[Heralds] Yet another name question

[C. L. Ward]

>Yes, but there are other people who are
>similar and early who could also the
>reference.  Need it be specifically Norse?

For my webpage, yes.  For presentation elsewhere, no.  There is way too much
confusion about the Viking Age anyway, helped along by bad sources such as
DuChaillu and the New Age press.  A good example is the "fact" which a whole
lotta would-be Vikings "know", that there are 24 runes -- which completely
ignores the fact that by the Viking Age the Younger Futhark with its 16
runes was the alphabet in use.  Or however many people believe Ed Fitch's
assertion that the Bronze Age string-skirt is appropriate "Viking women's
summer wear"...

To turn this back to heraldry and SCA pageantry, I think there's also a
bunch of misconceptions about Viking Age personal display.  Mistress Þòra
Sharptooth has an excellent article available on ways to use "heraldic
display" in a Viking persona, which we could be referring folks toward.  And
of course I get email from folks every week who think that they might as
well not register arns in the SCA because they can't have the convoluted,
unblazonable knotwork-thingie that they think is representative of Viking
Age art.  Which gets to another "SCA Viking myth" -- so many people are
completely unaware that Viking and Celtic knotwork have big differences and
stylistic differences, and that Kells knotwork panels aren't appropriate
shield designs for the Viking Age.

Anyway, while I think it would be good and useful to have the older
materials covered, for the page I'm envisioning I want to keep it strictly
to 793AD-1066AD if possible...

::GUNNORA::

How *did* I get on this soapbox?