[ANSTHRLD] Conflict question

[Tim McDaniel]

On Fri, 10 Oct 2008, Alasdair MacEogan <alasdair at bmhanson.net> wrote:
> Just to clarify (and to save some looking up) The device [Juliana
> Hughes] were tryign to register was "Azure, a bend between a
> triquetra and a decrescent argent."  The device it conflicted with
> is registered to Ian MacAngus, "Azure, a bend between a mullet of
> eight points and a tree eradicated argent."

Thank you for looking it up.  As a general point, it *is* good, when
asking a general question, to give the specifics of what prompted the
question.  Very often, there are details that affect the answer, or at
worst we can give more specific advice.

> 1.  Change tinctures.  Either changing the bend or the secondaries
>     to gold should clear it.

Or, as noted in another reply, the tincture of the field.  Or the
tinctures of two or three of those sets.

Actually, changing the tincture of at least half the charges in a
group (here, the triquetra and decrescent) is "rounded up" to a
difference.  But, while it would be registerable, I don't think it
would be a particularly period style, so if you're just as happy not
doing it ....

> Now on to what can be done to clear them, which is your primary
> concern.  Note that these COULD be ways to clear the conflict and I
> am not guaranteeing that one of these changes might not introduce a
> different conflict.

To emphasize that point: changing the tincture of the bend to Or
*will* run into a conflict: Scrope (important non-SCA armory),
"Azure, a bend Or".  One difference for adding one group (the
triquetra and decrescent).

> 2.  Adding a chief, bordure, or something else along those lines.
> 3.  Adding a charge to the bend.  This will require you to widen the
>     bend significantly (which is something that would need to be
>     done anyway).

If adding charges on the bend, I would recommend
- one charge in the viwer's upper left ("dexter chief").  It doesn't
   fill the space of the bend, but it's a known period technique
   (albeit not common) that's not commonly used in the SCA.
- one charge the length of the bend if it's long and skinny, like the
   spear on William Shakespear's arms.  That fills the space nicely.
- three charges if they're compact, like a rose or a lion or a star.
   That fills the space nicely.

Charges on other charges (e.g., bacon on a cat) are much smaller, so
if you go that way, artistically I'd suggest something common with a
simple outline -- like a rose or a lion or a star, rather than a
two-tailed sea-wolf, or a griffin doing the watusi.

> 4.  This one I am unsure of so I am asking for others to comment.  I
>     am unsure if changing the bend to say a bend wavy grant an
>     additional difference.  Though I do believe that changing it
>     form a bend to a bend sinister would give you a difference.

Rules for Submission X.4.e
(<http://heraldry.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/rfs.html#10.4>):

     Since the edge partition line of a charge is part of its type, the
     change from a pale wavy to a pale embattled is one clear
     difference. Changing from a pale wavy to a fess embattled is also
     one change of type, not a change of type plus a change of edge
     partition.

As for a bend versus bend sinister: "Types of charges considered to be
separate in period, for example a lion and an heraldic tyger, will be
considered different."

It's legal to register arms with a bend sinister, barring conflict
with something else, but
- it's not close to period style: in period, seeing a bend sinister
   almost always meant that you were seeing the back side of the
   banner, the arms displayed on the dexter side of the church, et
   cetera -- that is, the real arms had a bend.
- it's done a fair amount in the SCA, and I prefer to advise people on
   how to avoid bog-standard things.

On period style, I could also make comments on triquetrae and
decrescents, but I don't know whether the submitter wants to hear
them.  I like to advise people how to avoid SCA cliches in favor of
things that are more period style and not Typical SCA -- but if
it's registerable and they want it, there's no point in annoying them
by telling them something they won't use.

Dannet de Linccolne
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com