1: Akida Saitou - New Name returned & New Badge therefore also returned

(Fieldless) A triskelion arrondi within and conjoined to an annulet sable.

Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Sound (Sai) most important. Akida - Name Construction in Medieval Japan p. 315 "Akita." Unvoiced to voiced consonant via p. 11. Saitou - Name Construction in Medieval Japan p. 229 "Saitou." The name worksheet says he wanted a name rhyming with "Tai", and Saitou is as close as the consulting herald could find.

The available evidence shows that this name consists of two family names (surnames), with no given name. Both Akita and Saitô are listed in the table of "Some surnames of families active prior to 1600" in Edward of Effingham's "Japanese Names" (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/names.html), and Academy of St. Gabriel report 3020 (http://www.s-gabriel.org/3020) cites this same article (along with Solveig's Name Construction in Medieval Japan, p. 325) in identifying Saito as a "fine family name" for the 15th-16th centuries. Saitou, Saitô, and Saito are all variant transcriptions of the same name. I am not aware of any evidence for Japanese names using only surnames, and the Rules for Submissions require personal names to contain a given name and at least one byname (RfS III.2.a.). Without evidence that this name meets this requirement, it must be returned.

Unfortunately, without a valid name to attach it to, the badge must be returned as well. Note that the word "arrondi" has been added to the blazon: "triskelion" by itself normally means legs, according to the PicDic. This badge is clear of Ellisif Þunnkárr (Dec. 2003 West): Argent, a triskelion of spirals within and conjoined to an annulet sable and on a chief purpure three ermine spots argent, and of Fu Ching Lan (Apr. 2002 Caid): Argent, a triskelion arrondi within and conjoined to an annulet sable between three butterflies purpure, with clear differences for fieldlessness and for removing the secondary charge(s).

2: Alexander Makcristyne - New Device Change forwarded

Vert, a crampon within a bordure argent.

Old Item: Azure, a fess checky Or and gules between three axes Or, to be released. His name, current device, and badge were registered in March 2005, via the East.

This device is clear of Lothar Hügelman (July 2004 Æthelmearc): (Fieldless) A crampon argent, with one CD for the field, and another for the bordure.

3: Aline Kinneir - Resub Device forwarded

Sable, on a saltire bretessed between four mullets of four points elongated to base argent, a thistle between four beech leaves palewise proper.

Her name was registered in May 2007, via the East. Her original device submission, Sable, on a saltire between four mullets of four points elongated to base argent, a thistle proper, was returned on the Oct. 2006 LoD for conflict with Pavel Feodorovich Strelkov (May 1994 Middle): Sable, on a saltire between four mullets argent four arrows, points to center sable, with just one CD for the changes to the tertiary charges. This submission changes the type of saltire from plain to bretessed to clear this conflict.

The name has been corrected: it was registered as Aline Kinneir, but was misspelled Kinnear on the submission form.

The tincture of the saltire and mullets has been added to the blazon, and the arrangement of the tertiary charges has been more clearly specified by putting the thistle first and adding the word 'between'.

4: Alissenda la Gailharde - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Argent fretty sable, on a chief azure three crosses bottony argent.

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Language (Southern French (Occitan)) most important. Culture (Southern French (Occitan)) most important. Alissenda is based on Academy of S. Gabriel report 2970 (http://www.s-gabriel.org/2970), which lists the 13th-14th century spellings Allisen, Alissent, and Alixen in Occitan, citing Anne Brenon, Le petit livre aventureux des prénoms occitans au temps du Catharisme, Cateline de la Mor, "Names from Fourteenth Century Foix", and Enric Bagué, Noms Personals de l'Edat Mitjana; and Ellesenda in a Latin document from 974, citing Ramon Ordeig i Mata, Catalunya Carolingia: Volum IV: Els Comtats d'Osona i Manresa. la Gailharde: Aryanhwy merch Catmael's "French Names from Chastenay, 1448-1457" (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/chastenay.html) lists a Guillemette la Gaillarde dated to 1454 in the list of women's full names. Morlet's Dictionnaire etymologique de noms de famille p. 438 s.n. Gaillard gives Gailhard as a Southern French variant of this name; the submitted form is the feminine version of this.

This device is clear of the Barony of Altavia's badge (Feb. 2003 Caid): Argent fretty sable, a chief vert, with one CD for the tincture of the chief, and one for adding the crosses.

5: Andreiko Eferiev - New Name forwarded & New Device returned

Gules, in annulo three gouttes de poix in annulo and at fess point a triangle ployé inverted sable.

Submitter desires a male name. Language most important. Culture (Slavic: late period Cossack or Russian; fond of Eferi(ev)) most important. Andreiko: Wickenden 3rd ed. p. 7 s.n. Andrei (dims.) lists Andreiko Morozov c. 1495. Eferiev: ibid p. 79 s.n. Eferii dates the header to the 13th-14th century as a masculine name meaning 'etherial'. The discussion of patronymics on p. xxii says that names ending in -ii generally drop both vowels and add a soft sign before the -ev patronymic ending, but preserving the first 'i' is possible as a variant spelling. The example used is Vasilii: Vasil'ev or Vasiliev. The consulting herald says there was supposed to be documentation included for the low contrast design, but it must've been on the back of a page and didn't get photocopied.

This device is returned for violating RfS VIII.2.b.i., which says "The field must have good contrast with every charge placed directly on it." Gules and sable are both colors, and therefore do not have good contrast. While it is true that period heraldry in (for example) Germany used black charges on red fields, such designs are only accepted in the SCA on a case-by-case basis, and only when accompanied by documentation supporting the design, using RfS VIII.6.: Documented Exceptions. The rule says, in part: "Such design elements will be accepted ... only in armory comparable in style and complexity to the documented period examples." Commenters were unable to provide such documentation, so this must be returned.

6: Andrew Askebrenner - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Gules, a fly between two flaunches Or.

Submitter desires a male name. No changes. Andrew is a header in Withycombe, p. 23; dated spellings include Andreu 1273. Andrew also happens to be the submitter's mundane given name, shown on his driver's license witnessed by Istvan. Askebrenner: R&W p. 15 s.n. Ashburner dates Robert, William le Askebrenner 1278. It's also found with the same date in Middle English Surnames of Occupation 1100-1350 [which is presumably Fransson, Gustav, (Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, 1935)], p. 174. The worksheet says the submitter wants a surname that deals with fire.

7: Artemisia Bocca - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Or, a heart gules pierced by an arrow inverted bendwise sinister, shaft Or fletched vert and head gules, surrounded by three fleurs-de-lys vert.

Submitter desires a female name. Meaning (seductive or flirty mouth) most important. Artemisia is listed in "Feminine Given Names from the Italian Renaissance" by Anebairn MacPharlane of Arrochar (Caidan Heraldic Symposium, AS XXIV), citing the Encyclopedia Britannica's entry on the Early Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Bocca 'mouth' is a header in de Felice's Cognomi. It's found twice in the "Online Tratte of Officeholders" (http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/tratte/doc/name1.html) as a given name, and as Bocci is found among the family names in both the Tratte and the Online Catasto of 1427 (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto/family_names.html). PLEASE CHANGE the surname to mean "seductive / flirty mouth"; near as we can tell, it should be of the form Bocca___, based on Boccadifuoco, Boccadoro, Boccafoglia etc. (de Felice s.n. Bocca).

Commenters expressed some doubt about the plausibility of a byname with the desired meaning, and were unable to suggest anything. This is therefore being forwarded with an appeal for help from the greater expertise of the College of Arms.

8: Briana Campbell - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Or, a thistle slipped and leaved proper, in canton a dragonfly azure bendwise.

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Sound (Briana -> Brianna) most important. Briana is registerable as an English feminine name, per precedent (March 2003, Brianna ni Shea, R-West). Campbell: R&W p. 82 s.n. Campbell dates the header spelling to 1282 and 1691.

This device is clear of Kathryn of Castelleone Nuovo (Nov. 1999 Artemisia): Or, a thistle proper within an orle of shamrocks vert, with CDs for the type, tincture, and number of secondary charges.

9: Bríg na Úain - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per bend purpure and vert, a lamb couchant argent and a crossbow bendwise inverted Or.

Submitter desires a female name. Meaning (surname = little lamb) most important. Bríg: OCM p. 35 s.n. Bríg mentions two saints named Brígh. na Uain: constructed byname meaning "[of] the lambs", based on the pattern seen in Mari Elspeth nic Bryan's "Index of Names in Irish Annals" - Masculine Descriptive Bynames - Other (http://www.medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/DescriptiveBynames/Topic.shtml): [of] the Beeves/Cattle - na Mart; [here the submission form says "over", but whatever was on the back didn't make it onto the photocopies].

The consulting herald has attempted to re-create the missing documentation, as follows.

Bríg is a header on p. 36 of OCM; the entry mentions two saints named Brígh. The spelling with the 'h' at the end appears after the colon in the header, which means that it's the modern spelling, according to the information in "How To Use This Book" on p. 9. The form before the colon, Bríg, is the "early Irish" spelling.

na Úain is a constructed byname meaning '[of] the lambs'. It's based on Mari Elspeth nic Bryan's "Index of Names in Irish Annals" (http://www.medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/DescriptiveBynames/Topic.shtml), which shows several examples of bynames meaning 'of the domestic animal(s)': na Mart 'of the beeves/cattle', na nGamhnach 'of the milch cows', in Eich Gil 'of the white horse'. In addition, the byname Boircech is glossed 'rich in bulls or stags'. A byname meaning 'of the lambs' is consistent with this pattern. The Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (http://www.dil.ie/) provides úan 'a lamb' and úainín 'little lamb, lambkin' (dim. of úan). Based on the examples in the Annals Index, the proposed byname uses the genitive form of úan: úain.

The consulting herald further notes that in a perfect world, the submitter would prefer to be 'Brig the lambkin' rather than 'Brig of the lambs'. Examples of bynames using names of animals from the Annals Index include Sinnach/Sionnach 'fox', Daman 'little stag/ox', Cu 'wolf/hound'. If possible, the submitter would prefer to be Bríg Úainín based on these examples.

As further support, commenters found an anonymous Irish poem, apparently from a manuscript dated 1340, which uses a Uain Dé for 'Lamb of God' (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G402048/).

Normally, the SCA does not use baby animals in heraldry, but lambs are the exception, the Paschal Lamb being a period charge.

10: Cainnech mac Uilliam - Resub Device forwarded

Per bend sinister azure and Or, a thistle slipped and leaved argent and a stag rampant proper, armed argent.

His name was registered in May 2007, via the East. His original device submission, Per fess azure and Or, in fess a thistle sustained by a stag rampant proper armed argent, was returned at the same time for lack of identifiability due to poor contrast. This submission changes the thistle to argent and moves the stag entirely onto a metal portion of the field to fix this problem.

11: Catherine d'Oiseau - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per fess Or and azure, a crow sable and a mullet of four greater and four lesser points elongated to base argent.

Submitter desires a female name. Meaning (of the birds) most important. Catherine: Morlet Noms de famille p. 179 has Catherine, a name made popular by St. Catherine after 307. She was the patron saint of the theology students at the University of Paris. The name is also found in "Names from a 1587 Tax Roll from Provins" by Aryanhwy merch Catmael (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/provins1587.html), which lists a Catherine de Seraucourt. d'Oiseau: Morlet s.n. Doiseau says this probably represents (child of) d'Oiseau, but gives no dates.

Additional name documentation, of sorts: Dauzat (Dictionnaire etymologique des noms et prenoms de France) p. 93 s.n. Catherine mentions a 14th century Ste Catherine de Sienne, and p. 205 s.n. Doiseau derives the name from either a merchant "d'oiseaux" (birds?) or a patronymic based on the personal name Oiseau (which is a header on p. 455).

12: David Vázquez de Valençia - New Name forwarded

Submitter desires a male name. No changes. David is dated to 1468 and 1473 in "A sample of Jewish names in Valencia 1293-1485" by Yehoshua ben Haim haYerushalmi (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/Jewish/names_in_valencia.html) Vázquez is listed as a patronymic surname found 17 times in Elsbeth Anne Roth's "16th Century Spanish Names" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/spanish/index.html), with examples dated to 1539, 1562, and 1574. de Valençia is listed as a locative surname in Juliana de Luna's "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/isabella/locative.html). The name is also found without the cedilla in Elsbeth's article (op. cit.). The format of the name (given + patronymic + locative) is based on Elsbeth's article, which gives the examples Juan Martínez de Palategui, Diego López de Olivares, and notes that about 5 percent of the names in her source were of this form.

13: Deirdre Planchet - New Device forwarded

Argent, a billet gules pierced by a needle fesswise, on a chief azure three weaver's tablets argent.

Her name was registered in May 1992, via the East.

14: Dionysia Birdclever de Brigge - Resub Device forwarded

Azure, a bend sinister Or overall an African grey parrot close argent.

Her name was registered in March 2008, via the East. Her original device, Azure, a bend sinister Or, overall a popinjay argent tailed gules, was returned at the same time because the identifying parts of the bird (beak and tail) lacked adequate contrast with the field. This submission features an entirely argent bird in order to fix this problem.

Commenters felt this could be more succinctly blazoned as simply a popinjay, but the type of parrot appears to be important to the submitter, so I've left the blazon as submitted.

15: D{zu}iugint{eo} Litovka - New Name forwarded & New Badge forwarded

(Fieldless) A rose in pale Or barbed, seeded and slipped vert, its stem entwined by a snake sable.

Submitter desires a female name. Sound most important. Language (Lithuanian) most important. Culture (Lithuanian) most important. Note: the submitted name uses two characters which are not included in the standard Da'ud notation list: z with breve (z̆) and e with ring above (e̊). For the first of these, I'm wondering if the submitter simply misread a z-caron (ž) -- the difference between the diacritics is analogous to the difference between U and V, which can be hard to see in small sizes. I've extended Da'ud notation based on {Ao} for Å and {Sv} for Š (but using 'u' instead of 'v' to denote a breve instead of a caron). In other words, if the html works, the given name should be Dz̆iuginte̊. Dziuginte is based on an email from Gaile Ivaska, a native Lithuanian speaker, and the article "Lithuanian Names" by William Schmalstieg (http://www.lituanus.org/1982_3/82_3_01.htm). Gaile says it's a feminine name composed of parts meaning 'joy/happiness' and 'defender'. The latter element is found in masculine names as -ginas, derived from the verb ginti 'to defend', according to Schmalstieg's article. Litovka is dated to 1506 as a byname meaning "[female] Lithuanian" in Wickenden 3rd ed. p. 188 s.n. Litovka. According to Schmalstieg, Lithuanians didn't have bynames until fairly late, so the submitter went with a Russian descriptive as the next best thing.

The Eastern College of Heralds knows nothing whatsoever about Lithuanian names, so this is being forwarded with an appeal for help from the greater expertise of the College of Arms.

16: Ellen Hughes - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Azure, on a pale between two domestic cats combattant argent a three-leaved sprig of holly proper.

Submitter desires a female name. She cares most about spelling. Ellen is a header in Withycombe p. 101; dated spellings include Ellyn 1507 and Elen 1561. Hughes: R&W p. 242 s.n. Hugh dates Thomas Hughes to 1327.

Ellen is a header dated in this spelling to 1296 (Ormandy) and 1324 (Tarboc) in Talan Gwynek's "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/reaneyAG.html).

17: Erasmus Urswyc - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per bend sinister gules and argent, an arrow counterchanged.

Submitter desires a male name. Erasmus is identified as a 3rd century bishop and martyr of Formiae in The Oxford Dictionary of Saints by David Hugh Farmer (Oxford University Press, London, 1987), p. 143. The entry says that his cult spread throughout the Western world, and he was invoked as one of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers" in the 15th century. Urswyc is a surname dated to 1479 (in Essex) in Julian Goodwyn's "Brass Enscription Index" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/brasses/). It's also found in R&W p. 463 s.n. Urswick, dated in the spelling Urswyk to 1449.

Withycombe p. 105 s.n. Erasmus says this name came into use in England in the later Middle Ages, and cites Erasmus Paston, died 1540, and Sir Erasmus Dryden, 1553-1632.

19: Finnghuala Rowan - Resub Device returned for redrawing

Per bend sinister gules and sable, a Dalmatian passant proper between in bend two hearts ermine.

Her name was forwarded to Laurel on the East's July 2008 xLoI. Her original device submission, Per bend sinister gules and sable, a Dalmatian passant proper between in dexter chief a heart sable and in base a heart gules, was returned on the May 2008 LoD because the hearts were color on color. This submission changes them to ermine to fix this problem. The return also noted that the bottom heart was somewhere between "in base" and "in bend"; I'm not sure this problem has been addressed. As with her original submission, documentation for Dalmatian-like dogs in period is included: the AKC breed history (http://www.akc.org/breeds/dalmatian/history.cfm) mentions Egyptian tomb paintings and a 14th century fresco in Florence, Italy's Spanish Chapel of Santa Maria Novella.

The submitted emblazon failed to address one of the concerns about the previous submission: the position of the bottom heart is still unblazonable, being somewhere between "in bend" and "in base". The choice of tincture for the hearts also introduced a new problem: the large number of ermine spots makes them undistinguishable from the dog's spots, making it hard to tell if this is a "dog ermine" or "Dalmatian-spotted hearts". Unfortunately, I didn't have time to redraw it, but if the submitter wishes, I would be happy to do so. If the timing works out, I'll also be happy to put the redraw straight on the next LoD instead of waiting through another round of commentary.

The topic of Dalmatians came up on an email list recently, and a precedent from Dec. 2002 (Lyn the Inquisitive, A-Ansteorra) was pointed out:

Lyn the Inquisitive. Device. Azure, a dog sejant guardant argent spotted sable within a bordure argent lozengy sable.

Many commenters noted the similarity of this emblazon to the Dalmatian breeg of dog, and questioned whether that breed was period. Clarion stated:

Dalmatians are probably a period breed; there is a mention of spotted dogs in an Elizabethan journal (National Geographic Book of Dogs). As the shape of the dog resembles a Dalmatian, we might as well use it. I would still give its color as argent spotted sable, especially as modern Dalmatians can have brown spots as well.

This is sufficient evidence to allow this sort of depiction of a dog in SCA heraldry, as the type of dog is compatible with period types of dog. Because the submitter originally blazoned this dog simply as a dog argent spotted sable rather than a Dalmatian argent spotted sable we will continue to blazon it as a dog.

The submitter's documentation strengthens the case for this breed of dog in period, but doesn't address the use of the term "Dalmatian." The above-mentioned email list discussion came to the conclusion that the term is 18th century or later, meaning a reblazon to "dog argent spotted sable" is likely, but the charge should be registerable.

20: Fridha av Bergen - New Badge forwarded

(Fieldless) On a hexagon argent two axes in saltire azure.

Her name was registered in Sep. 2004, via Atlantia. She has a device, Per bend vert and azure, two cats salient within a bordure indented argent, registered in Sep. 2007 via the East.

Even if the hexagon is taken as a medium of heraldic display (and I know of no period examples of such), this is clear of Agravaine Rhiwallon (March 1999 East): (Fieldless) Two axes in saltire sable, with at least a CD for the field(lessness) and another for the tincture of the axes.

21: Friedrich Parcifal - New Name Change forwarded & New Badge forwarded

Vert, two axes addorsed argent.

Old Item: Eadric Wiglafes sunu, to be retained. No major changes. Language (German) most important. Culture (German) most important. His current name was registered in Oct. 2006, via the East. He also has a device, Vert, two axes addorsed and on a chief argent three crosses potent vert, registered in Oct. 2007, via the East. Friedrich is a header on p. 133 of Bahlow (Gentry); the entry says the frequency of the name is due to its use by ruling dynasties, and mentions Friedrich I Barbarossa and Friedrich II, of the Hohenstaufens. Parcifal: ibid p. 363 s.n. Parseval dates a Conrad Parcifal to 1296. The badge submission form makes no mention of his newly-submitted primary name. I'm interpreting that to mean that he wants this badge associated with Eadric, which is to become his alternate name.

22: Gaia Valeria Corvus - New Name returned

Submitter desires a female name. No changes. All name elements, along with the form praenomen + nomen + cognomen can be found in Meradudd Cethin's "Names and Naming Practices of Regal and Republican Rome" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/roman/). Gaia is the feminine form of Gaius, which is listed as a praenomen. Valeria is the feminine form of Valerius, which is listed as a nomen. Corvus is listed as a cognomen. An additional source for Valeria is Smith: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, p. 1215 s.n. Valeria.

This name is returned because as far as commenters can tell, it doesn't follow Latin grammar rules: the cognomen doesn't agree with the rest of the name in gender. The submitter allows no changes, so this problem could not be corrected. Another possible problem with the name is likely presumption against the registered name Gaius Valerius Corvinus (Dec. 2006 Atenveldt): the submitted name essentially claims that the submitter is this man's daughter.

Some commenters felt there wasn't really enough evidence for women using the tria nomina, but Johnston's The Private Life of the Romans (available online at http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston_2.html#58) confirms that in Imperial Rome, "we find the threefold name for women in general use, with the same riotous confusion in selection and arrangement as prevailed in the case of the names of men at the same time."

23: Gaius Patronius - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Or, between two natural seahorses addorsed a trident sable.

No major changes. Language (Roman) most important. Culture (Roman) most important. Gaius is given as a praenomen in The Private Life of the Romans, chapter 2: Roman Names, by Harold Whetstone Johnston (Scott, Foresman and Co., 1903, 1932; online at http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston_2.html). Patronius: Gaius Patronius Arbiter was an Imperial Roman author. His nomen was more commonly written as Petronius, which is how the Encyclopedia Britannica has it, along with an "original name" of Titus Petronius Niger. [The free online entry doesn't elaborate: the only other info it gives is "Roman author", "died AD 66", and "reputed author of the Satyricon, a literary portrait of Roman society of the 1st century AD" -- and even that it obscures every three seconds with the *%$#@^ login screen.] The submission form says he's a poet who wrote the Apocolocyntosis of Claudius, but all the online searches attribute that work to Seneca. There's a printout included of an alibris search result, which gives "Arbiter Patronius, Patronius, Martin S Smith, PhD (Photographer)" as the author(s) for a work titled Cena Trimalchionis (which is a section or chapter of the Satyricon, according to Wikipedia). Despite being exactly the reverse of Kolozsvári Árpád's device, Sable, a trident between two natural seahorses respectant Or, this is actually well clear, with CDs for the field and charge tinctures and a third for the orientation of the seahorses.

Commenters felt that the alibris entry probably has a typo -- the Roman satirist's nomen is normally spelled Petronius -- but this doesn't necessarily preclude the plausibility of the submitted Patronius (possibly with a different meaning). I don't know nearly enough about Roman names to make this determination, so I'm forwarding the name unchanged.

24: Gunter der Ohse - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Argent, two maces in saltire sable between four gouts d'huile in cross, a chief indented vert.

Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Language (Germanic) most important. Culture (Germanic) most important. Meaning (Ox) most important. Gunter: "Some Early Middle High German Bynames" by Talan Gwynek (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/Early_German_Bynames.html) under Münech 'monk' has a Gunter der Munech von Basele 1262. des Ochse: this is based on various animal-derived bynames in Talan's article (op. cit.), including Esel 'donkey' and Hunt 'dog'. Ochse as the German for Ox is from the Collins Gem German Dictionary, p. 183 (no copies provided). [I don't know where the 'des' came from. It definitely says 'des', not 'der', on both the submission form and the worksheet.]

Brechenmacher s.n. Ochs dates Sifrit Ohse 1330, and Bahlow (Gentry) s.n. Ochs has the inn-name-based Johann zum Ochsen 1408, along with the compounds Hundertosse 1400 and Martin Ochsenschuh 1365. Bahlow indicates that 'Ochs' is southern, while 'Osse' is northern, so I'm not certain that these cites quite support the submitted Ochse. Then there's the matter of the particle. In modern German, 'des' is possessive, giving the submitted name the meaning 'the ox's Gunter' or 'Gunter who is owned by the ox'. Commenters found no evidence for such constructions in German names. The closest documented particle in sound and spelling would be der 'the', but all the examples I've found of 'X the Y' names in German use a description such as an occupation or nationality, applied literally rather than figuratively: der Munech 'the monk' from Talan's cited article, der Hüne 1324 'the Hungarian' or 'the giant' from Bahlow s.n. Hühn(e). The submitter does not allow major changes such as dropping an element. Changing des to the documented zum (with an accompanying change to Ochsen) would change the meaning, from someone who is ox-like or works with oxen to someone who happens to live near a particular building, and would in addition be a stretch of the "minor change" concept -- the only things the two words have in common is the number of letters and the language.

All that said, I'm fairly certain that some combination along the lines of 'Gunther the Ox' is registerable: my quick look for "X the Y" names was far from comprehensive, so any conclusions reached must be tentative. The submitted Gunter des Ochse has therefore been changed to Gunter der Ohse to somewhat better match the available documentation.

25: Hugh Tauerner - New Device forwarded

Per fess indented sable and vert.

His name was registered in May 2007, via the East.

Dancetty means 'indented on both sides so the whole charge appears zig-zagged'; the term is meaningless applied to a single line of division. This is simply indented, and the blazon has been revised accordingly. Commenters didn't find a precedent on complex lines between sable and vert, but there is one allowing per fess engrailed azure and vert (Helga Iden dohtir, 04/02 R-Caid), and sable and vert have much better contrast than azure and vert.

26: Hugh Tauerner - New Badge forwarded

(Fieldless) A wheel per fess sable and vert.

His name was registered in May 2007, via the East.

This (lovely) badge is clear of Rachael of Bhakail (Sep. 2006 East): Or, a wheel vert, with a CD for the field and another for half the tincture of the charge.

27: Idon of Sheffeld - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per chevron inverted azure and gules, three maple leaves two and one argent and two scimitars crossed in saltire proper.

Submitter has no desire as to gender. No major changes. Language (English 13th-14th cent.) most important. Culture (English 13th-14th cent.) most important. Idon is found in "Yorkshire Feminine Names from 1379" by Talan Gwynek (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/yorkshire.html). Sheffeld is found in "Surnames in 15th Century York" by Karen Larsdatter (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/york15/surnames-alphabetical.htm).

28: Jahanara opa Kerala - New Name returned

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Culture (Hindi) most important. Jahanara: Krishan Lal Khera's Directory of Personal Names in the Indian History from the earliest to 1947 (Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers) gives variants of Jahan: Jah{a-}ng{i-}r, Mughal emperor 1569-1627; progression: Jahandarshah -> Jahanshah -> Shanjahan 1631 -> Jah{a-}n {A-}ra Begam (daughter) 1681. The source says feminine names have suffixes, used to make male names feminine, which existed as early as 1100 and were in full use by the 1500s. Example of a common suffix: "aman". Possible variants: Jahanaman, Jahan, Jahan-ara. [The included photocopies only have the title page and the index page from Jagattunga to Jahnu, so I can't clarify any of this.] They also note the registration of Jahanara of West Dragonshire on the March 2007 LoAR; the text of the acceptance says Jahanara was documented from early 17th century Mughal India, and Jahan was documented in 14th century Persia. The docs summary also mentions "Medieval Tamil Names" by Ursula Georges (http://www.doomchicken.net/~ursula/sca/onomastics/tamil/), but I can't tell what (if anything) it contributes to the given name question. Kerala is a region of India [mentioned in Ursula's article, op. cit.]. A map can be found here: http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/deccan/kerala_map.htm. A Hindi-English online dictionary [no URL or printout provided] was used for finding opa meaning 'of'.

This name is returned for lack of sufficient documentation. It combines a Persian (Mughal) given name with a modern placename for a Malayalam or Tamil-speaking region, plus a preposition which commenters were unable to support in any language of India.

"Some Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Mughal Women's Names" by Ursula Georges (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ursula/mughalwomen.html) lists Jahanara Begum, daughter of Shahjahan, dated to 1648. (Begum is a royal title.) The Mughals were Muslims with links to Persian culture; they ruled the northern part of modern-day India, a primarily Hindi-speaking area.

According to Wikipedia, Pliny the Elder was familiar with the area of Kerala, mentioning it in his Natural History, Book 6, chapter 26, but it's unclear to me what name(s) he attaches to it. Also according to Wikipedia, the area was busy with Western trade throughout the Middle Ages, primarily for black pepper, and both Jewish and Muslim traders settled there at various times. However, none of this infomation really helps to figure out what (if anything) a native of the area would've called the place, nor does it give any evidence about how or if such a placename could be used in a byname. The languages of this area are (and were) Malayalam and Tamil, so combining "Kerala" with a Muslim, Persian-derived name is culturally inconsistent.

Finally, none of the online Hindi, Malayalam, or Tamil dictionaries I could find have anything like "opa" (with any meaning).

29: Johann Boese - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per pale sable and argent, a mullet of four points elongated to base in base a housecat couchant a chief counterchanged.

He cares most about his first name being Johann. Johann: Bahlow (Gentry) p. 251 s.n. Johannes lists patronymics Johann, Lüttjohann, Stammerjohann, undated. Boese is a header glossed as 'bad, evil, wicked' in "Some Early Middle High German Bynames" by Talan Gwynek (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/Early_German_Bynames.html). It dates the Latin translation malus to 1136.

30: Khalida bint 'Abdal-Aziz - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Gules, on a maple leaf Or a domestic cat's head contourny sable and in base a standing balance Or.

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Language (Arabic) most important. Culture (Arabic) most important. Khalida is identified as a feminine ism on p. 51 of "Period Arabic Names and Naming Practices" by Da'ud ibn Auda (KWHS Proceedings, AS 38). bint is used to form feminine patronymics (ibid., p. 45). 'Abdal-Aziz is identified as a masculine ism (ibid., p. 49).

31: Kochou Zaygo - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per bend sinister sable and vert, a bend argent.

Submitter desires a male name. Language (early Hungarian) most important. Culture (early Hungarian) most important. Kochou is a header on p. 465 of Fehértói Katalin: Árpád-kori személynévtár (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 2004), dated in this spelling (in a Latin context) to 1211. Kázmér Miklós: Régi Magyar családnevek szótára (Magyar Nyelvtudományi Társaság, Budapest, 1993) p. 606 s.n. Kocsó identifies it as a masculine "old secular" name. Zaygo is a byname meaning 'noisy, noisemaker', dated in this spelling to 1450 and 1488 in Kázmér p. 1156 s.n. Zajgó.

For the benefit of people who're confused by Hungarian name order, I note that this name is correctly formed as a Hungarian name recorded in a Latin context.

This lovely device is clear of Leif Moonshadow Dalesonn and Shawna Kerr of Devonshire (Jan. 1983 East): Per bend sinister sable and vert, a bend sinister argent between a decrescent and a seahorse erect Or, and of Roland Silvervale (Aug. 1991 Middle): Per bend sinister sable and vert, a bend sinister and in dexter chief a decrescent argent. In each case, there's a CD for the orientation of the bend, and another for removing the secondary charge(s).

32: Lachlann Graheme - New Name Change forwarded & New Device forwarded

Per pale argent and vert, on a tower per pale azure and argent an ivy vine bendwise sinster per pale argent and vert.

Old Item: Lachlann mac Lachlainn, to be retained. Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Sound most important. His current name and his badge were registered in June 2001, via the East. Lachlann is dated to 1436 in Black p. 410 s.n. Lachlan. Graheme is dated to 1547 in Black p. 323 s.n. Graham.

This name is clear of Lachlann Dougal Graeme (Jul. 1988 An Tir) by removal of the middle name.

This device may conflict with Gregor von Münchhausen (Mar. 1998 Outlands): (Fieldless) On a tower per pale azure and argent, a dexter gauntlet clenched counterchanged. There is one CD for the field. The second CD must come from the tertiary charges: a gauntlet, half white and half blue, versus an ivy vine, half white and half green. A tower is probably not "simple enough in outline to be voided", so the submitted device likely doesn't qualify for RfS X.4.j.ii (which would grant a CD for changing just the type of the tertiary charge), so the question boils down to whether changing half the tincture of a tertiary charge counts as a "significant change". I do not feel qualified to make such a decision, so I'm forwarding this for Wreath's delectation.

33: Lev Nikolaev - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Argent, a lion's head erased contourny gules and a chief embattled sable.

Meaning (Lev son of Nikolai) most important. All documentation from Wickenden 3rd ed. Lev is a header on p. 185, identified as a Russianization of Leo, or 'lion'. The header form is dated to 1498: Lev Nedoelov. Nikolaev is a patronymic dated to 1634-42 on p. 237 s.n. Nikolai. Variants of the name are dated earlier than that (such as Mikolaev 1578-9), and Nikolai itself is dated as early as 1291.

This device is clear of Duncan Maclaren (Jun. 2001 Atlantia): Or, a lion's head erased and a chief embattled sable, with one CD for the field, and one for the orientation of the head. It's also clear of Lorcá Ó Fearghail (Sep. 2000 Lochac): Argent, a lion's head erased gules, with one CD for the orientation of the head, and another for the peripheral charge.

34: Magdalena d'Arzenta - New Device Change forwarded

Gules, three spiders and an orle argent.

Old Item: Gules, a decrescent, an increscent, and a spider argent, to be released. Her name was registered in Aug. 2006, via the East. Her current device was registered in Mar. 2007, also via the East.

Correction: her March 2007 device was released on the March 2008 LoAR, when her current arms were registered: Gules, three spiders inverted, a bordure argent. It is this most recent device which is to be released if this registration is successful.

The SCA does not use single diminutives of ordinaries: if there's just one, it's an orle, not a tressure. The blazon has been corrected accordingly.

35: Máire inghean uí Mheardha - New Name forwarded

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Language (Irish/Gaelic) most important. Culture (Irish/Gaelic) most important. Máire is listed as the standard Early Modern Irish Gaelic (c. 1200-c. 1700) spelling of the name of 15 women, dated between 1396 and 1601, in Mari Elspeth nic Bryan's "Index of Names in Irish Annals" (http://www.medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/). inghean uí Mheardha: Woulfe p. 615 s.n. ÓMeardha lists the italicized (grey-area) Anglicizations O'Merga and O'Mergay.

36: Marianne de la Tour - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Purpure masoned, a centaur passant argent and on a chief embattled argent a natural dolphin purpure.

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Sound most important. Marianne: Dictionnaire des noms et prenoms [no author or any other identifying information provided; I believe they meant Dauzat] p. 416 s.n. Marien has Marian, undated. The submitted name is feminized by adding -ne (like Jehan -> Jehanne, ibid p. 343). de Latour: Étude d'Anthroponymie Picarde by Marie-Thérèse Morlet (Musée de Picardie, Amiens, 1967) p. 332 has "De Latour, Robert..., 1311." She would prefer it separated as "de la Tour", if possible.

(The cited Dictionnaire is indeed Dauzat.) Aryanhwy merch Catmael's "French Names from Paris, 1421, 1423, & 1438" (http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/french/paris1423surnames.html) has de la Tour dated to 1421, so the submitted de Latour has been changed to de la Tour per the submitter's wishes. This name is clear of Marie de la Tour Abandonée (Jul. 1983 Middle) by dropping the last element (and possibly for difference of given name as well). It's similarly well clear of Marie Latourette Beaudoin (Dec. 2002 Middle).

37: Michaela Amour - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Vert, two snakes entwined around a rose slipped and leaved argent.

Submitter desires a female name. No major changes. Language (13th century Occitan) most important. Culture (13th century Occitan) most important. Michaela: Academy of S. Gabriel report 2581 gives Michaela as a 13th century Occitan feminine name from Marseille, citing any or all of: Colm Dubh's "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris"; Simon Seror: Les Noms des Juifs de France au Moyen Age, and Monique Bourin & Pascal Chareille, eds.: Genese medievale de l'anthroponymie moderne. Amour is a header (undated) on p. 8 of Dauzat's [?] Dictionnaire des noms de famille et prénoms de France.

38: Molly Schofield - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Gules, two crossbows palewise and on a chief argent, two mullets of four points elongated to base gules.

Submitter desires a female name. Language (English) most important. Culture (English) most important. Molly is a diminutive of Mary, which according to Withycombe s.n. Mary has been used from approximately the 13th century. R&W p. 312 s.n. Mollison dates Thomas Mollysone to 1589. Schofield is a header in R&W, p. 395, with dated cite John de Scholefeld 1343. Hitching & Hitching 1601 p. lix has Scholfeeld and Scholefielde.

All of the period spellings retain the 'l' in 'school-field', so the surname seems more likely as Scholfield, but I'm reluctant to make changes based on just three citations. Hopefully the greater resources of the College of Arms can turn up some support for the submitted header spelling.

39: Petra Zennia Velikaiaskii - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Azure, a trident between two natural seahorses respectant and a base argent.

Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Language (Russian) most important. Culture (Russian) most important. All documentation from Wickenden 3rd edition. Petra is identified as a masculine given name, diminutive of Petr, on p. 266. On p. 265 s.n. Petr (dims), there's a Petra Pakich 1552. Zennia Velikaia is a header on p. 439 (in the Place Names section), identified as being founded in the 12th century. According to the information on p. xxix, locative bynames are created by adding an adjectival suffix, usually -skii/-skoi/-skyi.

40: Robert du Bourg - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Gules, a chevron and on a chief argent three fleurs-de-lys gules.

Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Language (French) most important. Culture (French) most important. Robert: Colm Dubh's "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html) lists a Robert le berchier. du Bourg is found in Morlet [noms de famille, presumably] p. 130 s.n. Bourg [apparently undated].

This device is clear of Dugan Makgowin of Aydel (Mar. 2007 East): Gules, a chevron and in chief a boar passant contourny argent, with one CD for boar vs. chief, and another for the tertiaries.

41: Robert Tristan - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Vert, a frog argent estencely vert.

Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Sound (Robert Tristan) most important. Robert is a header on p. 380 of R&W, dated in this spelling as a given name to 1066, and as a patronymic to 1292. In addition, Withycombe p. 255 s.n. Robert dates Robert(us) to 1071-5 and 1086 DB. Tristan is mentioned in Withycombe p. 283 s.n. Tristram as "a surname in France as early as the end of the 12th C." R&W p. 455 s.n. Tristram dates the header spelling as a given name to 1204 and 1296, and as a patronymic to 1207 and 1296.

Tristan is a header in Dauzat, p. 578, identified as an ancient baptismal name, frequent in Paris at the end of the 13th century (I think: my French is somewhere in the range of minimal to nonexistent). Various Academy of St. Gabriel reports indicate that in English, the name invariably became Tristram. (There's a whole list of reports discussing forms of Tristan in report 2738: http://www.s-gabriel.org/2738.) Robert can also be documented in France, for example using Colm Dubh's "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris" (http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html), so the submitted Robert Tristan is a fine French name.

This device (which commenters named Sparky the Frog) is clear of Eliko de Lindasund (Jan. 2008 Atlantia): Azure, a frog argent, with one CD for the field, and another for the strewn charges.

42: Sigurðr harðský - New Name returned & New Device therefore also returned

Or, a pale between two bears combattant sable.

Submitter desires a male name. No major changes. Language (Old Norse) most important. Culture (Old Norse) most important. All documentation from Geirr Bassi. Sigurðr is listed as a masculine name on p. 14. harðský is a constructed descriptive byname intended to mean 'hard cloud', based on harðmagi 'strong stomach' p. 22 and hvítaský 'white cloud' p. 23.

Commenters were unanimous that this byname makes no sense. How can a cloud be hard (or strong)? What aspect of a person would this describe? A quick perusal of the list of bynames in Geirr Bassi is enough to show that the Norse were rather literal-minded (if sometimes a bit naughty) in their naming: names like 'suet-nose' and 'wood-beard' are as fanciful as they got. There is no evidence that a compound like 'hard cloud' follows any pattern found in Norse bynames, so this must be returned.

Unfortunately, without a valid name to attach it to, the device must be returned as well.

43: Tiberius Iulius Rufus - New Badge forwarded

Gules, a gauntleted fist argent within and conjoined to an annulet Or.

His name and device were registered in May 2007, via the East.

44: Tiberius Iulius Rufus - New Badge forwarded

Fieldless, a gauntleted fist argent within and conjoined to an annulet Or.

His name and device were registered in May 2007, via the East.

45: Viola Epifani - New Name forwarded & New Device forwarded

Argent, three pomegranates slipped and leaved purpure and a chief doubly enarched vert.

No major changes. Sound (Epiphany) most important. Viola: de Felice Nomi s.n. Viola p. 353 mentions a Saint Viola from Verona and Shakespeare's character from 12th Night. It says the name is found throughout Italy. Epifani is a variant spelling found in de Felice Cognomi s.n. Ephifani p. 118. The entry says the name is found throughout southern Italy and is derived from Greek; the consulting herald couldn't decipher any more than that.

46: William Atherbridge - New Badge forwarded

Gyronny Or and azure, a ram rampant gules armed argent.

His name was registered in Aug. 2006, via the East. His device was registered in Aug. 2007, via the Middle.

47: William Martinet - New Name forwarded

Client requests authenticity for 11th c. Norman invasion of England. Note: the worksheet has "minor changes only" checked, but neither box is checked on the submission form. William: R&W s.n. Williams has Rauf le fuiz William 1299, among others. Martinet is a header in Bardsley p. 517; the entry mentions a marriage involving one André Martinet in 1644. Morlet's Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille s.n. Martin gives Martinet as a mostly Northern variant. Martinet is also French for "swift" (the bird).

This name is clear of William Martin Blacksmith (Apr. 1991 Atlantia) by deletion of the third element.