The first step is registering a name and/or armory is research and documentation for names (and sometimes devices), and design of the armory. For this, we recommend consulting with a herald, as heralds can help with documentation and sources, with design, and with checking for conflict and with the rules. If you need help contacting a herald, please reach out to Parhelium Herald for assistance.
Before getting started, please keep a few things in mind:
- Be responsive - Be respectful of the time of the herald(s) you are working with and respond to communications in a timely manner. This is your submission, so it is in your interest to follow up. Communication and questions can come at any time in the process, until the decision is issued and you are notified.
- Be open minded - We use our current understanding of historical plausibility of names and armory based on the attested names and armorial practices of the middle ages in Europe. Period documentation for names and construction, and period style and composition for armory are required, and these may not align to modern practices or aesthetics.
- Documentation - All names and some armory require documentation. Lack of documentation where required will result in a return. In the end, the submitter is responsible for documentation in a form that is usable for submission and commentary. The consulting herald can offer assistance and resources that might not be available, but in the end the submitter must provide the documentation.
- Consulting heralds - Again, you are encouraged to consult with one or more heralds through this process. Contact your branch herald (listed on your branch web site), request help on the Kingdom Facbook group, attend a consult table at your local practice or at an event, or contact Parhelium Herald for assistance.
Below you will find two sections, one on Name Consultation and below that on Armory Consultation.
Name Consultation
You must have a name registered with the SCA College of Arms (Laurel) to register armory or household names. The name you provided when you joined the SCA or renewed your membership is NOT a registered name. A few things to note about names:
- You may have up to ten registered names, including your primary name, alternate names, and household names, including jointly owned households.
- Well known and documented patterns for name construction for many cultures and languages within language groups is documented in the Standards for the Evaluation of Names and Armory (SENA) Appendix A. In this category, name elements must be dated within 500 years of each other.
- Cross-culture names can also be registered, and well-known and documented linguistic mixes are documented in SENA Appendix C. Names in this category require elements to be documented within 300 years of each other.
- Names and name patterns not covered in the previous items require documentation.
- SCA heralds have compiled well-researched lists of names from period sources, and these are all acceptable as documentation. There are additional sources that have been reviewed and vetted but that may be more complicated to use. Other sources can be used, but they may need evaluation and will require copies when submitting.
Documentation Format
When submitting a name, one section of the form is for documentation. Space in the form is limited, so we have some requirements and recommendations when documenting any name.
- All elements of the name must be documented
- The usage of the element (given name, byname, locative, patronymic, etc)
- In the spelling you are requesting
- Dated to within our period (pre-1600, with a 50-year "gray period" after that)
- For languages in non-Latin alphabets (eg Arabic, Greek, Russian, Chinese), all elements use the same transliteration system
- Include the source document reference with URL and photocopies (for sources not on the no-photocopy list - see References)
- Construction of the name must be documented
- Correct for the language and period
- Grammatically correct, including gender for most languages
- All elements dated within 500 years of each other for the same language group (or 300 years if mixing allowed language)
- Do's
- Summarize the documentation - essay-style documentation is harder to read and interpret.
- Document your assumptions or interpretaions
- Document if and where you got stuck and need help
- Don't
- Include your persona's backstory
- Use modern naming sites or books for documentation
Some names or languages may require more and/or more detailed documentation, including transliteration documentation and photocopies.
More information on documenting names can be found at How to Document a Personal Name Submission.
Example Documentation
Here are a couple of examples of good documentation from recent submissions:
#1 - Don the Cartmaker
Don - an Anglicized Irish name found as Don O Hogan (sn Don) dated 1601 in "Names Found in Anglicized Irish Documents" by Mari ingen Briain meic Donnchada - https://medievalscotland.org/kmo/AnglicizedIrish/Masculine.shtml
Cartmaker - An occupational byname referring to the maker of carts found dated 1579 in the OED - https://www.oed.com/dictionary/cart-maker_n?tab=factsheet#9998666100
Construction - <given> + the + <occupation> is an allowed construction for English names per SENA App A. The submitter prefers the article in the name.
#2 - Gabriel Orsini
Gabriel - an Italian masculine given name found dated 1527 in this spelling in DMNES - https://dmnes.org/cite/Gabriel/1527/Rome1527
Orsini - an Italian masculine surname name, dated to 16th century, found on OR, BSB Cod.icon. 273, folio 65r (Image#1 is from the Orsini link in this source) - https://www.coblaith.net/Names/ItSur/OR.html
Sources to Start With
Choosing a Society Name: Hints for Newcomers - a brief introduction to selecting an SCA name. While targeting new-comers, it's an excellent basic resource for how to select and document an SCA name (linked from the Saint Gabriel site below).
Laurel Articles, Names Section - includes a few references on selecting and documenting a name, as well as language-specific references. Also includes a few references for household names, order/award names, and heraldic titles.
Saint Gabriel Name Articles - A super-set of the Laurel article list, it also includes a few references on selecting and documenting a name, as well as a broader selections of language-specific references. Also includes a few references for household names, order/award names, and heraldic titles.
Admin Handbook - No-photocopy sources (also see Admin Handbook - Sources to Avoid) - sources that do not require
Armory Consultation
In the SCA, armory consists of devices (coat of arms) and badges. At a high level, in usage a device represents you individually, whereas a badge represents something that is your.
- You can register one device and up to nine additional pieces of armory, including jointly owned badges.
- A few rules define what is called "Core Style", which is based on our sense of typical armorial practice in 13th century England and France. These summary of Core Style is:
- Simple - We limit the complexity of armorial design.
- Contrast - Charges (items on the device) must have good contrast with the field (the base layer of the design) or anything they may lay across.
- Going outside the bounds of Core Style requires research and documentation of both the elements and the whole of the design based on period examples. This is called an Individually Attested Pattern (IAP), and it is not an "easy mode" button to get out of Core Style rules. If you are interested in an IAP, please realize this process is intended for those who are truly interested in period armory and is a non-trivial effort.
- All armory must be blazonable. Blazon is, in essence, a language for describing in words the emblazon, or design, of a piece of armory in a way that scribes or heralds can reliably reproduce the design. If the design cannot be reliably blazoned, it cannot be registered.
The Very Basics
There are some very basic rules when designing a piece of armory for use in the SCA that should be helpful in getting started. The following references should provide a grounding for both heralds and non-heralds alike:
- Period Style: An Introduction - provides an overview of what SCA heralds mean when we talk about "Period Style" in armory, which in turn provides some basics for SCA armory design.
- Heraldry for Non-Heralds (A Heraldry Primer) - the title describes this well
- Assorted Lessons in SCA Heraldry - a slightly deeper dive into SCA armory than the others, covering a variety of specific but basic topics.
There are additional videos and other links on the SCA Laurel website that is linked below.
On Artwork for Submission
Artwork for armory submission can be either analog (traced or hand-drawn) or digital. In all cases, the design MUST fit within the field template on the submission form.
For hand-drawn art, please use a medium that provides a rich and consistent form of the colors, as the submission process requires scanning of the forms, and color consistency is a requirement. Crayola colored markers are the preference, but if colored thoroughly and completely, we've had colored pencil work well. Please do not use wax crayon, as it doesn't hold up well to scanning.
For digital artwork that you will insert into the form, please use the badge or device templates found on the Submission Instructions page with the forms. These templates are designed to insert correctly into the forms to match the outlines and tick marks. For the colors, please see Hexcodes for Heraldic Tinctures for a discussion of this topic.
Sources to Start With
Laurel website, Armory Section - links to a variety of armory articles, links, and videos, ranging from basics (like the ones above) to some deep dives on narrow topics. One section that might be of interest is the links to lists of period armorials online, which can at least provide real-world examples of period design and art.
Academy of St Gabriel, Heraldry Archive- similar to the Laurel site, Saint Gabriel has some detailed articles on period armorial tradition and style in cultures around the world.
Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry - this is the core reference for period style in armory, including detailed information about charges and style.
Book of Traceable Heraldic Art - originally the Pennsic Traceable Art Project, a paper collection of charges for tracing into designs at the Pennsic heraldic consultation tent, it is a large collection of heraldic charges from period and SCA artists in PNG and SVG formats. Note: A charge or posture or other item in this collection does not imply registeribility
SCA Rule References
SCA Standards for the Evaluation of Names and Armory (SENA) - the rules under which we register personal names, non-personal names (eg households, awards), and armory.
SCA College of Arms Glossary of Terms - contains a glossary of heraldic terms as used in the SCA, although it is not a complete heraldic dictionary. For heralds and submittters doing heraldic designs, this document also covers restricted and reserved charges, default postures/orientations, proper colorations, etc.
