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Minutes of the November, 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 – November 17, 2019
(11:20 am to 3:23 pm)

ATTENDEES:

Alizan De la Fontaine, Vesper; Edith of Swanesdale, Matins; Krysta of Starfall, PaL; Gwenhwyfaer ferch Gwilym, Baldric; Hirsch von Henford, Golem; Astrið of Swansvale, Green Banner; Frederick of Holland, PaL; Eilis o'Boirne, Green Crown; Aasa Thorvaldsdottir, PaL; Kean de Lacy, Bratchet; Rew Payne, Black Mark.

In remote attendance: Ommadan inigena Ru, Cornet.

COLLEGE OF HERALDS MEETINGS

Heralds' Meetings for 2020: January 5 (at Twelfth Night), March 8, May 17, July 26 (THIS IS A CHANGE), September 20, and November 15. 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: 2019: December 18, 2019 for the January meeting, February 26, May 6, July 15 (THIS IS A CHANGE), September 9, and November 4. 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

Vesper (Alizan): Heraldry is happening. She is currently looking for a new location for meetings. One location has been offered, still looking for any other choices. She is still seeking an officer to hold the Town Cry office.

She is working to get a few completed scrolls that were never claimed to their owners.

Many thanks to Krysta of Starfall for her long-serving as host for the meetings.

Seawolf (Domamir): Investiture occured, all went smoothly. Court reports were submitted and confirmed. Some parts of the investiture ceremony may be reviewed for update.

Sable Swan (Moira): No report received.

Stellanordica (Bianca): No report received.

Exchequer (Domamir): The College remains solvent. He has sent an e-mail to the SCA College of Arms Exchequer to find out if we need to send a payment in, but has not heard back as of yet. Q3 reports are due at the end of this month and he expects to have them done sometime this next week.

Matins (Edith): Deputy (Hannah): Submissions continue to come in and get processed. She is looking for a deputy/replacement, if anyone is interested in training for this position.

Clerk of the College: This position is being closed for now, as the services it was instituted to cover are no longer needed or are now handled by other offices.

Many thanks to Krysta of Starfall for her service in this role.

Green Crown (Eilis): Court happened, awards were given, court reports are processing in a timely manner. The Order of the Boar is coming back at Twelfth Night. Their Majesties are looking into an award for Youth Combat.

Baldric (Gwenhwyfaer): May 2020 Arts Faire - Sat. May 9 - Track of Heraldic Courses - please coordinate with Gwenhwyfaer if you would like to teach something. Note this is an outdoor/camping/weekend-long event. Green Banner will attend and have Table open for at least a portion of the day.

November 2020 Collegium - Sat. Nov. 14 - Track of Heraldic Courses - please coordinate with Gwenhwyfaer if you would like to teach something. Note this is an indoor, one-day event.

Brachet (Kean), Leveret (Ræv): He's been doing commenting and consulting. Senior Laurel Staff has offered compliments on his commentary.

Green Cloak (Ari Ella): Crown happened, nothing exploded.

Green Trumpet (vacant): Deputy Support: Juliana of Sunset Shire. 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.

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 (Spring, June, Fall), Beltane, and Purgatorio Coronations in coordination with Green Cloak. Additionally, for West v. An-Tir War every other year when the Host of the war is The West.

Green Banner (Astrið/Aasa): Consultation went to the various Kingdom and Principality tourneys in the past two months, and did quite a bit of business.

As of today, Astrið has passed this Office to Aasa Thorvaldsdottir.

Many thanks to Astrið for her many, many years of service in the Office.

Congratulations to Aasa on her new position.

Golem (Hirsch): He has been super busy. Including going through the History site's Who's Who and hunting down every piece of armory that has been registered. He is also comparing this to the LoARs and OandA. Items are getting fixed across all the platforms, including the artwork for armory.

Court reports are coming in in a timely fashion, and Royalty is being good approving.

The Ceremony Book had a complete overhaul recently. The fonts are changed to make it easier to tell Royal words vs. herald words, and some other similar changes. Several phrases are now less gender-specific.

Discussion around Silent Heraldry and bringing it to the West.

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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.

July 2019 LoAR (printed October 7, 2019) (West - No LOI)

Cover Letter

From Wreath: Tabard Design and the Use of Trumpets

There has been some discussion lately on whether and how one may display the badge for the College of Arms of the Society for Creative Anachronism: "Vert, two straight trumpets in saltire, bells in chief, Or."

Like any officer's badge, use of the herald's badge as a personal accessory such as a medallion or baldric marks the bearer as an officer of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and specifically a representative of the College of Arms. Determination for who may wear the badge is delegated by Laurel to the Principal Heralds of each kingdom, but if a person is a branch herald, a member of the kingdom heraldic staff, or is acting by appointment of any of the people named above, they may wear the trumpets as an indicator of their role and authority as a herald. Appropriate situations for wearing the herald's badge include duty shifts as field or cry heralds, consultation tables, and official correspondence.

Unlike the anachronistic use of officer's badges, heralds' tabards are a historical garment with a long and proud tradition. When wearing a tabard, a herald is not a representative of the College of Arms, but is instead an officer of the person whose arms appear on the tabard. As such, the tabard should only bear the arms of the noble for whom the herald is speaking, and should only be used in contexts when the herald speaks for their Noble (e.g., court, important ceremonial moments such as the final round of Crown Tournament, etc.) The crossed trumpets badge should not appear on any herald's tabard, nor should any badge; tabards should bear one set of arms alone, and they should be consistent on the front, back, and sides of the tabard.

For more information on the proper design and construction of a herald's tabard, please see the class handout made by Bruce Batonvert and Magistra Astra Christiana Benedict: http://mistholme.com/miscellany/heraldic-tabard-construction-2014/

From Wreath: No, You Can't Have A Badge For Your Particular Heraldic Office

This month, we received a submission for a badge for the office of silent herald for a principality. The badge had previously been returned administratively in November 2018, due to the long-standing prohibition on registration for subsidiary officer positions under the auspices of a Society-level officer by anyone except said Society-level officer. The badge was resubmitted with no statement addressing the previous return, and it's clear that there's still some confusion on the issue.

To reiterate: Badges already exist for both the office of Herald and the office of Silent Herald. With the exception of a tinctureless seal for the principal herald of a kingdom, no territory may register a badge for a heraldic office. Existing badges for subsidiary heraldic offices, especially ones registered without association after the ban was put in place, should be either repurposed for other use by the territory or quietly released.

From Wreath: Changes to Official Emblazons

This month we considered a device change to replace a device that had been redrawn by kingdom without submitter approval prior to its registration. The redrawn device was identical in blazon to what had been originally submitted, but with a very different style of charge depicted, and the submitter did not care for it. Commenters asked if a device change could be used to modify an emblazon when there is no blazonable difference between the two.

Beyond correcting an egregious error, there are several reasons one might wish to change their official emblazon. Perhaps the artwork was done at an event with few heraldic artists, and was identifiable but not particularly artistic. Perhaps the artwork is being used by scribes who are using the official record of the emblazon to depict the submitter's arms or badge on a scroll. Perhaps the submitter has taken an artist's note from Wreath to heart and wishes to have a more correct form of their emblazon on file. Perhaps the submitter has an outdated depiction of flames proper (i.e. gules fimbriated Or or Or fimbriated gules) and wishes to have a more period-appropriate depiction on their official record.

For whatever reason (beyond a clerical error by the College of Arms), a submitter may submit a new emblazon as a device or badge change, with all of the requisite paperwork and submission fees expected of such an action. Please note that if the blazons are identical, only one registration may be held; one may not have multiple active registrations of the same armory.

From Wreath: Unity of Orientation and Posture

Two years ago, I stood in front of the College at KWHSS and promised that within a few months I would have a definitive ruling on Unity of Posture and Orientation that would be comprehensive, easy to understand, and more permissive than previous rulings had been. I wrote my draft that month. And then a submission came through that required me to revisit the draft. This continued pretty much every month since that fateful Road Show. So I thank you all for your patience, and want to assure you that I've not been negligent in this goal.

SENA A3D2c reads, in part: "c. Unity of Posture and Orientation: The charges within a charge group should be in either identical postures/orientations or an arrangement that includes posture/orientation (in cross, combatant, or in pall points outward, for example). A charge group in which postures for different charges must be blazoned individually will not be allowed without period examples of that combination of postures."

While the language seems simple, it makes a lot of assumptions about which types of charges will be in the charge group. The examples given in the rule have three lions in different postures, three pheons in different orientations, and a note about crescents, increscents, decrescents, and crescents pendant. The rule does not address how to compare the posture and/or orientation of dissimilar charges within the same charge group. So the question arises: What should be compared? My predecessors and I each struggled with the nuances of this question, but the consistent principle of all of our rulings has been the same:

If the charges in the charge group can be in the same posture, orientation, or arrangement that includes posture or orientation, they must all be in the same posture, orientation, or arrangement.

There are some basic categories of charge that have comparable postures and orientations. They are:

Animate Charges (Posture)

• Standard quadrupeds
• Quadrupeds that can be tergiant (reptiles, amphibians, moles)
• Birds
• Insects, arthropods, and other crawling critters with too many legs
• Fish and other non-limbed aquatic life
• Humanoids (including mer-folk)
• Tailed non-humanoid bipeds (sea-creatures, wyverns, cockatrices, etc.)
• Serpents

Inanimate Charges

• Compact, non-orientable charges (suns, roses, roundels, annulets, etc.)
• Compact, orientable charges (crescents, fleurs-de-lys, compass roses)
• Long charges

Generally, charges in each of these categories are not comparable. Serpents cannot be rampant because they haven't the requisite limbs, while bears cannot be nowed because they are not long or flexible enough, so a bear rampant and a serpent nowed may be in the same charge group despite requiring different terms to describe their relative postures. A sun is a radially symmetrical charge that has no orientable top or bottom, while a spear is a long charge that has a definitive top, bottom, and angular orientation. Thus, a spear bendwise and a sun may be in the same charge group despite requiring a specified orientation for only one of the charges.

Within each category, charges are comparable, and so must be in comparable postures or orientations. For purposes of this rule, defaults are disregarded; while the default postures of a lamb and lion are passant and rampant respectively, if they appear in the same charge group they must be in the same posture. For orientation, this is a bit more permissive; the default orientation of a sword is point up while the default orientation of an arrow is point down, but the assumptions of top and bottom are a default-based concept; as long as they are both in the same orientation (palewise, bendwise, fesswise, etc.) or in an arrangement that involves their orientation (in cross, in saltire, in chevron, etc.) then whether they are point-up or point-down is immaterial. If, however, there are two swords in the same charge group, they must both be oriented with the point either to chief or to base, to dexter or sinister, because they are identical charges.

There are two major exceptions to these categories. The first is if one charge in the category is in an orientation or posture that another charge in the same category cannot take on. For example, there are quadrupeds which are almost exclusively found as tergiant in period, such as lizards, tortoises, and frogs. If these charges appear in a charge group with another quadruped which is not found as tergiant in period (e.g., a lion) then they must either be tergiant (and thus not comparable) or in an identical posture to the other quadruped. In other words, a lion rampant and a tortoise tergiant is acceptable, but a lion rampant and a tortoise statant is not. As another example, a stag's attire is usually found straight (and thus a long, orientable charge) but is also found in annulo in period. However, a sword (a long, orientable charge) cannot be in annulo. If a stag's attire and a sword are in the same charge group, they must either be in comparable orientations, or the attire must be in annulo (effectively rendering it a compact, non-orientable charge and thus in a different category).

The second major exception is when an orientation of an animate charge is modified from the posture which is inherent to its orientation. Humanoids, sea-creatures, and most quadrupeds have postures with an inherent and immutable orientation (e.g., rampant or statant erect have the body palewise, passant and statant have the body fesswise). But some postures have orientations that are found to be flexible in period. We see, for example, eagles displayed fesswise and both tortoises and frogs tergiant fesswise. If two charges in orientation-flexible postures appear in the same charge group, they must be in the same orientation for purposes of SENA A3D2c.

West Acceptances - July LoAR

none

West Returns - July LoAR

none

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August 2019 LoAR (printed October 31, 2019) (West - May 2019 LoI)

Cover Letter

From Wreath: So, About Those Tabards...

Last month, I discussed when it was appropriate for heralds to wear the badge of the College of Arms, stating that the crossed trumpets should not appear on a herald's tabard when they are speaking on behalf of a Royal or Noble; in such instances, the arms of that Noble should appear on the tabard on front, back, and sides.

This generated a substantial amount of lively discussion, wherein several members of the Society both within and without the College voiced several concerns about intent, the status of existing regalia, and whether the College of Arms was phasing out the use of the crossed trumpets entirely.

So, without further ado, some clarifications:

The purpose of the initial post was to draw a line between when a herald is acting as an officer of the Society and as a member of the College of Arms, when wearing the College's badge is appropriate, and when a herald is acting as the voice of an individual or estate, in which case the arms of that individual is appropriate. This came about because there were issues with individuals wearing the badge of office despite not being an officer of the SCA, and behaving in a manner that portrayed the College and the SCA in a less-than-positive light.

Many expressed concerns about whether existing tabards with royal arms on front and back and trumpets on the sleeves were no longer allowed to be used and had to be immediately decomissioned. This is false; existing garments and other equipment currently in use can and should remain in use until they are no longer serviceable and need to be retired. Replacements should be made in keeping with the guidelines provided. This is in keeping with precedents involving regalia that go back to the July 1984 Cover Letter.

In the initial ruling, I discussed heralds wearing the crossed trumpets on duty shifts, such as field heraldry, town cry, or consultation tables. Several kingdoms have tabards which exclusively bear the crossed trumpets for this purpose. Continued use of such tabards by heralds acting in their capacity as officers of the SCA is acceptable, and needn't be discontinued.

The use of the crossed trumpets as an officer's badge is a tradition nearly as old as the SCA itself, and the badge will not be phased out in the foreseeable future. It's a part of the shared cultural identity of the College of Arms, and is instantly recognizable by anyone in the SCA.

That said, we are an organization of history enthusiasts, and a subgroup that focuses on pageantry and regalia. There is so much information about the garmentry and accessories of heralds in period, and those heralds who research and emulate their forebearers enrich the overall appearance and pageantry of the Society. I encourage duty heralds who wish to wear the badge of their office to find ways which are appropriate to their time period and culture.

If you have further questions about use of the crossed trumpets badge, please contact your Principal Herald, or reach out to me directly.

From Wreath: Charges In Annulo

On the January 2019 LoAR, I asked for commentary on what form of charges in annulo not in their default orientation, if any, should be allowed in SCA armory. This discussion was a culmination of two years struggling to give clear and unambiguous guidance to submitters who wanted animate charges chasing one another in a circle. This is a very popular motif with submitters, despite it being ruled a step from period practice. I recognize the difficulty in finding the balance between authenticity and aesthetic, and am sensitive to the need to appease submitters.

However, successive attempts to minimize the number of animate charges one can recognizably put in annulo has led to charges whose postures are warped out of a recognizable heraldic posture; artists frequently focus so much on making a given charge appear to be an arc of an annular shape that they've lost sight of the identity of the charge as a stand-alone creature with a recognizable posture. This is in no doubt due to the rulings that I and my predecessors have made in attempts to clarify the rules and make them easier for submitters to understand. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred.

Current precedent (most recently upheld in December 2018) states that charge groups of five or fewer charges must form an annular shape through their orientations and postures, or risk being returned. The example from December 2017 states that "Three wolves rampant, heads to center, cannot be in annulo, because their arrangement and orientation do not suggest an annulet. However, three wolves courant can be in annulo, provided their bodies curve and conform to the shape of an annulet." The December 2018 return, which featured three bears in a triangular shape, noted that "the bears are passant, with straight backs that flex inwards, and with lowered paws that rest on a straight plane. No circle is formed or even implied by their placement, so they cannot be considered "in annulo" per the above ruling."

So what do we mean by "in annulo?"

For a single charge, "in annulo" can be a posture or orientation, such as the attested postures of dragons in annulo, or the attested orientation of a stag's attire in annulo. Use of "in annulo" as a posture is limited to those charges who are attested to have used it in period, while the orientation is more flexible.

For multiple charges, "in annulo" is an attested (though rare) arrangement similar to and almost indistinguishable from "in orle," where the placement of the charges on the field forms a roughly circular shape. This arrangement is separate from their orientation, and so the shape must be formed with enough charges to establish the existence of a circle. This distinction between arrangement and orientation has been the major source of confusion, so it's important to distinguish how many charges may be arranged "in annulo."

Two charges cannot be arranged "in annulo" as their relative placement is more accurately described as "in pale," "in bend," "in fess," etc. Likewise, three charges cannot be arranged "in annulo" as their placement can be more accurately described as "one and two" or the default for three charges, "two and one." And four charges cannot be arranged "in annulo" when "in cross" or "in saltire" are more accurate descriptions.

Therefore, a charge group must have a minimum of five charges, with a preference for six or more, in order to be arranged "in annulo." Four or fewer charges will no longer be blazoned "in annulo" for submissions appearing on external letters of intent after February 1, 2020.

Separate from the arrangement of charges "in annulo" is the common but largely unattested orientation with the charge's primary axis either parallel or perpendicular to the circle the charges form. This rotational symmetry is almost entirely absent from period armorial design; when it does appear, it's seen almost exclusively with inanimate charges, e.g. a lunel (an Iberian motif formed of four or five crescents conjoined, horns to center).

Arrangements are usually orientation-neutral (in fess, in pale, in bend), but there are examples of arrangements of two long charges that include orientation by default. The classic example is "in saltire." For five charges in the charge group, the items in saltire are arranged two, one, and two, with no orientation implied. However, with two long charges in the charge group, the orientation is supplied; one is in bend sinister, with the other surmounting it in bend. "In chevron" or "in pall" likewise can be orientation-neutral for several charges, but become orientation-specific for two or three long charges, respectively.

For inanimate charges, charges "in annulo" are orientation-neutral; the five crescents above are blazoned first by arrangement (in annulo) and then by orientation (horns to center).

The problem with this model arises when submitters attempt to use the "in annulo" motif to circumvent the prohibition of animate charges inverted; that is, using "in annulo" as an orientation. Animate charges have postures, which have inherent orientations. In the October 2018 return of the joint badge for Mir Netronin and Mikael MacLeod, it was ruled, "The posture of a quadruped relies heavily on the context of the orientation of its spine. Known period examples of quadrupeds who have nonstandard orientations are almost always on bends, and always with their head oriented towards chief. Absent documentation, quadrupeds in nonstandard orientations relative to their postures will be returned."

There being no evidence of animate charges oriented in annulo, the continued allowance of this step from period practice relies on whether it causes identifiability issues. As noted in the May 2018 Cover Letter, steps from period practice that fall under SENA A2B4d "are tolerated because they're remarkably popular and function effectively as armorial elements without causing undue confusion. However, inclusion or exclusion of these charges in past rulings was far more subjective, and such elements could cease being registerable if they became problematic."

That said, moving forward we will allow animate charges oriented in annulo as a step from period practice only if the following criteria are met:

1. There are a minimum of five charges in the charge group
2. The charges form the appearance of an annulet, either solid or broken
3. Each charge is independently recognizable in both type and posture

Points 2 and 3 above are important to consider together. As noted at the start of this article, charges in past submissions have been warped to form an annular shape at the expense of individual identification. This has been and will continue to be grounds for return.

Animate charges which are attested in period to be in annulo singly, such as serpents and dragons, will continue to be registerable without a step from period practice.

Other attempts to circumvent the prohibition on inverted animate charges, such as in cross four wolves statant, bellies to center, will require evidence of those charges appearing in that posture and orientation in period armory. The classic example is three rabbits courant conjoined at the ears found in the arms of Harewelle, Hasloch, and other families in period.

The new ruling will apply to all submissions appearing on external letters of intent published after February 1, 2020. Existing precedent will be applied to submissions appearing in letters published before that date.

From Wreath: Non-Tergiant Reptilian and Amphibian Quadrupeds

Last month, I issued the long-anticipated comprehensive discussion on Unity of Posture, wherein I differentiated between standard quadrupeds and those quadrupeds which are primarily found in tergiant postures, such as tortoises, frogs, and lizards. This month, we discussed two separate submissions with tortoises in non-tergiant postures, including statant and rampant.

While lizards and frogs have long enough legs that standard quadrupedal postures are recognizable, the presence of the full-body shell and short legs on a tortoise provides a more difficult problem of identifiability. There is one example of a tortoise in a non-tergiant posture in period, and it is statant, the "natural" posture one sees a tortoise in profile. As it is attested in period, we will continue to allow tortoises in statant postures.

For other standard quadrupedal postures, such as rampant, tortoises will be allowed only as long as the charge and the posture may be unambiguously identified, with the limbs extending from the shell in sufficient length to be clearly seen. However, for submissions appearing on external letters of intent published after February 1, 2020, such depictions will carry a step from period practice.

From Wreath: Tierces, Gores, and Gussets

In the March 2019 Cover Letter, we asked commenters do discuss whether there was a reason consistent with the principles of SENA to continue the long-standing ban on charged tierces, gores, and gussets. As noted in that letter, the ban dates from the February 1991 Cover Letter, when Laurel introduced the ban due to "what is becoming overwhelming support for the idea" of banning them. With no discussion on either period practice or potential presumption, there was little guidance for considering either the intent for the initial ban, or the necessary documentation to overturn the ban.

Gunnvor Orle provided several examples of uncharged tierces with complex lines of division, both on their own and with other charges directly on the field. She also provided some examples of armory which may have either been charged tierces or marshalled armory. Due to concerns about the appearance of marshalling, charged plain-line tierces will continue to be banned. However, as a complex line of division erases the appearance of marshalling for a field divided per pale, it stands to reason that a complex line of division on a tierce would also clear the appearance of marshalling for a charged tierce.

As for gores and gussets, they are similar in nature to other peripheral ordinaries that are allowed to be charged under current rules. There are no examples of charged gores and gussets, but until further documentation can be provided that supports it, we will allow charged gores and gussets as a step from period practice, along with charged complex-line tierces.

To sum up:

• Charged gores, charged gussets, and charged complex-line tierces are now allowed as a step from period practice.
• Tierces with other charges directly on a field are no longer a step from period practice, due to period evidence supporting the practice.
• Charged plain-line tierces are still disallowed, as they risk the appearance of marshalling. Charging an existing uncharged plain-line tierce as an augmentation will be allowed on a case-by-case basis.

From Wreath: On the Use of Memes Like "Hail Hydrate"

Recently we have had a series of submissions from waterbearing enthusiasts who are also fans of Marvel Comics. These submitters have taken it upon themselves to register badges which feature references to the logo of Hydra, a villainous organization within the Marvel comic and cinematic universes about which Pelican has already had an opportunity to discuss (cf. Anthony de la Mare, House of the Silver Hydra, February 2019 LoAR). The badges frequently feature bottles, gouttes, or other water-based emblems as a visual representation of the phrase "Hail Hydrate!" currently making its way through the SCA.

The phrase itself is a reference to the Hydra cry, "Hail Hydra," itself a reference to the Nazi cheer "Heil Hitler." Since its earliest days in comics, Hydra has been a stand-in for Nazis, with a backstory involving the Nazi Party and WWII, an expressed neo-fascist philosophy, and goal of global domination. These are the unequivocal bad guys, and their chant intentionally evokes Nazi rallying cries.

As a phrase in the SCA, the phrase "Hail Hydrate!" functions less as a show of allegiance to neo-fascism and more of a pop-culture shibboleth used to remind people to drink water. Its users mean well, and are just looking to have a bit of fun.

However, several in the SCA, especially Jews, persons of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, have expressed concerns about large groups of people chanting ersatz Hitlerian salutes at SCA events. Apart from the issue of being obtrusively modern, the normalization of fascist symbols as "jokes" feels both tone-deaf and a flag to white supremacists that their views are welcome.

Pop-culture jokes in the SCA have a long and storied history, and no one wants to be the fun police. However, I remind the reader that every joke has a price, and one should be cognizant of whether the person is willing and able to pay it.

As for the armory submissions? Well, most of them are far enough removed from the logo avoid a return for obtrusive modernity, and any line that can be drawn around the symbols for offense will only be skirted by those who either have malicious intent or are insistent upon making their joke.

However, every joke has a shelf-life, and the "hail hydrate!" joke has about run its course. By the time your submission ends up on an LoAR, people might well be tired of it. At which point, you have a badge that you paid for, expressing a joke that is no longer funny, and which makes people uncomfortable.

If you wish to use a badge that shows you are a waterbearer, consider the use of the badge registered to the Society specifically for waterbearers, Argent, a goutte de larme within another voided within a bordure azure. It's ubiquitous, instantly recognizable, and doesn't evoke comic books and Nazis.

West Acceptances - August LoAR

Adhela of Otterdam. Name and device. Quarterly sable and argent, a tree counterchanged, in chief three fountains.

Submitted as Adhela of Ottersdam, the only documentation for the locative byname was as the modern name of a road in the Netherlands. In commentary, ffride wlffsdotter provided evidence of Otterdam as a German place name. As no period evidence for the spelling Ottersdam could be found and the submitter allows all changes, we have changed the name to the attested Adhela of Otterdam for registration.

Alric Ælles sunu. Name (see PENDS for device).

The submitter requested authenticity for 6th century Saxon. This name does not meet his request. Although the name Ælle is found in the late 6th century, the first evidence of the name Alric is from the late 7th century. However, the name may be authentic for 9th century Anglo-Saxon.

Alyce des Arbres. Name and device. Sable, a crow displayed, on a chief argent two crows addorsed regardant sable.

Submitted as Alyce de la Rue de l'Arbre-Sec, Kingdom issued a correction during commentary clarifying that the submitter preferred the name Alyce des Arbres. We are pleased to register the name in that form.

There is a step from period practice for the use of the displayed posture by a bird other than an eagle.

Annette of Faire Monte. Reblazon of badge. (Fieldless) A thistle vert headed of a flame proper.

Blazoned when registered in August 1979 as (Fieldless) A flame slipped and leaved with thistle leaves, all proper, this is better described as a thistle headed of a flame.

Ashlin inghean Ui Gallchobhair. Name and device. Argent, a dragon couchant contourny purpure between three triquetras vert.

Submitted as Aislinn inghean Ui Gallchobhair, the given name Aislinn is wholly modern. We have no evidence of its use as a period name in any language. With the submitter's permission, we have changed the given name to Ashlin_, a 16th century English surname used as a given name.

Although G- is required by standard Gaelic grammar to lenite after inghean uí, Brian dorcha ua Conaill provided the necessary examples without lenition per the July 2017 Cover Letter so that we do not have to change the spelling of the byname.

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

Artist's note: Please draw all of the charges larger and bolder to fill the available spaces.

Cattuvir maccu Luga. Name.

Submitted as Cattuvir mucoi Luga, the name was not correctly constructed. The name elements are based on Ogham inscriptions, which always use the genitive (possessive) forms of the names. Only the nominative forms of names can be used as given names. It is unclear whether the nominative form of the given name was also Cattuvir or was Cattuviras. In addition, the nominative form of macoi should be maccu. Giving the submitter the benefit of the doubt as to the form of the given name, we have changed the name to Cattuvir maccu Luga for registration.

The submitter requested authenticity for 6th century Irish language and culture. As both elements were recorded on Ogham stones dated to the 6th century, this name appears to meet the submitter's request.

Cecilia Nail. Name and device. Per bend Or and gules, a squirrel rampant and a dragon counterchanged.

Submitted as Cecilia Nailo, the surname Nailo was a mistaken transcription from the source document in the FamilySearch Historical Records. We were unable to find any other evidence supporting the form Nailo. With the submitter's permission, we have changed the name to Cecilia Nail_, using an attested 16th century English surname.

Christiana of Danegeld Tor. Name (see PENDS for device).

Danegeld Tor is the registered name of an SCA branch.

Guillermo del Norte. Name and device. Argent, a fox rampant proper maintaining a lute bendwise sinister purpure, a bordure sable.

Ívarr Eiríksson. Name.

Nice 9th-10th century Icelandic name!

Ottilie Huber. Name and device. Azure, an open book argent, on a chief embattled Or three roses proper.

Nice German name from the late 13th century onwards! In fact, this precise name is found in the FamilySearch Historical Records in a christening record from Basel, Switzerland in 1548.

Waleric von Bredereke and Catriona Morgan. Joint badge. Per pale gules and argent, a sword inverted sable between two lions rampant addorsed counterchanged, a bordure raguly sable.

Artist's note: Please make the raguly crenellations deeper, about as deep as they are wide.

West Returns - August LoAR

none

West Pends - August LoAR

Alric Ælles sunu. Device. Vert, a goat's head erased between flaunches argent, upon each a compass star vert.

This device is pended for redraw due to the use of mullets elongated palewise. In the October 2013 Cover Letter, it was ruled:

"We had two submissions this month that featured a mullet elongated palewise. We have no evidence that such artistic treatment of a mullet was ever done in period armory at all, and we grant no difference between a mullet and a mullet elongated palewise.

However, we do have period evidence of mullets elongated to base (i.e., only the base ray is stretched out), but those appear to be a variant of a comet, not normal mullet. An example of such a comet can be seen in the 16th century Italian armorial Insignia Nobilium Patavinorum, BSB Cod.icon. 275, on f.65r (found at http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00001422/image_137).

Therefore, as we would like to avoid confusion between comets and mullets, mullets elongated pale wise will no longer be registerable after the April 2014 decision meetings.

There is a step from period practice for the use of the compass stars.

This was item 3 on the West letter of May 31, 2019.

Christiana of Danegeld Tor. Device. Per chevron purpure and gules, a chevron between a sun and three hearts Or.

This device is pended for redraw due to the chevron being too low. Wreath staff has redrawn the artwork and sent it to the submitter for approval.

This was item 7 on the West letter of May 31, 2019.

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In Service,
Edith of Swanesdale, PaL,
Matins Herald

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SUBMISSONS – November (2019)

ITEMS SENT TO LAUREL

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