Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 076

Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 076

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/076

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 is the information we were able to find on your name "Ardelis" and your device "Vert, on a pale argent a dragon sable incensed, tail nowed."

We didn't find any evidence of the name in either our Irish or Norse references. "Ard" is the Gaelic word for "hill" and is the first element in many Gaelic place-names; it's possible (though not at all certain) that "Ardelis" is a later form of a Gaelic place-name. However, we have no evidence for it as a personal name.

The name "Ardelis" might be documentable as a Germanic name. If you are interested in taking a Germanic persona, we could investigate and help you find a period German name. There's enough information on Germanic culture in your period that it would be possible to develop a Germanic persona if you wanted to do so.

You asked about the possibility of using a word meaning "jewel" as your name. We didn't find any evidence that people were named after jewels in medieval Ireland, so we can't say that any of the words you found would be likely names. You can use any name you want, but if you're looking for a medieval Irish name, these wouldn't be good choices.

We can confirm that "Eithne" is a historical Irish women's name. O'Corrain and Maguire is a reliable source for Irish names, and you can generally assume that what it says about a name is correct. There are other sources for the name "Eithne" as well.

Your other questions require answers with more detail. The Academy is primarily interested in historical research. Some historical names and arms can't be passed in the SCA, and some names and arms which can be passed don't fit the historical examples we see. We'll tell you whether we think your name and arms will pass, but we're more focussed on whether they're historical.

The SCA does require that every name have at least two elements. So, to pass your name, you do need to have a moniker (the technical term is "byname"). However, in most early cultures, people generally used a variety of bynames depending on their situation, or were known by a single name. If you decide to pass a name in the SCA, you do not necessarily have to restrict your usage to that single name+byname combination. To pass a name, all you need is one reference for each element of the name. The CoA doesn't deal with persona at all--as long as your name is internally consistent, it will pass (barring other problems).

Passing a device brings up other issues. The Old Norse didn't use heraldry, and "Norse" artistic motifs aren't found in heraldic art. You're under no obligation to pass a device, and you may want to research Norse emblems, design something consistent with that research, and use it without passing it. It won't be heraldry, but it will be consistent with a Norse persona. Alternatively, you could design standard arms and assume that you're a Norse family who have adopted heraldry in the SCA kingdom to which you've travelled. Finally, you could use a Norse emblem that can be blazoned, and register it. This is something you should do with caution--a Norse dragon and a heraldic dragon aren't the same, and if you use a Norse dragon in a heraldic design you'll produce something that doesn't fit any medieval culture.

If you have examples of Norse art which have animals painted on stripes, then it would be a reasonable design for a Norse emblem which you could use. Unfortunately, it conflicts with another design in the SCA, "Vert, on a pale argent a greenbriar slip vert." (Melucine de Ronceverte). The change from the dragon to the greenbriar slip is one difference, but two differences are required to be clear of conflict.

Some other designs which would incorporate the colors and designs you're looking for are:

Per pale argent and vert, a dragon sable.

Argent, a dragon sable and a chief vert.

Arval D'Espas Nord, Hartmann Rogge, Walraven van Nijmege, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Pedro de Alcazar, Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Ivanor of Sighty Crag, and Lindorm Eriksson researched your name and arms.

I hope we have been of assistance. If we can help you with anything else, please let us know.

In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel