An Tir Internal Letter of Intent, June 2002

The Heralds' Page
Newsletter of the College of Heralds of An Tir

Volume 1, Number 1 ~ June 2002

Table of Contents:

Welcome to the fledgling newsletter. If you're looking for the Internal Letter, don't fret. It's in the back, and will continue to be placed in the latter section of the Heralds' Page so that it may be detached and used independently.

This work is the culmination of ideas and cooperation between Lions Blood and Black Stag Heralds. It is intended to be a resource for all the heralds of An Tir, not just the bookish sorts. This is a 'dry run' of the format, not yet a final version. We're still experiencing minor technical difficulties, but although the formatting needs polishing and the cover isn't in place, the content has already achieved a more general scope than just submissions. Letters and articles from the various Black Lion deputies will be standard, including the occasional word from Black Lion himself. Articles from anyone may be accepted, with suitability for publication determined by Black Lion and Black Stag and whomever they might wish to consult. All content must be heraldic in nature, but need not be serious. Despite rumors to the contrary, heralds aren't stuffy. At least not the ones Lions Blood hangs out with!

Greetings Unto the heralds of An Tir from Moræl Black Stag:

So, what is so great about heraldry?

At every Society event we go to, we see personal banners hanging on the walls or from poles, letting us know who is present. Heraldic display, in its limitless forms, can add greatly to the ambiance of an event and can disguise the modern appearance of a hall.

Your armory can also be a statement about you. While you want to keep your device fairly simple, a device can, if you so choose, say something about one of your main interests. It might just tell others about your taste in colors or aesthetics or give people a clue as to what sort of items you feel best represent you.

Of course in a Society war, heraldry is very important for the purpose of recognition, as it was in medieval times.

While there are many ways that heraldry is enjoyed by the populace, we as heralds enjoy added benefits. We are involved in device design repeatedly, giving us an outlet for our creativity, and the joy of seeing our "work" on display. We are frequently met with challenges that, once met, make our job so rewarding.

Of course, I am speaking only of the visual side of heraldry, of devices and display, and barely touching upon the subject at that. Voice and name heraldry are necessary arts each with a whole list of attributes of their own. But I'll leave it to the voice and name heralds to sing the praises of their specialties!

Moræl Black Stag
Argent, a bear's jambe and in chief three blackberries sable hulled vert.
(Representing the beautiful, largely natural Island where I make my home)

Lessons learned the hard way…

Greetings from Natasha, Vox Leonis.

At May Crown just past, the evening court and investiture of the new Crown Prince and Princess took place shortly after dusk. The populace had been asked to provide any sources of torchlight that might be available, and by the time court began there were a number of Tiki torches along the center aisle. There were also a pair of propane torches (smokeless!!) that were placed just behind the row of chairs of state, providing a fair amount of light.

Reading by the torchlight, however, proved to be a challenge, and so the folding book lights came into play. Keeping the modern source of light at a discreet angle and still being effective as a court herald is much preferable to making mistakes because you can't see the ceremonial or scroll. It works very well without being too intrusive. (It doesn't hurt to have a spare for visiting heralds, either…)

I strongly recommend that every herald who might do court acquire one of these small and highly portable battery-powered sources of light. Pack along a spare set of batteries as well, for the inevitable event when the lights go out in the middle of something important. These little life-savers work as well for indoor venues such as evening feasts where the lights may be left low for court, rather than resorting to the glare of modern lighting for the sake of the herald alone.

One note about torchlight, from bitter experience. Following the Crown into the stream of smoke from a Tiki torch is NOT ™ a good thing for a voice herald. Two of us had the same coughing problem from the citronella smoke in rapid succession. Doesn't help to have a backup herald if both are coughing from this phenomenon, which is exactly what happened at that May Crown evening court. I've thus discovered that I LOVE the propane torches, not just for the improved lighting they provide, but for the lack of smoke. Talk to Baron Ralg (Dragon's Laire) about finding these torches or check the hardware stores in your local area.

Unto the College of Heralds of the Laurel Kingdom of An Tir,
from Thegn Uilliam mac Aillén vhic Séamus, called the Mariner, greetings:

My lords and ladies all, as you know, I have taken up the reins of Lowenmahne's office from Master Fingall McKetterick as of May Crown - he is, as he expressed it to me, happy to be shut of the job, and glad there was ~~some poor sod~~ a ready volunteer to step in when he wearied of his burden. It helps, I suppose, that the volunteer has had some experience of standing on the eric shouting "My Lords and Ladies, pray attend…" Some of you know me; a larger number do not, but I hope to remedy that to a certain extent. Those of you who are subscribed to the Steps and/or the Heralds' List will have some idea of what I'm like even if you wouldn't know me to trip over me.

This month's contribution to the general heraldic weal will be (mercifully) short, as it's late, I'm tired and I smell bad, having just returned from a camping weekend. Don't think, however, that you'll get off so easily in future issues.

On a more serious note, I have never held a Kingdom office prior to this, not even as a deputy. I will therefore be soliciting advice and opinions from as many heralds as I can. Certainly those who wish to beat the rush by providing advice even before I ask you will be welcome to do so. Some of you are already 'tapped' for advice as it is, so you can't escape.

Plans for the office are as-yet unformed, beyond a vague and wooly desire to execute the duties of my office as best as I can. I do have some ideas for improving the quantity and quality of field heralds and town criers in the Kingdom because one thing stood out at May Crown like a sore thumb: it's always the same crew at Heralds' Point, and some of them are perilously close to burning out. It's pretty grim when we can only scrape up one or two heralds per field and pretty much have to shut down town crier services while the tournament is under way. In talking with some new voice heralds who (bless them and cherish them!) did come and volunteer, I found there is a perception of voice heraldry as being (a) somehow less 'cool' than book or consulting heraldry – which in some circles is already suffering from a distinct lack of perceived coolness – and/or (b) being essentially a private club run by and for the benefit of a privileged few. I'm really hoping this is a perception that is small, limited and containable. And reversible.

For the immediate future, July Coronation is looming on the horizon, and I may as well start beating the bushes now. I know many of the 'usual suspects' will be there, and I hope they will be willing to lend the weight of their experience and dedication at Heralds' Point. However, I would really appreciate the active assistance of branch heralds and principality heralds in encouraging any and everyone in your local community who shows any sign of interest or talent and who is going to July Coronation to come and try doing some field heraldry and/or town crying. It's not rocket science and it is a really good way to get around the site, see all kinds of folk and be offered free beverages.

Okay, I'm rambling now. Major fatigue setting in at this point. More in next month's newsletter.

At three bells of the first watch, the 9th day of June,
In the reign of Wilam et. Siobhan, Rex et. Regina An Tir,
Yours aye,

Uilliam Lowenmahne
"Vivite ad clamandum, clamate ad vivendum"

How To Eat Ermine

Contributed by Iago ab Adam, OL, JdL

From 'Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections Edited from British Library
Manuscripts Additional 32085 and Royal 12.C.xii' Speculum 61/4 (1986) pp.
859-882, by Constance B. Hieatt and Robin F. Jones

Ermynee. Serra fet blanc e bien savoree de bon poudre de gyngyvre, e de quibebes e de clous, e cele viaunde deit estre partie ou vert desirree.
Vert desirree. Let d'alemaundes, flur de rys, braoun de chapoun, vyn vermail, sucre, percil; le colour serra vert.

Translation:

Ermynee (spiced white pottage). The dish should be white and well flavored with good ground ginger, and with cubebs and cloves, and should be combined (in strips of alternating color) with "vert desirree."

(Editors Note: The ingredients for the dish are not given fully, but probably resembled those of "Vert desir(r)ee," with which it was to be served.)

Vert Desirree (Green Syrian food). Almond milk, rice flour, capon meat. red wine, sugar, parsley; the colour should be green; (the ingredients are to be boiled in a clean pot and then put (to cool and presumably set) in a dust-free place, in the vessel in which they are cooked: pomegranate (seeds) set on top.) (cooking instructions from the recipe previous in the collection- 'Blanc desirree')

THE AN TIR INTERNAL LETTER OF INTENT

Teceangl Bach
lions-blood@antir.sca.org
tierna@agora.rdrop.com

June 27, 2002
Send thy comments here:

Brenda Klein
5235 SE Lambert St #A-5
Portland, OR 97206-9068

Commentary on this Letter will be due August 9th, 2002.
(Send comments to Lions Blood Herald, information at top of this letter)

The July Lions Blood Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 7th, 1pm, at the home of HL Ciaran Cluana Ferta in Portland: 9312 N. Fairhaven Ave., Portland, OR 97203. Phone: 503-247-9338. Bring chairs.
From the North: Take I-5 south to Oregon exit 306-B and follow the signs for Marine Dr. westbound. Once on Marine Dr., stay in the left lane for about 0.9 mi to the train overpass. Immediately following the overpass turn left onto N. Portland Rd., again staying in the left lane when there is one. At the end of the road turn right and immediately right again. Go 1 block, and look for the yellow house on the right with Herald's trumpets out front.
From the South: Take I-5 north to exit 305-B (Lombard St. West). Once on Lombard, go 2.5 mi. to Ida Av (at the 2nd Fred Meyer store) and turn right. Go to the end of the street and turn left. Just after the stop sign, is another street to the right (Fairhaven Ave.) where you turn right, and go 1 block. Look for the yellow house on the right with Herald's trumpets out front.

The August Lions Blood Meeting will be held on Sunday, August 11th, at the home of HL Eglentyne Merryweather, AEstel Herald, in River's Bend. 406 Quail Lane, Longview WA, 98632

FROM LIONS BLOOD HERALD

Greetings from Teceangl Lions Blood!
Well, this is it. The IL-as-newsletter is off the ground. Help Moræl and me keep it going by suggesting, commenting, submitting, and getting other heralds to subscribe. If you want to see something included, please ask. Do not underestimate your own ability to contribute. Help is available if you're not a smooth writer, but ideas and information must be shared in order to keep the College at the outstanding heraldic level it has achieved over the years.

On expressing opinions in commentary:
There is nothing at all wrong with saying you don't like the style of a submission. However, and unqualified, "I don't like this," does not give any information whatsoever which can assist in the decision to send the submission to Laurel or to return it to the submitter for further work. Additionally, unless some form of repair is suggested ("there are entirely too many ermine spots on this chief, no more than twelve would make it easier to see that this is intended to be ermine rather than sparrow tracks") the comment doesn't help either Lions Blood nor the submitter.
Also remember that the submitter might well be attending the Lions Blood meeting where your commentary is read, or perhaps the submitter's friend, consulting herald, or perhaps just a member of their branch. Always write commentary you would not be embarrassed to see posted to an open mailing list or read in front of the submitter. If you cannot manage that, rethink what you're saying.
There has been just a bit too much negativity in recent commentary and if our focus is on aiding and assisting the submitter, the negative stuff is unnecessary.

From Lord Anthony Hawke, Web encoder:

If there is one thing that I have learned in life, is that it is full of change. Thanks to feedback from the An Tir Heralds list about the format that I have been using, I am simultaneously refining the appearance of what works best, and trying the occasional new approach. This letter, I am setting the blazon within each and every submission in an attempt to alleviate the dreaded "flip between web pages", which can be annoying in most browsers. Please let me know how well this works for you -- a link to my email is at the bottom of the page.

An Tir results from the LoAR dated March 2002 (see the LoAR for full text):
(typos might exist - only the LoAR itself is definitive; other than name, action and blazon, listings are paraphrased or abridged)

REGISTERED:

Alicia le Wilfulle	Name and device. Argent, two swords inverted in saltire sable fretted with a mascle and on a chief vert two escallops argent.
	Badge. (Fieldless) Two swords inverted in saltire sable fretted with a mascle vert.
	Badge. (Fieldless) A mascle vert.
Angharat verch Reynulf	Name and device. Per chevron purpure and argent, two wolves rampant argent and a dragon displayed sable.
	Badge. (Fieldless) A wolf rampant barry argent and purpure.
Broinninn Brecc ingen Fhaíltigern	Name.
Emma in draumspaka	Device. Sable, three open books Or.
Eoghan Ó Cairealláin	Name.
Erika Francesca Pacchioni	Device change. Vert, on a bend sinister between two sea-lions contourny argent two coronets palewise sable.
Esclarmonde de Porcairages	Device. Quarterly argent and purpure, a chalice Or between two mullets purpure.
Herons Reach, Shire of	Branch name.
John Kane of Kent	Name and device. Or, a domestic cat courant contourny within an orle sable.
Leith Ambránid	Name and device. Azure, a sun Or eclipsed azure and in base a triquetra inverted argent.
Leticia Troischesnes	Badge. Checky gules and argent, on a roundel azure two spoons in saltire argent.
Mór ingen Fhaíltigern	Name and device. Or semy of triskeles, on a chevron sable three four leaved shamrocks slipped Or all within a bordure engrailed gules.
Pegge Leg the Merchant	Name and device. Per pale argent and sable, a human footprint sable and two roundels in pale argent within a bordure vert.
Pietro Sega	Name and device. Azure, a natural leopard dormant argent and in chief a plate and a sun Or.
Rath an Oir, Stronghold of	Branch name and device. Per pale vert and azure, a laurel wreath argent and in base two daffodils slipped in saltire, a chief embattled Or.
Sveinn rauðskegger Einarsson	Device. Azure, a natural salamander statant regardant queue forchy and on a chief Or a chain sable.
	Badge. Azure, a natural salamander statant regardant queue forchy Or.
Tadhg Ó Cuileannáin.	Name.

RETURNED:

Dionello Cristoforo dei Medici

Device. Per bend Or and vert, an elephant argent.

Conflict with Andrew Castlebuilder, Per chevron purpure and Or, overall an elephant (Elephas sp.) trumpeting passant proper, on its back a carpet purpure, fimbriated Or, supporting a tower argent, masoned sable. There is a CD for changing the field but no difference for adding the tower. Towers are commonly found on the back of elephants, and must be blazoned when present. However, such towers are of much less visual weight than the elephant, and are therefore equivalent to maintained charges. The tower in Andrew's arms follows this pattern.

RESULTS OF THE MAY LIONS BLOOD MEETING:
The following people were present at the May Lions Blood meeting or sent commentary: Angharat verch Reynulf, Ciaran Cluana Ferta, Sebastian Sterne, Francesca Dragon's Mist, Eglentyne Æstel, Marya Stepanova Kargashina & Aeon, Meadhbha inghean Bhrain an Muilleóir, Ercc McFitheal, David Electrum, Iago Seagirt, Cecille de Beumund, Tirso el Velloso, Li Ban Northern, Tadgg h-úa Faelan of Clan MacNessa, Meradudd Redewolf, Emma Bealidh, John Kane of Kent, Einarr Leifsson, and Teceangl Lions Blood.

The following names and armory have been sent to Laurel (May LoI) --

Alexander of Maldon		Name and Device, New
Quarterly gules and sable, a Bowen knot crosswise between four lozenges Or.

Andreu Recheles		Device, New
Per fess Or and gules, a winged rat couchant and a wagon wheel counterchanged.

Aquaterra, Barony of – Order of the Starfish		Order Name and Badge, New
Azure, an estoile within a bordure nebuly Or.
Submitted as Order of the Starfish of Aquaterra, they specifically allowed the dropping of the element of Aquaterra if not needed to clear conflict. The An Tir College of Heralds found no conflict problems and therefore dropped that element in kingdom.

Arnóra inn hárfagri

Name, New

Basecg von Basel		Name and Device, New
Purpure, in pale an eagle argent and a crossbow fesswise Or.

Caterina Giulia di Raffaello Strozzi
for Ælfflæd Ælfgaresdohtor

Alternate Name, New

Constancia Tattersall		Device, Change
Argent, goutty, on a chamfron azure a cross patonce argent.
The submitter's name was registered in May 1992. The submitter wishes to release her previous device (also registered May 1992), Gules, a horse rampant Or maintaining between its forelegs a goblet between three lit candles argent.

Corthaid Blodletere		Name and Device, New
Per saltire gules and argent, in pale two crosses couped argent and in fess two towers sable.

Drogo de LeMans		Name and Device, New
Or, a dragon's head couped and on a chief embattled vert a sword reversed proper.

Duncan MacDuff		Name and Device, New
Per pale argent and azure, two lions combatant each maintaining a sword counterchanged and on a point pointed Or a crossbow sable.

Edmund Godric Scrymgeour		Device, Resubmission
Quarterly azure and argent all maily counterchanged.

Ercc Mac Fítheal		Name and Device, New
Sable, a trillium Or within four salmon naiant in annulo argent.

Erik von Winterthur

Name, New

Fionnghuala Friseil
for Elsbet Brunnen

Alternate Name, New

Gabrielle Méricourt		Name and Device, New
Purpure, three fleurs-de-lys and an orle of grape leaves slipped Or.
The plural of fleur-de-lys is fleurs-de-lys.

Geneviève de Bretagne		Name and Device, New
Per fess vert and gules, three leaves and a moon in her compliment argent.
Certain defaults exist for some field divisions regarding the placement of charges. On a per fess, per bend, or per bend sinister field if there are only two types of charge, no matter how many in actual number, each type will default to half of the field. Therefore it is implied in Geneviève's blazon that the leaves will be in the upper half of the field and the moon alone in the lower half.

Griffin the Black		Badge, New
Per bend sinister purpure and vert, a bend sinister between a thistle and an axe inverted bendwise sinister argent.

Guy Beaugrand de Champaigne		Name and Device, New
Or, on a bend between two bunches of grapes vert, three fleurs-de-lys palewise Or.

Hróðgeirr lómbungr

Name, New

Isabel Kylle

Name, New

Isrið inn glaða		Name and Device, New
Ermine, on a bend sinister sable a fox courant contourny bendwise sinister Or.
Submitted as Isrið inn glöða the name was changed at kingdom to match the documentation and to feminize the epithet. A possible conflict was called against Cedric the Bold (1982 via the Middle) - Ermine, a bend sinister gules surmounted by a dove martletted Or. Three CDs exist between these two armories. The first is via X.4.b. for the removal of the overall charge group. The second is via X.4.d. for change of tincture to the primary charge group. The third is via X.4.i. for adding a charge which lies entirely upon another charge. Overall charges are charge groups unto themselves, and are not tertiaries. The definition of an overall charge is one which lies across another charge which lies entirely upon the field, and which touches the field on either side of the charge it surmounts. Even though currently an Or overall charge is illegal on an ermine field, it wasn't always, so nothing can be taken for granted in previously registered armory.

Juliana Celestria		Name and Device, New
Per bend sinister vert and azure, a winged cat sejant regardant wings elevated and addorsed and on a chief argent a vine of three roses proper.

Klaufi Hafsson		Name and Device, New
Erminois, an eagle displayed gules within a bordure rayonny sable.

Larisa Andrivshkina zhena Ivanova doch		Device, Resubmission
Argent, in chief two annulets conjoined in fess, a bordure vert.

Lia Anna Stewart		Device, New
Or, a dragon rampant vert and in chief three fleams gules.

Lovell of Schadwode		Device, New
Or, a winged wolf salient sable within a bordure embattled vert.

Lucia da Firenze		Name and Device, New
Per pale azure and vert, on a pale argent three cog wheels gules.

Lyutsina Manova		Name and Device, New
Argent, a moon in her plenitude and on a chief rayonny azure three lozenges argent.
Blazoned as per fess on the submission form, only the bottom edges of the rayons touched the per fess line. Therefore this was reblazoned as a chief in kingdom.

Pedro of Lincolnshire

Name, New

Petrus Draycote		Name, New
Accidentally listed as being from Ravensweir on the IL, the submitter is actually from Aeriesgard.

R{o,}gnvaldr bassi		Device, Resubmission
Per saltire gules and Or, a fer-a-loup sable.

Styrkárr totiþjalfi		Name and Device, New
Or, a yale rampant guardant vert bezanty.
totiþjalfi means "tit-conqueror", in case anyone was interested. Owing to the extremely graphic nature of many Old Norse names, it would be difficult to consider this offensive to the culture in which it is intended, and Lions Blood hesitates to call offensiveness to modern perceptions in kingdom commentary (too small a data base of respondents).

Tyew the timid

Name, New

Valdís Osborne

Name, New

Valdís Osborne		Badge, New
Azure, a spider inverted between two lace bobbins in chevron inverted argent.

The following have been returned for further work:

Anna the Wet Cat		Name and device, Resubmission
Argent, a housecat sejant guardant sable, a chief azure.
No documentation was provided for the byname and commenters could not find anything that might justify it, therefore the name had to be returned. Although not a fatal problem, the submitter was requested to put some detailing on the cat's face in resubmissions.

Arnóra inn hárfagri		Device, New
Or, a unicornate pegasus passant and a bordure potenty vert.
Unicornate pegasi are not allowed. (Unicorn/Horse Hybrids) "The sparseness of commentary on this issue was somewhat worrisome - I dislike making decisions on limited commentary. However, what commentary there is seemed pretty well in agreement. Thus, we will retain the ban on unicornate horses, unicornate seahorses, and unicornate pegasi. (Winged unicorns are considered allowable, so long as they are drawn as unicorns with wings, not the modern 'winged unicornate horse.')" (CL 1/6/91 p.2). (returning a unicornate seahorse) While we would register a seaunicorn, we do not register unicornate horses of any type. (Osandrea Elspeth Gabrielle de le Bete, 8/98 p. 15)

Erik von Winterthur		Device, New
Per pall inverted Or, sable and purpure, in chief two eagles rising respectant counterchanged.
Conflict with the Barony of Aarnimetsa - Per pale Or and sable two ravens rising respectant wings elevated counterchanged. There is one CD for changes to the field.

Hróðgeirr lómbungr		Device, New
Per pale sable and argent, a ram's skull caboshed counterchanged.
Conflict with Étienne Dupré - July of 1993 (via Atenveldt): Per pale sable and argent, a ram's head erased affronty and a bordure dovetailed counterchanged. There is one CD for the removal of the bordure. Though blazoned as a ram's head, there were no eyes nor other feature which made this is a head instead of a skull. It was reblazoned to reflect this. Note that a head and a skull get no difference.

Isabel Kylle		Device, New
Per pall Or, gules, and sable, a chimera statant gules.
The chief section of the per pall began not at the shield corners, but somewhat below them. Therefore it was not a true per pall, nor was the field division low enough for it to be per chevron inverted and per pale. Therefore, this device had to be returned for redrawing to remove the field ambiguity. Conflict was called versus various dragons, but Lions Blood cannot confirm nor deny that there is or is not difference between a chimera and a dragon. With the different types of bodies, it would seem there could be, but no rulings have been recorded to give a definitive answer.

Owen ap Llewelyn		Name and device, New
Per pale wavy sable and azure, on a chief Or three horses salient sable.
The name is an exact conflict with Owen ap Llywelyn - This alternate name was registered to Ceinwen ferch Rhuel in November of 1999 (via Ansteorra). Always check your names for conflict, too. The device was returned for the lack of a name, but certain problems were mentioned so that the submitter might fix them for future resubmission. The shallow wavy line between the black and the very dark blue was indiscernible from any distance. Although in period armory wavy was the shallowest of complex lines, it still has to be wavy enough to not look flat. Additionally, lacking internal detail, uniformity and having been drawn very small, the horses were difficult to recognize as such on the color emblazon. It was suggested that a more uniform silhouette and internal detailing would help solve this identifiability problem. A possible conflict was called against Richard de Chinon - May of 1995 (via Meridies): Per pale sable and azure, on a chief dovetailed Or, three mullets sable. This is a clear-cut X.1. clear armory. Additionally, it was speculated that this armory did not qualify as simple under X.4.j. It does, there being identical charges in both the primary and tertiary groups. WEB EDITORS NOTE: There has been a revision on the commentary of this entry, and will be corrected in the next IL.

Pedro of Lincolnshire		Device, New
Argent, a chevron vert between two bows and a deer's hoofprint gules.
The chevron was pushed too far to the base by the oversized bows. In period, the lowest of three charges (whether alone on the field or around a fess or chevron) was usually a bit larger than the upper two charges to best fill the space. This was just over the edge of being too far from period style to send on.

Valdis Osborne		Device, New
Azure, two lace bobbins bendwise sinister and on a quarter argent a spider inverted azure.
The charged quarter is a form of display for an armorial augmentation and hence is disallowed (unless actually an augmentation) by RfS XI.4. (Arms of Pretense and Augmentations of Honor): Armory that uses charges in such a way as to appear to be arms of pretense or an unearned augmentation of honor is considered presumptuous. Barring proof that the submitter is entitled to an augmentation, this must be returned.

NEW SUBMISSIONS:

1. Aíbinn ingen Śenáin hui Néill	(Three Mountains)	Name and Device, New
Purpure chausse Or, within a trefoil knot inverted argent a butterfly Or.

The submitter will only accept minor changes to the name. If the name must be changed, she cares more about the language/culture of the name. The submitter desires a female name authentic for 9th to 11th century Ireland, and she will allow the creation of a holding name. Aíbinn is documented using two sources. The Academy of St. Gabriel report 1259 (not created for the submitter) indicates the name is a 10th or 11th century Irish feminine name. A printed copy of the report is included with the name submission form. The submitter also includes a printed copy of the webpage "Feminine Given names found in Ó Corráin and Maguire's 'Irish Names'" found online at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/ocm/OCM-FemGivAlpha.html . This reference indicates that Aíbinn is dated to the year 952 and appears as a header spelling on page 15. ingen Śenáin hui Néill is documented using the Academy of St. Gabriel report 2276 (created for the submitter). The report indicates "The masculine name Senán was used in the early Middle Ages in Clair; it was the name of many early saints and was not uncommon in the 11th century (4,5). As you noted, it lenited after the feminine ingen to Shenáin orŚenáin… You also correctly used the genitive form of your clan name, ui Néill . As you realized, a clan identifier was relatively rare until the 11th century. Such bynames only came into use in the mid- to late-10th century, though similar constructions were used earlier to identify a person's grandfather (6). This particular byname was shared by several unrelated families in early medieval Ireland. The earliest example we've found is in 943 in Ulster." The report ultimately uses the spelling as submitted above. The references cited in this excerpt are (4) Ó Corráin and Maguire's Irish Names, (5) Donnchadh Ó Corráin and Mavis Cournane, Annals of the Four Masters, Vol 2, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G100005B and (6) Royal Irish Academy, Dictionary of the Irish Language: based mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials (Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1983).

2. Brighid of Guernsey	(Dragon's Mist)	Name and Device, New
Azure, five crescents in pale argent between two pallets Or.

The submitter will only accept minor changes to the name. If the name must be changed, she cares more about the sound of the name. The submitter desires a female name, and is interested in the name itself, and is not particular about the time period or culture. She will allow the creation of a holding name. Brighid is cited from Withycombe's The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd edition, sub Bridget, p. 54. The name is listed as the English form of the Old Irish Brigit and later Brigid (in reference to the historical St. Brighid (453-523). of Guernsey is a locative byname. Guernsey is a Channel Island. A hard copy of the history of the island is included with the name submission form, and is found online at http://www.islandlife.org/history_gsy.htm . This reference indicates that the "States of Guernsey" were formed in 1481.

3. Catríona nic Theàrlaigh	(Glymm Mere)	Badge, New
(Fieldless) A bee statant proper.

The submitter's name was registered in April of 1993 (via the West). The bee is mostly black with three yellow stripes and white wings.

4. Davin Steingrimsson	(Madrone)	Name, Appeal to Laurel
The submitter will only accept minor changes to the name. If the name must be changed, the submitter cares more about the sound of the name. The submitter desires a masculine name, but specifies no time period, language, and/or culture for which he wishes the name to be authentic. The submitter's original submission, Davin Steingrimsson, was returned on the January 20002 LoAR because "The submitted name is a combination of an Anglicized Irish given name and an Old Norse byname. Mixing Scots and Old Norse in a name has been ruled unregisterable: "The combination of an Old Norse given name and an Anglicized Scots patronymic had too severe a temporal disparity. We have therefore changed the spelling of the given name to medival Norwegian. (Ulvar MacVanis, LoAR 07/2000) "Anglicized Irish and Scots existed in similar time period. Therefore, since a mix of Scots and Old Norse is not registerable, a mix of Anglicized Irish and Old Norse is not registerable. As the submitter does not allow major changes, we were unable to change the given name to an Old Irish Gaelic form in order to register the name." The text of the appeal reads: "We are appealing this return because Steingrimsson is also a perfectly valid later period Scandinavian name. Lind's Norsk-Islåndska Dopnamn under Stingrímr has various spellings and dates for Steingrimr, including Steingrimir 1427, Steingrimr 1402 and Steingrim 1471. And, in fact, Lind's Norsk-Islåndska Dopnamn Ock Fingerade Namn Från Medeltiden (Supplementband), also under Steingrimr shows an Einar Steingrimsson, dated to 1480. Additionally, Norsk Personnamnleksikon (Norweigen Namebook) by Kristoffer Kruken & Ola Stemshaug says, under Steingrim says (sic) 'Somewhat used in the Middle Ages (in Norway), but was a lot more common in Iceland. They show at least 7 other different names of the form Stein – being used in Norway in the middle ages. "Based on this, the name should be registerable (emphasis author's), since it is no longer temporally incompatible, being a mixture of mid/late period Scandinavian and Anglicised Irish, which are within 200 years of each other." Copies of Lind were emailed to Lions Blood. As the entire document is in Swedish, it is unclear whether the numbers in the entries are dates of the actual use of the name or the date of documents recording historical individuals who had that name. Does anyone in the An Tir CoH read Swedish?

5. Ealasaid of Madrone, for Ealasaid inghen Domhnaill mhic Domhnaill	(Madrone)	Name, Resubmission to Laurel (Change of Holding Name)
The submitter will only accept minor changes to the name. If the name must be changed, she cares more about the meaning of the name. The submitter indicates that she believes the name means "Elizabeth daughter of Donald son of Donald". The submitter's previous name, Ealasiad ihghean uí Domhnaill was returned on the February 2002 LoAR because of conflict with Elzasif O'Donnell (registered March 1986). The only documentation for the name provided is a hard copy of the Academy of St. Gabriel Report 1435. This report indicates that "If a man called Domhnall mac Aonghais had a son Eoghan and a daughter Ealasaid, then they would have been called Eoghan mac Domhnaill and Ealasaid inghean Dhomhnall." No specific documentation is provided for this construction.

6. Elizabeth Fitzwilliam of Carlisle	(Blatha an Oir)	Badge, New
(Fieldless) On a lozenge azure, a hare sejant argent.

The submitter's name was registered in May 2001.

7. Gemma Meen	(Montengarde)	Device, Resubmission to Laurel
Purpure, on a tower argent masoned sable a dog rampant vert.

The submitter's name was registered in January 2002. The submitter's previous device, Purpure, on a tower argent masoned sable a dog rampant sable, was returned by Laurel for conflict at the same time with Aelfric se Droflic (Fieldless) On a tower argent an acorn sable. Gemma's dog was big enough to not count as in base, so no CD could be given for changes to the tertiary charge.

8. Geoffrey Fitz Henrie	(Dragon's Mist)	Name and Device, New
Per chevron throughout sable and gules, a kracken and in chief two broad-arrows inverted argent.

The submitter will only accept minor changes to the name. If the name must be changed, he cares more about the language/culture of the name. The submitter desires a mid 1300's Norman/English masculine name, and he will allow the creation of a holding name. Geoffrey is cited from Withycombe's The Oxford English Dictionary of Christian Names , 3rd Ed. p. 128, sub. Geoffrey. "Geoffrey was common in England from the 12th to 15th C. giving rise to many surnames…" The name is also cited from Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames, Revised Ed., p. 295 sub 'Mallory', with the name Geoffrey Maloret dated to 1086. Fitz Henrie is cited from Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames, Revised Ed., p. 227, sub. 'Henry', with the name John Fitz Henrie dated to 1346.

9. Gregorio Cristovalez de La Vega	(Dragon's Mist)	Name and Device, New
Or, five crosses of Santiago arranged two, one, and two within an orle of ivy gules.

The submitter will only accept minor changes to the name. If the name must be changed, he cares more about the language/culture of the name. The submitter desires a 16th century Spanish masculine name, and he will allow the creation of a holding name. Gregorio is listed as a given name, and it is documented using the article "16th –century Spanish Men's Names" by Elsbeth Anne Roth (Kathy Van Stone) found online at http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~kvs/mnames.html . This reference "is a list of some men's names found in a catalog of passengers from Spain to the Americas from the 16th century." The article indicates the name Gregorio occurs twice. Cristovalez is listed as a patronymic, and it is cited from Diez Melcon and R. P. Gonzalo's Apellidos Castellano-Leoneses Section 130. de La Vega is listed as a locative, and is documented using the Academy of St. Gabriel report #1193 by Arval Benicoeur. This reference indicates the "name de la Vega means 'of the meadow', and was originally used for people who lived in or near a meadow." Included are numerous examples of the name de Vega and de la Vega from 1535-1538 (a total of 16). Construction of the name submitted is similar to two of the names cited in the Academy report: Catalina Gomez de la Vega and Gutierre Laso de la Vega.

10. Hans Dürrmast von der Wanderlust	(Three Mountains)	Badge, New
(Fieldless) A mullet of five greater and five lesser points within and conjoined to an annulet argent.

The submitter's name was registered in October 1987.

11. Jannet Fletcher	(Wealdsmere)	Name and Device, New
Sable, two pallets in pale, a moon in her plentitude and two arrows inverted in saltire argent.

The submitter will accept changes to the name. If the name must be changed, the submitter cares more about the meaning of the name (she believes the name means "arrow maker"). The submitter specifies no time period, language, and/or culture for which she wishes the name to be authentic, and she will allow the creation of a holding name. Jannet is documented using a hard copy of the article "A List of Feminine Personal Names Found in Scottish Records," by Talan Gwynek (Brian M. Scott), found online at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/scottishfem . This article dates the spelling Jannet to 1561 with the entry: "Jannet, 1561 (MacCorkill, 476)." Fletcher is cited from Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames, p. 171, with the name Robert le Fletcher dated to 1203.

12. Nadezhda Toranova	(Seagirt)	Badge, New
(Fieldless) A feather per pale Or and sable.

The submitter's name was registered in March of 2001 (via An Tir).

13. Nels Ulfger i Jaren	(Blatha An Oir)	Badge, New
(Fieldless) On a lozenge vert, a wolf rampant to sinister argent.

The submitter's name was registered in September of 1991 (via Atenveldt).

14. Wenyeva atte grene	(Madrone)	Name and Device, New
Per chevron argent and vert, two maple trees coupled and a beacon enflamed counterchanged.

The submitter will accept changes to the name. If the name must be changed, the submitter cares more about the sound of the name (she "want(s) the name to start with 'Wen' sound", same as the first syllable of her mundane name). The submitter wants a name authentic for 13th century England, but she specifies no gender for the name (the "don't care" box isn't even checked). She will allow the creation of a holding name. Wenyeva is documented using the article "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames" by Talan Gwynek (Brian M. Scott), found online at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney . The article has the header spelling Wenyeva, but no date is given for this spelling. Four other spellings are included along with their dates: Wengeua, 1205; Wengewe, 1275; Wyneue, 1327; Wynyeue, 1327. grene is cited from Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames, 1997 ed., p. 204. with the name Attegrene dated to 1206. The construction above with the atte separated from the grene is documented using the examples ate Grenehelle (1317) under the heading Greenhill, p. 204, atte Greenstrete (1327) under the heading Greenstreet, p. 205, and atte Brouk (1296), under the heading Brook, p. 67 (it should be noted that the heading Brook also includes Attebroke dated to 1262).

15. William Fletcher	(Wealdsmere)	Name and Device, New
Argent, in pale a sun in his splendor gules and two arrows inverted in saltire sable fletched between two pallets vert.

The submitter will accept changes to the name. If the name must be changed, he cares more about the meaning of the name (the submitter indicates the name means "arrow maker"). The submitter desires a masculine name, but specifies no time period, language, and/or culture for which he wishes the name to be authentic. He will allow the creation of a holding name. William is cited from Withycombe's The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, p. 293. The reference indicates "William was introduced to England by the Normans in the 11th Century." Fletcher is cited from Reaney and Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames, p. 171, with the name Robert le Fletcher dated to 1203.

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Lord Aedan Mac Suibne

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