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Minutes of the January, 2019 Heralds Meeting

Minutes Page Main Herald's Web Page

Latest LoAR Info Submissions to Laurel from this Meeting Returns from this Meeting

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MINUTES OF THE HERALDS MEETING – January 6, 2019
(10:20 am to 11:17 am)

The January 2019 meeting was held in Sacramento, CA in conjunction with Twelfth Night.

ATTENDEES:

Aasa Thorvaldsdottir, Vesper; Alizan dela Fontaine, Compline; Edith of Swanesdale, Matins; Krysta of Starfall, Clerk; Caoilinn Rose Maddox, Sable Swan; Hirsch von Henford, Golem; Gwenhwyfaer ferch Gwilym, Baldric; Angus Duncan Cameron, PE; Frederick of Holland, PaL; eilis o'boirne, Green Crown; Ari Ella, Green Cloak; Na'arah bat Avraham, PaL; Hannah Story Teller, PEaL; Faun Woods, Cornet; Carrek MacBrian, Cornet; Domamir Vlatko syn, PEaL; Maxen ap Morgan, PaL; Rew Payne, Cornet; Sine ni Mharbhen, Cornet; Danäe FitzRoberts, PEaL; Gavin Conall of Greenlaw, Cornet; Jared of Castlewood, PEaL; Mercy Grymm, Pinnacle Pursuivant; Matilda FitzRichard of Locharen, PaL; Tangwystel Telynores, Cornet; Moira O'Connor, PaL; Alistair of Avalon, Cornet; Claire Cameron, Cornet.

COLLEGE OF HERALDS MEETINGS
Heralds' Meetings for 2019: March 10, May 19, July 21, September 15, November 17, and January 5, 2020 (Sunday of Twelfth Night, at the event, at 10 am). Meetings usually begin at 11:00 AM and will be held at Green Crown's home unless otherwise noted.

The DEADLINES for submission forms and documentation are: February 27, May 8, July 10, September 4, and November 6. Submission forms must be complete, and received either via EMAIL or hardcopy by the deadline date at midnight to be considered at the next meeting (which is about 11 days later, except December due to holidays and the roadshow meeting prep time needed). If the forms are EMAILED, then payment must arrive by the meeting day. WALK-IN submissions will only be considered if there is time, but in most cases will be delayed until the next meeting so that each submission can be reviewed fully.

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REPORTS

His Majesty: The event was wonderful, thank you to everyone!

Vesper (Aasa); Compline (Alizon): We successfully had coronation yesterday! Many thanks to all those who assisted in running the event: court, announcements, heralds & scribes table (for signing and sealing scrolls).

The new West Kingdom College of Heralds title structure is going into effect: Green (X) Pursuivant for populace-interfacing positions. Position formerly known as Banner is becoming Green Crown (royal interface). Green Cloak (remaining the same), deals exclusively with tourney. Green Trumpet, information and announcements, this position is currently vacant. Latimer → Green Banner.

Current plan is for Compline to be ready to step into Vesper role at Beltane. (Reminder to the College to bring their tabards for escorting Compline in and former Vesper out.)

From Compline: thank you to all for rolling with the challenges and ensuring everything occurred as needed. Note: if you are Court Heralding and move ceremonies, PLEASE PUT THEM BACK so the next Court Herald can find them.

Seawolf (Kean): no report received

Sable Swan (Caoilinn); Afrika - Successor: Things are going smooth (it's nice to have a herald as a Princess). And thanks to that Princess for training new court heralds, even through how to submit court reports. The Cynaguan Ceremony book is under revision, hopefully this version will be finished by March Crown. She proposes making new travel tabards for the Principality (single layer linen) - approved by Vesper and Compline (She will make them as part of her service as an Artisan). Her successor is ready to take over from her at October Coronet.

Stellanordica (Rodrigo): no report received

Exchequer (Frederick): He took over 6 months ago. Domamir has agreed to be his successor, they will train together, and expect to transfer the position in March. The College has money.

Matins (Edith): The Office is running, submissions are coming in, registrations are occurring.

Clerk of the College (Krysta): The College exists. We will review the meeting dates for 2020 at the March meeting.

The College is considering options to change the Title of this deputy.

Green Crown (Eilis): Coronation happened. She asked on the Books of Faces for heralds to speak out if they were interested in standing Court. The volunteers were reviewed and discussed with the Royals prior to the start of the event. All the heralds were identified and knew when and where to meet prior to the start of their court. This worked very well and she plans to continue this process for future events.

The Ceremony book did not get reviewed during the past quarter due to illness. The new championship ceremonies were test-run during Coronation and went well, but will still require some revision. The courts went smoothly and the court reports are assigned to specific heralds for entry.

Baldric (Gwenhwyfaer): She is planning to attend Known World Heraldic and Scribal. She also would like to get to Oertha for their Investiture. Should we run our own Collegium or place a track as part of the A&S event in June?

Brachet (Cynehild): no report received. She would like to pass on this office. Vesper is seeking a successor:

This position can be completed entirely remotely.

Brachet Herald acts as the WK CoH Commenting Deputy. They are responsible for adding comments in OSCAR to every LoI posted by other kingdoms. This process provides Pelican and Wreath with research information about each entry, including conflict checks (Wreath must have two separate individuals specify they have not found a conflict before he can officially declare the submission as free-of-conflict).

This position has no physical requirements, including geographic location of Brachet Herald. Requirements to do this job are: sufficient understanding of the current rules (SENA) to offer knowledgeable comments on both name and device submissions - at a minimum the knowledge to identify rules violations and the skill to run accurate conflict checks; reliable access to the internet and an OSCAR account; communication skills at a level to post information in a semi-public forum; sufficient available time to comment on up to 20 Kingdom LoIs per month. If interested, please contact Vesper Principal Herald with your qualifications: vesper@heralds.westkingdom.org

Green Cloak (Ari Ella): There have been no tourneys since she stepped into the position. Continuing to discuss changes for pre-tourney morning training for voice heralds (wind awareness, facing where the fighter is based if you know, etc.).

Green Trumpet (vacant): New Senior Staff position. This position will oversee Town Cry (formerly called Duty Shout) and Heralds Point (information). If interested in this position, please contact Vesper or Compline.

The duties of this position include: for Kingdom events: staff and manage information point out of Heralds Point, staff and manage town cries. Store, transport, and arrange set-up & pack-down of Heralds Point to all Kingdom events, specifically: Crown Tourneys (March, June, October), Beltane & Purgatorio Corontations, West-An-Tir War, Great Western War in coordination with Green Cloak.

Green Banner (Astrið): No Consultation Table events since the last meeting. Next event for Consultation Table is March Crown.

Golem (Hirsch): Based on the Minutes from the last meeting, he has updated all the titles and information for the Senior Heralds on the website. There is also a link in the Quick Links section for Contacting a Herald. The Awards List is working. Most court reports are coming in and being approved, with only a little need to hunt people down.

To Senior Staff: please review your sections of the Heralds Handbook. One: he has not updated all the title changes, and two: there is always room for improvement. Pass on any fixes to him.

Pinnacle (Mercy): Baroness' Masked Ball happened, and she will get the court report in. For White Shield, Na'arah has agreed to take over the heraldic responsibilities, but Mercy would appreciate for any available heralds to come out and work (warm up for the season, training, recruitment).

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ANNOUNCEMENTS / Other Business

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Facebook Page: The West Kingdom Heralds' have their own page on Facebook, announcements, help with consultation, and more are often done there:

      https://www.facebook.com/groups/302970543102065/

MAILING LIST: The West Kingdom College of Heralds has a mailing list for internal communication. NOTE that we are only using this for announcements and we may eventually phase it out. Any herald is welcome to join by request. To join the list, please subscribe at wkheralds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

There are also individual mailing lists on Yahoo for the Principalities, but the traffic has gone to announcements only, and again these may be phased out in preference to the Facebook page noted above. Details can be found at the bottom of this page: I Need to Contact a Kingdom or Principality Herald

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: Many interesting heraldic links can be found through the SCA Heraldry web page at http://www.sca.org/heraldry, including the Laurel home page, the on-line Armorial and Ordinary (with search capabilities) and The Academy of St. Gabriel (an onomastic and heraldic consultation service). The West Kingdom Heraldry site and the West Kingdom Awards List can be accessed through the West Kingdom site, http://www.westkingdom.org. Heraldic queries may also be addressed to Vesper at herald@westkingdom.org -- answers may take a few days.

BRACHET MEETINGS

Contact brachet@heralds.westkingdom.org for external commenting participation. A central Cynagua external commenting meeting may begin soon, so watch this space!

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EXCERPTS FROM THE LOARS

The cover letters, acceptances and returns for the past can be found at http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/. If you are interested in responding to some of the calls for commentary put out by the Laurel Sovereign of Arms, please be sure to visit the site.

October 2018 LoAR (printed December 28, 2018) (West - July, 2018 LOI)

Cover Letter

From Laurel: A New Clarion

Unfortunately, Milesenda de Bourges has had to step down for mundane reasons. I've asked her deputy, Sciath ingen Chaennaig, to step into her place. We thank both for their willingness to serve.

From Clarion Herald: Assessing and Developing Educational Resources

I want to first thank my predecessors for their work as Clarion and wish them great success in the future. My initial goal will be to assess the current content and structure of the Laurel website. I'm testing a survey that I will be sending to principal heralds for distribution to all heralds. Once we have the data from the survey, the report will enable myself to work with Codex Herald to update the content and structure to better support the training and educational needs of novice heralds to experienced heralds. I expect that there will be a need to identify and develop new training materials, and I will look for volunteers to support this work. Aside from the survey, I also want to encourage kingdom Education Heralds to network and connect online, either through the Education Heralds List (http://lists.sca.org/listinfo/herald-education) or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1640540746191693/), or in person at the next Known World Heralds and Scribes Symposium in Iowa, in July, 2019. I am planning on hosting a roundtable discussion at the event. Bring your ideas and your comments! If you want to connect with me in the meantime, please contact Clarion Herald at education@heraldry.sca.org.

From Pelican: Lingua Societatis

We propose the adoption of the following new sections of SENA, replacing the existing PN1B2c (Lingua Anglica Allowance) and PN1B2f (Branch Name Allowance):

1.B.2.c. Lingua Societatis Allowance: We allow the registration of translations of attested and constructed descriptive and locative bynames into standard modern language forms. We call this the lingua Societatis rule. We allow this translation because the meanings of these bynames would have been clear to the speakers of these languages, but may be unclear to modern speakers.

The lingua Societatis rule allows a submitter to use either the modern language of the submitter's country of residence or modern English. The language of the submitter's country of residence is not limited to language(s) designated by that country as an "official" language. Multiple factors may be considered to determine whether a particular language is the "language of the submitter's country of residence," including but not limited to the language(s) used by the local SCA groups to hold business meetings, the language(s) spoken by the local SCA groups in court or at events, the language(s) in which reports, newspapers and media are published within the local area, and the percentage of the population that speaks the particular language.

The submitter's country of residence will be determined by the address listed on the submission form.

The translation of descriptive bynames must be a plausible and literal translation. Under lingua Societatis, locative bynames use standard modern forms rather than period spellings of the placenames. Under no circumstances will translations of the meanings of given names or placenames be registerable under this rule.

For example, the Norse byname inn rauð may be translated into English as the Red. It may not be translated as the bloody, the scarlet, or the like, as these are not literal translations.

For example, the Middle English descriptive byname le nymell may be translated into modern English as the nimble, as the original term may be unclear to modern speakers, even though it is in an earlier form of English. The lingua Societatis rule also permits the byname le nymell to be translated into any other modern language spoken in the submitter's country of residence. Therefore, a person living in Germany could register the modern German descriptive byname die flinke ("the nimble") based on the attested le nymell.

For example, the Spanish byname de Castilla may be translated into modern English as of Castile. The Arabic byname al-Dimashqi may be translated as of Damascus or the Damascene. However, while Cairo is derived from a word which means "the victorious", its lingua Societatis form (in English) is of Cairo, not of the Victorious, as "the Victorious" is a translation of the meaning.

Each name phrase registered under the lingua Societatis rule must use a consistent modern language.

For example, a submitter residing in Canada, where both French and English are national languages, could register either the modern French phrase le beau or the modern English phrase the handsome as the lingua Societatis form of the Old Norse byname inn fagri. However, the beau is not registerable under the lingua Societatis rule, as this name phrase combines modern English and modern French.

PN1.B.2.f. Branch Name Allowance: Name phrases may be created from the registered forms of SCA branches. The name phrase must use a lingua Societatis form meaning 'of Branchname' or 'person from Branchname'. The language used for lingua Societatis may be the language of the submitter's country of residence or English. In English, the usual lingua Societatis form incorporating an SCA branch name is 'of Branchname'.

The language of the submitter's country of residence is not limited to language(s) designated by that country as an "official" language. Multiple factors may be considered to determine whether a particular language is the "language of the submitter's country of residence," including but not limited to the language (s) used by the local SCA groups to hold business meetings, the language(s) spoken by the local SCA groups in court or at events, the language(s) in which reports, newspapers and media are published within the local area, and the percentage of the population that speaks the particular language.

The submitter's country of residence will be determined by the address listed on the submission form.

Name phrases should stay as close to the exact registered name of the branch as possible, while obeying the grammatical requirements of the language used for lingua Societatis. Translated forms based on the meaning of branch names will not be registered under this allowance, even if the translated form matches the intended origin of the submission or of the branch.

For example, this rule would allow the bynames of Carolingia or of Fontaine dans Sable, as these are the expected lingua Societatis forms using standard modern English. A submitter residing in Canada, where both French and English are national languages, could also register de Carolingia or de Fontaine dans Sable as French lingua Societatis forms. This rule does not allow the byname of the East Ridge based on the registered Shire of East Ridge because the registered substantive element of the branch name is East Ridge not the East Ridge. If Fontaine dans Sable can also be documented as an attested or constructed French name, de Fontaine dans Sable could be used in forming a fully French name, no matter the submitter's country of residence; however, that would not be through the use of the Branch Name Allowance.

For example, some modern languages (such as Finnish and German) create bynames meaning 'of Placename' by adding a suffix to the place name. Thus, a person named Helka living in Finland who wanted a byname saying she was from the branch Aarnimetsä could register the name Aarnimetsän Helka, following the rules of modern Finnish grammar. A person named Conrad living in Germany who wanted a byname saying he was from the branch Bronzehelm could register the names Conrad Bronzehelmer or Conrad von Bronzehelm. Note that this construction follows the rules of modern German grammar, rather than medieval German or Latin grammar. Modern Irish forms phrases meaning 'from Placename' using a preposition together with certain spelling changes required by Irish grammar. Thus, a person named Brigit living in Ireland who wanted a byname saying she was from the branch of Dun in Mara could register the name Brigit ó Dhun in Mhara. However, a person named Johan living in Germany who wanted a byname saying that he was from the branch of the East could not register Johan von Osten ("East" in German) using the Branch Name Allowance. The byname von Osten would have to be documented another way.

From Pelican: Use of Latin Words and Phrases From Imprese to Create Heraldic Titles

This month, three submissions from Northshield raised the question of whether Latin words or phrases used in an impresa (plural: imprese) can be used to create heraldic titles, based on the attested pattern of naming heralds based on mottoes. Past precedent stated:

Latin mottoes are now known to be vanishing rare in period; their use in heraldic titles is a step from period practice under the Rules for Submissions. We decline to rule on their registerability under the Standards for Evaluation. Any future submission based on a Latin motto should include a discussion of the suitability of such a motto for a heraldic title. [Tanczos Istvan. Heraldic title Non Scripta Herald, 10/2012 LoAR, A-East]

We now overrule that precedent in part.

An impresa was a combination of words and pictures - something that we would consider a badge combined with a sort of pithy phrase or positive word. Period authors referred to the written portion of the impresa as a "motte" or "motto." The words and phrases used in an impresa could be in either Latin or in the vernacular.

In her article "Symbols and Mottoes: The Renaissance Impresa" (http://yarntheory.net/ursulageorges/imprese/imprese.html), Ursula Palimpsest explains the origins of imprese:

Imprese first appeared in the French and Burgundian courts in the late fourteenth century. They rapidly became popular among European nobility: for a time, displays of imprese seemed to outnumber displays of heraldry. Imprese were embroidered on clothing, displayed at tournaments, painted in portraits, described in literature, and even carved into wooden ceilings.

Imprese were incorporated into portraits, such as Elizabeth I's famous Rainbow Portrait, which includes the Latin motto "Non sine sole iris," inscribed above the rainbow. In addition, imprese played important parts in late period tourney culture. Turning again to the research by Ursula Palimpsest:

Imprese were an important part of the lavish pageantry of late medieval and Renaissance tournaments. Special shields were carved and painted with the imprese pictures, and knights often dressed themselves and their entourages to match an impresa's theme. From the time of Queen Elizabeth's reign onwards, a participant in an English tournament was required to compose an impresa. Before the tournament, the knight's page presented the impresa to the Queen (or later to King James). The impresa was usually accompanied by an explanatory song or poem.

Comparing examples of period imprese with the mottoes used to create period heraldic titles, it nearly impossible for a non-specialist to determine what is a "motto" as opposed to the words from an impresa without knowing the precise context in which the words or phrases originally were used. Both mottoes and imprese generally are composed from short phrases or single positive adjectives or nouns. For example, period phrases found in imprese include:

• Sans remedy (French, 1522, "without remedy")
• Tremet et ardet (Latin, 1595, "he trembles and burns")
• Nisi dominus (Latin, 1610, "unless the Lord")
• Vous ou la mort (French, 15th century, "You or death")

Attested heraldic titles based on mottoes include:

• Joyeux Aller (Catalan, 1428, "go merrily")
• Lob den Frumen (German, 14th century, "praise the worthy")
• Mains que le Pas (French, 1451, "slowly but surely")
• Paine por joie (Catalan, 1464, "pain for joy")

Both mottoes and impresas were used in connection with tournaments and in visual, heraldically-inspired decorations of one's person and property. Distinguishing a "motto" from the words or phrases used in an impresa for the purposes of creating heraldic titles in the Society is nearly impossible for a non-specialist and unnecessarily splits hairs. Imprese were directly connected with the pageantry of late-period tournaments. It is plausible that the phrase used in an impresa could also be used to name the herald of the person bearing the impresa, at least for the length of the particular tourney if not permanently.

Accordingly, effective as of the date of publication of this letter, in languages and cultures that used imprese in period - at a minimum England, France, Italy, and Flanders - the words and phrases used in imprese can be used to create heraldic titles, even if those words and phrases are in Latin.

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West Acceptances - October LoAR

Axera Coscolano. Device. Per bend nebuly sable and Or, an empty embroiderer's quill gules.

Cormac Whitehart. Name and device. Or, a hippogriff segreant within a bordure embattled gules.

This name combines a Gaelic given name with an English byname, an acceptable lingual mix under Appendix C.

Justinian of Rivenoak. Name and device. Per pale azure and vert, in fess two corgis couchant contourny Or.

Rivenoak is the registered name of an SCA branch.

Specifying the type of breed of a dog beyond that which is normally found in heraldry (e.g. talbot or greyhound) is a step from period practice.

Mairin l'ymagiere. Name (see RETURNS for device)

Mairin is the submitter's legal given name.

Submitted as Mairin le ymagiere, the name was not correctly formed. The spelling ymagiere is feminine, as is the given name. Therefore, the definite article must be the feminine la which elides to l' before a vowel. We have changed the name to Mairin l'ymagiere to registration.

Owen Owenson. Name (see RETURNS for device

Nice 16th century English name!

Rew Payne. Name (see RETURNS for device and badge).

Rin the Merchant. Name and device. Per bend sinister vert and Or, a sprig of three cherries Or and a wooden wagon proper.

The byname the Merchant is the lingua Societatis (English) form of several Middle English bynames including le Markaund (1274).

Sabrina de la Bere. Augmentation of arms. Or, a bend sinister azure between a rose gules slipped, leaved, and singly thorned vert and a natural leopard couchant sable, for augmentation charged on the flank with a poppy affronty Or.

Séamus MacMorrough. Name and device. Gules, on a pellet fimbriated argent an hourglass Or.

Submitted as Séamus McMorrough, Mc- is a scribal abbreviation for Mac-. By precedent, "both Mc and M' will be expanded to Mac for registration purposes. Individuals with names expanded to Mac should of course feel free to use abbreviated forms like Mc and M' as documentary forms of their name." [September 2013 Cover Letter] We have changed the name to Séamus MacMorrough for registration.

This name combines a Gaelic given name with an Anglicized Irish byname, an acceptable lingual mix under Appendix C.

Based on the preferences expressed on his submission form, the submitter may be interested to know that Semus MacMorrough is an entirely Anglicized Irish form for the 16th century. If the submitter prefers this form, he may make a request for reconsideration.

Þórfinna Blackhorse. Name and device. Gules, on a bend sinister argent three horses palewise rampant contourny sable.

Blackhorse is the submitter's legal surname.

Wilhelm Appatheker vom Schwartzwalt. Name (see RETURNS for device

Client requests authenticity for 12th-14th century "Germanic." The name Wilhelm Appatheker is an authentic 13th-14th century German name. However, the spelling vom Schawartzwalt does not appear until the 15th century.

Zenaide Calvert. Name and device. Azure estoilly Or and fretty argent.

Submitted as Zénaïde Calvert, we were unable to find a period example of the given name with the various diacritical marks included by the submitter. The example in the Letter of Intent was from the 19th century. Fortunately, the spelling Zenaide appears as a saint's name in a 16th century Italian martyrology (https://books.google.com/books?id=zxUWra2MLwcC). We have changed the name to Zenaide Calvert for registration.

Calvert was documented on the Letter of Intent as the submitter's legal maiden surname. However, the submitter need not rely on the Legal Name Allowance because Calvert is a 16th century English surname. As re-documented, this name combines a French given name and an English byname, an acceptable lingual mix under Appendix C.

Artist's note: Please draw the estoiles rounder.

West Returns - October LoAR

Lars Kaal. Device. Argent, two leeks in saltire vert surmounted by a cabbage gules all between three celery plants vert.

This device is returned for multiple recognizability issues. Many commenters were unable to identify the leeks as they were obscured by the cabbage. No commenters were able to identify the cabbage. It matches neither the period exemplar nor the previously registered cabbages. Celery plants have not yet been found as heraldic charges; however, they are registerable as period European plants. Nonetheless, the small size of the celery plants hinders their identification as celery plants (as opposed to generic plants).

Mairin l'ymagiere. Device. Vert, an acanthus leaf issuant from base argent between flaunches plumetty azure and Or.

This device is returned for conflict with the device of Ioseph of Locksley, Vert, a tree eradicated argent. There is a DC for adding the flaunches. The acanthus leaf as depicted on the emblazon is indistinguishable from some period heraldic renditions of trees, and having the leaf issuant from base is worth no DC.

Owen Owenson. Device. Or, a heart gules transfixed by in fess five swords inverted azure.

This device is returned for lack of blazonability of the swords. The hilts are arranged three and two, while the tips are aligned in chevron inverted.

Upon resubmission, the submitter should provide documentation for more than one charge transfixing the same charge.

Rew Payne. Device. Argent, a raven striking contourny sable maintaining a heart gules, on a chief sable a plate between an increscent and a decrescent argent.

This device is returned for violation of SENA A2C1, which states that "While depictions that are somewhat more naturalistic than the flat stylized depictions of heraldic charges will be registered, animals and plants may not be drawn in trian aspect (with perspective)." In this submission, the raven is drawn in trian aspect, with the angle of its sinister wing showing an angled dive inconsistent with registerable depictions.

Upon resubmission, the artist should include internal detailing to aid in identification of the raven.

Rew Payne. Badge. (Fieldless) A raven striking to sinister sable maintaining a heart gules.

This badge is returned for violation of SENA A2C1, which states that "While depictions that are somewhat more naturalistic than the flat stylized depictions of heraldic charges will be registered, animals and plants may not be drawn in trian aspect (with perspective)." In this submission, the raven is drawn in trian aspect, with the angle of its sinister wing showing an angled dive inconsistent with registerable depictions.

Upon resubmission, the artist should include internal detailing to aid in identification of the raven.

Wilhelm Appatheker vom Schwartzwalt. Device. Sable, a mortar and pestle within an orle of trees argent.

This device is returned for lack of identifiability of the secondary charges. Commenters could not identify them as trees, much less alder trees, as blazoned in the submission.

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November 2018 LoAR (printed January 27, 2019) (West - No LOI)

Cover Letter

From Wreath: Call for Documentation on Single Items Above a Chevron or Per Chevron Line of Division

This month we considered a couple of submissions with two charges placed on either side of a chevron or per chevron line of division, which caused the charge at the business end of the chevron to be markedly smaller than its counterpart on the opposite side. This has long been a problem for submitting artists, who often struggle to avoid blurring the distinction between charge groups due to the size discrepancy.

Most examples we have of charges on either sides of chevrons have three charges arranged two and one. Variants on this are incredibly rare, and most involve more than two charges in chief. In order to make a determination of whether to continue allowing a single charge to be centered above the point of a chevron or per chevron line of division under the rules of Core Heraldry, I ask the College's assistance in finding period armorial examples of this practice.

From Wreath: Charged Held Charges

This month we considered a submission that had a small maintained charge that was itself charged. Commenters were unanimous in reporting their difficulty in being able to identify the tertiary charge, with several not noticing the charge at all. The submission was returned in part due to lack of documentation for the practice of charging a held charge that is not a means of heraldic display such as an escutcheon or banner. Absent such documentation, charging maintained charges that are not normally forms of heraldic display will not be allowed, due in large part to issues with identification as described above.

From Wreath: Trilliums

This month we considered a submission from Caid that involved both a trillium flower and a charged bevilled field, which would have been grounds for return for using two steps from period practice. Eridana Dolphin provided an impressive amount of documentation for French trefoils or "tiercefeuilles," including period depictions of European flowers that closely resemble New World trilliums. Because evidence was provided for the existence of such a flower in European flora known in period, this flower shape is no longer considered a step from period practice. However, we will maintain the term "trillium" to specify the leaf-shaped petals that come to a pinched point, as opposed to the rounder English trefoils or other, more stylized depictions of tiercefeuilles.

From Wreath: Hangman's Nooses

This month we considered a submission that featured a hangman's noose which was returned for the use of offensive imagery. Per an entry from the Anti-Defamation League, "The hangman's noose has come to be one of the most powerful visual symbols directed against African-Americans, comparable in the emotions that it evokes to that of the swastika for Jews. Its origins are connected to the history of lynching in America, particularly in the South after the Civil War, when violence or threat of violence replaced slavery as one of the main forms of social control that whites used on African-Americans. The noose quickly became associated with the Ku Klux Klan." Use of nooses as a hate symbol and tool of intimidation has continued to this day. Commenters were unanimous in their view that the charge was offensive and inappropriate in the SCA, and we concur. Hangman's nooses are no longer registerable in the SCA.

In Service,
Edith of Swanesdale, PaL,
Matins Herald

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SUBMISSONS – July (2018)

ITEMS SENT TO LAUREL

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RETURNS

None!

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