The Heralds' Page Newsletter of the College of Heralds of An Tir   Volume 1, Number 8 ~ January 24, 2003

• Black Stag
• Vox Leonis
  
• Clearing Conflict: Part II
• Indoor Pastimes for Bored Heralds  
• A Heraldic Crossword
  
• The An Tir Internal Letter of Intent
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  Clearing Conflict: Part II

by Maister Iago ab Adam, Pursuivant at Large

See introduction and disclaimers in November's Heralds' Page
(Web ed.: Reproduced below for the reader's benefit)

When someone settles on a device that truly appeals to them, it is always a disappointment to find that it has conflicts.  Most heralds have their own personal favorite ways of changing a device to get the required difference.  This article will look at some of these methods of getting an extra CD and the pros and cons of such changes.  Different methods work best depending on which parts of the device are the most important to the client.

For each method I have included an example showing the type of change being considered- these are not real examples, I have not checked to see if they actually have conflicts or not.

Certain statements below, especially regarding overuse and underuse of various motifs in Society heraldry, though based on observation of much period and Society heraldry, are strictly my opinions and may not necessarily be shared by all.

Additional disclaimer: For more complete information as to what changes constitute a CD, see the Rules for Submission and the Precedents.

Changing the Number of Charges
e.g. "Gules, a fleur-de-lys argent" becomes "Gules, six fleurs-de-lys argent."
PRO:

• As long as you stick to period arrangement and number combinations (like six charges arranged 3, 2, and 1) there is no impact on period style.
• 3 or especially 6 identical charges are very period arrangements which are underused in Society heraldry.
• There is no increase in the complexity count.
• While there can be an increase in difficulty drawing, painting, sewing, etc, you only need to make one type of stencil or pattern.

CON:

• Unusual arrangements can have a negative impact on the period style of the design.
• Increase in visual complexity.
• Can make it harder to draw, paint, sew, etc. (but see the corresponding PRO above).
• Can make the more complex charges difficult to see from a distance by reducing their relative size.

Adding a Charge/Charge Group or Changing Part of a Charge Group
e.g. "Or, a lion rampant sable" becomes "Or, on a lion rampant sable a mullet Or" or "Or crucilly, a lion rampant sable"; or "Gules, three mullets argent" becomes "Gules, two mullets and a martlet argent."
PRO:

• Adding a charge (usually a common, simple one) was often used for cadencing in period.
• Keeps all elements and tinctures of the original design.

CON:

• Some additions can negatively impact period style.
• Increases the visual complexity, and the complexity count by at least one (more if new tinctures are introduced)
• Can make it harder to draw, paint, sew, etc.

Removing a Charge/Charge Group or Making All Charges in a Group Similar
e.g. "Argent, three dragons segreant sable and in chief a sword fesswise gules" becomes "Argent, three dragons segreant sable"; or "Per chevron gules and argent, two wolves rampant and a decrescent counterchanged" becomes "Per chevron gules and argent, three wolves counterchanged."
PRO:

• Often increases the period style of the device.
• Decreases the visual complexity, and the complexity count by at least one.
• Makes the device easier to draw, sew, paint, etc.

CON:

• Sometimes increases chances of running into a new conflict.
• All of the charges could have importance to client (this can sometimes be remedied by suggesting using the removed charge as a badge).

Changing the Orientation of Charges
e.g. "Vert, a lion rampant ermine" becomes "Vert, a lion rampant to sinister ermine."
PRO:

• No increase in complexity.
• Retains all elements of the original device.
• Charges in period heraldry usually only had one or two commonly found orientations.  Changing the charge to face one of these directions improves the period style.

CON:

• Charges in period heraldry usually only had one or two commonly found orientations.  Changing to any other orientation is not the best period style.

Changing the Posture of Animate Charges
e.g. "Sable, three wolves rampant Or" becomes "Sable, three wolves passant Or."
PRO:

• No increase in complexity.
• Retains all elements of the original device.
• Animate charges in period heraldry usually had only a few common postures. Changing to one of these postures improves the period style.

CON:

• Animate charges in period heraldry usually had only a few common postures.  Changing to any other posture is not the best period style.
• Not all posture changes grant a CD.

Changing the Arrangement of Charges
e.g. "Gules, three crescents argent" becomes "Gules, three crescents in bend argent."
PRO:

• Retains all elements of the original device.
• No increase in complexity.
• Only some arrangements are commonly found in period. Changing to one of these arrangements improves the period style.

CON:

• Only some arrangements are commonly found in period. Changing to any other arrangement is not the best period style.

Switch Roles of Charges
e.g. "Azure, on a fess between three martlets argent three cinquefoils gules" becomes "Azure, on a fess between three cinquefoils argent three martlets gules"; or "Ermine, a bear passant between three crescents azure" becomes "Ermine, a crescent between three bears passant azure."
PRO:

• Depending on the role of the specific charges can get anything from 2 CDs to X.2 difference (either way completely clearing the initial conflict).
• No increase in visual complexity or complexity count.
• Keeps all elements of the original device.

CON:

• Some changes can cause changes in tincture of the charges which the client may not want.
• Certain charges work better in one role than another, making such a change awkward.

I'm sure there are other methods of gaining a CD, but the above represent the ones I have seen used, or have used myself, on a regular basis.  When using these always remember to keep the goal of the client, whether it be "I want heraldry authentic for Northern France in the year 1450" or "all these elements have deep personal significance and *must* be included", at the forefront of your mind.

Indoor Pastimes for Bored Heralds

Herald Sez
Herald as caller, everyone needs to listen and respond. Example: "Herald Sez, Rampant!" (everyone pretends to be rampant lions). "Herald Sez, Dormant!" (etc...) Most ordinaries are possible as well, a local can do a saltire, pall, pale and cross quite nicely. Note from Nigel the Byzantine: "There's nothing funnier than a bunch of adults in Court garb attempting to pose themselves in Rampant, Passant, Couchant, etc!! :) Just try to get them to do Coward!"  I've also dropped good players out of the game by calling a posture without prefacing it with "Herald Sez". Works rather well.

Heraldic Charades
This one is chaotic, and requires space to make plenty of noise. Players are divided into teams if you have more than about ten people. Otherwise, don't bother with scoring and go for the free-for-all, if you dare. One person is handed a card with a blazon on it. (I pre-screen these so as to not make the game impossible, and often sort them so easy ones come first and more difficult ones come up as the game progresses.) Now, without using words, the card-holder must mime the blazon so that the other players get it. Close counts, as judged by the referee.
Usually, we either have teams who rotate the poor sot with the card and scoring is done either as a point for each successful blazon or a time limit is set and the winning teams have the least amount of time in properly saying the blazon. In free-for-all if scoring is used it's by time and the winner is the person who got the other players to call out the blazon in the least amount of time.

---

A Heraldic Crossword
by HL Emma Randall

Across		Down
3	Something's flighty about this field	1	Speaking in English, the first word in last names
9	Let it wave in the breeze	2	Ah so!  It's a device
10	Where the laurel wreath goes	4	A heater-shape
12	Black	5	A roaring good charge
14	You can wave them or you can bear them	6	You won't find this monster at your favorite university
15	What makes your back go out, or a field division	7	Not your mother's name
17	It's not just for smaller heads	8	Feathery fur
18	Toss it over your shoulder	9	You'll find this in some bars
20	Look Dad, I didn't have to get my own device	11	Heraldic lightweight, just an ounce
23	Where the fighters play, or the basic drawing board for heralds	13	The mon march through this gate
24	Neither an egg part or a Groucho Marx saying, this keeps your beasts together	16	Any of the seven standard hues
25	I hate that nickname	18	Foundation
27	Watch out for those hooves	19	A third on the side
29	It rests at the top	21	Not just another guy name, this means right
30	What matadors try to avoid, or a peripheral related to a gusset	22	A division of eight
31	A medieval symbol for modesty and chastity	26	In French, it's called un gyron gironnant
33	No skirmishes here	28	Not unlike the clear sky
34	The words make the picture	32	Crown of a fool, protector of a monk
38	Hark, when she sings	33	Stinking or not, we all need one
41	No, you can't pretend to be King Henry the VIII	35	1/10th of the field, it goes round and round
42	Rustre's cousin	36	However you spell it, it still means many things
46	It's not easy being green	37	1 foot, 2 foot, 3 foot, 4; turn about and hit the floor
48	Right down the middle	39	Jingle of a Knight
49	William the Orange confused the English with this "not a chess rook."	40	Originally, this was the rowel of 39 down
50	No, it doesn't have an E	43	One, two, three (or once a king)
55	Four legs go on three, with a rack	44	Miss Manners' coloration
57	First name in English	45	Kept a Greek god's head warm
59	Classy design	47	Iago's favorite fields
60	Fullers' plant	48	If you spill grape juice on your cotehardie, you'll wear this
61	Just at the edge	51	Nomadic persona's home
62	Bends sinister that travel in teams	52	At night, a delight; in the morn, take warn
63	It can be precious but can only be overlaid with color	53	A man's home (dream on)
		54	Along with Butch, helps make a great emblazon
		56	A heap, or a triangle shape issuant from chief
		58	Click those fingers!  Dance!

The February Lions Blood Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 9th, 1pm, at the home of Beatrice Domenici della Campana, 13595 SW Electric, Beaverton, OR.  (503) 520-1860.
Directions from I-5 southbound: Take I-405 toward Beaverton and exit at highway 26 Beaverton/Ocean Beaches.  Follow 26 to highway 217 (southbound is your only choice - it's the right one).  From 217 take the Canyon Rd. exit and turn right.  Follow Canyon to SW Hocken, which is the second right after the light at Cedar Hills Blvd.  Turn right onto Hocken then left onto Electric.
Directions from I-5 northbound:  Take the highway 217 and head toward Beaverton.  From 217 take the Canyon Rd. exit and turn left.  Follow Canyon to SW Hocken, which is the second right after the light at Cedar Hills Blvd.  Turn right onto Hocken then left onto Electric
Tri-Met public transit: The MAX Blue Line stops at Millikan around 12:47pm on Sundays.  Head south to Electric then turn left.  It's about 3 blocks.

The March Lions Blood meeting will be held on Sunday, March 23rd, 1pm, at the home of Gwenlian Catharne: 505 Division St. NW #57, Olympia, WA.
Directions from I-5: take Exit 104 (Hwy 101).  Take the second exit (Black Lake Blvd)and turn right.  Stay on Black Lake Blvd over the hill, past the mall, around the corner, and past the Grocery Outlet store until you see Evergreen Villages Apartments on the left.  Turn into the apartments, then turn right immediately and go over three speedbumps, park anywhere you can (including alongside the road) and look for signs...I am in "Juniper Court" #57, in case my neighbors take down the signs.  Phone is (360) 570-8033 just in case.

 

Greetings from Teceangl Lions Blood!

I seem to have managed to produce an IL without screwing anything up.  Wow...

There's a new online mailing list for An Tir IL commenters (not restricted to denizens of An Tir, but all subscribers must be interested in commentary on the IL; need not be commenters however).  Email antir-commenters-request@castle.org with the subject line "subscribe" and no message body.  Within a day or so I'll review your request and subscribe you.

13. Violante de Myranda	Seagirt	Name and Device, New
	Per pale argent and purpure three crescents counterchanged The submitter accepts minor changes, cares most about the sound, and desires a 16th century Portuguese female name. Violante is cited from Juliana de Luna, "Portuguese Names from the 16th Century", http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/portugal16/ where in the list of women's names can be found "1524 Violamte de Xamora (Violante)." Myranda is cited from the same website where under the list of men's names is "1531 Antonio de Mirãda (Amtonyo, Miranda, Myranda)" and "1533 Bastiam de Myrãda (Myranda)".  The article explains that, "Alternate spellings of names are listed in parentheses after the name."  Photocopies are included.

The following people were present at the December Lions Blood meeting or sent commentary: Meadhbha inghean Bhriain Mhuilleóir, Earc Mountain Edge, Ciaran Goutte de Sang, Marya Stepanova Kargashina, Thomas Sinclair, Teceangl Lions Blood, Giuliana Benevoli, Francesca Dragon's Mist, David Electrum, Gwenlian Catharne, Natasha Vox Leonis, Eglentyne Æstel, Fionnghuala Friseil, Ærne Clover, Rogez du Pont, Knute, Li Ban Northern, and Tadgg h-úa Faelan of Clan MacNessa, and Moreach nicmhaolain

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

NEW SUBMISSIONS:  

1. Ærne Clover	Aquaterra	Badge, New
	(Fieldless) A four-leaved clover saltirewise slipped vert. The submitter's name was registered in September of 2001. Her device, Or, a four-leaved clover saltirewise slipped vert, was registered in August of 2002.

6. Gregorio Cristovalez de la Vega	Dragon's Mist	Device, Resubmission to Kingdom
	Or, three crosses of Santiago within an orle of ivy gules. The submitter's previous submission of the same blazon was returned from kingdom in August 2002 because the ivy suffered identifiability problems due to too many and too small leaves.  This redraw addresses that problem.

8. Marya Stepanova Kargashina	Dragon's Mist	Name and Device, New
	Argent goutty purpure a raven's head erased sable The submitter accepts minor changes, cares most about sound, and desires a female name. Marya is cited from Paul Wickenden of Thanet, Period Russian Names, 3rd ed.,pg 204 "Marya, dim Mari'ia".  Mari'ia is found under Mariia, which gives this information on the variant: " Mar'ia (Mar'ia Fedorova, daughter of Prince Konstiantin Suzdal'skii). 1355." Stepanova is also cited from Wickenden, sub Stepan, dated "Before 1478." Kargasha is also cited from Wickenden, pg 132, as a masculine given name dated 1500, 1498. The patronymics are formed following the guidelines for feminine patronymics as found on pgs xxiii-xxv.

10. Rowan Keele	Corvaria	Name and Device, Resubmission to Kingdom
	Chequey sable and or, a fox sejant gules, within a border gules. The submitter accepts minor changes, cares most about time period and language/culture, and desires a 13th century, English/Saxon, masculine name.  The submitter's previously submitted name, Chase Keele, was returned from Kingdom in October 2002 for lack of documentation of Chase as a period personal name.  His device, identical to this submission, was returned at the same time for lack of a name under which to send it to Laurel. Rowan is cited from Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, The Facts on File of First Names, pg 244.  "Rowan (m) Irish Ruadhan, diminutive of Ruadh 'red'."  Rowan is also cited from the January 2002 LoAR as an Anglicised form of the Irish masculine given name Ruadhan. At that time it was ruled an SCA-compatible feminine given name. Keel, Keele, Kell  are header spellings in Reaney & Wilson.  "Richard Kele, 1246", "John de Keel, 1332", "Robert Keell, 1481" all meaning "From Keele." The submitter's previously submitted device, identical to this one, was returned from kingdom in October 2002 for lack of a name with which to send it to Laurel.  No problems were found with the device at that time.

11. Tacye Maple	Aquaterra	Device, Resubmission to Kingdom
	Purpure, a catamount sejant guardant erminois and on a chief engrailed Or three maple leaves gules. The submitter's name was registered in August of 2002.  Her previous device, Per pale vert and argent, a maple leaf counterchanged, was returned from kingdom in April of 2002 for conflict with Canada: (Tinctureless) A maple leaf.  This is a complete redesign.

Written by: Marya Stepanova Kargashina

HTML by: Anthony, Lord Hawke c/o Michael Dowd