January 15, 2000

Greetings unto Lady Clarissa Wykeham, Dragon; Lord Alan Fairfax, Rouge Scarpe; and the commenting members of the Midrealm College of Heralds; from Lord Paul Wickenden of Thanet, Escutcheon.

Here are the December 1999 submissions for your consideration and commenting. All commentary should be sent to Rouge Scarpe Herald, Alan Fairfax, early enough to arrive by March 1, 2000, with copies to Dragon and myself. Unless otherwise stated, all name submissions will accept minor and major changes to grammar and/or spelling.

1) Cainnear inghean Ui Chatharnaig. New Name and Device. Per chevron argent and sable, two hazel springs sable and a snowy owl guardant proper.

These items were pended on the 11/99 ILoI for lack of acceptable payment.

The client says that she is "aiming to style myself as grandaughter [sic] to Tadge (Sionnach) O'Catharnaigh of County Meath [d. 1084]." She cites the following sources but does not indicate what information she received from them: Gregan, Dictionary of Irish Names (176 & 177); Elliott, "Choosing An Irish Name" (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/ names/irishnam.html); MacLysaght (171); Woulfe (330 & 455); Ó Corráin & Maguire (no page numbers provided). No copies were provided. The client cares most about meaning and having an 11th century Irish name. She would like the name to be authentic for that time and place.

2) Dananir bint Zang al Tabib. New Name and Device. Argent, a panther's head cabossed sable, on a chief dancetty vert, a crescent argent.

These items were pended on the 11/99 ILoI for lack of acceptable payment.

A rather large quantity of documentation is enclosed, but it is not identified to indicate what is being used to identify which elements. As such, it is difficult to use. I therefore apologize in advance if I misunderstand the client's intent. For sending this to Laurel, Da'ud's article will probably be sufficient.

A Dinar is an Arabic monetary unit. Its feminine form is Dananir, according to a correspondance with Khaldoon Sulaiman. Ibid stated that Zang "did not compute in Arabic" and that Talib [note different spelling] would mean "student." The grammar of the construction is documented through "Arabic Naming Practices and Period Names List by Da'ud ibn Auda" (http://www.his.com/ ~jdalexa/v_d/names.html). Ibid has Zang, al-Tabib, and Dananir. An article entitled, "Arabic Names" (http://www.fairacre.demon.co.uk/ Middle-East/Arab.htm) is also included but it does not appear to document any of the elements of this name. The client cares most about language and would like an authentic Arabic name.

In my opinion, the panther's head is a bit difficult to identify.

3) Elsa von Heilbronn. Device Resubmission. Argent, on a pale wavy azure between two roses proper a cross bottony argent within a bordure azure.

{Name reg'd 9/99 [the db incorrectly says 8/99]}

The client's identical previous submission was returned by Laurel on 9/99 for redrawing (the bordure needed to be fed). This has now been done.

4) Guglielmo Buonmare. New Name.

Guglielmo is documented from "Italian Names from Florance, 1427" (http://www.srv.net/~thor/toddf/names.htm). A copy of Scott, "15th Century Italian Men's Names" is included as well, but does not appear to document either element of this name unless the client is trying to create a double name of some sort (which Scott discusses). If that is the client's intention, the second element is still not properly documented and needs help (in particular, we need documentation of both of the elements). The client cares most about sound ("I want to sound Italian and of someone who works near the sea") and would like to have an authentic Italian name. He will NOT permit MAJOR changes.

5) István Valkai. Device Resubmission. Gules, three chevronels enhanced and a basset hound Or.

{Name reg'd 7/98}

The client's identical previous submission was returned by Laurel on 9/99 for the following reason: "This is returned because it violates the reconstructability requirement. It is unclear which is the primary charge and which the secondary charge. Additionally, the dog should be redrawn to more resemble a basset hound." The client has reduced the size of the hound in an attempt to better differentiate which is the primary charge and used a different outline of the hound. In addition, he says that he does not need the charge to be a basset hound and would be happy to have it blazoned as a plain "hound" if that would help it pass.

6) James Cunningham. New Device. Vert scaly argent, a shakefork Or between three mullets of eight argent.

{Name reg'd 1/99}

This item was pended on the 11/99 ILoI for being submitted on the old forms. New forms have now been provided.

The "mullets" do not look terribly like mullets to me and tend to blend into the field.

7) Liam O'Shea. New Name and Device. Sable, a fish hook inverted Or.

The documentation is less than adequate. I quote in full: "Liam -- listed number of times in the Armorial. O'Shea also listed numerous times. O'Shea was a clan in Ireland so it should pass." The client cares most about meaning ("Liam = protector") and would like to have an authentic 14-16 century Irish name. He will NOT permit MAJOR changes.

In sharp contrast to the client's lack of interest in providing documentation for the name, he is very concerned about the registerability of a fish hook and enclosed a number of emails from SCAHRLDS about the issue. He notes that he drew the shape from a drawing found in Juliana Berner's 1456 Treatise of fishing with an angle [sic] but would not copy the picture because of "possible copyright infringement" [legal note: for the purposes of documentation/education, a single copy of the artwork would be considered "fair use" within the United States] so we are stuck with taking the client's word on this. There was some additional concern about whether the hook would resemble the letter J too much and thus run afoul of our prohibition against monograms.

Ó Corráin & Maguire (175) (under "Uilliam") note that Liam is the modern form. O Shea is found in MacLysaght (269) but is not the period form. If the client wants a period name, Uilliam Ó Séaghdha looks much better but this would be a pretty major change and will probably require the client's approval.

8) Liam O'Shea. New Badge. Sable, a fish hook inverted Or.

{Name submitted above}

This is identical to the device submitted above.

9) Mary Ann Elizabeth Wollenschläger. New Name.

Mary is in Withycombe (211), Ann is in ibid (25), and Elizabeth is in ibid (99). Wollenschläger is constructed using Bahlow (English Tr). Woll(en)schläger itself is found on (621) and undated but the client notes that the elements are found in period names (Wolenber ["woolly bear"] is dated to 1350 [621] and Slegher ["striker"] is dated to 1378 [492, under "Schläger"]). The client cares most about sound and meaning ("must be person who works with wool/ Germanic"). The client would like an authentic German name.

10) Middle Marches, Barony of for Baron's Challenge, The Award of the. New Order Name.

{Name reg'd 1/73}

This item was pended on the 10/99 ILoI for lack of payment. Payment has now been provided.

No documentation for the name is included.

11) Middle Marches, Barony of for Hope of the Marche, The Order of the. New Order Name.

{Name reg'd 1/73}

This item was pended on the 10/99 ILoI for lack of payment. Payment has now been provided.

No documentation for the name is included.

12) Middle Marches, Barony of for Shepherd of the Marche, The Order of the. New Order Name.

{Name reg'd 1/73}

This item was pended on the 10/99 ILoI for lack of payment. Payment has now been provided.

No documentation for the name is included.

13) Middle Marches, Barony of for Warden of the Marche, The Award of the. New Order Name.

{Name reg'd 1/73}

This item was pended on the 10/99 ILoI for lack of payment. Payment has now been provided.

No documentation for the name is included.

14) Northshield, Principality of for Hearthstead, Award of the. Order Badge Resubmission. Sable, a flame proper issuant from a tripod, a bordure Or masoned sable.

{Name reg'd 10/94}

The blazon is mine and not terribly good. The Order's name was reg'd 5/98. The clients' previous submission (Per fess embattled sable and argent masoned sable, in chief a candle argent enflamed proper in a candlestick Or) was returned by Laurel for conflict with Lorelei of Lockehaven (Per pale azure and Or, a candle argent, sconced sable, enflamed proper, fimbriated counterchanged). This is a complete redesign.

15) Northshield, Principality of for Crwth, The Order of the. Order Badge Resubmission. (Fieldless) A crwth argent.

{Name reg'd 10/94}

A crwth was a Welsh musical instrument that dates back to at least the Carolingian period, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 1961 ed (Vol ??: 760). The Order's name was reg'd 5/98. The clients' previous submission ([Fieldless] A lyre argent) was returned by Rouge Scarpe for an unknown conflict.

16) Selene de Lorraine. New Name and Device. Per bend sinister gules and Or, a descrescent Or and a bird volant purpure.

These items were pended on the 11/99 ILoI for lack of acceptable payment.

Selene is documented as the name of a Greek goddess, according to the "Greek Mythology Link" (http://www.maicar.com/Selene.html). Lorraine is documented as a surname in Knecht, The Rise and Fall of Renaissance France (43) but no copies are included of this second source. No dates are provided and no proof is offered that the given name was used by mortals in period. The client cares strongly about meaning (i.e., having a Greek moon goddess whose name day is January 19 and sharing a family surname with her ancestors) but she would like to have an authentic French name.

The device, as she explains, is specifically intended to invoke the moon goddess as well as her modern surname (Martin). As such, it may be considered presumptuous in the same way that a person named Rhiannon having a horse device sometimes is.

Dauzat (397) mentions Lorrain+. Withycombe (265, under "Selina") mentions a French name Céline from a 5th century saint but the derivation is a bit obscure. BTW, Hanks and Hodges, First Names (297) were the only ones I could find who even mentioned Seln and they note it as a modern name.

17) Ysolt Pais de cuer. New Name and Device. Quarterly gules and Or, four suns counterchanged, a bordure vert.

These items were pended on the 11/99 ILoI for lack of acceptable payment.

Documentation for the name comes from an unnumbered Gabriel letter dated October 19, 1998. Ysolt is dated to 1201 and 1204 in Scott, "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames" (http://www.panix.com/ ~mittle/names/talan/reaney).

The second element is much more weakly documented. Pais de cuer [as I understand the documentation] is a hypothesized 12th or 13th century spelling of the 16th century Norman name, Paixdecoeur, which is found in Cateline, "Sixteenth Century Norman Names" (http://www.panix.com/ ~mittle/names/cateline/norman16.html). The suggested spelling used here is "based on related names" found in Reaney but as neither the "related names" nor the page numbers on which they appear were provided, it is impossible to ascertain how the supposition was made or verify its accuracy (a minimum expectation of any research document). I realize that my cynical treatment of Gabriel letters has grown legedary, but this letter is missing key information. If it is not provided, the name is not registerable. At the least, we need to know which names provide the pattern for the spelling of this submission. Page numbers, of course, would also be useful and appropriate here.

The charges are not really suns, but really mullets of eight points with roundels on them.

The following submissions have been PENDED and the clients notified:

P1) Arianwen Blaidd. New Name and Device. Argent, a bendlet gules between three ivy leaves vert and a wolf's head sable.

These items were submitted on the old forms with insufficient funds. The client has been supplied with the new forms and will hopefully provide replacements shortly with sufficient funds. She has also been told to shoot her pursuivant.

P2) Taran An Draigh. New Name and Device. Per bend argent and gules, between a bend sable, a dragon displayed gules and a castle argent.

These items were submitted on the old forms with insufficient funds and insufficient copies. The client has been supplied with the new forms and will hopefully provide replacements shortly with sufficient funds. He has also been told to shoot his pursuivant (same as the one above).

Yours In Service,

Paul Wickenden of Thanet

c/o SCA -- MK College of Heralds
P.O. Box 44623
Madison WI 53744-4623
submissions@midrealm.org

Dragon:

Rouge Scarpe: