Unto Olwynn Laurel; Aryanhwy Pelican; Istvan Wreath; and the commenting Members of the College of Arms,

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

The Atenveldt College of Heralds requests the consideration and registration of the following names and armory with the College of Arms.

Please note: Unless specifically stated, the submitter will accept any spelling and grammar corrections; all assistance is appreciated.

1. Aleyd Czypsser: NEW NAME and DEVICE

Ermine, in dexter chief a phoenix gules.

The name is German. Aleyd is a feminine given name dated to 1384 as a variant of Adelheid, found in “Medieval German Given Names from Silesia,” Talan Gwynek ( http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/bahlow_v.htm ). Czypsser is a German locative surname found in “German Names from Kocise, 1307-1505,” Guntram von Wolkenstein ( http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/kosice.htm#4 ) and “Notes on Surnames in German Names from Kosice, 1307 – 1505,” Talan Gwynek ( http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/kosice_notes.html ), meaning 'one from the Zips'; the Zips was a large German settlement area in Slovakia (the modern spelling is Zipser), http://feefhs.org/frl/czs/dg-gps.html .

Maridonna Benvenuti notes: “Dictionary of German Names by H. Bahlow (Edda Gentry translation), p 636, s.n. Zips, Zipser: from pl.n. Zips in Silesia or Zips near Pegnitz in Bavaria, also from the Zips area in Hungary; Martin Czypser [Gorlitz] 1475, [Brunn] 1402. Names in brackets [ ] I believe to be Bahlow's sources. Josef K. Brechenmacher, 'Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen', p. 863, s.n. Zipser gives Martin Zcypser in 1475. I believe the source is Gorlitz. There is also a Martin Zipser from Alseben in 1581. I have no idea what the name would be in Slovakian, although we do have docs for a German spelling.

“I found a book when plugging in the Latin name of Zips, "Scepusium", http://tinyurl.com/yczw5ht which is Monumenta Vaticana, Acta Inncoenti VI, Pontificis Romani 1352-1362, Pragae 1907. Page 627, under Scepusium gives three spellings, ung. [Hungarian] Szepes, b. [Bohemian] Špiž, German g. [German] Zips. Square brackets are my additions.”

The client desires a female name and is most interest in the sound of the name. She would like it authentic in language/culture and time, 14th-15^th C. Slovakian German.

2. Ascelina Alánn ingen Ailella: BADGE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, January 2009

(Fieldless) On a flame gules a bat-winged unicorn rampant argent, breathing flames Or.

The name was registered December 2008.

The client's previous badge submission, (Fieldless) Two dragons segreant addorsed tails pendant and entwined argent., was returned for conflict with Iain Alasdair MacKenzie, Gules scaly Or, two dragons segreant addorsed argent. There is a CD for the fieldlessness, but the position of the tails is not worth difference. This is a complete redesign.

This is clear of Dorren of Ashwell, (Fieldless) On a flame proper, a heart argent., with 1 CD for fieldlessness and 1 CD for making the flame all gules rather than roughly half gules and half Or for the proper one used by Dorren.

3. Marceau de Valcourt: BADGE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, July 2009

Sable, semy of dumbeks Or, two women vested statant respectant maintaining between them a brazier argent flammant proper.

The name was registered July 2001.

The previous submission, Sable, semy of dumbeks Or, two women vested statant respectant maintaining between them a brazier argent flammant proper, on a chief Or three cups purpure., was returned for a complexity count of eleven, with five tinctures (sable, Or, argent, gules, purpure) and six types of charge (dumbek, brazier, flame, person, chief, cup); because the semy of charges on the field are not recognizable (not possible to tell if the depicted charges are drums or chalices/goblets, causing the submission to violate section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submission, which says "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance"; and because it violates the "sword and dagger" rule (as ruled in the March 2007 LoAR: While it is acceptable to use the same charge as both a primary (or secondary) charge and a tertiary charge, using a similar charge is not acceptable for exactly the reasons discussed in the September 1993 Cover Letter. We hereby overturn the February 2003 precedent and restore the September 1993 precedent. Due to the armorial identification problems caused by using similar but not identical charges in two different charge groups, this practice is no longer allowed. The use of identical charges as both a primary (or secondary) charge and a tertiary charge is allowed. [Desiderata Drake, March 2007, R-Æthelmearc]), as the dumbeks on the field and the chalices on the chief are too similar in appearance, though not identical, and thus violate this rule.”

Dropping the charge chief reduces the complexity count to nine (sable, Or, argent, gules; dumbek, brazier, flame, person); while this is one “over” the usual count of eight, the design has been markedly simplified, as the small amount of gules used in the flames helps the identifiability of the charge. Removing the charged chief also resolves the too similar chalices/dumbeks issue.

4. Meadhbh ni Dhubhthaigh: BADGE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, July 2009

Sable, a tankard Or, foamed argent between in chief five gouts in chevron Or.

The name was registered August 1999.

The previous submission, blazoned as Sable, a tankard Or, foamed argent and in chief five gouts in chevron Or., in the March 2009 Atenveldt Letter of Intent, was reblazoned as Sable, a tankard Or foamed argent and in chief five gouts in arch Or., by the College of Arms, and was returned for “violating our ban on having charges in arch. This practice is disallowed by precedent: "This device must be returned for using an arch of charges, a practice long forbidden in SCA heraldry." [01/2005 Atlantia R-Timothy of Shaftesbury].”.

The badge has been redrawn, with the gouts set at a much sharper angle to show that they are in chevron, not in arch. The jointly-registered badge of Uther the Dark and Christopher FitzArthur of Walland Marsh, Per fess sable and gules, a winged stag segreant argent between in chief six mullets in chevron Or., using the same arrangement of multiple charges in chief, was registered June 2007 with no comment.

5. Nefastus Maximus Antipater: NEW NAME

The name is Latin and Greek. Pushing aside classic Roman tripartite name construction for a moment, Antipater is the name of a Greek general associated with Phillip of Macedonia, c. 300 BC (too early to be used with Latin elements). However, Antipater the Idumaean (d. 43 BC) was the son of Antipas, a Greek convert to Judaism (Idumea is the Greek form of Edom, a region on the southern borders of Judea). Antipater (Antipas' son) was the father of Herod the Great, and Roman-Jewish interactions at this time are well-known (I think only a little later, some famous guy said “People of Judea! Wome is youw fwiend!”). This seems to be a plausible name element.

Maximus (“greatest, largest,” the superlative form of magnus) has been registered in SCA names in the position of a cognomen and an agnomen (“nicknames,” both of the inherited type (used by a family) and the personally applied type); it has also been registered in the “first” space to Maximus Decius Validus in 2000. I don't find it as any name element in the NovaRoma website ( http://www.novaroma.org/wiki/Choosing_a_Roman_name ), but a study of the cognomina of soldiers in the Roman Legion ( http://books.google.com/books?id=MF0KAAAAIAAJ ) does show Maximus as one of the 20 most popular cognomina.

That leaves Nefastus, “unholy, unlucky, forbidden, sinful.” It might not be a complimentary descriptor, and not one I've found, but NovaRoma's lists of documented cognomina does include unfortunate names such as Aculeo, “prickly, unfriendly”; Bibulus, “drunkard”; Bucco, “fool, dolt”; and Varro, “blockhead.”

I don't know how to correctly arrange these elements. Given that a Greek name is being used, I'd tend to think this is best as Antipater Maximus Nefastus, but I'd leave to several members of the College of Arms who are very well-versed in Classical names to provide their opinions. The client desires a male name but he also will not accept Major Changes, so that even if all elements are considered registerable, if they cannot be “rearranged” to make a more authentic name, this submission will be returned, as changing the order of name elements is considered a Major Change.

6. Perin de la Serena: NEW BADGE

(Fieldless) A cinquefoil argent within and conjoined to an annulet vert.

The name was registered December 2002.

The badge uses elements of her registered device, Per chevron argent and vert semy of cinquefoils argent, in chief two orange trees eradicated proper.

There is no difference granted between a cinquefoil and a rose. Still, this should be clear of Çinara Suberria, (Fieldless) A cherry blossom within and conjoined to an annulet argent., with 1 CD for fieldlessness and one CD for tincture of the annulet; Martin Luther, (Fieldless) A rose argent seeded of a heart gules charged with a Latin cross sable., with 1 CD for fieldlessness, 1 CD for the addition of the annulet and 1 CD for removal of the tertiary charge; An Tir, Kingdom of, (Fieldless) A rose argent, barbed and seeded, slipped and leaved, proper., with 1 CD for fieldlessness and 1 CD for the addition of the annulet; York, House of, (Fieldless) A rose argent., with 1 CD for fieldlessness and 1 CD for addition of the annulet; and Edward IV of England, (Fieldless) A rose en soleil argent., with 1 CD for fieldlessness and 1 CD for the addition of the annulet.

7. Perin de la Serena: NEW HOUSEHOLD NAME “House of the Dancing Goats” and NEW HOUSEHOLD BADGE

Azure, a goat clymant contourny and a chief argent.

The name was registered December 2002.

The household name is English, based on English inn signs. Dancing is defined as the action of the verb dance, “to leap, skip, spring or move up and down, with continuously recurring movement, from excitement or strong emotion. Said also of the lively skipping and prancing of animals, and of the heart, the blood in the veins, etc.”. A 1530 citation says “Then should ye dance as a bear,” referring to animals taught to perform certain regular movements. Goats are noted as far back in English writing as c. 700, although the COED notes a wide variety of spellings and that spellings could go so far as to distinguish between does/females (geats) and bucks/males (goats). Various spellings show goate in 1525, goats in 1601 and goates in 1628.

In February 2002, “Inn of the Weeping Unicorn” was registered to Kathryn atte Unicorn with the following commentary: There was mixed opinion regarding whether "Weeping Unicorn" fit the pattern of inn sign names. Pertinent precedents are: [Avram Ibn Gabirol. Household name for House of the Wandering Dragon] Despite what was stated on the LoI, Wandering Dragon, does not follow the pattern of inns such as House of the White Hart. A white hart could be painted on an inn sign and be identifiable as such, a "wandering dragon" could not. Barring documentation of participles of this sort being used for inn names, this must be returned. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1998, p. 21); [House Open Hearth] No documentation was given to show that Open Hearth was a reasonable inn or sign name. Sign names of the form <adjective> <noun> tend to have adjectives that can be easily displayed on a sign. "Open" is not such an adjective when applied to hearths. [Jared the Potter and Sajah bint Habushun ibn Ishandiyar al-Hajjaj, 11/99, R-Atlantia] As weeping was documented as meaning 'crying' in period, and a weeping unicorn is an image that could be visually depicted on a sign, this name is registerable.”

The use of a multiple items in an inn sign name is found in “English Sign Names,” Mari Elspeth nic Bryan ( http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/mari/inn/ ), as Ursi (“bears,” a letter referring to the end being written in Latin), 1425-6; Sevensterre. 1355 and Seuesterrys, 1379 (Seven Stars); Croskeyes, 1610; Horns (may be standardized spelling), temp. James I. All that being said, the client is amenable to changes if necessary, to the point of accepting the very simple “House of the Goat.”

In regard to blazoning the beast as a goar clymant: “Some commenters suggested that clymant was not a correct blazon and that these goats should be reblazoned as salient. This is an erroneous suggestion, as clymant may be used as a synonym for either salient or rampant goats. Parker's A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry defines clymant as "salient, applied to the goat", and, under goat, he notes that "[clymant] may be used for either salient or rampant." It is thus acceptable to use the term clymant to refer to a goat which is either rampant or salient. [Christophe de Lorraine, 11/03, A-Atenveldt]”.

8. Sara Blackthorne: DEVICE RESUBMISSION from Laurel, September 2009

Argent, on a heart gules a key fesswise reversed argent and in chief a staff fesswise entwined by a thorn vine sable.

The name was registered December 2008.

The previous submission with the identical blazon, Argent, on a heart gules a key fesswise reversed argent and in chief a staff fesswise entwined by a thorn vine sable., was returned for violating section VII.7.a of the Rules for Submissions, which says "Elements must be recognizable solely from their appearance." “The charge group in chief is not at all recognizable. Were it drawn to match the staff entwined of a vine registered to her husband, William Griffin Blackthorne, it would be registerable through the Grandfather Clause. Properly drawn, the device is clear of the device of Thomas Heath, Argent, on a heart gules, a unicorn passant regardant argent. There is a CD for the addition of the charges in chief and a CD, under section X.4.j.i of the Rules for Submission, for the change of type and orientation of the tertiary charge.” The emblazon has been redrawn.

I was assisted in this month's Letter of Intent preparation by Maridonna Benvenuti.

This letter contains 2 new names, 1 new household name, 1 new device, 2 new badges and 1 device resubmission and 3 badge resubmissions. This is a total of 10 items, 6 of them new. A check to cover fees will be sent separately.

Thank you again for your great indulgence and patience, your expertise and your willingness to share it.

I remain,

Marta as tu Mika-Mysliwy

c/o Linda Miku

2527 East 3rd Street; Tucson AZ 85716

atensubmissions.nexiliscom.com

brickbat@nexiliscom.com

Commonly-Cited References

Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland.

Medieval Names Archive. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/

Names Articles. SCA College of Arms. http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names.html

Ó Corráin, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire. Irish Names.

Reaney, P.H. and R. M. Wilson. A Dictionary of English Surnames, 2nd Edition, 1976, reprinted 1979.

Withycombe, E.G., The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd Edition. London, Oxford University Press, 1977.