NK - What an AoA means Was: The Guideing Hand...Peers

[Darin K. Herndon]

Talana wrote:
>>ANYONE can "officially" register a name and device.

Rowan wrote:
>I stand corrected.  I was told, when I entered the SCA about 6 years ago,
>that registration of same could only be done *after* an AoA (or equivalent)
>was bestowed upon a person.  I assumed that info was correct and never
>questioned it.

On some email lists, I kept running into the initials "IKA".  It took me a
long time to figure out what that was as I never remembered to ask anyone.
IKA = InterKingdom Anthropology.

In Ansteorra, Mistress Talana's statement is correct.  Actually, I guess
her statement is correct for all kingdoms as names are registered and
controlled by the corporate level so kingdoms are not allowed to throw a
lot of roadblocks into the procedure.

I have, however, heard of kingdoms where getting an AoA (or any award) is
dependent upon having a registered name.  No registered name = no award, no
matter how many recommendations the crown receives.  (The only reason I
have heard for this is so the scribes will have a correct name and spelling
to record the award under.)  (This is the opposite of what Lady Rowan had
heard before.)  But, it gets more complicated...

Some old AoA scrolls charge the recipient to seek out the College of
Heralds and register appropriate arms.  As arms/devices cannot be
registered without a name, this would almost seem to require the name
before the award and before the arms.

There was a collection gathered on the SCA Heralds email list recently of
Heraldic Myths in the SCA.  This one was on the list and it has been around
for awhile.  It doesn't surprise me that you were told this Rowan.

Seigneur Etienne
Northkeep's Herald