Alys Mackyntoich

8 June 2015

Unto the East Kingdom College of Heralds, upon the Feast of Saint Medard, greetings and every good thing! Here is the Letter of Decisions for the Internal Letter of Intent issued on May 6, 2015.

Many thanks to the following commenters who provided assistance this month: Abdullah ibn Harun al-Qurtubi, Brunissende Dragonette (Wreath), Christopher Devereux, Conall an Doire (Blue Talbot), Eleazar ha-Levi, Esther bat Moshe, ffride wlffsdotter, Gawain of Miskbridge (Green Anchor), Grímólfr Skúlason (White Oak), Jeanne Marie Lacroix (Noir Licorne), Matilda Wynter, Rohese de Dinan (Shadowdale), Ryan McWhyte (Brigantia), Seraphina Delfino (Golden Dolphin), Þórý Veðardóttir and Vettorio Antonello. Your commentary and insights are always greatly appreciated.

Always your servants,
Alys Mackyntoich
Outgoing Blue Tyger Herald

1: Anna Dokeianina Syrakousina - New Badge Forwarded

(Fieldless) A dolphin sable

The dolphin is naiant by default. We have therefore dropped the posture from the blazon. The color emblazon was redrawn with the submitter's permission to add white internal detailing.

2: Concordia of the Snows, Barony of - New Order Name Forwarded

Order of Diamond of Concordia of the Snows

The locative "of Concordia of the Snows" was added with the submitter's permission to clear a conflict with the "Order of the Diamond" registered to Gleann Abhann (Meridies, Oct 1997, transferred Meridies, Sep 1998). "Concordia of the Snows, Barony of" is the registered name of the branch.

3: Concordia of the Snows, Barony of - New Order Name Forwarded

Order of Sapphire of Concordia of the Snows

The locative "of Concordia of the Snows" was added with the submitter's permission to clear a conflict with the "Award of the Sapphire" registered to the Kingdom of the Middle (Middle, Feb 2000). "Concordia of the Snows, Barony of" is the registered name of the branch.

4: Desmond Sparrow - New Name Forwarded

5: Dionisio da Desio - Resub Device Returned

Per chevron throughout sable and Or, a rapier sable entwined with a grape vine vert and in chief two increscents argent

This device originally was returned on the Jan 2015 East Kingdom LoI for violating the rule against "slot-machine" armory. As drawn in that version, the increscents, rapier, and grape vine were all primary charges, and three different charges in the same charge group are not permitted under SENA A.3.D.2.a.

In this resubmission, the submitter drew the crescents smaller, so as to make them secondary, rather than primary charges. Unfortunately, Appendix I of SENA states that:

In armory with a divided field, there are two potential situations. Either each of the charges is entirely in a single section of the field, .... In the first situation, the charges are collectively the primary charge group. This is true even when the bottom charge is drawn larger than the others, as this is common in period depictions. This is true even when one of the divisions contains semy of charges. This is true even if you use blazon terms like "in chief" or the line of division is blazoned as "enhanced".

[T]he presence of three charges two and one on either side of the division strongly reinforces the impression of a per chevron field - and would do so, regardless of the angle of the point. A lone pile inverted was rare enough in heraldry, and when it appeared, tended to be uncharged; in other words, the lower portion of the shield would be uncharged. A chapé field division would never have the upper portions of the field charged. When the upper and lower portions are charged, then, this must (absent of other clues such as cotising) be a per chevron field. [Rorik smiðr, 10/2007 LoAR, A-Atlantia]

6: Finn mac Láebáin - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Per chevron purpure and vert, a chevron inverted argent

7: Gieffrei de Toesni - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Per fess vert and azure, two martlets counter-volant volant argent

Originally submitted as Geoffrey de Tosni, the submitted requested that the spelling be changed to Gieffrei de Toesni to reflect new documentation found during commentary. Both elements are found in Le Roman de Rou, a verse chronicle composed by Wace c. 1160-70, covering the history of the Dukes of Normandy.

Commenters questioned whether the birds could properly be blazoned as martlets given that the lack of feet (one of the defining characteristics of a martlet) is not visible. By precedent, however, these birds can be blazoned as martlets volant:

[a martlet volant] The defining feature of a martlet is usually taken to be its lack of feet. When volant it is impossible to tell whether or not its feet are present, which led some commenters to suggest reblazoning the bird to a swallow. If the small generic bird does not have feet showing, AND does not have some other clear attribute of a different type of bird (such as a dove's tuft), AND the bird is in a posture found for most types of bird (close, rising and volant, but not displayed), then it is acceptable to blazon it as a martlet. This is the case whether the bird explicitly shows that it is footless/legless from its posture, or whether the bird's foot area is obscured by the bird's wings (as in the volant posture) or by another charge (a demi-martlet rising issuant from a fess). We have therefore retained the term martlet for the bird in this submission. [Gráinne inghean Shéadna, 07/2006 LoAR, A-Ansteorra]

8: Gieffrei de Toesni - New Badge Returned

Vert, a martlet volant to sinister argent

Based on the same precedent quoted in the decision on Gieffrei's badge, the bird may properly be blazoned as a martlet.

Unfortunately, this badge conflicts with the device of John of Ean Airgead, called the Mad Celt (Oct. 1979, Meridies): Vert, a chimney swift migrant palewise argent. [Chaetura pelagic]. There is only a single DC for the orientation of the bird. This badge may also conflict with the badge of John of Ean Airgead, called the Mad Celt (Sept. 1980, Meridies): Vert, a chimney swift migrant palewise holding in its beak a holly leaf fesswise argent, depending on the outcome of the ongoing discussions concerning sustained and maintained charges.

9: Idony atte Welle - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Azure, on a bend argent cotised Or three leaves azure

10: Jibril ibn `Ammar al-Fayyad - New Alternate Name Forwarded

Veritus Slacke

Commenters identified a pattern of using Latin virtue words as given names in 16th century England. Based on that pattern, the given name Veritus appears plausible. We therefore are forwarding this name for additional research and discussion.

11: Juliana Osborne - New Badge Forwarded

(Fieldless) A stag's head gules within and conjoined to a capital letter O vert

Commenters noted that the letter O appeared far more like an annulet than a letter O. Since the letter O was important to the submitter, the badge was redrawn during commentary with her permission to make the O more clearly a letter and not an annulet. We are forwarding this badge as redrawn.

12: Purple of An Dubhaigeainn - New Name Change Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Purpure, a cat's pawprint within a mascle and a bordure argent

Old Item: Violet Hughes, to be retained as an alternate name

There is a Step from Period Practice for the use of a pawprint in armory. As there is only a single SFPP in this design, it should be registerable.

13: Shannon inghean Bhriain uí Dhuilleáin - New Badge Forwarded

(Fieldless) On a shamrock vert a mullet argent

This badge appears to be clear of Ireland: (Fieldless) A shamrock vert. Important non-SCA badge. There is one DC for fieldlessness and another DC for the addition of a tertiary charge.

14: Steinar Bjornsson - New Name Forwarded and New Device Forwarded

Per pale indented sable and Or, a valknut and a raven counterchanged

The name was originally submitted as Steinarr Bjornson, intended to be Old Norse. However, the patronymic was not properly formed for an Old Norse name. In commentary, ffride wlffsdotter offered the submitter several options, both in Old Norse and in later Scandinavian languages. The submitter elected to change the name to Steinar Bjornsson, a later-period Norwegian and Icelandic name based on ffride's documentation.

There is a Step from Period Practice for the use of a valknut in armory. As there is only a single SFPP in this design, it should be registerable.

15: Tysha z Kieva - New Device Forwarded

Per bend sinister purpure and vert, a sun argent and overall a bend chevronelly sable and argent

As submitted, the sun was blazoned "in splendor." "In splendor" implies a face on the sun, which this emblazon does not have. Accordingly, we have dropped it from the blazon.

16: Vettorio Antonello - Resub Device Forwarded

Or, a housecat sejant sable and a raven gules respectant within a bordure embattled per pale gules and sable

17: Wulfgang vom Walde - New Name Forwarded and New Device Returned

Sable, a fret and on a chief argent a raven's jambe erased sable

The submitter did not document the spelling Wulfgang. However, Wulfgang was registered as an extrapolated 14th cen. German form in June 2011. [Wulfgang Gruenwald, 6/2011 LoAR, A-East]

Unfortunately, this device must be returned. As submitted, the raven's jambe is colored half sable and half argent. A half-argent charge cannot be placed on an argent background. SENA A.3.B.2 defines good contrast as including "a metal and a neutral tincture" but adds that "[p]airings of the same tincture are said to have no contrast, and are allowed only as artistic details."

18: Wulfram Engelenbach - Resub Device Forwarded

Vert, a wolf rampant argent between three Thor's hammers Or

The identical device was originally returned for improperly depicted Thor's hammers. This resubmission resolves the issue.