Unto Their Royal Majesties Thomas and Ilora; Master Seamus, Aten Principal Herald; the Heralds in the Atenveldt College of Heralds; and to All Whom These Presents Come,

Greetings of from Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy, Brickbat Herald and Parhelium Herald for the Kingdom of Atenveldt!

This is the October 2012 Atenveldt Letter of Presentation. Please have commentary to me by 15 October 2012.

The Commentary, it is a-changing: While Letters of Presentation will continue to be posted on the atensubmissions.nexiliscom.com website, commenters should look for them on the OSCAR site in order to make timely commentary. OSCAR is now set up to show Letters of Presentation (known there as Internal Letters of Intent or ILoI), and comments can be posted there directly – you do NOT have to create a separate email/document for your thoughts. It is quick and easy, and you can see what fellow heralds have to say (that's the best part!). Even if you're a little shy about saying anything, this is the place to see the submission process in action – at least the portion after the client hands the submission packet to his/her herald. LoPs are there to catch the conflicts and tweak submissions in-kingdom to correct them, clear up questions, and give them the greatest possibility of being registered once they appear in a Letter of Intent.

Heraldic Consultation Table at Kingdom Arts and Sciences: There will be a Consultation Table at Kingdom A&S, in the Barony of Atenveldt, 13 October. If you're a herald or are interested in learning about the process of consultation, you are welcome to drop by and “sit in.” There will be resources there, and a laptop (if you'd like to bring yours, that's fine, too). If you know someone who's itching to submit a name or a piece of armory, please tell them! We'll also be able (hopefully) to tell folks the current status of their submissions.

(Oh, and there will also be books of various and divers interest, to benefit the Friends of the Pima County Public Libraries. Woohoo!)

Speaking of submissions: I accept direct-to-Kingdom submissions from heraldic clients, and although I've thought for years that this was not the most favorable route to take, particularly if a group has a territorial herald (or in the case of baronies, is required by Corpora to have a warranted pursuivant), it appears that a lot of people who want to submit names and armories are unable to take the local herald path through no fault of their own. It is evident that in many cases in this kingdom, this is the only reasonable and timely way for a submission to be made. Bear in mind that if a submission is sent directly to the Parhelium office, the local herald will receive a copy of the submission for the local file, in addition to receiving a copy of the Letter of Notification regarding the submission when it is finally considered by the College of Arms; the local office will not receive the “local” portion of the submission fee if this is a new submission.

Local heralds must remember to send submissions accepted by their hand in a timely manner as well (i.e., within one month of receiving a submissions packet). If you cannot connect with me at an event (very likely) or attend Heraldry Hut, submissions need to be mailed within one month (IMPORTANT!) of a local herald receiving them, unless there is a valid reason for return at the local level. My address: Linda Miku, 2527 E. 3^rd Street, Tucson AZ 85716.

Submissions Website: You can send electronic commentary on the most recent LoPs/internal LoIs through the site, in addition to any questions you might have. Current submission forms (the ONLY forms that can be used) can be found on the site, along with guidelines for painlessly filling out the forms. Please let your local populace know about the site, too: atensubmissions.nexiliscom.com.

The following submissions are under consideration for inclusion in the October 2012 Atenveldt Letter of Intent:

Arria Silvana (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Per fess vert and sable, a unicorn's head couped argent and three Arabian lamps Or.

The name is Latin. Both elements are found in “Roman Names,” http://www.larp.com/legioxx/nomina.html. Arria is listed as a woman's name, and Silvana is the feminine form of the cognomen Silvanus.

The client desires a female name and is most interested in the culture of the name (Roman). She will not accept Major changes to the name.

Disa Knýtir (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Vert, between two rabbits sejant respectant a ball of yarn argent.

Disa is a feminine Swedish name dated to 1354, found in “Swedish Feminine Names,” Sara Uckelman, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/swedish/smp/smp1350.html. Knýtir is a Norse byname meaning “knitter,” found in “Viking Names found in the Landnámabók,” Sara Uckelman, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/norse/vikbynames.html. The client desires a female name and is most interested in the meaning of the name, as she is a knitter.

Játvarðr Þorvarðarson (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME CHANGE to Norman Tobrecan and NEW DEVICE

Argent, a sun in his splendor sable between three gouts azure and a bordure invected sable.

The client's currently registered name was registered January 2011 via An Tir. If the new one is registered, the old one should be maintained as as alternate. Norman is the client's legal given name (photocopy of DVM accompanies the submission); it is also an English masculine given name dated with this spelling to 1273 (Withycombe, 3^rd edition, p. 230 s.n. Norman). The cliendt believes that the byname is Anglo-Saxon, meaning to “to break” or “the breaker.” The Old English Made Easy site (http://home.comcast.net/~modean52/index.htm) gives the definition as “tóbrecan...to break in pieces, break up, shatter, destroy, ruin, wreck, overthrow, annul; diffuse; break through, violate, force; interrupt.” We don't know how a byname conveying this idea of a person who breaks or destroys things would be constructed. The client desires a male name and is most interested in the meaning of the name, and to a lesser extent, the sound of the name.

Varinn inn Spaki (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Per pale sable and gules, a dragon's head cabossed and in base a Thor's hammer Or.

Varinn is a masculine Old Norse name found on the Rök Runestone and in Dictionary of Norse Runic Names (http://www.sofi.se/images/runor/pdf/lexikon.pdf), p. 225, Varinn. inn Spaki is an ON byname meaning “wise” (“Viking Names found in the Landnámabók,” Sara Uckelman, www.ellipsis.cs/~liana/names/norse/vikbynames.html

The following submissions appear in the September 2012 Atenveldt Letter of Intent:

Commentary is provided by Alys Mackyntoich [AM], Aryanhwy merch Catmael [AmC], Ásfríðr Úlfvíðardóttir [AU], Gunnvor silfraharr [Gs] and Marta [MMM].

Annika Sveinsdóttir (St. Felix): NEW NAME

Annika is the client's legal given name (copy of driver's license provided to Laurel). Sveinn is a male Old Norse given name (“Viking Names found in Landnámabók,” Aryanhwy merch Catmael, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/norse/landnamabok.html ). The byname is formed in the manner found in “A Simple Guide to Creating Old Norse Names,” Aryanhwy merch Catmael, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/norse/sg-viking.html). The client desires a female name and is most interested in the meaning (simple ON patronymic) and sound of the name.

Betruger Lautermilch (Sundragon): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Sable, on a roundel argent an hourglass vert.

The client was notified as to the problem with Betruger being a common noun, not a given name, and he was asked to choose a given name, preferably in German, as the other elements are German as well. He has gone with Gereon. St. Gereon of Cologne was a Roman soldier from Egypt who was beheaded for his faith on the site of the church named in his honor, in the 4^th C. Like the legend of St. Ursula, his story was much elaborated over the centuries and he was eventually said to have been accompanied by a large group of martyrs. The Church of St. Gereon was first built around 380 AD on the site of the martyr's grave outside the city. It had an oval shape, which is still reflected in the present church. Its design is believed to have been similar to the Minerva Medica in Rome. Most of the present building dates from the Romanesque period, beginning in 1067. The second level and dome of the decagonal nave were completed in 1227 (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/cologne-st-gereon). Gereon's feast day is 10 October. [MMM]

<Lautermilch> shows up in early 17th century familysearch.org results with a Jacob Lautermilk, 1623 (marriage date), batch number M01973-4. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J4KR-RDN (Many thanks to Ásfríðr Úlfvíðardóttir for finding this spelling!)
This will be sent on as Gereon Lautermilch der Betruger; he wishes to maintain betruger, meaning “the deceiver.”

Magnus von Lübeck provided the precedent that prohibits the three-dimensional depiction of an hourglass:
[October 2009 LoAR, R-Outlands] Eowyn Erthton. Device change. Sable, a griffin statant tail nowed between three hourglasses argent.
This device is returned because the hourglasses are drawn in trian aspect, showing three dimensions. We do not allow most items to be depicted in trian asspect unless that depiction is necessary for identifiability or the charge is typically depicted that way in period armory. Hourglasses do not require depiction in trian aspect to be identifiable, nor are they typically depicted that way in period armory, so this must be returned for a redraw.

The client was notified as to this problem, and

Brietta inghean Cathasaigh (Twin Moons): NEW NAME and DEVICE: Per fess wavy gules and sable, a unicorn salient and in chief three mullets argent.

Following <inghean>, <Cathasaigh> needs to be lenited to <Chathasaigh>. [AmC, AM]

The wavy is pretty shallow and we don't get a view of a full repeat of the sine wave. I would suggest an artist's note that there need to be somewhat deeper hills and valleys on the wavy. If the unicorn was tipped up a bit, the head would fall between the two hills and the line would be more understandable. [Gs] It has been redrawn with a bolder line of division.

Evja Starsdóttir (Sundragon): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Per bend wavy argent and azure, two natural dolphins naiant in annulo counterchanged.

The name is Old Norse. Evja is a female name found in “The Old Norse Name,” Geirr Bassi Haraldsson, p. 9. Starr is found as a male ON name in Nordiskt runnamnslexikon (The Dictionary of Norse Runic Names), Lena Peterson (http://www.sofi.se/images/runor/pdf/lexikon.pdf), and the byname is formed in the manner found in “A Simple Guide to Creating Old Norse Names,” Aryanhwy merch Catmael, http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/norse/sg-viking.html). The client desires a female name and will not accept Major Changes to the name. She will not allow the creation of a holding name.

In the July 2012 LoAR, the device submission for Magdalena da Parma, Counter-ermine, in fess two trout palewise, bellies to sinister, that in sinister inverted, Or., was registered with the following commentary: “This device is in violation of section A3D2c of the Standards for Evaluation, which requires charges in a group to "be in either identical postures/orientations or an arrangement that includes posture/orientation." While trout addorsed or respectant would be unremarkable and good period style, no evidence has been presented and none was found of the posture/orientation of the trout here. However, there is no such restriction under the Rules for Submission, and so this device is registered.” The CoA has phased out use of the RfS as of that date, and this may be violation of SENA. The client's dolphins, however, are in annulo, a posture that may be found in period armory with three or more charges, although the Zurich roll has the very peculiar Or, a stags antler conjoined to itself in annulo tines outward sable., associated with Summerau (http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ZurichRoll/). [This submission was on its way when the phase-out of RfS went into effect; if it is returned, we'd have a course of action to follow for a subsequent resubmission. Any assistance or suggestions would be appreciated.]

Gwendolen Wold (Sundragon): NEW BADGE: Per fess azure and sable, an increscent argent and a brazier Or enflamed proper.

Most of the commentary centered on the incorrect depiction of flames proper. The client was contacted and asked that they be rendered as correctly-tinctured flames, alternating Or and gules. The rounded-bottom brazier is taken from the Pictorial Dictionary, Second Edition. [MMM]

Padraig Shield Breaker (Windale): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Per chevron gules and sable, a chevron between two eagles Or and a ram's head cabossed argent.

Pádraig is the Irish Gaelic form of the client's legal given name, Patrick. It is a common Early Modern Irish Gaelic male given name, dated 1205 through 1578 (Index of Names in Irish Annals: Pádraig,” Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, http://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/Masculine/Padraig.shtml). Since it is combined with English elements, the diacritical is dropped. Shield Breaker is a constructed byname. Most bynames of this sort tend to be of the < verb + noun > construction: Brekespere 1206, Brekelaunce 1334; Brekpole 1447, Brekeleg 1243 (all Reaney and Wilson, 3^rd edition, p. 62, s.n. Break-), along with Shakeshaft and Shakespeare and its many spelling variations (R&W, p. 430). However, le Sheldmakere appears in 1285 (and earlier, Sheld 1267), both likely referring to a maker of shields, rather than something like Makesheild (R&W, p. 405, s.n. Shield). It seems that an individual whose prowess on the fighting field or in a tournament is most known with destroying his competitors' weapons and accoutrements could have this particular nickname, given the number of “break-” bynames, and that names referring to shields and their makers is also known. It is probably more correct as a single word, Shieldbreaker. The client desires a male name. If Shield Breaker/Shieldbreaker won't work, he will consider Breakshield. According to SENA, Appendix C, Early Modern Irish Gaelic and Middle and Modern English elements can be combined into a single name.

Taileflaith inghean Carthaig (Wealhhnutu): NEW NAME

Taileflaith is an Old Irish Gaelic feminine name dated 777-885 (“Index of Names in Irish Annals: Taileflaith,” Mari Elspeth nic Bryan, http://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnnalsIndex/Feminine/Taileflaith.shtml). Carthaig is a genitive form of the masculine name Carthach (“100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland ,” Heather Rose Jones, http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/irish100/); these names are roughly pre-Norman, seen prior to the 12^th C. inghean is the patronymic particle indicating, “daughter of” (“Quick and Easy Gaelic Names,” Sharon Krossa, http://medievalscotland.org/scotnames/quickgaelicbynames/). The client desires a female name.

William the Millwright (Sundragon): NEW NAME and DEVICE: Per chevron inverted argent and azure, a chevron inverted checky sable and argent between two chisels crossed in saltire sable and a crab Or.

The client desires a male name and is most interested in the meaning of the name, a person who's a millwright.[MMM]

This very shallow chevron is not checky. It's a chevron per pale paly bendy sable and argent and paly bendsinstery sable and argent. I would also recommend an artist's note to cross the chisels at the collar, and to be very careful about detailing so that these don't end up looking like cricket bats or planks etc. [Gs]

Unfortunately, this is going to be a problem with "Unity of Posture" in SENA. The clarification in the May LOAR specifically identified "Two swords in saltire and a Lion" as an example of what not to do--I don't think that changing swords for chisels is going to help us. "From Wreath: Unified Posture and Arrangement Section A3D2c of the Standards for Evaluation, Unity of Posture and Orientation, states: ...For example, two lions and an eagle is in a standard two-and-one arrangement for a group of three charges, and is a mixed-type charge group consisting of quadrupeds and birds. Quadrupeds and birds do not have comparable postures, so this is allowable under A3D2c. For example, two lions and a bear sejant is a mixed-type charge group consisting of quadrupeds; as quadrupeds do have comparable postures and the lions and bear are not in identical postures, this is not allowable under A3D2c. For example, two swords in saltire and a lion is a mixed-type charge group consisting of inanimate charges and animate charges, which do not have comparable postures. However, the entire group is not in a single unified arrangement, but instead has the swords and the lion arranged separately. This is not an allowable arrangement under A3D2c, without further documentation of its use in period." [TW]

I am so mystified by Unity of Posture of charges that I am forwarding this submission, in the hope that I can learn from it and so can instruct the client were this to be returned. I'd also like clarification as to whether this is an acceptable form of checky, if it would have to have a longer blazon as suggested by Gunnvor, or if this depiction could be registered at all. [MMM]

Thank you all for your continuing hard work for the Atenveldt College of Heralds and the people of Atenveldt!

Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy

c/o Linda Miku

2527 East 3^rd Street

Tucson AZ 85716

brickbat@nexiliscom.com

atensubmissions.nexiliscom.com