ANSTHRLD - A Cat in it's Curiousity

[Timothy A. McDaniel]

DonnelShaw at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 8/13/00 11:19:03 PM Central Daylight Time,
> tmcd at jump.net writes:
> > Also, domestic cats are not period in armory.

I should have written that better.  "I am not aware of any
domestic cats in period armory."

> OK I am going to ask a question so I can learn. Please don't
> get irritated.

Not at all!

> I have seen a buffalo, a longhorn, a tiger lily on devices with
> the statement that they could do it because these charges were
> indigenous.  So would not the same rule apply to the cat??

Certainly, the same rule would apply to the domestic cat.
It's quite registerable.  I just have no evidence that it was
ever used in period armory.

There is a distinction between "period" and "SCA-registerable".
Some period things are SCA-unregisterable.  Some SCA-registerable
things are not period.

Period things that aren't SCA-registerable:
    swastikas
    red cross couped on argent (the Distinctive Emblem of the Red Cross)
    crowns / coronets (for anyone who can't open with court barony
        or better)
    white belts
    laurel wreaths
    conflicting armory

SCA-registerable things that aren't period:
    SCA-invented charges (the rivenstar *used* to be)
    SCA-invented field divisions (dovetailed, maily)
    flora and fauna that might have been known to Western
        Europeans yet are not known in period armory.

The whole list of registerable items is in the Rules for
Submission part VII, Compatible Armorial Content.  I suggest that
all SCA heralds get a copy, either by ordering a paper copy from
Free Trumpet Press West or by downloading / printing it from
under http://www.sca.org/heraldry .

1. Period Charges
2. Period Armorial Elements
3. Period Artifacts - Artifacts that were known in the period and
   domain of the Society may be registered in armory, provided
   they are depicted in their period forms.
4. Period Flora and Fauna - Flora and fauna that were known in
   the period and domain of the Society may be registered in
   armory.  Hybrids or mutations of period forms known to have
   been developed after 1600 generally may not be used as charges.
5. Compatible Monsters - Monsters compatible with period armorial
   practice may be registered in armory.
6. Compatible Armorial Elements - Any charge, line of division,
   line of partition, field treatment, or other armorial element
   that has been ruled compatible with period heraldic style may
   be registered in armory.

Note that only VII.1 & 2 are for items known in period armory.

Why 3, 4, and 5?  In a few cases, some period explorer or such
would put some New World animal on his arms, or someone would
stick an odd artifact on his arms (maybe as a trademan, like the
doctor who used the famous "urinal" crest, or as a pun on his
surname).  Given even a few examples of those, it's
philosophically hard to argue that SCA examples are not
compatible with period heraldic design style.

Personally, I prefer to stick to attested period heraldic
practices.  However, anything registerable has to be let thru.

When I consult, I usually try to distinguish between "period" and
"registerable", and add in wordy disclaimers like "Now, mind you,
it's registerable, so you can have it if you want it.  However, I
know of no period examples, so if that's important to you, I'd
suggest ...".

Daniel de Lincolia
-- 
Tim McDaniel is tmcd at jump.net; if that fail,
    tmcd at us.ibm.com is my work account.
"To join the Clueless Club, send a followup to this message quoting everything
up to and including this sig!" -- Jukka.Korpela at hut.fi (Jukka Korpela)
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