ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1161 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1161 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 29 Jul 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked about the arms "Argent, on a fess wavy vert, three roses argent." Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names and arms that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular set of arms, then we may not be able to help you. While vert was not as common as the other tinctures, your basic design is typical of the heraldic style common to most places where heraldry was used in our period. These arms would not have been out of place in any part of Christian Europe from the 13th century onward. As far as we can tell, both "Argent, on a fess vert, three roses argent," and "Argent, on a fess wavy vert, three roses argent" are sufficiently different from arms that the SCA College of Arms protects. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if you have any further questions. Research and commentary on this leter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Fergus Stout, Rolland Carre, Talan Gwynek, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Zenobia Naphtali. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy merch Catmael July 29, 1998