Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 041

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 041

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/041

This is one of the Academy's earliest reports. We are not confident that these early reports are accurate. Please use it with caution.

Greetings,

Here's what we were able to find out about you name and arms.

We could find no evidence for the name "Gaelwyn" in Welsh at any point in time. "-wyn" is a very common element in Welsh names, but there is no record of "Gael-" or anything reasonably close to it. We do have examples of names which used the element "Gwyddel-", which derives from the Welsh word for "Irish". Our sources include the names "Gwyddelig" and "Gwyddelyn." The name "Gwyddelwyn" is not documented, but it is constructed according to a common pattern of Welsh name formation and uses; we think it is a plausible 12th-century Welsh name.

In addition, the name "Taliesin" was probably not used in the 12th century; only the original Taliesin, the 6th-century bard, is recorded with that name. It has been registered by the College of Arms, but is not a name likely to have been used in your period.

You mentioned that you were testing a theory; if you're interested in getting some feedback on that theory we would be more than happy to discuss it with you. One of our members, Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn, has written many articles on Welsh naming practices and has done primary-source research on Welsh names; she might well be able to give you some additional information.

Your arms doesn't break any of the SCA rules for submission; unless it conflicts with something, it would probably pass. However, your arms would almost certainly not have been used by your persona.

The early 1200's was very early in the history of heraldry, and most coats of arms were very simple. We don't have any examples of bird's heads used in heraldry from that period. Birds were used in early heraldry, and so were the heads of other animals. Although we don't have an example of a *bird's* head until later in medieval heraldry, it's possible that an owl's head might have been used. An owl's head is a plausible charge in heraldry from the early 1200's, but if you want to have a device that fits actual examples of heraldry from that time, you should use an owl instead of an owl's head.

"Per chevron inverted" is a late-period development. The earliest examples we found were from 1605, and even at that late date there are only a few examples. The arms were probably used before 1600, but it's not likely that "per chevron inverted" would be found on arms until very late period, and virtually certain that they would not have been found in the 1200's.

We've suggested the following arms as likely examples of coats that would have been seen in early heraldry:

Sable, an owl close between three crosses formy argent. (Black shield, white owl between three crosses)

Gules, an owl close within an orle of crosses formy argent. (Red shield, white owl within about eight crosses around the border)

Sable, an owl's head between three crosses formy argent. (Black shield, white owl's head between three crosses)

Gules crusilly formy, an owl's head argent. (Red shield, lots of little white crosses in background, white owl's head in front).

Per pale gules and sable, two owl's heads argent. (Shield divided: left half red, right half black, two white owl's heads)

Sable, an owl's head and in canton a cross formy (Black shield, white owl's head, cross in upper left-hand corner)

If you're interested in arms that would have been seen in the Middle Ages, but not in 1220, we suggest these arms:

Per fess argent and sable, an owl's head gules and 3 crosses formy Or (Top half white with red owl's head, bottom half black with 3 gold crosses)

Per fess gules and sable, an owl's head argent and 3 crosses formy Or (Top half red with white owl's head, bottom half black with 3 gold crosses)

Per chevron gules and sable, two crosses formy and an owl's head argent (Divided with upside-down V, top half red with two crosses, bottom half black with white owl's head)

Of course the tinctures of these could be altered, as long as they remain color-on-metal.

If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know.

In Service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of St. Gabriel