The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory - SCA Heraldry

The Standards for Evaluation of Names and Armory:The Rules for Submissions2. New Heraldic Titles Constructed from Attested Elements: New heraldic titles can be constructed byusing attested elements in attested patterns for a given time and place.For example, attested English titles include Blaunche Sanglier Pursuivant and Rouge DragonPursuivant. These can justify Rouge Sanglier Pursuivant and Blaunche Dragon Pursuivant. They canalso justify the use of other animals or heraldic monsters, like Rouge Griffin Pursuivant or BlancheLeopard Pursuivant.c. Lingua Anglica Allowance: We also allow the registration of translations of attested and constructedhousehold names, heraldic titles, and order names into standard modern English, which we call the linguaAnglica rule. We allow this because the meanings of these names would have been clear to the speakersof these languages, but may be unclear to modern speakers. The translation must be a literal, plausibleand complete translation. Under no circumstances will translations of the meanings of given names orplacenames be registerable under this rule.For example, Blanche Sanglier Pursuivant can be translated as White Boar Pursuivant, but not WhiteSanglier Pursuivant, Snowy Boar Pursuivant, or White Piggy Pursuivant.For example, the Spanish byname de Castilla may be translated as of Castile. The Arabic byname al-Dimashqi may be translated as of Damascus or the Damascene. However, while Cairo is derived from aword which means "the victorious", its lingua Anglica form is of Cairo, not of The Victorious, as "TheVictorious" is a translation of the meaning.d. Borrowed Names: Name phrases may be borrowed from secular literature, from the Bible or otherreligious literature, or from the names of saints. Name phrases may also be constructed from nameelements borrowed from those types of source. To borrow a name phrase or element, the followingconditions must be met:1. Linguistically Appropriate Form: The name phrase must be shown to be a form by which the entitywas known in that time and place. Generally this means finding it in the literature of that time (so aRenaissance Italian Bible, or an English publication of an Arthurian romance). In the case of a saint'sname, evidence for their veneration through the naming of churches is generally sufficient. Only theform of the name used in that culture is permitted under this allowance.For example, the Greek mythological object known in English as the Golden Fleece was known to themedieval French as the Toison d'Or. It is Toison d'Or that was borrowed for the name of the periodBurgundian order. Similarly, the saint known in her lifetime as Æthelthryth was venerated by lateperiod English people as Audrey. Audrey is the form allowed in late period English context to create aname like the College of Saint Audrey.2. Pattern of Borrowing Names: The culture must be shown to have a pattern of using name phrasesfrom that type of source. Demonstrating such a pattern requires at least three independent examples ofnormal entities using such name phrases in the target time and place.The demonstrated pattern must address the type of name phrase. Evidence of the use of the givennames of saints does not demonstrate the use of the bynames of saints. The demonstrated pattern mustalso address the type of character or entity. The use of a non-personal name derived from the givenname of a major character in a source does not demonstrate the use of a non-personal name derivedfrom the given name of a minor character.For example, there is a pattern of using the given names of major Arthurian characters in medievalEngland. This would justify a non-personal name derived from the name Bedivere even if it were notattested. However, it would not justify a non-personal name derived from the name of a minorStandards for Evaluation of Names and Armory – April 29, 2012 - Page 25 of 73