ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 969 http://www.s-gabriel.org/969 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* From: "S Friedemann" 1 Jun 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for our opinion on the feminine name , which you wanted to use for a 13th century French persona. You also asked our opinion on your proposed arms We found the French forms at the end of the 12th century [1], and , , and at the end of the 13th century. [2] There is an English in 1213 [1]. While we do not find the ending in the French names, and were to a considerable extent interchangeable in Old French, though the forms were more common. Therefore seems reasonable. The most authentic spellings of for your period would be or [2,3]. Either would indicate that your father's name was . We would like to compliment on your unusually good taste in heraldry. Using a fox with the surname makes a good "cant" (play on words), as stories of Reynard the Fox first started showing up around 1175, and continued through the 14th century [4]. Your idea of is an excellent choice for your period, and we'd like to suggest some other ideas, too. ; green background strewn with yellow rings, and a yellow fox ; green background, yellow fox, and across the top three yellow rings These three arms appear to be free of conflict from Society-protected arms. You would need to decide which posture to put the fox in for these coats: "rampant" is standing upright on one leg, "passant" is walking, "salient" is leaping, two feet on the ground, and two feet off, and "courant," running. We have seen examples of foxes in all four of these postures in French and English heraldry of your time [5,6]. 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 Arval Benicoeur, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Lothar von Katzenellenbogen, Margaret Makafee, Maryn Grey, Talan Gwynek, Walraven van Nijmege, and Zenobia Naphtali. For the Academy, Arianwy Prydyddes ferch Cadfael --------------------------------------------- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] Colm Dubh, "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris", Proceedings of the Known World Heraldic Symposium 1996 (SCA: Montgomery, Alabama; WWW: SCA, Inc., 1997) . [3] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987), s.n. Renart [4] "Reynard THE FOX" Britannica Online. [Accessed 21 May 1998]. http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/501/48.html [5] Chesshyre, Hubert & Woodcock, Thomas, _Dictionary of British Arms: Medieval Ordinary_, vol. I (London: The Society of Antiquaries of London, 1992). [6] Pastoreau, M. "Traite/ d'He/raldique" (Paris, 1993).