ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1236 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1236 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 1 Sep 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for our opinion on the name , which you wanted to use for a Scottish or Irish persona between the 13th and 15th centuries, with a Celtic dragon on your arms. Here is the information we have found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names 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 name, then we may not be able to help you. We did not find , , or anything similar in any of our Scottish or Irish sources. If you let us know where you found these elements, we'll see if we can find any more information. The earliest examples of heraldic arms were in France in the late 12th century. Therefore, it is unlikely that a 13th century Scotsman would have had arms. Of course, many Societyfolk use arms even though their personas would not have done so. For a few thoughts on how to resolve Society custom with historical accuracy, you could read our article "What Do I Use for Arms if My Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms?", available on the web at: http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/nonheraldic.html You said you want a Celtic dragon in your arms. We're unsure what you mean by a Celtic dragon, so we can only guess as to whether it would be appropriate or not. In Scots armory, both Lowland and Highland, dragons and dragon type charges, such as wyverns, were not common. In one 16th century roll of arms, we found two wyverns; this is the earliest that we found such charges used in Scottish armory. It would be very unlikely for a 13th century Scotsman to have a dragon as a part of his arms. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Rouland Carre, Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, and Zenobia Naphtali. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael September 9, 1998