ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2634 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2634 ************************************ 16 Mar 2003 From: Josh Mittleman Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a rural nobleman living between Zurich and the Black Forest in the 14th or early 15th century. More generally, you asked for information about surnames appropriate for your persona that include the word . You also asked us to evaluate a heraldic design, "Per pale vert and sable, on a pale argent three roses sable barbed vert and seeded or". Here is what we have found. As we explained earlier, the exact surname is unlikely for your culture. A surname refering to black roses is plausible, but probably not appropriate for a rural nobleman. For your persona, our best suggestion is a surname based on a place name that includes the word . In towns in your region, it was common for the houses of wealthy men to be decorated with pictures or statues of distinctive objects. A house decorated with a rose could be known as "The Rose" and a man who lived or worked there might be identified by this house name. In Basel, there were men known as 1295 and 1311 "at the Rose". We have found some instances of house names based on an object of a particular color: In Freiburg in 1460 there was a house "at the red cross", one "at the black cross", and another "at the white cross". There was a house "at the red lion" 1364 in Mainz, and a man known as "from the house known as the gold bird" 1368 in Heidelberg [1]. A 14th or 15th century house seems quite reasonable. However, house names were an urban phenomenon. If you want a name suited for a rural nobleman, then this isn't a good choice. Instead, we suggest you choose a place name that includes the element and form a surname from that. There are many possibilities, but here are a few to start. * A modern "rose stream", in the Odenwald, a little east of the Black Forest, appears in the name 1390 [2]. Here the adjective form of the place name is used as a surname. * A modern "rose hill", stands at the entrance to the Odenwald, and appears in the name "called Rosenberg" 1276 [2]. * A man in mentioned in Freiburg in 1299; Freiburg is at the foot of the Black Forest [2]. means "rose field". * A woman was recorded in this region, probably in the late 13th century. means "rose stone" [3]. In your region, the most common way to form a surname from a place name was to use the adjective form of the place name, e.g. [16]. But the evidence above shows that surnames were also created by using the place name on its own, , or preceding it with , as in . The arms you described match the heraldic style of your culture pretty well, though not perfectly. Our best source for the heraldry of that region is a roll of arms from Zurich in 1340 [9, 10]; you can see it on the web at: http://ladyivanor.knownworldweb.com/zroaen0.htm There is a coat in that roll that contains many elements of your design: "Gules, on a pale or three roses gules slipped vert and seeded or" [11]. There are many examples of fields divided "per pale', but none that combines two colors with such low contrast as black and green. There is only one example of a divided field with an ordinary covering the line of division (i.e. "Per pale" and "a pale"), but it has no other charges [14]. We recommend you avoid the green/black divided field and perhaps also avoid placing an ordinary over the line of division. Unfortunately, no simple variation of your design following those suggestions can registered with the SCA College of Arms, as it would be too similar to something already registered [12]. Here are some alternatives, based on the motifs we find in the Zurich roll, that might appeal to you: Per pale argent and sable, two roses counterchanged. [13] Per fess argent and vert, in chief two roses sable. [15] Sable, on a chief argent three roses sable. [17] We believe you could register any of these designs with the SCA College of Arms. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Galiana de Baiona, Talan Gwynek, Julie Stampnitzky, Walraven van Nijmegen, Adelaide de Beaumont, and Iago ab Adam For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 16 Mar 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960), s.nn. Rose, Rotenkreuz, Rotenlo"wen, Goldvogel. [2] Brechenmacher s.nn. Rosenbach, Rosenberg, Rosenfeld. [3] Socin, Adolf, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch. Nach oberrheinischen Quellen des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts_ (Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1903; Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1966), p.291. [9] Popoff, Michel, _Le Ro^le d'Armes de Zurich_, Documents d'He/raldique Me/die/vale 9 (Paris: E/ditions du Le/opard d'Or, 1986). [10] Bigalski, Gerrit, ed., "The Zurich Roll of Arms" (WWW: C. Boselli, 1996), http://ladyivanor.knownworldweb.com/zroaen0.htm [11] Bigalski, #62. [12] Your design is too similar to the arms of Amba AEdhi: Per pale purpure and gules, on a pale argent a cornflower slipped and leaved sable. [13] There is a close analogue in the Zurich roll, Bigalski #257 "Per pale argent and sable, a rose gules and another argent". [14] Bigalski #95, "Per fess gules and sable, a fess argent". [15] Cf. Bigalski #73 "Per fess sable and or, in chief a mullet argent". [16] Schwarz, Ernst, _Deutsche Namenforschung. I: Ruf- und Familiennamen_ (Goettingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1949), pp.104-5. [17] Cf. Bigalski #356 "Sable, on a chief argent three roses gules."