Completed & mechanically signed Sept. 16, 2006.

Warmest greetings unto the Artemisian College of Heralds & all others who receive this message from Yin Mei Li, acting Golden Pillar Herald.

This letter solicits comments on the third of three groups of submissions that Yin received, & did not decide to return, by September 10, 2006. Any comments, assistance, & questions you share are truly needed and greatly appreciated. PLEASE, Yin needs the help. All of the items need to be conflict checked. Most of the name documentation summaries should be edited, and some names require additional support. Additional, specific questions for reviewers are indicated in red font.

Unfortunately, Yin ran out of time. This is the third, but not last, letter involving submissions from a backlog Yin inherited. Hopefully, the next Letter for Comment (LfC), will include all those that have not yet been reviewed.

COMMENT DUE DATE

Please send comments to Yin so that they arrive no later than October 15th, using e-mail to the artheralds list if you subscribe, e-mail directly to Yin (second preference), or snail-mail to Yin (always acceptable).

yinmeili@ida.net
-or-
Valerie L. Putman
435 Evans
Idaho Falls, ID 83402-5023

OFFICE OPEN FOR BID

Yin is acting Golden Pillar Herald for a short while to help out during Artemisia's search for a new submissions herald. If you are interested in the position, do not hesitate to ask Yin or any of her predecessors about the assignment. In addition, former submissions heralds Yin (1999-2004) and/or Baroness Shauna (1997?-1999) are willing to help the new Golden Pillar learn the office's tasks. However, do not think you have to do everything alone, or in exactly the same way as previous Golden Pillar Heralds. A kingdom submissions herald may use any legitimate means of accomplishing the necessary tasks.

Interested? PLEASE send modern and SCA resumes, proof of membership and a cover letter detailing your plans for the office and why you are suited to serve in the office. Send these items to Their Majesties, Their Royal Highnesses (when we have them), the Kingdom Seneschal, Golden Wing Herald and Yin. There might also be a need to send these items to Laurel Queen of Arms, but Malkin Golden Wing will let you know if that is the case. Most of the addresses are listed on the Kingdom Regnum at http://www.artemisia.sca.org/regnum.htm . Yin's address is listed above.

MID-SEPTEMBER 2006 REVIEW ITEMS

1. Aaron de Paladin, device resubmission

   

   Gules a chevron per pale Or and sable between a lions mask and two swords Or.

   Aaron submitted his device Gules a chevron per pale Or and sable between a lions mask and a sword and arrow Or at the Uprising Consultation Table. This first design has three types of charges in the secondary charge group, which is contrary to RfS VII.1.a:

   Armory must use a limited number of tinctures and types of charges.
   
   As the number of tinctures involved in a device increases, the number of types of charge should decrease. As the number of types increases, the number of tinctures should decrease. In no case should the number of different tinctures or types of charges be so great as to eliminate the visual impact of any single design element. As a rule of thumb, the total of the number of tinctures plus the number of types of charges in a design should not exceed eight. As another guideline, three or more types of charges should not be used in the same group.["Rules for Submissions of the College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc," March 28, 2004, c.f. VII.1.a, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/rfs.html.]

   After waiting a while for a redraw, Yin officially returned the original design. This resubmission resolves the earlier problem because it has only two types of charges (lions mask & sword) in the secondary charge group.



2. Alessandra Gianetta da Siena, new device

   Azure, on a pile argent in pale three cinquefoils azure.

   Alessandra's name is resubmitted on the Artemisian Letter of Intent dated Aug. 22, 2006. She will accept a holding name, if necessary to register this device assuming the time disparity between these two submissions does not prevent such an assignment.

3. Elyas Tigar, new name & device

   Elyas wants a masculine name. He will accept any changes. If his name must be changed, he cares most about its sound. Elyas will accept a holding name.

   Elyas – spelling variant of a masculine name that was popular in the Middle Ages. Based on Hebrew masculine name Elijah, it was recorded with this spelling in England in 1303. [E{lizabeth} G{idley} Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1977, c.f. Elijah.] It was also recorded in England with this spelling in 1194, 1212, 1255, & 1294 [P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, c.f. Whitworth, Ellis, Iremonger, Webb, Iremonger] Yin concludes that the spelling variant persisted because she found a listing for a will of Elyas Garland of Sevenoaks, Kent that was dated, filed, or probated on June 30, 1625 ["The National Archives, Records of the UK government from Domesday to the Present," under Home > Search the archives > DocumentsOnline, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/, accessed Sept. 15, 2006, found by searching for a will with the name Elyas].

   Tigar - modern form of English surname that developed from OF tigier, OG thiodger, "people-spear." Recorded in England in a Latinized form, Tigerus 1086 & in an English form Tygre 1319. [Reaney & Wilson, c.f. Tigar] The animal name was spelled tigar in a 1586 document [Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarenden Press, 1996 reprint, c.f. tiger] It seems reasonable that, in the late 16th century, the sound-alike surname could also be spelled Tigar.

   The name's submitted spelling seems reasonable for the late 16th C, with just 39 years between spellings for the two words.

   

   Per chevron inverted gules and sable, a winged sword and three decrescents argent .

   Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?



4. Ivegard Sask, new device

   Per pale azure and vert, a horse salient between three mullets of four points argent.

   Laurel registered Ivegard Sask in Dec. 2004 via the Middle.

5. Jadwiga Zawadzka, new device

   

   Per pale embattled argent and gules, a bull rampant and in pale two spurs counterchanged.

   In the SCA, the default orientation for a spur is "palewise, rowel to chief" ["Glossary of Terms As Used By The College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.," 2003, c.f. Default Postures, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/coagloss.html.]

   Laurel registered Jadwiga Zawadzka in Oct. 2005 via the West.

   Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

6. Jadwiga Zawadzka, new badge

   

   (Fieldless) A bull rampant maintaining a spur argent.

   In the SCA, the default orientation for a spur is "palewise, rowel to chief" ["Glossary of Terms As Used By The College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.," 2003, c.f. Default Postures, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/coagloss.html.]

   Laurel registered Jadwiga Zawadzka in Oct. 2005 via the West

   Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

7. Kentigern Cameron the Owle, new name & device

   Kentigern did not mark any of the preference/request boxes. That means he will accept any changes. And that he will accept a holding name.

   Kentigern – Anglicized version of masculine Gaelic name Ceanntighern & Welsh Cyndeyrn. Popular in 16th & 17th C Scotland where it was recorded with this spelling in 1523, 1534, 1537, and 1557. [George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland, New York: New York Public Library, 1996 reprint, c.f. Kentigern.]

   Cameron - Scottish surname that developed from a locative byname in the Lowlands and from a clan name based on a Gaelic descriptor, cam-shròn meaning "wry" or "hook-nose." Recorded by a Scot or Englishman as Camron in 1628, the clan name is not the clan's hereditary surname. The Lowland name was recorded as Cameron in 1434, 1454, 1455, 1470, & 1532. The Lowland surname was also recorded as Camron in 1474. [ibid, c.f. Cameron.] Although the Highland clan name/surname is more applicable for this submission, Lowland surname spellings help support the submitted spelling. Further, a Scots or English clerk might record a Highlander's clan name for a surname rather than the Highlander's patronymic byname, even though a period Scottish-Gaelic person would not have used his clan name in his recorded name [Sharon L. Krossa, "SCA Conflict Clearing for Highland Names," 2006, http://www.medievalscotland.org/names/sca/conflicthighland.shtml, c.f. But where's the Clan Name?].

   the Owle – a descriptive byname based a primary charge on the device submitted with this name. In another sense, the byname construction might be considered as having the same basis as the byname that developed into English surname Owles. The English surname was recorded as Owle in 1524 [P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, c.f. Owles].

   None of the Irish-Gaelic descriptive bynames/nicknames listed at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/DescriptiveBynames/ are anything like "owl" and none would be placed after a Scottish clan name by a person speaking Scottish-Gaelic [Krossa]. However, the submitted name is Anglicized, presumably by a Scots or English clerk. If two Scottish-Gaelic men of the same name were to be identified in a single document, it seems possible that such a clerk would use an emblem that one of the men used to distinguish between them. The byname therefore seems defensible.

   Per chevron inverted gules and sable, a winged sword and three decrescents argent .

8. Luveday de Salford, new name & device

   Luveday wants a feminine name. If it must be changed, she cares most about its 13th C English language/culture. Luveday will accept a holding name.

   Luveday – recorded with this spelling in 1205, this English name was given to children of either gender born on a Medieval day appointed for a meeting of enemies, litigants, etc. with a view to settling disputes. The modern form, which survived in Cornwall, is considered feminine. [E{lizabeth} G{idley} Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1977, c.f. Loveday.]

   de Salford - locative byname recorded with this spelling in 1326 & 1351-2 in England. Also recorded as de Saleford in 1215-16. [P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, c.f. Salford]. Several English places are recorded with the modern spelling, Salford, c. 1086 [A. D. Mills, Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998, c.f. Salford, Salford Priors].

   

   Per chevron inverted Or and azure, a tree vert and three gouttes argent.

   Regarding the device: In the middle ages, gouttes were typically drawn with a wavy tail. However, Yin concludes from the following precedent that tear-dropped shape gouttes appeared at least a few times in period:

   While there are some period exemplars of gouttes shaped like a modern tear drop, the majority of period evidence shows them to look much more like a thin drop with a wavy tail. Those gouttes are not voidable or eligible for X.4.a.ii. Therefore, effective the January 1997 Laurel meeting... gouttes will not be considered voidable charges, nor will they be eligible for X.4.a.ii. [Aug. 1996 LoAR, c.f. Acceptances-Caid-Marie Elaine de Womwell, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1996/08/lar.html.]

   Gouttes argent are, alternatively, blazoned as gouttes d'eau. However, Yin has heard that such a phrase is post-period. Further, Luveday probably prefers to use gouttes argent for more consistency with her badge's blazon (see next item).

   Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

9. Luveday de Salford, new badge

   

   (Fieldless) A goute per pale argent and azure.

   The name Luveday de Salford is submitted as summarized in the immediately previous item.

   Regarding the device: In the middle ages, gouttes were typically drawn with a wavy tail. However, Yin concludes from the following precedent that tear-dropped shape gouttes appeared at least a few times in period:

   While there are some period exemplars of gouttes shaped like a modern tear drop, the majority of period evidence shows them to look much more like a thin drop with a wavy tail. Those gouttes are not voidable or eligible for X.4.a.ii. Therefore, effective the January 1997 Laurel meeting... gouttes will not be considered voidable charges, nor will they be eligible for X.4.a.ii. [Aug. 1996 LoAR, c.f. Acceptances-Caid-Marie Elaine de Womwell, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1996/08/lar.html.]

   Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

10. Marius Tibērius Montānus, new name & device

    Does somebody have documented examples of these name elements in use in the 4th C or later, in Rome, Britian, or elsewhere? Yin asks because she would feel more certain about this name's acceptability if later use were documented. That is, of course, assuming Yin's information about post-Roman-Republic name-element order is accepted (included below after information about individual elements) or assuming Marius does not decide to rearrange the order when Yin emails him about it.

    Note for new heralds: If your font or coding does not include certain characters, please use Da'ud notation (see http://www.scadian.net/heraldry/daud.html). For example, the name above would appear as Marius Tib{e-}rius Mont{a-}nus in Da'ud notation. BTW, the use of macrons in the submitted name is consistent with the documentation cited on the submission form (the first cited reference below). However, it also appears that, in this case, the macrons are not truly necessary.

    Marius wants a masculine name and will not accept major changes. If it must be changed, he cares most about its Roman language/culture. Marius will accept a holding name.

    Marius – name of a celebrated Roman who was elected Consul of the Roman Republic seven times before he died in 86 BCE [F. A. Wright, Lemprière's Classical Dictionary of Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors Writ Large, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 355-357, c.f. Marius]. Born in 157 BCE and also known as Gaius Marius or G. Marius, this man was an uncle of Gaius Julius Ceaser.

    Marius is also a nomen used between 107 and 82 BCE according to Livy's The Early History of Rome [(aka Meradudd Cethin), "Names and Naming Practices of Regal and Republican Rome," 2005, c.f. nomen, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/roman/index.html].

    Background: Livy is Titus Livius, a Roman historian who lived 59 BCE - 17 AD ["LoveToKnow Free Online Encyclopedia " based on the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., 1911, c.f. Livy, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Livy, accessed Sept. 15, 2006.]

    However, the nomen Marius was used longer (216 BCE to 268 AD, at least). In addition to Gauis Marius, Who was who in Roman times lists ["Who was who in Roman Times: [list of persons by] Roman Functions," 2006, http://www.romansonline.com/Funct_r.asp, accessed Sept. 15, 2006]:

    • military men Celsus Marius 69 AD, Marius Alfius 215 BCE, Marius Ostorius 50 AD, Marius Perperna Vento 72 BC, & Marius Statilius 216 BCE
    • authors Claudius Marius Victor & Marius Victorinus (no years)
    • emperors Sextus Marius 25 AD & Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Marius Augustus 268 AD
    • governor of the Alps Maritime Marius Maturus 69 AD
    • grammarians Marius Servius Honoratus & Terentianus Maurus (no year)
    • historians Marius Maximus 217 AD & Marius of Avenches (no year)
    • juridicial expert Maurius Sabinus (no year)
    • philosopher Gaius Marius Victorinus (no year)
    • politicians Gaius Marius Pudens Cornelianus 224 AD, Marius Blosius 216 BCE, & Marius Nepos 17 AD
    • praetor Marius Gratidian 86 BCE

    Tibērius - the name of a famous Roman emperor born in 42 BCE who was stepson and successor of Augustus. Several other noble Romans also bore the name. [Wright, c.f. Tiberius.] Tiberius is a prænomen that would have been used throughout most of the Roman Republic period [Meradudd, c.f. prænomen]. "Who was who in Roman times" lists the following, between 470 BCE and 167 AD, at least:

    • censors Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus 215 BCE & Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus 177 BCE
    • consuls Tiberius Aemilius Mamercus 470 BCE, Tiberius Catius Aconius Silius Italicus 66 AD, Tiberius Claudius Nero 202 BCE, Tiberius Minucius Augurinus 305 BCE, Tiberius Sempronius Longus 194 BCE, & Tiberius Sempronius Longus 218 BCE
    • fathers Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera of Sidon (no year) & Tiberius Sempronius Longus 209 BCE
    • Governor of Judea Tiberius Julius Alexander 46 AD
    • grammarian Tiberius Claudius Donatus (no year)
    • juridicial expert Tiberius Coruncanius 280 BCE
    • king/tyrant/Pharao/chief Tiberius Silvius (no year)
    • praetor Tiberius Claudius Asellus 206 BCE
    • priest/pontif Tiberius Sempronius Longus 209 BCE
    • proconsul Tiberius Plautius Sivanus Aelianus 45 AD
    • procurators/prefects/satraps/governors/proconsuls Tiberius Claudius Nero 42 AD & Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus 167 AD
    • emperor Tiberius 14 AD (lived 42 BCE - 37 AD) or Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus (aka Tiberius Claudius Nero, Biberius, Caesar, Callippides, César, Cesare, Tibère, Tiberio, Tiberius, Tiberius Caesar, Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Tiberius Claudius Nero & Tiberius Nero)
    • servant Tiberius Claudius (no year)
    • son Tiberius Gemellus (no year)

    Montānus - the name of a poet who wrote in hexameter and elegiac verse, of an orator under Vespasian, of a favourite of Messalina, and of a senator whom Domitian consulted about the boiling of a turbot [Wright, c.f. Montanus]. Montanus is a cognomen recorded for somebody in 454 BCE [Meradudd, c.f. cognomen] "Who was who in Roman times" lists military man Alpinius Montanus 69 AD, & theologician Montanus 156 AD, & politicians Curtius Montanus 79 AD, Julius Montanus 56 AD, & Traulus Montanus 48 AD.

    Yin has two major concerns with this name as submitted:

    1. Is it too early to be period? Each of these name elements were in use well after the establishment of imperial Rome c.31 BCE [Wikipedia contributors, "Roman Empire," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roman_Empire&oldid=75992727, accessed Sept. 16, 2006.] Yin ran out of time trying to find out if these name elements survived into the 3rd or 4th C. Most, if not all, of imperial Rome is pre-medieval, but Yin did not find, in a quick search of precedents, a Laurel ruling that would specifically prohibit registration of a name from late imperial Rome. The closest Yin found was:

       Some questions were raised about the suitability of registering this name, since it is a proto-Irish name. However, this name is contemporaneous with Romano-British names which we register. Furthermore, proto-Irish bears the same relationship to medieval Irish as late Latin does to the Romance languages. Both are only one step removed from their medieval counterparts, as opposed to, Pharaonic Egyptian, which we do not register. (Esugenas maqqas Moridaci avvi Cremutanni, 1/98 p. 2) ["Precedents of the S.C.A. College of Arms, The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida", 2002, c.f. Name Rulings - Domain of the Society, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/precedents/jaeprec.html.]

    2. Is the name-element order acceptable for imperial Rome? Tibērius, which seems to be documentable only as a prænomen, appears as the second element. This order (nomen - prænomen - cognomen) is not consistent with the tria nomina system of the Roman Republic nobilitiy (prænomen - nomen - cognomen). This order also is not consistent with imperial Roman names that consisted of a nomen followed by one or more congnomi. [Academy of St. Gabriel report 2206, Jan. 26, 2001, http://www.s-gabriel.org/2206, accessed Sept. 15, 2006.] However, a confusion of names and name orders grew with time, and was very evident in imperial Rome. "By another change, a word might go out of use as a praenōmen and appear as a nōmen: Cicero’s enemy Lūcius Sergius Catilōna [d.62 BCE] had for his nōmen gentīle Sergius, which had once been a praenōmen." [Harold Whetstone Johnston, The Private Life of the Romans, revised by Mary Johnston, Scott, Foresman and Company 1903; 1932, c.f. Chapter 2 §56, http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston_2.html, accessed Sept. 15, 2006; "Catiline," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catiline&oldid=75876798 accessed Sept. 16, 2006.] Since each of these name elements were in use a considerable time after the establishment of imperial Rome (31 BCE), the submitted name might be acceptable as an imperial Roman name strongly influenced by this name confusion.
    

    Per bend sinister argent and gules, a compass star counterchanged.

    Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

11. Orianna de Poitou, new name & device

    Orianna wants a feminine name and will not accept major changes. If her name must be changed, she cares most about its spelling and about its French/English language/culture. Within these strictures, Orianna wants her name changed to be authentic for the 14th C.

    Orianna - proposed spelling variant of feminine English name Oriana recorded for an Englishwoman who was excommunicated in 1602 [E{lizabeth} G{idley} Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1977, c.f. Oriana]. In support of the double "n," please consider the names Anabel 1204 &Annabel 1260, Annes 1176 & Anice 1275 & Anneys 1296, Anot 1275 & Annot 1327 [P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, c.f. Annable, Annas, Annatt]. Does anybody have 13th-15th C examples of the interchangability of "n" & "nn"?

    de Poitou - locative byname meaning "from the French region/county of Poitou." The best examples Yin found for this byname use standardized spellings, probably because they quote modern translations of 12th C documents [Charles Cawley, "[Medieval Lands,] Aquitaine Dukes," 2006, http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/AQUITAINE.htm, c.f. Chapter 6, accessed Sept 15, 2006]. However, that does not necessarily mean the standardized spelling is not period. Does anybody have examples of period spellings, preferably 13th-15th C, for Poitou?

    m (935) ADELA [Gerloc] de Normandie, daughter of ROBERT I [Rollo] Comte [de Normandie] & his [second] wife Popa [de Bayeux] (-after 969). Guillaume de Jumièges names "Guillaume et…Gerloc" as children of Rollo & Poppa, in a later passage recording her marriage to "Guillaume comte de Poitou"[204]. ...
    
    AGNES de Poitou ([1048]-after 13 Jun 1089). She is named as daughter of "Guillaume de Poitou" in a charter of Pignerol 26 Oct 1078[298]. Out of the three possible "Guillaume de Poitou" to whom this could refer, Guillaume VII [V] is the most likely possibility. ...
    
    Orderic Vitalis recounts that "Hildegarde Ctss de Poitou" complained to the synod of Reims, held in Oct 1119 by Pope Calixtus II, that her husband had abandoned her for "Malberge wife of the vicomte de Châtellerault"[343]. ...
    
    [204] WJ II.12, p. 47, and III.3, p. 65. ...
    
    [298] Carutti, Domenico Regesta comitum Sabaudiae marchionum in Italia ab ultima stirpis origine ad an. MDCCLIII, Biblioteca Storica Italiana t. V (Torino, 1889), p. 70. ...
    
    [343] Orderic Vitalis, Vol. VI, Book XII, p. 259.

    Of which references 204 and 343 respectively are more fully cited as [Charles Cawley, "Medieval Lands Bibliography," 2006, http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/Bibliog.htm, c.f. France - primary sources - chronicles; and http://www.amazon.com/],

    [WJ II & III =] Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni 2 vols, Elizabeth M. C. van Houts (ed. and trans.), Oxford: Oxford Medieval Texts; Oxford University Press, 1992-95.
    
    Orderic Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis 6 vols, Marjorie Chibnall (ed. and trans.), Oxford: Oxford Medieval Texts; Oxford University Press, 1969-80.

    According to amazon.com and wikipedia.org, these authors lived in the 12th C: William of Jumièges (c.1100), Orderic Vitalis (1075-c.1142) & Robert of Torigni (d.1186).

    Yin notes that the submission form references, but does not attach, Academy of St. Gabriel report 2986 (http://www.s-gabriel.org/2986). Yin used the report as a starting point, but needed a somewhat different strategy because Orianna did not use any of the report's recommendations & because spelling is so important to Orianna. However, the College of Arms might find it significant that the Academy did "not found any example of <de Poitou>; all our examples are of the ethnic style byname." Based on the examples they found, they recommended Orianna "use <la Poitevine> or <la Poitevyne>, instead of <de Poitou>."

    Purpure, a guill argent and in fess four fluers-de-lys above a base indented Or.

    Laurel and Wreath Sovereigns of Arms has avoided using nomenclature such as above, below, atop, etc. when practical in recent years. However, Yin was not able to identify a more appropriate blazon to describe the position of the fleurs-de-lys. There is just enough space between the base and the fleurs-de-lys that the fleurs cannot be blazoned as issuing from the base.

12. Rochelle de la Mer, new name & device

    Rochelle wants a feminine name. She will not accept any changes, but Rochelle will accept a holding name.

    Rochelle – legal given name as shown on an Idaho identification card attached to form. Issued by the State of Idaho, this card is used in lieu of a driver's license for identification purposes only.

    de la Mer - to quote the private email message Ursula Georges prepared and sent on July 7, 2006, for the Academy of St. Gabriel:

    You asked about two fourteenth-century feminine names: … We found the French byname in early fifteenth-century Paris; it's probably fine for your time period as well. [1]

    [1] Friedemann, Sara L. (aka Aryanhwy merch Catmael), "French Names from Paris, 1421, 1423 & 1438" (WWW: privately published, 2002-2003). http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423.html

    Yin confirmed that the cited article shows de la Mer is a byname/surname recorded in Paris at least once in 1438.
    

    Sable, on a fess wavy azure fimbriated a mermaid in her vanity argent.

    Yin has some proportion concerns with the device:

    1. Is this fess so thick that it should be returned? It's height is ~41% of the sheild height compared to the ~33% described in at least one source: Parker states, "It should occupy, according to heraldic rule, one third of the height of the escutcheon, but this proportion is almost always considerably diminished in practice." [James Parker, "A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry," 1894, coded by Saitou 2000, last modified by Jim Trigg 2004, http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/index.htm, c.f. fesse, accessed Sept. 10, 2006]
    
    
    
    2. Is the fimbriation so thin that it should be returned? Fimbriation is variously described as "narrow edging," "outlining," & a "narrow band" around a [simple] charge or ordinary [ibid, c.f. fimbriated; "Glossary of Terms As Used By The College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.," 2003, c.f. Fimbriation, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/coagloss.html; Stephen Friar, A Dictionary of Heraldry, New York: Harmony Books, 1987, c.f. fimbriated] So far, Yin has found LoARs in which Laurel has instructed a person to draw fimbriation thicker, but has not found a Laurel return based on overly thin fimbriation. [For example: June 2001 LoAR, c.f. Accpetances-Drachenwald-Elias mac Griogair, http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2001/06/01-06lar.html]


13. Seth Comyn, new device

    Sable, a wolf rampant contourny between three crescents argent.

    Laurel registered the name Seth Comyn in Dec. 2000 via Artemisia.

14. Signý Gyðadóttir, new name

    Signý wants a feminine name. She will not accept major changes. However, if her name must be changed, Signý cares most about its language/culture (presumably Norse).

    Signý - feminine ON given name. "The first element Sig- comes from OW.Norse sigr (Genitive: sigrs), which is derived from Germanic *seziz, *sezuz, "victory, conquest". … The second element -ný is from the OW.Norse adjective nýr "new". … Occurs in Old Danish as Sighni, in Old Swedish as Sighne and in OW.Norse as Signý. Found in the runic nominative form sikni. Cleasby-Vigfusson states that this name found in Landnámabók comes from the name of the goddess Sigyn, the wife of Loki. A short form for women's names in Sig- is Sigga." [Christie L. Ward (aka Gunnvôr silfrahárr & The Viking Answer Lady), "The Viking Answer Lady: Old Norse Names: Old Norse Women's Names," 2006, c.f. Sigbjörg, Ásný, Signý, http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ONWomensNames.shtml, accessed Sept. 16, 2006.] This feminine name is also listed in Gier Bassi without the element information [G. Fleck (aka Geir Bassi Haraldsson), "The Old Norse Name," in Studia Marklandica (series), Yggsalr Press: Olney, Maryland, 1977, p. 14].

    Gyðadóttir - patronymic meaning "daughter of Gyði" based on the normalized OW.Norse form of a masculine name from a 10th C trade treaty [Ward, "The Viking Answer Lady: Old Norse Names: Names of Scandinavians in the Byzantine Varangian Guard and in Russia ," 2006, c.f. Norse Names from Treaties between Byzantium and the Rus - 911 Treaty, http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/VarangianNames.shtml, accessed Sept. 16, 2006]. In accordance with instructions, the genitive form is made by changing final "i" to an "a" and the patronymic is made by adding dóttir [Ward, "The Viking Answer Lady: Old Norse Names," 2006, c.f. Surnames: Patronymics and Matronymics, http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ONNames.shtml, accessed Sept. 16, 2006]. These same directions are also listed in Geir Bassi [Fleck, pp. 17-18].

15. Sofi the Crabby, new name & device

    Sofi wants a feminine name and will accept any changes. If her name must be changed, she cares most about its sound. Sofi will accept a holding name. [Apparently spelling is also of some importance to Sofi. Yin was informed that Sofi saw, and did not choose, other spellings for her given name.]

    Note to reviewers: Yin was not able to find the webpage indicated by the information on the submission form for Sofi with this spelling. She therefore sought information that would support the submitted spellingof the given name combined with an English byname. Unfortunately, Yin did not find, in the time available, an attested use of any variant of Sophia in England during period.

    Sofi - link from SCA site, Swedish [female] name

    (same spelling in Spanish)

    Sophia = originally [female] Greek given name.

    the Crabby - cross-grained, ill-tempered person

    English surname Crabbe dated to 1188 (p. 114, Reaney & Wilson, 3rd ed, s.n. Crabb)

    (will accept English spelling if "the Crabby" isn't a period epithet)

    Sofi – a variant of the feminine, originally Greek name, Sophia meaning "wise." The name appears with several variants in period in areas influenced by the Byzantine Empire:

    It was recorded as Soffya, Sófi, Sofia, Sofÿa, Sofya, Sophi, & Sophia in Hungary in the 14th-15th C [Brian R. Speer (aka Walraven van Nijmegen), "Hungarian Feminine Names," 1998, 2002 c.f The Name Data, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/magfem2.html]. Given these variants, the submitted spelling seems plausible for late period Hungary in the 14th-15th C.

    In France, the name was recorded as Sofia, Sophi, Sofe, & Sophie. Additionally, there are three saints of this name, one of whom is known as St. Sophie, the mother of Faith, Hope, and Charity. If Yin reads the entry correctly, these names were recorded in the 11th C. [Marie-Thérèse Morlet, Les noms de personne sur le territoire de l'ancienne Gaule du VI^e & XII^e siècle, Vol.2, Les noms Latins ou transmis par Latin, Paris: Editions du centre national de la recherche scientifique, 1971, p. 107a, c.f. Sophia]. Given these variants, the submitted spelling seems plausible for 11th C France.

    Background: This saint and her three daughters are Romans who were martyred for their Christian faith during the reign of Hadrian. As indicated by 7th C documents among others, their tomb & the church erected above it became a destination for pilgrims. [JNO. F.X. MURPHY, "Sts Faith, Hope, Charity," The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V, K. Knight, 2003, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05766a.htm, accessed Sept. 17, 2006.]

    In Sweden, the name was recorded as Sophia one to four times ca. 1300 and as Soffi in 1413 [Christer Romson (aka Lindorm Eriksson), "Swedish Feminine Names from ca. 1300," http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/swedish1300female.htm; Sara L. Friedemann Uckelmann (aka Aryanhwy merch Catmael), "Swedish Feminine Given Names from SMP," 2001-2003, 2005, c.f. 1400-1449 - Soffi, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/smp/, accessed Sept. 13, 2006]. Does anybody know enough about Swedish to know if changing "ff" to "f" is a reasonable spelling variant? If it is reasonable, do you have examples to support the change?

    the Crabby - constructed byname, using the Lingua Anglica Allowance, based on and consistent with Hungarian bynames that describe character traits such as wisdom, honesty, stubborness, and indifference:

    While most Hungarian bynames belong to one of the previous three classes [patronymics, locatives, & occupationals], there are many other kinds of byname. Most of these describe the physical or personality traits of an individual, such as hair, weight, height, age, intelligence, bravery, etc.
    
    Examples: Feher (white-haired); Fodor (curly-haired); Hasas (pot-bellied); Melles (big-chested); Eltes (elderly); Eszes (wise, clever); Jo (good, honest); Fejes (stubborn); Hideg (cold, indifferent); Vak (blind) [Brian R. Speer (aka Walraven van Nijmegen), "Hungarian Names 101," 1998, 2002, c.f. Constructing a Hungarian Name - Other kinds of Bynames, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/magyarnames1012.html.]

    Yin believes that, even as Sofi recognized, the Lingua Anglica byname should be Crab or the Crab rather than the Crabby. The surname/byname Crabbe was recorded in England in 1188, 1217, c. 1420, 1580, if Yin reads the entry correctly. The name is based on OE crabba 'crab' either for one who walked like a crab or, as in German and East Frisian, for a cross-grained, fractious person; or based on ME crabbe 'wild apple' of persons 'crabbed, cross-grained, ill-tempered.' [P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, c.f. Crabb]

    Yin believes the name, with little change, is registerable as one of the following:

    • Hungarian under the Lingua Anglica Allowance without a weirdness [Feb. 2002 LoAR cf. Returns-An Tir-Æfric the Lost, http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2002/02/02-02lar.html; Nov. 2001 LoAR, c.f. Acceptances-Ansteorra-Corwin of Saxony,http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2001/11/01-11lar.html]. If the allowance is not applied, the name is not registerable as a Hungarian-English combination [March 2004 LoAR, c.f. Acceptances-Middle-Sabin Lorent Axstell of Mordaf, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2004/03/04-03lar.html].
    
    
    
    • a French-English combination without a weirdness [Dec. 2003 LoAR, c.f. Acceptances-Middle-Engelbert the Pious, http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2003/12/03-12lar.html]
    
    
    
    • a Swedish-English combination with one weirdness for the language combination [July 2002 LoAR, c.f. Acceptances-Atlantia-Brita Hughes, http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2002/07/02-07lar.html].

    [Background for new heralds:]

    The cover letter that accompanied the January 1993 LoAR included a clarification of the Lingua Anglica allowance, including:

    Less codified, but of long practice, has been the translation of epithets into our lingua franca. Again, this follows a common historian's usage: Harald I of Norway, for instance, is far better known as Harald Fairhair than by the untranslated Harald Haarfagr. Eric the Red, Philip the Good, Charles the Fat, all are translations of the period names, not the period names themselves. SCA names are permitted a similar translation: a simple epithet, documented as a period form, may be translated into English. (We prefer to register the untranslated form, but I concede that such rigor doesn't always serve our clients' best interests.) [Jan. 1993 LoAR, c.f. Cover Letter , http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/1993/01/cvr.html]

    [Oct. 2001 LoAR, cf. Returns-Ansteorra-Mihrimah the Traveler, http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2001/10/01-10lar.html]

    

    Per bend sinister azure and argent fretty azure, a daisy argent.

    Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

16. Toirdhealbhach Bodhar, new name & device

    Toirdhealbhach will not accept any changes, but he will accept a holding name.

    To quote the private email message Aryanwhy prepared and sent on Aug. 16, 2006, for the Academy of St. Gabriel:

    This is a fine name; Toirdhealbhach can be dated to 1305, and the nickname Bodhar 'the deaf' to 1349, 1354, and 1359, making both elements a good choice for the 14th century. [1]

    [1] "Index of Names in Irish Annals" http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/AnnalsIndex/

    

    Gules, on a fess sable fimbriated a sun eclipsed argent.

    Yin has several concerns with the device:

    1. Is this fess so thick that it should be returned? It's height is ~41% of the sheild height compared to the ~33% described in at least one source: Parker states, "It should occupy, according to heraldic rule, one third of the height of the escutcheon, but this proportion is almost always considerably diminished in practice." [James Parker, "A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry," 1894, coded by Saitou 2000, last modified by Jim Trigg 2004, http://www.heraldsnet.org/saitou/parker/index.htm, c.f. fesse, accessed Sept. 10, 2006]
    
    
    
    2. Is the fimbriation so thin that it should be returned? Fimbriation is variously described as "narrow edging," "outlining," & a "narrow band" around a [simple] charge or ordinary [ibid, c.f. fimbriated; "Glossary of Terms As Used By The College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.," 2003, c.f. Fimbriation, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/coagloss.html; Stephen Friar, A Dictionary of Heraldry, New York: Harmony Books, 1987, c.f. fimbriated] So far, Yin has found LoARs in which Laurel has instructed a person to draw fimbriation thicker, but has not found a Laurel return based on overly thin fimbriation. [For example: June 2001 LoAR, c.f. Accpetances-Drachenwald-Elias mac Griogair, http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2001/06/01-06lar.html]
    
    
    
    3. Is eclipsed acceptable in the blazon? This eclipsed sun cannot be blazoned as voided because parts of its rays would also have to be black, the color of the fess. A sun cannot be voided because of RfS VIII.3, which ends with:

       Voiding and fimbriation may only be used with simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design ["Rules for Submissions of the College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc," March 28, 2004, c.f. VIII.3, http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/rfs.html].

       Alternatively, the sun could also be blazoned a sun argent charged with a roundel sable or a sun argent charged with a pellet. However, if such a blazon change is necessary, then this design has a roundel on a sun on a fess on the field. This violates RfS VIII.1.c.ii:

       Layer Limit - Designs may not be excessively layered.
       
       All charges should be placed either directly on the field or entirely on other charges that lie on the field [ibid, c.f. VIII.1.c.ii].

    

17. Uilliam MacAindriú, new badge

    (Fieldless) An urchin couchant contourny sable.

    Laurel registered the name Uilliam MacAindriú in Sept. 2000 via Artemisia.

    Is this urchin sufficiently identifiable? Yin recognizes it, probably because of the spines. However, this is what any urchin looks like to Yin if the creature is drawn with its usual short legs. Yin only sees a difference between vertical and horizontal unless the legs are drawn much longer than usual.

    Unfortunately, the submission papers do not include a line drawing, which might delay sending this armory for interkingdom review. (Line drawings are often preferred for that application because the paper copy is often printed with a black-&-white printer.) Will one of you reviewers please volunteer to produce the line drawing if Yin sends you a full-size image of the colored emblazon?

ALL DONE

Thank you in advance for your kind attention & careful consideration.

Completed & mechanically signed September 16, 2006.

Yin Mei Li Chu Fu, acting Golden Pillar Herald yinmeili@ida.net