1 September 2000, A.S. XXXV

Kingdom of Atenveldt

Unto Their Royal Majesties Mathias and Sarolta; Lady Isabel d'Avron, Aten Principal Herald; the Heralds in the Atenveldt College of Heralds; and to All Whom These Presents Come,

Greetings from Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy, Brickbat Herald!

This is the September 2000 internal Atenveldt Letter of Intent. It precedes the external LoI that will contain the following submissions, asking questions of submitters and local heralds who have worked with them; if these questions are not addressed, the submission may be returned by the Atenveldt College of Heralds. You are encouraged to comment upon these submissions, even if you fear that you might not have enough "experience" to offer your opinion. Please have commentary to me by 25 September. I accept electronic commentary: brickbat@nexiliscom.com.

Heraldic Consultation Tables: There will be an Heraldic Consultation Table at the following events, bringing a number of name resources, and accepting submissions: Kingdom Collegium (Saturday, Mons Tonitrus); and Southern Crusade (Saturday, Mons Tonitrus/Tir Ysgithr). You are welcomed and encouraged to spend time at any of these Tables, helping people determine name and armory submissions--it is a great place to brush up on "book heraldry." I am also teaching two classes on Saturday morning of the Collegium: Name Submissions and Elements of Heraldic Design.

Submission Fees: If a submission is being run through "ordinary channels" (via the local herald's office), the office keeps $1.00/submission for its use, be it for postage, photocopying, or supplies. Please be aware that I will not accept a new submission if it does not have the appropriate fee accompanying it at the time of arrival; it causes too much bookkeeping hassle to have the fees "chase" the paperwork or administrative ends of the submission process. Checks/money orders should be made out to "College of Heralds, Kingdom of Atenveldt, SCA, Inc." Again, I only need three copies of any submission (and necessary documentation); anything more is a waste of postage and photocopying.

Held vs. Returned Submissions: I have tended to separate "held" submissions from "returned" submissions, making the distinction between submissions that need only a "tweak" (something like a clarification of a charge, a slight spelling of a name) to keep them moving toward registration vs. those that need more work, and, if submitted in the present form, would likely not to be registered by the College of Arms (for example, a piece of armory that has a definite conflict). I regret that I am changing this policy, and henceforth, any submission with any problem or question will be considered a returned submission, no longer actively in submission. I am finding that many of the "held" submissions, which could've been fixed easily (and often without additional paperwork or other grief), have been allowed by their submitters to languish. I don't want to be accused that these submissions were still "in submission," if such a question arises, such as in regard to submission status for potential contenders or consorts in Crown Lists.

Submissions Website: The online site for current and archived Internal and External Letters of Intent, in addition to other armorial and name resource goodies, is coming along slowly-there's not much to see yet, but that can only mean it will be terribly exciting to return to it and see all the new and interesting things on it! So far there is a mirror site for the Armorial and Ordinary AND current submission forms! Commentary on current internal LoI's, suggestions for the site, and questions about armory and names can be directed to the site via atensubmissions@nexiliscom.com. (The above email address for me remains viable as well.)

Please consider the following submissions for inclusion in the October LoI (if I bring up questions or comments about a submission, local heralds or anyone who knows the submitter should attempt to contact them for clarification, so that the submission process is not delayed...thanks):

Asmarani (Windale): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Azure, a scimitar fesswise, blade to base, argent between two camels statant Or.

The name is Arabic. I provisionally accepted this single-element name because I didn't have adequate resources to document it at the Arts and Sciences Table (the submitter is aware that another element will need to be added). She was told the name means "dark eyes." I have been in correspondence with a native Arabic speaker who has informed me that the -ani ending is a masculine ending, suggesting that the bearer is a "dark man" (asmar, "dark). The name would be an acceptable masculine given name or an acceptable family name (he says that family/surnames can be either gender-his own surname, Samra, in fact means "dark lady"). The submitter has two fairly simple options in incorporating this element into a name. She might consider using it as a family name and choosing a feminine given name (e.g., Fatima Asmarani), or, if she doesn't care that she would be using a masculine given name, use it as such as choose a locative as a byname (e.g., Asmarani al-Bagdadi); using a place name would avoid the very structured son vs. daughter patronymic construction found in period Arabic names. I will contact the submitter with this information.

Brenda MacGhie of Kintyre (Sundragon): NAME RESUBMISSION from Laurel, April 2000; NEW DEVICE

Tierced per pall Or, azure and purpure, a heart gules and two crossbows Or.

The submitter's original name submission, Brenna Michaela Sine Macghie of Clan MacKay, was returned for use of a justifiably Italian given name with other elements of a Gaelic name. There is also no evidence of Scottish or Irish names with two (or three) given names. There is no evidence of the use of Clan <X> in names, and Macghie of MacKay implied that the submitter is the clan chief or the clan chief's daughter, which is presumptuous. The submitter is using her legal given name, which eliminates the Brenna issue. Macghie is a Scottish surname, from the Irish MagAoidh (p. 496, Black). Kintyre is a peninsula on the western coast of Scotland. This is far more in keeping with period Scottish and Irish Gaelic naming practices.

The point of the tiercing should be brought down a bit so that there is no question that this is field division, rather than a "too deep" chief triangular (ambiguous renderings of tierced per pall or chief triangular has been a reason for return).

Erik the Relentless (Aurochsford): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, September and July 2000

Purpure, chape ploye, a standing seraph argent.

Both name and device were withdrawn from Laurel consideration at the submitter's request.

The name is a change from a previous submission Erik Kastanrazi. The name is English; Erik is his legal given name, from Norse. Relentless first appears in English written form in 1592, very late period; by that time, names were very standardized, and it was far more likely to have the name John Baker or James Black rather than John Baker or James the Black (indicative of the person's coloration or disposition). I suspect that the CoA would allow this as a "typical SCA" name, but something that is synonymous with

relentless but is in earlier period usage (Erik the Cruel) would be better.

The device is a complete redesign of his original submission.

Etain und Ruprecht von Tielwasser (Atenveldt): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Vert, on a plate a raspberry gules, capped vert, a chief azure.

The name is German (I think); no documentation has been received (in fact, no name forms accompanied the device submission). Withycombe cites Etain as an English version of the Irish woman's name Etaoin (p. 107); it seems to be registerable in the SCA, although the Irish version (with a fully Irish name) appears to be more often used. Ruprecht is found as an early 14^th C. masculine name in "Late Period German Masculine Given Names from 14th Century Plauen," by Talan Gwynek (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/germmasc/plauen14.html).

This is an example of a submission that should have been returned at the local level. There is a simple tincture conflict here; the chief is a charge, and as such, violates the rule of tincture by having color (azure chief) on color (vert field). In addition, this is in conflict with a badge registered to the Barony of Naevehjem: Vert, on a plate within an annulet Or, an ermine spot gules. There is 1 CD for change of secondary charges (annulet to chief), but no CD for the tertiary charge on the plate (ermine spot vs. raspberry).

Franziska Geredrudis Kesselheim (Sundragon): NEW DEVICE

Gules, a pall inverted Or between two unicorns rampant combattant argent and a natural tiger couchant argent, marked sable.

While the design is fine and there are no conflicts with the device submission per se, there are problems with the unicorns. They are actually unicornate horses, which have not been registerable in a number of years; the heraldic unicorn has a horn, but also cloven hooves, a beard and a lion's tail. In addition, this is not a period posture for the unicorns; it is more like forceny (the natural "rearing" of a horse) than rampant, with all four limbs splayed out and very apparent in profile, or salient, with the forelegs and the hindlegs together, as if the beast were leaping. The submitter needs to be notified to see what beast she prefers and which posture they should be placed.

Garran the Silent (Sundragon): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, August 1998

Per pale argent and Or, two wyverns combatant, the dexter gules and the sinister sable, tails interlaced.

The submitter originally submitted under the name Garrin the Silent, which was returned for lack of demonstrating Garrin as a period given name. The submitter maintains that Garran is an (Anglicized) version of an Irish given name Garraghan/Garahan/Garron, since there exists the Irish surname Magraghan (p. 421, Irish Names and Surnames, Patrick Woulfe, Irish Genealogical Foundation, Kansas City MO, 1992). The Irish surname MacGarran is dated to 1330 in Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland, by Robert Matheson, p. 85 (Dublin, 1901). While I cannot find the name in O Corrain and Maguire, Woulfe is an accepted Irish name source for the CoA, and this is a persuasive argument. Considering that the epithet is English, it seems reasonable that an Irish name would be Anglicized.

The device was held pending resubmission of the name. (Thanks to the gentleman for redrawing his submission on the new forms!)

Honor Caitlin NicCurtain (Sundragon): NAME CHANGE from HOLDING NAME (Honor of Sundragon), Laurel, April 2000

The original submission, as seen above was returned for mixing English and Gaelic spelling and for having two given names in Irish. The submitter prefers to have both given names rather than having the name being strictly Irish. I suspect that this three-element name could be considered an English name for someone of Gaelic heritage; however, I think it would be more appropriate that the surname be Anglicized as well, either using the one of the Mac patronymics (Mac Cuirtin, Mac Cruitin, MacCruttin, MacCuertin, MacCurtain, Mac Curtain) or letting it stand on its own (Curtin). Could the lady choose her preference? :)

Treasa Callan (Sundragon): NAME RESUBMISSION from Laurel, January 1999, and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, August 1998

Argent, a natural leopard's head erased purpure, marked argent.

The name is Irish. It was originally submitted in this form, and it was returned by the CoA because Coghlan, the only source cited, for Treasa, is NOT a reliable Irish name source; the submitter again has only provided Coghlan as the sole name documentation. (The closest Irish name we'd been able to find, in O Corrain and Maguire, is the masculine given name Tressach/Treasach, which since the name is not following the gender-associated Old Irish name construction, would not seem to be a problem.) There is no reason to send this submission on, as the CoA will only return it once more for inadequate documentation-nothing has been added to reverse the original return. There should be no problem with the byname Callan, since (O) Callan is found in MacLysaght's Surnames of Ireland.

As might be expected, there are several pieces of armory close to this very simple one. I think that they are all clear of conflict, providing that the spots/marking on the leopard are considered a form of semy, which provides 1 CD from that of a similar feline head that is only purpure. In straight profile, the head nearly looks like a lion's head with mane; does the submitter have any objection to "smoothing out" the curve of the back of the panther's head? The marks should probably be drawn 2-3 times larger so it is apparent from a distance that the head is indeed spotted. (On the other hand, there is nothing to say that one couldn't have a lion's head erased purpure, semy of roundels argent.) I am including a redrawn, smooth panther head for the lady's consideration.

The following submissions appear in the 1 September 2000 Atenveldt Letter of Intent (most of you have not seen these submissions, but they were reviewed at my August meeting, so that I had something include in a September LoI!):

Ailonóra ni Echmercach (Tir Ysgithr): NAME RESUBMISSION, change of holding name "Ailionóra of Tir Ysgithr" from Laurel, February 2000

The submitter was assigned the holding name to protect her registered armory. Her original submission, Ailionóra Caointiarn, was returned for using two Irish feminine given names. There are no period examples of Irish names consisting of two given names, nor is there evidence that metronymics were used in Ireland; the only examples found involved genealogies of royalty whose claim to royalty involved descent through the female line. The name is Irish, and both elements, Ailionóra, a period female given name, and Echmercach, a period male given name, here being used as a patronymic, are found in Ó Corráin and Maguire, p. 18 and p. 83, respectively.

Ásta Torvaldsdóttir (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Purpure, a chevron couched from dexter interlaced with a chevron couched from sinister, Or, surmounted by three arrows inverted in fess argent.

The name is Old Norse. Ásta is a woman's given name, found on p. 7 of Geirr Bassi's The Old Norse Name; Thorvaldr, found on p. 16, forms this patronymic, according to the chart on p. 17.

Bartolo di Benci (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Gules, on a lozenge between four horses rampant in cross Or, a horse rampant gules.

The name is Italian, and both elements are found as given names in the 1427 Castasto of Florence (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/italian.shtml). The di particle is used to form a patronymic surname. "Portrait of Ginevra Benci" was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474.

Cecilia Kedzierzawy (Tir Ysgithr): NEW NAME and DEVICE

Azure, a swan rousant contourny, wings elevated, inverted and addorsed, argent, maintaining a lute by the neck Or, a bordure ermine.

Cecilia is the name of a 1^st C. Catholic saint, the patron saint of music, is dated to 1154-89 in "Feminine Given Names in

A Dictionary of English Surnames", by Talan Gwynek (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/talan/reaney/). Boleslaw Kedzierzawy (the Curly), 1146-1173, was a senior prince (in Cracow), found in the "Inside Poland" website and an associated historical timeline (http://www.insidepoland.pl/htmls/middle_ages.html).

The bordure needs to be at least twice the current width (and three times the width, particularly since it has ermine spots, would be a good idea). I have already widened it on the emblazon enclosed here; it is probably a good rule of thumb that a bordure charged with a semy of any charges, including ermine spots, should be wide enough so that a complete element of that semy can be seen.

Danyel Vendredi de Lyon (Atenveldt): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, July 2000

Per pale vert and argent, a compass star counterchanged, on a chief sable a spear argent.

The name is French, originally submitted as Danyel Lyon le charretier de Vendredi. There were some problems with word order and non-locative elements being used as locatives. Danyel and Vendredi are both found in "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris," by Colm Dubh (http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/paris.html). De Lyon is a locative (p. 401, Dauzat).

Franziska Geredrudis Kesselheim (Sundragon): NEW NAME

The name is German. Franziska is the German form of Frances, and Geredrudis is the Old German form of Gertrude (p. 120 and 132, respectively, Withycombe). Kesselheim, "kettle home," was not found as a period surname although we have found several families with this surname on the net; it also has been registered to her mother, Rosalinda Gertrude Kesselheim, January 1999.

John Turner of Kingsbridge (Atenveldt): NAME RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, August 2000

The submitter's original name submission (John Turner) was held for being identical to his legal name; adding a locative solves this problem. John is one of the most common English given names in period (pp. 178-9, Withycombe). Turner is an occupational surname; this spelling is dated to 1191 (p. 357, Reaney and Wilson). Kingsbridge is documented to 1220, according to "A Collection of 613 English Borough Names for Use in Locative Bynames" (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/badger/placenames.html#K).

Jonete Malisoun (Sundragon): NEW DEVICE

Per bend sinister sable and vert, a bend sinister indented between two roses argent.

The name was registered January 1999.

This is lovely (and yes, anyone can use a rose on his/her armory!). There should be just enough difference between this design and Anastacia of Warwick, Vert, a bend sinister rayonny between two roses argent, barbed and seeded Or. There is 1 CD for tincture difference of the field and a second CD for the line of division difference on the bend sinister.

Kayleigh von Brückenheim (Atenveldt): DEVICE REUBMISSION from Laurel, April 2000

Or, an artist's brush and a reed pen inverted in saltire sable between flaunches azure, each charged with a tower Or.

The name was registered April 2000.

The original submission, Azure, on a pale between two towers Or an artist's brush and a reed pen inverted in saltire sable., was returned because the The pen and the brush were difficult to tell apart, particularly as both were drawn as black silhouettes. Therefore, this must be returned for using two similar but non-identical charges on a device (the "sword and dagger" precedent). There was some apparent miscommunication with the design of the original submission, as the submitter wanted charged flaunches rather than a charged pale. This might not address the "sword and dagger" precedent return, but as the brush and pen are now the primary charges and can be drawn larger and more distinctly, I am willing to resubmit this and see if the CoA will register it.

Li Ming Fa (Sundragon): DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Kingdom, 1 April 2000

Vert, a lotus flower affronty argent between two lions sejant respectant gardant, each with a forepaw raised, Or.

The name appears in the 1 April 2000 Atenveldt LoI.

The original device, similar in design, was held by the Atenveldt CoH for using a generic "feline," rather than a definite beast; the lady has chosen to use lions rather than domestic cats or natural tigers, although they are all considered the same type of beast. This is close to Athena nic Raghnaill Sgitheanaich: Vert, a bend ermine between two domestic cats sejant erect guardant Or. There is one CD for the change in primary charges (bend vs. lotus), and hopefully a second CD for field orientation of the beasts (Athena's cats are in bend sinister; these are in fess; additionally, Athena's cats are both oriented to dexter). This is also close to Gwynaeth Pembroke, Vert, a kris bendwise sinister inverted between two domestic cats sejant guardant Or. There is one CD for change in primary charges (kris vs. lotus), and again, hopefully a second CD for orientation of the beasts on the field (Gwynaeth's cats are in bend and are oriented to dexter). As drawn, it might also be argued that two sets of primary charges are used here, the lotus and the pair of lions, which also assists in avoiding conflict.

Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy (Tir Ysgithr): NEW ALTERNATE NAME, Baga Bagbaazai

The name is Mongolian, "Little Bat." One Mongolian naming convention was to incorporate terms for animals into names, such as Arlsan, "Lion," Khara Gulug, "Black Puppy," or Jali Bukha, "Crafty Bull" ("Mongolian Naming Practices," Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy).

Maria Elena Hurtado de Mendoza (Tir Ysgithr): NAME and DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, April and January 2000

Per pale azure and purpure, a triquetra Or between the wings of a pegasus head couped at the shoulder, argent.

The submitter's original name submission was returned for using a literary coined name (Dulcinea) from a post-period book. Maria and Elena are Spanish given names, both found in "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century", by Juliana de Luna (http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/juliana/isabella/). Juan Hurtado de Mendoza, the third son of the Grand Cardinal Mendoza, was named in 1520 as the Captain General of the Infantry (http://www.esfera.com/mendoza/juanhurt.htm).

The device is a complete redesign of the original, withdrawn at the submitter's request (on the 1 January 2000 LoI) from Laurel consideration. A winged pegasus' head can be found in the armory of Linette Marie Armellini d'Addabbo (July 96), Per chevron argent and azure, two unicorn's heads couped and a pegasus' head couped at the shoulder, counterchanged. This could probably be blazoned as a winged horse's head, in the manner that many things, however odd, might be winged (winged grenades, winged chess pieces, etc.) in armory.

I remain,

Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy

brickbat@nexiliscom.com