ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3353 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3353 ************************************ 07 Jul 2009 From: Ursula Georges Greetings from the Academy of St Gabriel! First, we'd like to apologize for the time this report has taken. We hope the information is still useful to you. You asked about whether the given name and a surname meaning 'fox' would be appropriate for a man from sixteenth century western Bohemia, and suggested the surnames or . (Here the caret, ^, denotes a caron or wedge over the 's', and we've used the forward slash to represent an acute accent on the preceding letter.) You also asked whether green charges on black fields were used in Czech heraldry. We'll discuss your name first, and then your heraldry question. We found several forms of around your time period: [1] Eckart (1409) Eghard (1473) Eckardus (1483) Eggert (1501, 1524, 1581, 1590) Eggart (1526) Eggerd (1536, 1550) Eggerdt (1565) Egard (sixteenth century) Eckard (1612) In Bohemia, we found forms of used as a surname: [2,3] Eckhart (1356, c. 1480) Eckart (1397, 1445) Ekchart (1414) Eckhard (1525) Eckardt (1560) We believe these forms are also appropriate for a given name. We found the surname , which is derived from the word for 'fox', in Bohemia in 1555. [4] We believe that , or the Polish-influenced spelling , would also be appropriate forms for your period. We have not found a green charge on a black field in medieval Czech heraldry. In fact, a black field with any sort of charge would be unusual in Czech heraldry: red and blue fields predominate. [5] We found a handful of examples of green mounts or green trees on black fields in sixteenth-century German heraldry. [6,7] We also found multiple examples of black charges on green mounts (on a white or yellow field). [8,9,10] Either of these motifs would be appropriate for your period. We recommend that you avoid using green charges other than mounts or trees on black fields. We hope that this letter has been useful. Please feel free to write to us again if any part of it is unclear, or if you have further questions. Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Jibra'il `Attar, Sabine Berard, Talan Gwynek, and Walraven van Nijmegen assisted in researching and writing this letter. For the Academy, Ursula Georges and Bronwyn ferch Gwyn ap Rhys 7 July 2009 References: [1] Seibicke, Wilfried, _Historisches Deutsches Vornamenbuch_ (de Gruyter) vol.2, s.n. . [2] Schwarz, Ernst. _Sudetendeutsche Familiennamen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts_ (Mu"nchen: Robert Lerche, 1973) s.n. . [3] Schwarz, Ernst, _Sudetendeutsche Familiennamen aus vorhussitischer Zeit_ (Koeln: Blehlau Verlag, 1957). [4] Schwarz, 1973 s.n. . [5] Ladislav Vrtel'. _Osen Storo{cv}i/ Slovenskej Heraldky (Eight Centuries of Slovak Heraldry)_ (Martin, Slovakia: Matica Slovenska & Wauconda, IL: Blochazy-Carducci Publishers, 1999) [6] Siebmacher, Johann, _Johann Siebmachers Wappenbuch von 1605_, 2 vols., ed. Horst Appuhn (Dortmund: Harenberg, 1988, 1989; WWW: Die Eychhamer) Green mounts on black fields: http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_111_Siebmacher.htm http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_221_Siebmacher.htm http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_48_Siebmacher.htm http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_61_Siebmacher.htm Green trees on black fields: http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_54_Siebmacher.htm http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_63_Siebmacher.htm http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_64_Siebmacher.htm [7] Stammbuch des Hans Lorenz von Trautskirchen und des Hans Jörg von Elrichshausen unter Verwendung von Bruyn, Abraham de: Diversarum gentium armatura equestris - BSB Cod.icon. 320, Ingolstadt, 1575-1615. (WWW: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek) http://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00007211/images/ Sable, on a mount vert a well Or http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bsb00007211/images/index.html?seite=73 [8] Siebmacher. Or, on a mount vert and antler sable. http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_127_Siebmacher.htm Or, on a mount vert a bear rampant sable. http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_197_Siebmacher.htm Argent, on a mount a trefoil sable. http://www.wappenbuch.de/pages/wappen_209_Siebmacher.htm [9] Bertschi, Nikolaus: Wappenbuch besonders deutscher Geschlechter - BSB Cod.icon. 308, Augsburg, 1515-1650. (WWW: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek) http://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00001364/images/ Argent, on a mount vert a ram statant sable http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bsb00001364/images/index.html?seite=280 [10] Wappen besonders von deutschen Geschlechtern - BSB Cod.icon. 309, [S.l.] Sueddeutschland?, 1475-1560. (WWW: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek) http://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00002106/images/ Argent, on a black mount three piles inverted wavy argent. http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bsb00002106/images/index.html?seite=109