SR - Heraldic thought... attn Gwenllian, Donal, Daniel

[Timothy A. McDaniel]

Ritter Dieterich wrote:
> I have noticed that that damned laurel wreath is a pain in the tuchus
> to get into P-arms without cluttering it up

Make that man a herald!  That's one of the reasons I hate the
verdammt requirement.

> any precedence for a seme of laurel wreathes?  Any reason
> it won't work?

Excuse me, the homophone is ringing ... "Precedents" is
what's been done before.  "Precedence" is why you outrank
me.

I'm afraid there is a reason: the SCA CoA Admin Handbook
says "all branch arms must include one or more laurel
wreaths as a significant element in the design.  Kingdoms
must also include a crown or coronet in the design.
Principalities may include a crown or coronet, but are not
required to do so."  The laurel wreath has to be
"significant".  I believe (but have not checked) that there
was a recent return because of semy of laurel wreaths on a
bordure, that they were too small.  Or it was a beasty
holding a laurel wreath; I don't recall.

Note that *crowns* don't have to be significant.  The
current Laurel mentioned in a phone conversation with me
that semy / held crowns would be OK with her.  Of course,
that's an unofficial statement.  If the issue came up and
commentary were strongly against it, she might change her
mind.  Besides, the next Laurel may have an entirely
different opinion.

> On a similar note, can you have a bordure or tressure that is, in essence,
> made up of laurel leaves?

Not any more.  (I think it's Outlands that does that, and
possibly others.)  Nowadays, the laurel wreath must be a
wreath -- it has to be circular, with at most a little gap
at the top.  (Besides, the motif of one thing surrounded by
another is at best rare in period.)

While I'm here: you can't have two sprigs crossed like a V,
another design that used to be registerable.

Daniel de Lincolia
-- 
Tim McDaniel.   Reply to tmcd at crl.com;
    if that fail, tmcd at austin.ibm.com is my work account.
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