 CD for fieldless and a 2nd for legs vs. abstract design.

(Fieldless) Atop and conjoined to an open scroll fesswise a badger statant contourny argent

The College notes that <Sterne> is pronounced "schtair-nah" and should not conflict with Sebastian Sturme (Middle, 9/92).

Conflict was found with Finn Silverfox, Vert, chaussÈ checky argent and sable a fox dormant argent. There is one CD for the change of field and no additional CDs for either heads, position, or fox vs. wolf.

This Order name was returned as it runs afoul of the rule which reserves the title of "Master" (in any language) to members of the peerage. Quoting Jaelle of Armida, LoAR December 1998, p. 18-19:

"Laurel sympathizes with the submitter, who is trying to use historically a term which the SCA uses ahistorically. However, as was said in the return of the Master Bowman of the East (7/90) 'We cannot, in good conscience, register a title reserved by Corpora to peers to any non-peerage group, no matter in what form they propose to use it.' The same argument applies to individuals... As long as the Board has decided that Master is a reserved title, Laurel cannot change that."

Per bend sinister embowed counterembowed azure and argent, in pale a natural salamander counterembowed Or conjoined to another inverted and embowed gules.

The name was returned as we find that <Salah> was used only as a title, it is not a given name. Da'ud ibn Auda, comments thusly: "'Salah' means "rectitude". The "sultanic title/name" of Yusuf ibn Ayyub (which real [Yusuf ibn Ayyub] name is how he signed his official letters, even the one to the Emperor of Byzantium), is Salah al-Din, Rectitude of the Religion. It is not a seperable name element, and I haven't found it used as a name anywhere." The device was clear but we suggested a redraw as the line of division needed a little more oomph.

Submitter will accept unspecified changes and wishes a masculine name authentic for 1200 - 1300 Norman England. His documentation appears to be from a webpage, but no URL is given. It is entitled "Pleas at Northampton in the Fourth Year of the Reign of King John." which has the single instance of <Andrew> in the highlighted. He states that <Ormain> is "or" + "main" in French, or "gold-hand". There is no documentation for the rest of the name.

Quarterly argent and Or, a winged eagle's claw gules maintaining an glove sable.

Quarterly argent and Or, a winged eagle's claw gules maintaining an arrow sable.

Quarterly argent and Or, a winged eagle's claw gules maintaining an candle sable enflamed gules.

Quarterly argent and Or, a winged eagle's claw gules maintaining an sword sable.

Submitter will accept minor changes only and wishes a feminine name accurate for 15th-17th century Venice. She documents <Beatrice> from de Felice Dizionario dei Nomi Italiana p. 87. <DomËnici> is from de Felice Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiana on p. 114, and <Campana> from the same source on p. 90. She writes, "I intend the final surname to mean `della Compana' to mean `of the bell'. `della' is shown on attached photocopies to be the preposition-article combination used before a feminine noun like compana, and which means `of the'." The enclosed photocopies, (presumably from an Italian grammar) say that.

(Fieldless) A rose per pale argent and azure (Coeur du Val, Katherine Finnegan)

Submitter will accept minor changes and is looking for a name with similar sound appropriate for a Scottish woman around the year 1040. She includes a letter from the Academy of Saint Gabriel which analyses variants of <Bridh> and <MacBeth> and suggests the submitted version as "a fine choice for your period".

9. Cairbre mac Eochaid mac Feidlimid, from Cairbre poc Airgead Name Change; Device New

Submitter's current name was registered in August 1987. He wishes a masculine name appropriate for 7th century Ireland and will accept unspecified changes. <Cairbre> is already passed, <Eochaid> is listed as on p. 86 of O'Corrain and Maguire Irish Names, and <Feidlimid> is said to be in Woulfe Irish Names and Surnames on p. 185.

Per fess wavy argent and azure, in chief a natural dolphin naiant embowed azure (Dragon's Mist)

Submitter will accept unspecified changes and wishes a name authentic for 11th Norse meaning "Erik the Bent". No documentation was included.

Argent a semy of billets gules in chief a pile azure a sun in splendor Or Blatha an Oir)

Submitter wishes a feminine name authentic for early 16th century Florence, and will accept unspecified changes. Documentation listed for <Ginevra> is de Felice's dizionario dei nomi italiani p. 189. For <Domenichetti> she lists Fucilla's Our Italian Surnames p. 40.

Submitter will accept minor changes and wishes a masculine name authentic for 15th-16th century Italy, specifically the Renaissance. He wants the name to mean "John Lawrence of San Gimignano". His documentation consists of an excerpt from A Traverrler's History of Italy by Valerio Lintner. In the listing "Italian Artists 1200-1600" <Giovanni> is listed five times (one dated 1430-1516) and <Lorenzo> once (1452-1519). The same document lists <San Gimignano> as having been around since at least the 13th century.

Purpure a smith's hammer bendwise argent in base two walnuts cracked and halved or

Submitter wishes a masculine name authentic for mid 1600s Italy and will accept unspecified changes. <GuisËppe> is cited to be from De Felice Dizionario dei nomi Italiani p.196. <Giordano> is from the same source, p.191, <Maria> also from that book p.251. < FalcioniËri> is cited as being in de Felice Dizionario dei cognomi Italiani p.121. The purpure is a murrey shade, but definitely not gules.

Per pall inverted azure, argent and vair, in pale a roundel counterchanged Or and gules and a bee displayed Or.

Submitter will accept unspecified changes and wishes a feminine name retaining the sound and meaning of the name. Citations are from Welsh Surnames by Morgan & Morgan citing "1577, Gweneth ver' Robert". Further quoted from documentation: "Under the same header one finds a u to w swap in the examples `Angl 1533 John Guenethe; 21. Caern 1553, John Guyneth, parson or provost of Clenokvaure, and vicar resident of Luton; 22." She states that <the White> "refers to a manner of dress favored by the lady".

Per bend sable and argent overall a dragon volant bendwise tail nowed vert elevated and addorsed Or incensed of flames gules in chief a greek lamp enflamed argent and in dexter base an armorers hammer bendwise sable

Azure, a unicorn rampant countourny argent within a bordure argent a semy descrescents azure

Submitter will accept unspecified changes and wishes an authentic feminine name for late 16th Scotland, and is most interested in retaining the sound of the name. Citations include: <Idonea> from p. 121 of Tuttles Dictionary of First Names, "Unusual name associated with the North of England. Suggested that it is a derivation of the Norse Goddess Iduna, guardian of the Apples of Youth." The paperwork says "Withycombe, pg. 160" which having looked it up is where the heading "Idonea" is also found. <de Morain> is found on p. 440 of Dauzat's Dictionanaire »tymologique des nos de famile et prÈnoms de France.

The submitter will not accept major changes and wishes an authentic feminine name for 13th c. Anglo-Norman England and is most interested in retaining the sound of the name. <Isobel> is found on p. 164 of Withycombe, 3rd ed. sub "Isabel(la), Isobel". <fitz Gilbert> is cited from The Domesday Book, England's Heritage, then & now, Teresa Clark editor. Pages include: p. 141 "Rohais wife of Richard FitzGilbert", p. 145 "Richard FitzGilbert holds YALDING HALLINGES." [This looks to be a quote from the DB itself.] There are a couple more pages each showing the holdings of Richard FitzGilbert. Bonus points for the highlighting pointing out the relevant citations.

Argent, a jay elevated and addorsed and on a chief azure three fleur-de-lis argent (Valley Wold)

The submitter will accept major changes and wishes an authentic feminine name and is most interested in retaining the language/culture which unfortunately is not listed. Copies of documentation include p. 191 of Withycombe, 3rd ed. heading "Laura, Lauretta" which dates Lauretta to 1203-15 and states "Lauretta is a diminutive of 'Laura'". A copy of the entry for "Toulouse" from Microsoft Encarta is included which states "As the Gallic city of Tolosa, the community was important long before the Roman conquest of Gaul. [...] In 1271 Toulouse passed to the French Crown..." No date is given for when the spelling change of the city occured.

Per bend sinister argent and azure a bunch of grapes slipped and leaved proper and a chalice argent

The submitter will accept major changes and wishes an authentic feminine name for mid-14th c. Southern Ireland and is most interested in retaining the sound of the name. <Maeve> is cited from p. 135 of O'Corrain and Maguire as "anglicized verion of Medb". <Hillery> is cited from p. 157 of MacLysaght: "This is an English name 'long established in Co. Clare." The paperwork says "this is a constructed Anglicized Irish Patronymic constructed on this given name. This is meant to be an inherited surname, and NOT a functional patronymic."

24. Michael atte Calle Name and Device New Argent a semy of clarions sable in chief a pile vert a sun in splendor Or (Blatha an Oir)

The submitter will accept major changes and wishes an authentic masculine name for late 16th c. Germany. He is most interested in retaining the sound of the name. <Michael> is cited from p. 218 of Withycombe. <atte Calle> is documented from p. 80 of Reaney & Wilson: "from 1307, ME calle, 'sheepfold', Ex. 'Walter atte Calle'".

Per bend sinister dovetailed vert and argent in chief a mullet of five points and in base a lion's face counterchanged

The submitter will accept major changes and is most interested in retaining the sound of the masculine name. Documentation included from The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., vol. XIV sub "Robert" says "A personal name, a. F. Robert, ultimately of Teutonic origin." "gry" is documented from the OED also, sub "gry" meaning "to rage, roar. 1594 Carew Tasso ii (1881) 34 The hearing this doth force the Tyrant gry, With threatfull sound." <Grylion> quoth the paperwork "... a constructed byname. It is meant to represent a development from the combination of 'grylle' and 'lion' using 'frylle' from 3rd ed. Reaney/Wilson p. 206, sub Grilling/Grelling, and 'lion' based on construction of behavioral characteristic plus animal, example the name 'Kydewild' p. 117 of Jan Jonsjo, meaning 'wild young goat.' Thus the meaning of Robert 'Cruel as a Lion.'" Copies from Bardsley's English Surnames are included which discuss nickname construction but I'm not sure how they help here. [Hint: highlighting is Good Thing ™].

The submitter will accept major changes and is interested in an authentic feminine name for 1320's England (Norman French), caring most about the sound of the name. <Rosa> is found in Withycombe p. 258 sub "Rose". <Lynn> is a "village in Norfolkshire" documented from Reaney & Wilson, p. 288. Client wishes the French "de" meaning "of" but will accept the English "of" if necessary.

Azure a chevron argent between three seawolves erect argent each maintaining a torch enflamed argent

The submitter will accept major changes and is interested in an authentic masculine name for late 16th c. England. He cares most about the sound of the name. <Ulric> is documented from p. 284 of Withycombe. <Morgan> is cited from p. 314 of Reaney and Wilson.

Gules, a bear passant sable between three mullets of six points Or (Dragon's Mist)

The submitter will not accept major changes and is most interested the language/culture of her name which from her documentation appears to be German. <Ursula> is documented to 1407 & 1429 from "Medieval German Given Names from Silesia: Talan Gwynek: Copyright 1998 by Brian M. Scott." http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/ bahlow_v.htm and many other sites from the St. Gabriel Library. <Georges> is documented both as French and German surnames, not dated, from standard references (Dauzat, Bahlow) as a patronym from a baptismal: Dauzat, "Noms et Prenoms", p. 288, "georges": under heading "georg", Bahlow, "Deutchesnamenlexicon", p. 164, and other site from the St. Gabriel Library.

The consulting herald, Moreach Nicmhaolain presents quite the case for the submitted device, which I cannot reproduce here (it's 4 pages long!) However, I will try to summarize (and will gladly email the whole thing to anyone who really needs it for research, see email on front page): "Ursula Georges (mundane name deleted here) wishes to register the device: "Gules a bear passant sable between three mullets (of six points) Or". This requires an appeal for an exception to the Rules of Tincture, as gules and sable are both considered "colors" in our scheme of tinctures. Here is my research, to date, of Period armory that violates our present rule in this way, plus a few related examples.

Note that while the preponderance of the arms are from parts of Europe that were heavily influenced by German culture, not all are. Nor have I the resources to explore very many European sources for further examples, so many others may exist. I therefore submit, on Ursula's behalf, an appeal based on pan-European "core heraldry" style, not merely regional style. Should the pan-European style appeal be denied, Ursula wishes to have the argument for Germanic regional style considered, and included is a note, in her own hand, to the effect that she knows of the rules issue, and approves. [Rafi note: yep, there is.]

I also noted in my research that the preponderance of the examples of gules and sable armory are in a simple, "classic", style, as is the submitter's large bear between three small mullets.

I have taken all possible pains to eliminate cases where the "sable" may be tarnished silver-gilt, by comparing those illustrations in the same text that are true black (such as, for instance, arms that were "argent, a ___ sable") against the depth and character of the colors in the arms I am referring to in this request. I also note that in the case of Siebmacher, no metallic inks were used at all, so that all examples given from that armorial are, by default, color on color.

19 blazon examples from "Johann Siebmachers Wappenbuch von 1605: Harenberg Edition Harenberg Kommunikation, Dortmund 1994" all showing pattern of "Gules, a [charge] sable..." p. 53 #33, p. 62 #42, p. 70 #50, p. 71 #51, p. 72 #52, p. 92 #72, etc. ; 3 blazon examples from "The Dictionary of Heraldry: Feudal Coats of Arms and Pedigrees Joseph Foster; Studio Editions Ltd. 1994; ISBN 1851703098" p. 203 #183, p. 209 #189, p. 244 #224. ; 2 blazon examples from "Heraldry: Sources Symbols and Meaning Ottfried Neubecker; McGraw-Hill Book Co. Ltd., 1976 ISBN 0-07-046308-5" p. 5 & p. 106. [and a whole lot more...]

My client and myself believe the above is sufficient to demonstrate that the combination "gules, a ____ sable" was widespread enough to make a recognized exception to the current Rules of Tincture of the SCA.

The submitter will not accept major changes and wishes a feminine name authentic for 9th century Wessex. Photocopies (with highlighting!) are included from The Viking by Ewert Cagnes which documents <Werberg> from the Codex Aureus made in 8th c. England which says in translation: "I, Earl Alfred, and Werberg my wife, have acquired this book..." The Penguin Dictionary of Saints by David Attwater, rev. Catherine Rachel John p. 329, documents <Werburgh> as an English royal abbess c. 700. <Wenlock> is also documented from the Dictionary of Saints, p. 238 heading Mildred dated c. 700, "Mildred's elder sister, St. Mildburga... was foundress and abbess of Wenlock abbey in Shropshire." <Wenlock> is also documented p. 252c dated to 1066 in The Domesday Book, vol. 25 "Shropshire".