ANSTHRLD - What do we need to know?

Lee & Sosha catsden at texas.net
Wed Aug 18 17:23:32 PDT 1999


> "Rayburn, Timothy" wrote:
(snip)
> I know that for instance I had heard rumors that the PE exam was a
> juggernaut of a beast that people studied for years to master.  When I
> finally did get a look at the exam recently, I was suprised at how,
> relatively speaking, simple the exam was.  Hardly something you'd
> study for years at.  Even if it is one exam only in name, I think this
> could encourage people.
When I asked Da'ud to write up a new PE exam, it was with ulterior
motives. The idea was to create a simple exam that anyone with a basic
(to my way of thinking) knowledge of armory and a smattering of
Ansteorran protocol could pass. This would, I thought, not only
encourage those who might be interested in heraldry in all its facets to
learn a bit more about heraldry, but also give the CoH a list of those
displaying such interest, with an eye toward encouraging it. (Sort of
the opposite of requiring gun registration for non-criminals.) The
rumors of horrid beastliness came, I believe, mostly from people who
took the test without following the advice given to would-be takers:
know at least the very basics, go read Fox-Davies or something similarly
beginnerlike, and pay attention at a couple of courts. Since I know of
at least one knight who took it cold and passed easily with almost no
previous experience, I can't say it was all that difficult.


If the information is forthcoming, I too would be interested to know the
reason of the change from PE to PaL. Not only is PE period, the style is
still used mundanely today for various representative functions (i.e.,
Ambassador Extraordinary). I realize from my previous look around that
several other kingdoms use it as an indication of lesser skill or
apprenticeship, putting it between Coronet and full-fledged Pursuivant.
But "they did it that way in (other Kingdom)" has seldom been reason to
change our own traditions. Quite the opposite, in fact. :)
Donal O Dochartaigh
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