The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory - SCA Heraldry

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The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory:The Rules for SubmissionsA name is said to presume on a protected name if it is not substantially different in sound and appearancefrom it or creates an unmistakable claim to close relationship with that protected individual in any of theforms we protect. The standards for substantial difference and unmistakable relationship claims are set out inPN.3 above as "identity conflict" and "relationship conflict" respectively, except that such items are notregisterable, even with permission.People from all periods of history including the present may be important enough to protect. Given the natureof the Society, people who lived within the scope of our period are somewhat more likely to be consideredimportant enough to protect than people from other places and times. For individuals important enough toprotect, we protect all forms in which their name was known, including in other languages, but nothypothetical forms. We only protect names that are used either today or in the time when they were alive torefer to these protected persons.For example, we protect Christopher Columbus, Cristobal Colon, Christophorus Columbus, etc. as these wereknown forms of the name of the famous explorer. However, while Carlos V of Spain was also the count ofBarcelona, we do not protect him as Carlos of Barcelona, as his name was not recorded or referenced in thisform.1. Non-SCA People Protected from Presumption: A personal name submission is only considered topresume on protected personal names. Names of important non-SCA individuals are protected frompresumption. People who are not important enough to have an entry in a standard print encyclopedia, suchas the Encyclopedia Britannica, are generally not important enough to protect. Newly famous individualsmay rarely be considered important enough to protect even if they have not yet appeared in a printencyclopedia. Individuals who do have an entry must be further considered. People are consideredimportant enough to protect if they meet the following standards.Sovereign rulers of significant states are generally important enough to protect. Some historical city-statesare not considered significant states. Provinces or regions integrated into larger units like the Holy RomanEmpire are not generally considered significant states. Sovereigns of small states that did not give risedirectly to modern countries will not be protected under this clause, nor will legendary kings of any state(though these kings may be individually important enough to protect).Individuals whose names are recognized by a significant number of people in the Society without having tolook them up in a reference are generally important enough to protect. Individuals recognized only byspecialists in a subject are unlikely to be important enough to protect. Individuals who are only recognizedwith the assistance of reference books are unlikely to be important enough to protect.Individuals whose work and/or life are still influential today are generally important enough to protect.Those whose work significantly shaped the course of world history, science, or the arts are generallyimportant enough to protect. This is generally measured by examining measures like the length ofencyclopedia articles about the person and his/her work, numbers of search engine hits for the individual,and the like.Fictional characters may also be considered important enough that their names need to be protected.Fictional characters are generally important enough to protect when two conditions are met. They are: a) asignificant number of people in the Society recognize the character's name without prompting and b) the useof the name would generally be considered by those people a clear reference to that character.Even if a piece of armory is not considered important enough to protect from presumption, the use of a pieceof historical armory combined with the family name of the holder may be presumptuous. For details, see A.6,Presumption below.Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory – April 29, 2012 - Page 19 of 73
The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory:The Rules for SubmissionsE. Claim of Non-Human Status: A personal name may not give the false appearance of being a territorial name,a rank or title, or an order or award; a name may make the appearance of a household name on a case by casebasis. A personal name may not be identical to the name of any non-personal entity we protect.For example, while Town and Kingdom can both be documented as given names, both Town of Princeton andKingdom of Ealdormere create the false appearance of being a territorial entity. Similarly, while House can bedocumented as a given name, House of York creates the false appearance of being a famous English royalhousehold. However, Kingdom Jones or House Smith do not give this false appearance.PN.5. Personal Names OffenseA. Definitions: No name that is offensive to a large segment of members of the SCA or the general public will beregistered. Offense is a modern concept; just because a name was used in period does not mean that it is notoffensive to the modern observer. Offense returns are rare because the bar for determining offensiveness isquite high; it has not been unusual for years to pass between returns for offense.Offense is not dependent on intent. The fact that a submitter did not intend to be offensive is not relevant.The standard is whether a large segment of the SCA or the general public would be offended.Similarly, offense is not dependent on clarity. A foreign language name that has an offensive meaning maybe considered offensive, even if many English-speaking listeners would not understand the term withoutexplanation.B. Types of Potentially Offensive Names: Several types of names are defined as potentially offensive:1. Vulgar Names: Names which include pornographic or scatological terms will not be registered. Whilesome documented bynames refer to body parts, those which refer in explicit ways to genitals will not beregistered, such as certain Old Norse bynames. Bynames which refer to other body parts are not generallyvulgar and may be registered. Likewise, names that have been used as euphemisms for genitals are notconsidered vulgar and may be registered.Names that will be understood by the modern English listener to be offensively vulgar will be consideredvulgar even if the meaning in the original language is not vulgar. Relatively small changes to nameelements can remove the appearance of vulgarity.2. Offensive Religious Terminology: Names which include religious terms used in a way that mock thebeliefs of others will not be registered. This includes both incongruous combinations and combinations thatare excessively religious and may be offensive to believers and non-believers alike. Most religiousterminology is not offensive. Names with non-offensive religious terminology may be registered.For example, the incongruous combinations Muhammad the Pope or Mary the Harlot of Babylon would notbe registerable.3. Derogatory Stereotypes: Names which include ethnic, racial, or sexuality-based slurs and references toderogatory stereotypes will not be registered. This is not dependent on the period associations of the usage.It is an issue based on modern understandings of the offensiveness of terms. General references to ethnic,racial, or sexual identities are not offensive and may be registered.4. Offensive Political Terminology: Names which include terms specifically associated with social orpolitical movements that are offensive to a particular race, ethnicity, religion or similar group will not beStandards for Evaluation of Names and Armory – April 29, 2012 - Page 20 of 73
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GermanDoubleGivenNamesGerman Yes Ad
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Sea-Creatures, Wyverns, etc.:The St
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