[MR] HERALDRY -- Kingdom Returns

[Robert J Welenc]

Unto the Crown, Peers, and Populace of Atlantia, greetings from Lady
Alanna Volchevo Lesa, Golden Dolphin Herald!

At the April meeting of the Atlantian College of Heralds, the
following submissions were returned.

{E'}amonn mac Rioghbhardain. Device.  Back.  Redraw.
Per saltire vert and sable, an owl argent and a chief ermine.  
Chiefs are not eligible to be overall charges, nor is ‘overall' used
when charges are placed directly on the field.  The per saltire lines
should emanate from the spot where the bottom of the chief meets the
side of the shield.  The chief should not cover up any part of the
divided field.  This chief would also benefit from slightly smaller
ermine spots.

Hannah bat Levi. Device.
Gules vetu ploye Or, a pomegranate slipped and leaved Or seeded
gules.

Conflict with the badge of  Allaine de Beaumont of Glastonbury
registered June of 1995 (via Caid): (Fieldless) A pomegranate slipped
and leaved Or.  As the seeding of a pomegranate is only about a
quarter of the charge, there is no difference for the change to its
tincture.

Magnus balli Thorvaldsson.  Device. 
Per saltire sable and vert, on a plate engrailed a drakkar sailing to
sinister sable.
The large engrailing coinciding with the per saltire lines made it
difficult to tell if central charge is a plate or a delf (a square).
Reducing the size and increasing the number of engrailments will
solve the problem.

Meabh inghean Thaidg ua Domnaill. Device. 
Argent, a unicorn rampant sable sustaining a chess rook gules. 
The oddly shaped neck on the unicorn, the very narrow horn, and the
beard (one of the necessary marks of a unicorn) being tucked down
onto the chest, combine to create serious identification problems in
the colored depictions.

While it is not a problem,  we also note that the sustained charge is
not a period chess rook, but a tower.  A period chess rook has an
oddly shaped top that is split and curved.  We found no conflicts at
this time.

Nottinghill Coill, Barony of. Badge.
Vert, a triquetra within a bordure Or.
Exact conflict with the badge of Beornheard of Wearmouth, registered
in April of 1994 (via Atlantia):
        Vert, a triquetra within a bordure Or.

Nottinghill Coill, Barony of. Badge.
Vert, two swords in saltire surmounted by an arrow Or.
For the Baronial Champions.
Conflict with the badge and device of Gunther Garr: 
        Badge registered in February of 1994 (via Caid):
        (Fieldless) Two swords in saltire surmounted by a spear Or.
       Device registered in June of 1993 (via Caid):
        Per chevron chevronelly Or and azure, and azure, two swords
in saltire surmounted by a spear Or. 
Changing 1 out of 3 charges is insufficient for a CD, especially when
spears and arrows vary only by the fletching of the latter.
Inverting the charges or adding a bordure should clear the conflict.
(Irreverent comment from a Golden Dolphin staffer — "Where are the
knots?")

Roberto del Nord. Name and device.
Azure, on a pale between two oak sprigs argent, a wolf rampant sable.
The name conflicts with Robert aus dem Nord, registered in August of
1989 (via the Outlands).  If you add a surname or other byname, you
could then make ‘del Nord' a locative following the name; for example
‘Roberto di Lupo del Nord' would be clear of the cited conflict.  

An excellent source for Italian surnames is the Online Castato of
Florence, http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto/pater.txt

We found no conflicts for the device, but as we are not allowed to
form a holding name in order to send it up, we must return it as
well.

Robin of Seacombe. Device. 
Per pale bevilled bendwise sinister Or and azure, an eagle striking
to sinister and a sea-dragon counterchanged.  

The line of division is not "per bend bevilled" as submitted, but
"per pale bevilled"; the angle of the break in the line is different.

A similar device using this line of division was returned by Laurel
on the February LoAR, Returns, Outlands:

B{e'}la K{o'}s. Device. Per pale bevilled argent and sable, a hawk
volant
contourny and a skull all counterchanged.

No evidence was given that per pale bevilled is a legitimate line of
division. Furthermore, even the documented per bend bevilled cannot,
by
Laurel precedent, be used with dissimilar charges. Legh... asserts
that
the field should not be charged at all. We have, as one step beyond
period
practice, allowed the field to be used with a single type of simple
charge. The submitted device, however, would be at least two steps
beyond
period practice.

If you will contact Golden Dolphin Herald at
gdherald at atlantia.sca.org, she will send you gifs of the proper
drawing for per bend bevilled.

Siban ingen Dhomnaill.  Device.  Sable, on a pale wavy Or between two
crutches argent, a troll vert.  

The troll on this depiction is not done in a period style, but in a
modern fantasy style.  The posture, with the troll appearing to run
toward the viewer, is not blazonable in standard blazonry terms as is
required by our rules.  

In addition, the only known depiction of trolls in period armory do
not show this humanoid type of figure.  The late-period Swedish
'troll' has no head; its face is on its chest instead.  I believe
that it  may have leaves around its middle for modesty, but I can't
find my sole book with that depiction in it.  If you are interested
in this, contact me at gdherald at atlantia.org and I will see what I
can do to get you a picture.

You might be interested in other period charges of similar humanoids:
 the 'savage', a hairy bearded man girded with leaves, often carrying
a club; and the 'wild man', similarly hairy and bearded, but covered
all over with leaves.  I can send you graphics of either or both of
these.

Siobh{a'}n NicDhuinnshl{e'}ibhe. Badge.
Vert, a drop spindle inverted sable threaded argent.
Conflict with the device of Helva of Saxony, registered in November
of 1982 (via the Middle):
        Vert, a full drop-spindle argent.

There is only one CD for inverting the drop-spindle.  As the sable
parts of the spindle count for much less than half the charge, there
is no CD for changing the tincture of the spindle from argent to
sable.

Siobh{a'}n NicDhuinnshl{e'}ibhe. Household name and Badge. 
Knowne Whorl Spinning Guild. 
Azure grillage argent, two drop spindles inverted in saltire sable. 

I really regret that I have to return this marvelous play on words.
Unfortunately, all the period guild names that we can find in English
are of the form "Worshipful Company of [Occupation]."  Laurel has
decreed that names like "Spinning Guild" are too generic to be
registered; as a consequence, so would "Worshipful Company of
Spinners."

You might consider naming your guild after a patron saint of
spinning.  Here are three of them:
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintp33.htm Parasceva
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintc01.htm Catherine of
Alexandria
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saints33.htm Seraphina

"Worshipful Company of Saint Seraphina the Spinner" or "Worshipful
Company of Saint Katherine of the Wheel" would be of a period form.

Another herald suggests that "Knowne Whorl" would be a perfect name
for the guild's newsletter.

The badge suffers from color on color; charges overall, as the
spindles are, must contrast with the field, not the charges that they
lie over.  The spindles could be Or or erminois to contrast with the
azure field.

Stanwulf the Stern.   Device.
Per chevron sable and gules, a chevron between 2 crosses crosslet
fitchy and a fleur- de-lys argent.  
Conflict: Wilhelm of Greyland -- Per chevron sable and gules, a
chevron between in chief two lions rampant addorsed and in base an
eagle displayed argent.
If you see the crosses and fleur-de-lys as the important charges, and
view the chevron as a ‘divider', we suggest that you resubmit without
it.

Vincetta de Jarvain. Device change.  .
Per pale azure and argent, a wolf's head couped argent and a
catamount's head couped sable.
XI.3.  " Marshalling  - Armory that appears to marshall independent
arms is considered presumptuous.
	 Period marshalling combined two or more separate designs to
indicate descent from noble parents and claim to inheritance.  Since
members of the Society are all required to earn their status on their
own merits, apparent claims to inherited status are presumptuous.
Divisions commonly used for marshalling, such as quarterly or per
pale, may only be used in contexts that ensure marshalling is not
suggested.

	a.   Such fields may be used with identical charges over the entire
field, or with complex lines of partition or charges overall that
were not used for marshalling in period heraldry.

	b.   Such fields may only be used when no single portion of the
field may appear to be an independent piece of armory. No section of
the field may contain an ordinary that terminates at the edge of that
section, or more than one charge unless those charges are part of a
group over the whole field.  Charged sections must all contain
charges of the same type to avoid the appearance of being different
from each other."

This submission with two different types of charges on either side of
a per pale line is a classic form of marshalling.

Alanna
***********
Saying of the day: Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail.