Unto the College of Heralds of Atlantia, does Mistress Rhiannon ui Neill, Triton Principal Herald, send greetings and well wishes this 8th day of December!

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone is enjoying the SCA equivalent of a "slow period" and if travelling through this busy season, takes care to do so safely.

I was really pleased with the turnout at Unevent. And even more so with the speed in which we went through our meeting. Thanks to Vard for providing candy for our sustenance!

LAME DUCK TIME! So, as you all know, I am planning on stepping down in March at Gulf Wars. TRM have decided upon my successor and Master Bran Trefonnen will be taking my place as Triton Principal Herald. I hope you will all join me in congratulating him (or condoling him, whichever you think is more appropriate) and I trust that the College will offer him the same level of support I have enjoyed from you. As March is not that far away, we've got a lot to transfer over, so let's start with warranting. Beginning February 1st, all warrant requests should go to Master Bran.

I also want to take a moment to thank Lady Morderyn Tremayne and Lord Eogan MacAilpein for caring enough about this office and the CoH to have put in bids for the job. Both are fine heralds and I hope will continue in their quest for the position of Triton as I think they would each bring good qualities to the position and do a fine job. Anyone else interested should begin thinking about it now. It's never too early to begin training for that kingdom position you might someday wish to hold...

As Evan noted recently in the Acorn, Lady Alanna is taking over as Golden Dolphin Herald, effective the 1st of this month. Please begin sending all submissions to her. I want to take a moment, also, to thank Evan for his service as Golden Dolphin Herald the last two years. It was nice to know it was being handled so efficiently. Vivat, Evan!

Remember quarterly reports for the 4th quarter of 1999 are due as of the end of this month. Please try to get them in on time. Thanks!

Guess that's about all for now... I'll save my maudlin, teary, goodbye letter for March! <grin>

As always,

Be courteous; be helpful; be happy!

Rhiannon

Group heralds frequently get asked one particular question over and over again. "I gave you my name and device submission last week - has it passed yet?" Frequently due to misinformation many submitters believe it takes less than a month to hear back about their name and device -- or worse they think it will take more than a year. Perhaps that is how it is in other kingdoms, but here in Atlantia the submission process takes approximately six months from start to finish.

The first step in this process is the actual consultation. A person comes up to a herald and says "Hi I want to register a name and device." Five times out of ten this person has no clue what they want to register. They are looking to the herald to help them choose a name and design their device. The best way to handle this is to start asking them questions. Do they have an idea of a country they would like to be from or a culture they want to portray? Do they have a time period they would like to be from? Is there any symbol or heraldic charge that holds personal meaning for them? Once you have some basis for groundwork then begins opening books of names or armory. If you do not have resources readily available, try to figure out with the person what style of name they want. A search of the web or a trip to a local library can be most useful to help out this submitter. However please remember the burden of finding name documentation etc is on the submitter. You are there to help in any way you can but you are not responsible for doing all their work for them. At a consult table where you have access to resources, then you have a greater chance of finding that name, but at a fighter practice or a group meeting, frequently you may have to point the submitter in the direction of a library.

Remember when dealing with a submitter, especially one who has an idea of what they want on their device that the vast majority of them are not familiar with either the Rules of Submissions or heraldic style. Speak to them in English not in blazon if possible. If they understand blazon, great! However even some heralds get confused so it is best to stick to English for the initial consultation.

After the name has been chosen and the device designed, it is time to send it up to Golden Dolphin. It is not the responsibility of a local group herald to do conflict checking, however such things are encouraged especially regarding names. For example someone who wants to be Anastasiia Vladimirovna is going to be disappointed as that name was registered in 1985. A quick check of the Armorial either in text form or online would show that the desired name has already been taken or is in conflict. Name checking is easy enough to do. The most important thing to remember is that without a name, there can be no armory. A person whose name is in conflict but whose device is not still cannot register that device.

A local herald once they receive the money for the submission must send it to Golden Dolphin within two weeks. When you send a submission to Golden Dolphin Herald you should include three color copies and one black and white outline of any armory. Name forms should be done in duplicate as should any name documentation. Please remember to send the correct amount of fees for each submission. If you send the submission in June, it will be discussed at the Kingdom Letter of Intent meeting in July. This is true no matter what date it arrives at Golden Dolphin during the month - it will be discussed the following month.

Once a submission is decided upon at a LOI meeting, it either is returned or it goes to Laurel Sovereign of Arms and the College of Arms of the SCA. In either case within a month the submitter should receive a letter stating which is the case. The kingdom of Atlantia pays for postage and copying of the LOI and the appropriate documents that get sent to over 80 current members of the CoA (this is where the fees go - to Laurel and to postage and xeroxing). The CoA then has four months to comment on the proposed names and devices - the first month is spent in initial commentary, the second in rebuttal to the initial and the third to rebut the previous two months and to continue the discussion of whether or not the design is heraldically correct, period style and registerable within the SCA. After four months have passed, then Laurel rules on the submission at a Laurel Letter of Acceptances and Returns. If Laurel passes it at this meeting then it is registered to the submitter until such time as they release it. Please note that death does not constitute releasing one’s name or armory unless one has a heraldic will on file at Laurel’s office for such an occasion.

After Laurel has ruled on the submissions, within one month the submitter will be receiving a letter stating the disposition of the item. If a name required spelling changes or grammatical alterations then the submitter will be informed of this if the submitter allowed for such changes when they submitted the initial item.

From start to finish in an ideal situation it takes approximately six months - two weeks with the local herald - one to four weeks at kingdom - four months at Laurel - and one month to hear back from the Laurel meeting. Many submitters will expect that this will take years or worse. They can be quite surprised that they went through so quickly. Many others will expect to hear with in a month and will be frustrated that is taking them so long to hear. In any case it is best to know the approximate length of time it takes from start to finish so that you may inform your submitters that it might take them a bit longer to hear back.

Please remember that some items will be returned for incomplete documentation, a check may not have been enclosed, or the submitter may have to redraw the device. No matter what the reason it is returned, do your best to help the submitter fix the problem. If the name was structured incorrectly and you can’t figure out how to change it ask another herald or email the SCA Heralds list - frequently someone can help out. Incorrect coloring may also be a reason for a return. Don’t use orange markers to signify Or or pastel pink for gules. Those will be returned as we do not register pink nor orange.

Should you or the submitter be unable to figure out what needs to be done to fix a submission, then contact your immediate supervisor or another herald who can possibly help you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We all need the help from time to time.

Tourneys can come in various types. However no matter the type of tourney it is, there are still a few things to remember.

1. The marshal is in charge of the tourney. The herald is there for pomp and circumstance. It is the marshal who actually runs the tourney.

    

2. The MOL is the person who figures out who fights who and in which round. Do not try to help them. If it is a big tourney, they have many index cards with names on them to arrange. A smaller tourney is just as hard - so don’t try to be helpful unless asked.

    

3. Tourneys begin with the litany. The herald goes onto the field, and stands in a place where he or she can easily be heard. The marshal will let you know it is okay to begin.

• The first thing to do is to introduce the two fighters in the list. "In this round of the tourney we have <Honorific> X fighting <Honorific> Y." The MOL should have given you a card for each of these fighters so you can know their highest rank and their name. If it is a small tourney, then the MOL might have verbally told you who the fighters were. Some tourneys will have you announce the people on the field, those on deck, and then those to make ready. Stand near enough in those cases that you can hear the MOL so you don’t tell a person they are on deck when they need to be on the field.

• Then you recite the litany. "Noble fighters, honor the Crown of Atlantia." If the crown is present, point with your arm in their direction. Should they not be, point in a direction for the fighters to bow. The next part of the litany is "Do honor unto Their Excellencies of the Bright Hills." If the event is a Kingdom level event such as Crown Tourney or Coronation, then this part is omitted. Royal progress events still have this line included despite the royal presence. "Pay honor unto the one who inspires you to fight this day." "Pay honor unto your most worthy opponent." "Pay honor to the crowd herein assembled." The crowd in theory is supposed to cheer. Please note that they may take some encouragement to do this.

• At this point, it is a GOOD idea to begin walking off the field or at least to the area designated for the heralds to hide. You state the final phrase of the litany "Fighters pay heed to the words of your marshals." Run. I am not kidding. Get off that field. Do not get hit with a sword.

1. In between the rounds stand in a safe place. Should you have index cards, hold on to them. When the round is over, the marshal has to tell you who won so you can announce it. If he or she tells you to announce "the winner" ask them who won. If they look at you as if you are insane as someone has been lying on the ground, just simply inform them that it is not in your warrant to make that announcement without them telling you who won. It is in fact not your job to be the marshal. And it is possible that something odd may have occurred. This means that perhaps the person lying dead is not quite dead. It is just that it is not your job to determine who won.

    

2. Repeat as often as you have to. Many tourneys have one round with full litany and then abbreviate the next few rounds so that the heralds don’t lose their voices and the fighters don’t lose their patience.

    

3. In big tourneys, you will need to have a runner. This person brings you cards from the MOLs and takes them back, keeping them in order. They get you water. They can take over for you when the water decides it is time to come out. They are your backup. It is frequently best to have another herald be the runner or at least someone who is familiar enough with the tourney style so as to step in if you lose your voice.

And the number one rule of field heraldry is WATER IS YOUR FRIEND. Drink lots of it. Wear a hat if possible. Use sunscreen.

The second rule of field heraldry is CULTIVATE FRIENDS TO BRING YOU WATER.

http://www.angelfire.com/ak3/checkylady/HeraldPDec99.html

http://www.angelfire.com/ak3/checkylady/heraldry.html

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