placenames2-msg - 11/22/07 Origins and meanings of SCA placenames. Some of the stories behind them. This is the second of two such files. NOTE: See also the files: SCA-hist1-msg, SCA-stories1-msg, child-stories-msg, you-know-msg, border-stories-msg, Hst-SCA-Fence-art, placenames-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Subject: Re: ANST - Moving to Ansteorra, eh? Date: Thu, 19 Feb 98 07:22:52 MST From: Baronman at aol.com To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Came from the Barony of Cour Eneui (the Heart of Boredom) Des Moines, Iowa. You cann't believe how true that name is. Stuck around here for twelve years. Guess all the RIGHT people live in this Kingdom. Baron Bors of Lothian From: "Elizabeth Zagula" <ezagula at srv.net> To: <stefan at texas.net> Subject: Re: Coron-Artem-art Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 20:32:37 -0700 <snip> As far as how the Barony of One Thousand Eyes got it's name....Well, the barony covers all of southeastern Idaho from just inside the Wyoming border, up to the Montana border, and down to the Utah border. All of this is prime potato country. Way back in the days of incipient shirehood, someone decided to be the Shire of One Thousand Eyes in honor of the numerous eyes on the many potatoes around here. Now, of course, we do not admit to that and the Peacock with it's many feathered eyes is the baronial device and symbol of the barony. The peacock is just slightly more heraldicly correct and regal than the spud! Elizabeth Subject: Re: Kingdom names Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 10:02:57 -0500 From: Richard Tucker <nitecrawler7 at worldnet.att.net> To: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> Origin of the name "Namron" (no shit, I was there) In the very first days, before the Barony, before the Shire, before the Insipid Shire, there was the Group. (AS 9) Included in the group were the Fogels, who had a highschool age daughter. Daughter went to football games as a cheerleader. (the importance of this will be revealed) the cheerleaders occupied the far side of the stadium in those days, so as to be better visible to the cameras in the pressbox. During the halftime festivities, when the band was manuvering, the six tubaswould array themselves in a row along the back line (facing the pressbox) with cloth covers over the bells, each containing a letter, the combined effort spelling NORMAN (while facing the pressbox). when the band turned to play for the student seats, (facing away from the pressbox) the tubas tended to turn in place, the covers now spelling NAMRON, and Daughter being a bit of a whiner, insisted the group name be Namron, and the adults gave in to shut her up, and the name stuck. HL Charly the Bastard the Last Dworf in Ansteorra Subject: Oldenfeld (Trimaris) name history Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 00:41:07 EDT From: BastetKat at aol.com To: stefan at texas.net You may already know this one, but Oldenfeld is located in the city of Tallahassee, Fl. Tallahassee is Indian for "Old fields", thus the translation to old English "Oldenfeld". Further, we are located in Leon county, so of course we chose a lion as our heraldry... (Our Kingdom's triskele supposedly comes from the hurricane symbol, but I can't verify that one!) Lady Judith Subject: Re: Oldenfeld (Trimaris) name history Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 15:05:36 EDT From: BastetKat at aol.com To: stefan at texas.net Actually, I'm pretty sure about the Triskele. The name Trimaris definitely refers to our penesular status, and the hurricane symbol is basically a triskele. I learned this from Master Morric Haast, who has been around in Trimaris forever. In addition, our shire chose a couchant lion to represent our laid-back manner... In Service, Judith Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 21:52:29 -0400 From: Bonne <oftraquair at hotmail.com> Subject: Where in Atlantia, was SC - My last word on Feast-o-crats Buckston-on-Eno, Windmasters' Hill (Durham, NC) Durham was built because of [the company of] Duke Tobacco, Duke Tobacco was founded by James B. Duke = "Buck" Duke; therefore Buck's Town on the Eno (River). Cool, huh? As for the derivation of Windmasters' Hill, it is something to do with men trying out some flying contraption near the sea. Bonne de Traquair Subject: Re: SCA vanity license plates Date: Fri, 28 Aug 98 03:23:50 MST From: "sheydel at bellsouth.net" <sheydel at mail.bna.bellsouth.net> To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> > Any idea where the name of Glaedenfeld came from or what it means? > Stefan li Rous Glaedenfeld derives (I am told by Baron Akim Yaroslavich, our founding member) from the Anglo-Saxon for "field of flowers". I was also told there is a reference in Tolkien to the same term. Your Obedient Servant, Lord Edmund Cavendish Shire of Glaedenfeld, Kingdom of Meridies (Steve Heydel) From: james koch <alchem at en.com> Organization: alchem inc Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 00:39:57 -0400 > Where do we get the names of our Kindoms/baronies/shires/etc? > Lord Erec L'Claire "Pentwyvern" was named by a Ouija board, or so I am told. Jim Koch(Gladius The Alchemist) From: moondrgn at bga.com (Chris and Elisabeth Zakes) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 12:19:54 GMT An orbiting mind control laser caused lorderec at aol.com (Lord Erec) to write: >Where do we get the names of our Kindoms/baronies/shires/etc? There is no one source. Usually the group makes up a name that pleases the majority of the folks there, run it past the herald's office to make sure it follows their rules, and then they go with it. Frequently, names are based on the mundane location of the group. The East Kingdom is on the east coast of the U.S.; the Middle Kingdom is midway between the East and West; Atenveldt, which started in Arizona, means "sun plains"; Ansteorra, which started in Texas, means "lonestar"; Trimaris means "three seas", it's is at the juncture of the Atlantic Ocean, the Carribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes the names are puns or in-jokes. The barony of the Stargate is Houston Texas; Namron is Norman (Oklahoma) spelled backwards; the College of Grey Gargoyles is the University of Chicago (which has lots of gargoyles as decorative motifs on the buildings); Boise Idaho(potatoes) is the Barony of One Thousand Eyes; Des Moines Iowa iscalled Coeur d'Ennui (heart of boredom) etc. -Tivar Moondragon Ansteorra C and E ZakesTivar Moondragon (Patience and Persistence)and Aethelyan Moondragon (Decadence is its own reward)moondrgn at bga.com From: powers at cis.ohio-state.edu (william thomas powers) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: 19 Apr 1999 13:43:01 GMT Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science Well having named a shire; I chose one that I liked! I like the names having some sort of link to the area so I can remember where the heck they are; so when it came time to choose a name for the shire in Fort Smith I held my breath and turned blue until everyone else agreed to name "Smith Keep" (yes the fact that I am a blacksmith and that the shire was founded in my living room one New Year's eve with my wife as the first seneschale did make things easier...though the shire of Hangman's tree did suggest itself too) wilelm the smith From: Edouard d'Avignon <splatter at bigfoot.com> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 17:10:06 GMT "Thescorre" is an anagram for "Rochester" in upstate NY Edouard BOB RAEF! From: "M.Dwayne Herron & Anne R. Martens" <blackknight at erols.com> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 22:33:17 -0400 Organization: Silver Heron Industries Lord Erec wrote: > Where do we get the names of our Kindoms/baronies/shires/etc? > Lord Erec L'Claire When the now legendary Shire of Ashental (Geneseo, NY) was being named,it was originally to have been Achental. However it was rejected by the College of Heralds because there was a place called Achen in Germany,and 'tal' means 'valley of'. So we burned it to the ground (the letter,not the town) and we were registered as Ashental. Diablu, Black Knight of the East From: greycat at idt.net (Greycat Sharpclaw) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 07:43:32 GMT There is an allegation that Lord Erec wrote: > Where do we get the names of our Kindoms/baronies/shires/etc? Depends on the mood of the naming meeting. I was there when Worcester, Mass. was named "Von Sosse" (German for "of sauce") because it was the Worcester-Shire. It's since been renamed... Lord Emrys Cador Barony of Settmour Swamp East Kingdom From: "Lyle H. Gray" <gray at cs.umass.edu> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 09:13:23 -0400 Greycat Sharpclaw wrote: >Depends on the mood of the naming meeting. I was there when >Worcester, Mass. was named "Von Sosse" (German for "of sauce") because >it was the Worcester-Shire. It's since been renamed...Twice... Current name is "Quintavia", meaning "five roads". Lyle FitzWilliam Bergental, East From: Marcus MacFarlane <ClanLaird at HoTMaiL.com> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 06:30:53 GMT Here in the Northern Wood of the East's Royal Forest of Rusted Woodlands, we made an attempt to go Incipient (since then we may become a Canton if the Barony polls pull through). Our Incipient Meetings met in the local Library and we got our hands on a Gaelic Dictionary and started thumbing through it while people started spouting Mundane and Scadian Features. We realized we were on the border of what was soon to be Aethelmearc with a branch of the Apalachian and Catskill Mountains on one border and Bear Mountain on the Hudson Border with a rolling valley in between. Realizing that we would be a border Shire we looked it up and 'Tearmann' came up, and with the surrounding Mountains we looked that up and got 'Cruachan.' Thus was born the Incipient Shire of Tearmann Cruachan. SATIRE NOTE: Our Seneschal to be was none other than the Cheiftain Laird of Clan Campbell who perked up at this wonderful name when it was said. Turned out that 'Cruachan' is the Clan Campbell Battle Cry and as Cheiftain Laird of the Clan, he had no objection to the name. Strangely, he had nothing to do with looking up the name nor did he push anyone to vote for it. Marcus MacFarlane Cheiftain Laird of Clan MacFarlane ClanLaird at HoTMaiL.com From: "Anthony J. Bryant" <ajbryant at indiana.edu> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 02:33:07 -0500 Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington Lord Erec wrote: > Thank you all for your replys. Interesting that there was no talk of period > naming practices...... No one said it overtly, but there's plenty of period naming practices there. Geographical features (Middle Kingdom, Trimaris). Common in mundane world; look at Cleveland, Chunguo ("middle kingdom" aka China). Physical features (An Crosaire = The Crossroads, South Keep = the southernmost shire in Trimaris). Again, Cleveland, Des Plaines, GrandsTitons. Translations or modifications of existing names (Cleveland -->Cleftland, Tallahassee --> Oldenfleld). Trafalgar from Tarif al-Ghar. London from Londinium. Named for the founders or in honor of someone (Smith Shire as mentioned before, Mathom's Trove) Coopersville. Pennsylvania. Franklin Station. There are many perfectly period names out there. There are some weird mundane ones, too. My favorite is in N. California, Coalinga (pronounced koh LING uh). It was a stop on the railroad line,and was coaling stop A. Hence, coaling A, or Coalinga. Effingham From: moondrgn at bga.com (Chris and Elisabeth Zakes) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 12:30:31 GMT An orbiting mind control laser caused Marcus MacFarlane <ClanLaird at HoTMaiL.com> to write: >Here in the Northern Wood of the East's Royal Forest of Rusted Woodlands, we >made an attempt to go Incipient (since then we may become a Canton if the >Barony polls pull through). > >Out Incipient Meetings met in the local Library and we got our hands on a >Gaelic Dictionary and started thumbing through it while people started >spouting Mundane and Scadian Features. One warning: this method can be dangerous, if you don't know the language, or run the name past someone who does. I live in Bryn Gwlad (Austin TX) which, according to the Welsh dictionary means "hill" and "country". In Welsh, however, the meaningis "the land of the unspecified, personified hills." (It *should* havebeen "Bryn Dir".) -Tivar Moondragon Ansteorra From: hrjones at socrates.berkeley.edu () Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: 21 Apr 1999 17:46:10 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley Chris and Elisabeth Zakes (moondrgn at bga.com) wrote: : One warning: this method can be dangerous, if you don't know the : language, or run the name past someone who does. : I live in Bryn Gwlad (Austin TX) which, according to the Welsh : dictionary means "hill" and "country". In Welsh, however, the meaning : is "the land of the unspecified, personified hills." (It *should* have : been "Bryn Dir".) There are any number of constructions that could have had the idiomatic meaning "hill country". I'd tend to translate "Bryn Gwlad" more as "country hill", though. Tangwystyl ********************************************************* Heather Rose Jones hrjones at socrates.berkeley.edu ********************************************************** From: "Christopher Straughn" <oxsnard at concentric.net> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: 21 Apr 1999 16:27:15 PDT There is an allegation that Lord Erec wrote: > Where do we get the names of our Kindoms/baronies/shires/etc? The shire of Oldenfeld in Trimaris was named after the town its located in: Tallahassee. It seems Tallahassee is Creek for Old Field and the founding membersthought/may have been right ??? that Oldenfeld was Middle English for oldfield. Christoff From: "Anthony J. Bryant" <ajbryant at indiana.edu> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 17:53:04 -0500 Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington Brian M. Scott wrote: > Cleveland is named for Moses Cleaveland. <Middle Kingdom> does not > strike me as a period place-name in that form, and it's not clear that > <Trimaris> is, either. Given on Cleveland. I thought it was a referral to the local cleft in the geography. As for middle kingdom, tell it to China (Chunguo ="middle kingdom") and Mediterranean ("Middle Earth!!!???") Sea. If it weren't English, it might sound better to our ears. Heck, most people I know say "Midrealm" anyway. As for Trimaris, how about "Cinque Ports"? > > Physical features (An Crosaire = The Crossroads, > > One would have to determine whether such a place-name is actually > compatible with period Gaelic place-naming practice. I assumed that they had. > > Translations or modifications of existing names (Cleveland --> > > Cleftland, > > <Cleftlands>, actually. Not a period place-name construction. Hey, it beats Rivendell... > > Tallahassee --> Oldenfleld). > > Is that <Oldenfield>? It would be better as <-feld> or, in late period > <-field>. No, its "feld." Tallahassee is the local (Seminole?) term for "the oldfields (where we used to live but don't live anymore)." Theparenthetical, I'm told, is the actual connotation of that particularword OLD, as opposed to the old-not-new OLD. (More than you want toknow, eh? I was the Oldenfeld herald for a while... Way after the group was established, however.) Effingham From: albion at holyrood.ed.ac.uk ( Andrew Casson) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: 22 Apr 1999 12:28:09 GMT Organization: Edinburgh University Lord Erec wrote: > Where do we get the names of our Kindoms/baronies/shires/etc? It's a while since we did this, so my memory may be off, but... Harpelestane: har: cold (also a play on Haar, the usual name for sea-fog in these parts, but unfortunately an OOP borrowing from Dutch). pele: castle, tower (Peel/Pel/Pele). stane: stone, rock.Hence cold-castle-rock, with suggestions of sea-fog, a good descriptionof Edinburgh. Wolfgang Adolphus Jager Seneschal, Harpelestane (Dominic Hunter, Edinburgh) From: Sweetlady <sweetlady at my-dejanews.com> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 03:10:03 GMT forlornh at aol.computation (ForlornH) wrote: >When the now legendary Shire of Ashental (Geneseo, NY) was being named, >it was originally to have been Achental. However it was rejected by the >College of Heralds because there was a place called Achen in Germany, >and 'tal' means 'valley of'. So we burned it to the ground (the letter, >not the town) and we were registered as Ashental. When the Utica/ Rome NY group wanted to split from the Barony of Delftwood(Syracuse, NY) people wanted to show a connection with the Barony and also aconnection with Utica/ Rome. So it was decided on Copper (RevereWare Headquarters in Rome) and Tree (tree - wood) --- Shire of Coppertree. I know this isn't period but there were several "older" SCAdians working on this name.IMHO, I would think that Orion's Gate (army base Ft. Drum, Watertown, NY) is so called because Orion was a warrior and Watertown is on the St. Lawrence Seaway (Gate-way to the Sea). Sweetlady From: "Harold D Sherman" <HALFRED at prodigy.net> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: SCA Place-names Date: 25 Apr 1999 17:42:13 GMT As one of the founding members concerned, (Echegaray of Shadow Valley atthe time), I confess to this. The research involved was taking the name ofone my favorite novelists, Zoe Oldenbourg, and attempting to convert it tomean "Old Field". Clearly not the best method, but I'd love to know if Icame at all close to a period construction. Christopher Straughn <oxsnard at concentric.net> wrote: <SNIP> > The shire of Oldenfeld in Trimaris was named after the town its located in: > Tallahassee. > It seems Tallahassee is Creek for Old Field and the founding members > thought/may have been right ??? that Oldenfeld was Middle English for old > field. > Christoff Subject: Re: [Fwd: Florilegium files for May] Date: Tue, 11 May 99 19:51:36 MST From: martian at iwvisp.com To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> >Lord Stefan li Rous > >PS: What is the story behind the Naevehjem name? I'd love a message >on it's origins and/or meanings for my placenames-msg file. I'm >also curious about Neb Kaires Tevesu. What culture and time is it >from? Japanese? Middle Eastern? We're based in a "company town" for the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, where we develop and test weapons and aircraft for the Navy. We wanted the name Nibelheim (where small dark elves make weapons of destruction), but couldn't get it passed because it's a "real" place. So linguists among us searched other Norse sources and came up with Naevehjem (Fist Home)...We're called the Navy Hamsters by the Barony of Dun Or (Golden Tower) down South of us...We call them the Dun Oreos. Kaires is an ancient Egyptian name. Neb means Lord in that language...Tevesu means "son of Thebes." Subject: Meaning of Bonwicke Date: Tue, 08 Jun 99 09:35:08 MST From: Bjorn Lochlannac <bjorn at odsy.net> To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> Greetings Lord Stefan, My understanding on the meaning of the name Bonwicke is that it means Good Place. Bon being French for good and Wicke being Saxon for place. Bjorn Lochlannac Herald for the Barony of Bonwicke Subject: Place names Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 03:48:32 EDT From: DUCORBEAU at aol.com To: stefan at texas.net The now defunct Canton of Caldera Keep in the Barony of ltavia, Kingdom of Caid was so named because it was founded in the jacuzzi at the apartment of the first Senescal of the canton, and the jacuzzi water was hot enough to remind us of the Caldera or Cauldron of a volcano. Lady Morgaine FitzStephen Founding member and first Exchequer of Caldera Keep Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 11:41:28 -0400 From: Lisa.Crumbley at kctcs.net To: stefan at texas.net ** I saw this section of your placenames portion of the Florilegium. It is quite out of date. I guess the stories aren't though. The Shire of Dragonsmark is still active in the Lexington area. The college version (on the University of Kentucky's campus) is Dragon's Crossing. There is another Kentucky shire called Aurea Ripae it is located in Owensboro and governs part of the Middle and all of the Western part of the state. Aurea Ripae is latin for Yellow Banks, which is what Owensboro was originally named. We even pull more Kentucky history into our device. The indians called Kentucky the Dark Bloody Ground, due to all the blood that had been shed here during various wars. Our device has the river flanked by gold banks surrounded by a blood red background. Erinn of Aurea Ripae (mka Lisa Crumbley) Subject: Re: [SCA-CHR] How to use a deputy? Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 22:00:39 MST From: Howard & Jennie Cosham <IZZYANDHAVELYARD at prodigy.net> To: sca-chroniclers at midrealm.org <snip> I'm actually Vard's neighbor from two Baronies north (Bright Hills, the Baltimore Area), and I have the same problem. I actually have a deputy, but she lives in our canton, Spiaggia Levantina, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. (That's the peninsula on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay, by the way. So Spiaggia Levantina means "The Eastern Shore" in Italian.) Izzie (Baroness Isabel of Biconyll) Chronicler, Barony of the Bright Hills Subject: Spiaggia Levantina Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 21:05:44 -0400 From: Howard & Jennie Cosham <IZZYANDHAVELYARD at prodigy.net> To: stefan at texas.net Dear Lord Stefan, Hi! Glad somebody was interested in that little aside. I wondered about that when I wrote it. Several members of the group who formed the Canton had Italian personas. One of the members had an Italian grandmother, and asked her how to say "The Eastern Shore." He made sure it wasn't "The East Coast" or "The East Bank" or something, as that wouldn't be quite right. As an aside, many members of Atlantia (in which Kingdom we live) have taken to calling it "Spaghetti Lasagne" since they have trouble pronouncing it. Thanks for your efforts, Izzie Subject: Placenames Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 12:14:25 -0500 From: Wes Will <wwill at siu.edu> To: stefan at texas.net I know of the evolution of 2 names, being involved in their creation to a greater or lesser extent, and at least some of a third. 1) The Shire of Perilous Journey in the Kingdom (then Principality) of Drachenwald. Perilous Journey was named because of it's location inside then-Communist East Germany. To approach the city by land, you had to pass through one of a very few checkpoints at the East - West border, present appropriate paperwork, and then drive through East Germany on a specific road; which one depended upon your starting point at the border. If you made any wrong turns on the way, well, you were liable to be arrested as a spy and detained for awhile. If you made the trip in too short a time, the Allied Forces guards at the West Berlin end stamped your papers, wrote you a speeding ticket, and then passed you on into the city. Too long a time, and they sent out search vehicles to patrol up and down the road until they either found you, or the East German government reported your incarceration somewhere, usually in some remote village a long way from where you were supposed to be. By air, the trip is even more fraught with peril. There were three "Access Corridors" extending across East German airspace from Berlin to West Germany. Flights to the Divided City were scheduled in advance by a committee in Berlin, and their exact particulars were approved. If an aircraft leaving from either end of a designated corridor were to stray out of the confines of that protected space, they were liable to be shot down or forced to land by East German or Soviet fighter aircraft. Frequently, MiGs buzzed by our transport planes while we were in transit into or out of the city. It could get pretty hairy at times because occasionally they would fly close enough to the C-130 or C-141 to get a good look at the centerfold pictures that the pilots would hold against the cockpit windows..... All in all, it could get to be quite the Perilous Journey. 2) The Shire of Eternal Wind, Misawa Air Base, northern Japan, Barony of the Far West, West Kingdom. Currently in abeyance due to lack of members and officers. Sigh. I started that Shire in 1984, so I would have some other Mediaevalists to play with during my tour in the Great White North. (Most folks think the tropical Okinawan jungle is what Japan looks like. As a matter of fact, in large part it's quite a cold and snowy place! At Misawa, we averaged 12 feet of snow a year, and one year we almost doubled that.) After a protracted series of discussions, we convinced the base commander and weapons safety officer that heavy combat SCA-style was less likely to produce injuries than playing football. (I armoured up, handed the base team quarterback a hunk of rattan - he had to get someone to hold his crutches, since he had torn his knee about half off in a game the previous Sunday - and let him whack at me awhile....) Once that battle was over, we had to choose a name. Before getting official permission, it didn't seem worthwhile to think of a name which might be wasted effort anyway, so we just called ourselves by the epithet we were known by to most of the base and local Japanese population: "those mediaeval nuts". After a long period of dithering over several choices, we submitted "Three Swamps" (after the city, Misawa, which reportedly means "3 Swamps"). Shortly, the West Kingdom Herald informed us that "Three Swamps" wouldn't fly because of a conflict with "Three Rivers". Undaunted, we attempted to get "Shire of Divine Wind" through the system, but it came back in less than 2 months; they didn't find a Kami Kaze Shire at all funny for some reason. So, we bowed to the inevitable and switched to "Eternal Wind", which passed through the system without a hitch. Since there was always a stiff breeze at 45F or less coming off of the Northern Pacific around those parts, it seemed to fit fairly well, too. We thought Kami Kaze was a better match, though, since a small hunk of Siberia was only a couple of stone-throws away, and indeed you could see some of the former Soviet-controlled Kuryl Islands from one of our remote antenna sites. We considered ourselves a "lunch-break" stop on any Soviet contingent's way to the rest of the hemisphere if hostilities broke out. Anybody who would go or stay there had to be a bit looney, right? 3) Shire of Far Reaches, the Midrealm. This is my current home Shire, and the evolution of it's name is easy. It's simply a descriptive, and an accurate one, too. When the Shire was founded in the late 70's, there were no groups at all less than 5 or 6 hours' drive away. By the time it was officially named in 1981, there were a few groups a touch closer, but it was still quite the haul to an event. Far Reaches is located in the hinterlands, the tail-end of Illinois, down in the corner of Meridies, the Middle Kingdom, and Calontir. It's a LONG way from here to ANYTHING in the "mainstream" of the Midrealm. There are no peers (of any sort), nobody of any great "importance" ever came here or comes from here. Pretty much no-one knows who we are or what we do, if they even know that we exist at all. Almost nobody comes this far into the boondocks unless they're visiting a personal friend. We're the farthest you can go away from anything that "counts" (or dukes or laurels or pelicans or knights) in the Midrealm, and still say you're in the Midrealm. Therfore, "Far Reaches". Simple, eh? Eoin Caimbeul Currently of the Shire of Far Reaches, The Midrealm. Once of Perilous Journey, Drachenwald, and also formerly of Divine Wind, Kingdom of the West (among many other places.....) MKA Wes Will Formerly "Staff Sergeant Will, USAF", now just another computer geek at SIU Carbondale. Subject: RE: wanted: stories about SCA placenames Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 12:25:03 -0500 From: "Denise Horton" <jacinth at mail.ev1.net> To: <stefan at texas.net> Stefan, I have been to your site a number of times, and find something new each time I look... this is no exception; the page on SCA placenames was pretty interesting! Funny enough, we have just celebrated an anniversary in Raven's Fort, and there has been much mulling over our history. Original proposed name: Tallen Trod Interim name: Ames Dunam (they tried Ames Brigadoon, but that didn't go over with the College of Heralds) ;) Final Name: Raven's Fort In Huntsville, the favored son is General Sam Houston. Now Sam was friends with the indians, and to them he was known as the Raven. Thus, we have Raven's Fort. As I wrack my brain, I recall a few other tidbits... our device: Per fess embattled argent and gules, a raven close to sinister sable and a plate within a laurel wreath Or. Basically a red crenelated wall with a hole in it, and a raven floating above it. The infamous "Hole in the Wall" as it were. I almost can picture parting the bushes (laurel wreath) to get in... although that part is my imagination and not substantiated by any of the stories (not to mention that we are supposed to have a wreath, and that was probably the most aestetic place to put it). There's probably more to this story.... Our supporters: A red bull... signifying the cattle that live on our permanent site, and a black frog... which goes back many years to the Ansteorran/Outlandish War, where the warfrogs made an appearance (where the fighters were determined "not to croak"). The ground/base of the acheivement: A trilithion... like the ones of the stone circle at our site. Lady Jacinth de Warwick Barony of Raven's Fort Kingdom of Ansteorra From: "Mark.S Harris" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> To: <sca-chroniclers at midrealm.org> Sent: Friday, October 08, 1999 10:57 AM Subject: [SCA-CHR] wanted: stories behind SCA placenames > As an aside, Baroniess Isabel wrote: > > I'm actually Vard's neighbor from two Baronies north (Bright Hills, the > > Baltimore Area), and I have the same problem. I actually have a deputy, > > but she lives in our canton, Spiaggia Levantina, on the Eastern Shore of > > Maryland. (That's the peninsula on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay, > > by the way. So Spiaggia Levantina means "The Eastern Shore" in > > Italian.) Except that Levantina is not the Italian word for "eastern".... OK.... Our first Canton meeting was the first meeting after the merger of Flaming Forge and Dragonford. There was much discussion of what should be the name of the new entity.. My suggestion of Dragon Forge was eventually accepted by all. Ivanor of Sighty Crag, Chronicler, Barony of Dragonship Haven, Pursuivant, Canton of Dragon Forge. Carolyn Boselli, Host, SCAdians on Delphi (delphi.com) Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 10:37:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff B <marcocaprioli at yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Fw: SC - My first attempt at hyppocras To: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> The name Stan Wyrm, that of my shire, is the old English for <stone dragon>, the shire having gained the name from the preponderance of dinosaurs and other fossils in the area, even though fossils were thought in period to be the places where lightning had struck the ground. Marcello ===== Marcello Caprioli Jeff Gdog Gdo Shire of Stan Wyrm Great Falls MT Artemisia Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 06:38:05 MST From: Marcus Burnham <oburnham at NICKEL.LAURENTIAN.CA> Subject: SCA Place Names To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> The Shire of Brennisteinn Vatn (mka Sudbury, Ontario) is Icelandic for "sulphurous lakes" or "sulphurous pools". It was taken because Sudbury is a major centre for nickel mining and smelting. For a long time the area was desolated by the sulphurous fumes produced by the smelting process and it is still possible to see the molten slag being poured in fuming incandescent rivulets some nights. Hope that does not put anyone off visiting us, Wilfrid. Wilfrid of Sweflingham Never fire at Wil!! Subject: Re[2]: SC - Russian dishes Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 09:24:51 -0500 From: Chip <jallen at multipro.com> To: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> > I'm also curious about your "Shire of Easaraigh". Do you know which > language that is in? I might guess Scottish. Exactly. It is in Scots Gaelic. > And do you know what it means or any of the history behind it's > selection? It means "the pool at the base of the waterfall" which are plentiful within the borders of our shire. It's history takes a little explanation. Our shire used to be named Ezaret (pronounced EZ-uh-ray). Origins for this name are unknown to me. As the result of some unfortunate political strife (before I joined, I'm happy to say) the group self-destructed. One of the few surviving members (now our Seneschal) speaks many languages, among them Scots Gaelic. In his search for a new name for the shire, he happened upon Easaraigh (pronounced Essary). Being very similar (and a real word), it stuck. The transition is still being made (we have many people using the new spelling, but the old pronunciation). We just hosted a moderately successful event, so hopefully our name will be spread further. Thankfully, almost everyone in our admittedly small group are friends outside the group as well. Political grief is almost nonexistent for us. We often use the phrase 'New name, new people, new shire'. ______________________________________________________________________ Iyad ibn Bisharo, Shire of Easaraigh, Kingdom of Meridies Chip Allen, Cookeville, TN Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 13:52:28 MST From: Todd Sumpter <sumpter at k-town.de> Subject: RE: [SCA-CHR] copies of Chroniclers Handbook? To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> Greetings Lord Stefan li Rous, Our fair shire is located on the edge of the beautiful Rein River Valley, in Kaiserslautern Germany. Our name, which is German, Veilburgen means many castles, which there are many 'burgs' and 'Schloss' located here either in ruin or rebuilt to their former glory. Our kingdom is known as Drachenwald, "Dragon Forest". This upcoming weekend we are attending an event that is being held in a winery and former castle. We are now looking at another castle to hold a shire event in February. What a grand event it is, when held in a castle that is as old as our SCA period era. At the upcoming event this weekend, there shall be told the old stories of our Kingdom, if I find out where exactly our shire and kingdom names come from, I shall happily inform you post haste! In Service to Vielburgen, Drachenwald Chronicler of Auf die Burgen Calibrid of the Horse Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 11:02:12 MST From: DUNHAM Patricia R <Patricia.R.DUNHAM at ci.eugene.or.us> Subject: RE: wanted: stories behind SCA placenames To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> Stefan, here are a couple of corrections/additions to Shara's information about AnTir place names, from back in '91... ... Adiantum: ... part of the botanical name of the founding baroness's favorite PLANT - the maidenhair fern, very typical of this area (writing from Adiantum, in 1999) Baronial device is a two-headed bear in a laurel wreath -- when the heralds rejected the initial submission of a "banana slug rampant" (native fauna), they tried again with a "joke" submission based on a two-headed teddy bear, mascot of another of the founders, and THAT the heralds liked! Three Mountains: originally tried to register as "The Barony of the Mountains" but heralds rejected as too general. So the baron looked out his window and saw three mountains (Mt Hood in OR, St Helens and Adams in Washington). Resubmitted as "Three Mountains" and it passed. (Known recently as "2 1/2 Mountains" after St. Helens erupted...) ... Wastekeep: Hanford Washington - site of mundane nuclear waste facility ... Dragon's Lair: Bremerton Washington, home of US Naval "dragons", esp. those that go under the water Seagirt: Victoria BC -- definitely on an island, so "sea-girt"; had to get a dispensation from "tre-girt-sea"! ... Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 22:18:45 MST From: "Shannon D. Duncan" <odhran at arkay.net> Subject: Re: Shire of Easaraigh To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com> > > Subject: Re[2]: SC - Russian dishes > > Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 09:24:51 -0500 > > From: Chip <jallen at multipro.com> > > To: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> > > > > > I'm also curious about your "Shire of Easaraigh". Do you know which > > > language that is in? I might guess Scottish. > > > > Exactly. It is in Scots Gaelic. > > > > > And do you know what it means or any of the history behind it's > > > selection? > > > > It means "the pool at the base of the waterfall" which are plentiful > > within the borders of our shire. It's history takes a little > > explanation. Our shire used to be named Ezaret (pronounced > > EZ-uh-ray). Origins for this name are unknown to me. However, they are not unknown to me and it requires a bit *more* explanation than is provided here by my honorable friend, Iyad ibn Bisharo. "Ezaret" was the mispronounciation of "easaraigh"--which the original founders had thought was French. It remained unchallenged from '82 until '99, when I took the original Gaelic, found the documentation and petitioned our Herald to officially submit it. > > As the result > > of some unfortunate political strife (before I joined, I'm happy to > > say) the group self-destructed. One of the few surviving members (now > > our Seneschal) speaks many languages, among them Scots Gaelic. In his > > search for a new name for the shire, he happened upon Easaraigh > > (pronounced Essary). Concerning the political strife, I was not here during it--merely the confidant of the main two "combatants(?)". Having got both their sides (numerous times), then having got a few more accounts with a crowbar and lots of elbow grease out of spectators that were no longer playing, but were still living in Cookeville, I pieced together what happened. It did self-destruct, but I wasn't there. > > Being very similar (and a real word), it stuck. > > The transition is still being made (we have many people using the new > > spelling, but the old pronunciation). We just hosted a moderately > > successful event, so hopefully our name will be spread further. > > Thankfully, almost everyone in our admittedly small group are friends > > outside the group as well. The transition is indeed still being made, but I don't expect it will ever fully stick. As for the spread of the name, that will happen as it may, I hope. > > Political grief is almost nonexistent for > > us. We often use the phrase 'New name, new people, new shire'. This is an oversimplification. There is little political grief where the populace (made up of mostly new people--this much is accurate from above) can see it, but it most certainly is there. It's just not as evident, much to my chagrin. I would like to eradicate it--however, that would mean eradicating memberships as well. No way. The politics that do exist can be controlled--with enough presence of mind and intestinal fortitude. > > Iyad ibn Bisharo, Shire of Easaraigh, Kingdom of Meridies > > Chip Allen, Cookeville, TN > > jallen at multipro.com *neigh* I do speak Scottish Gaelic, as well as pieces of several others, but I'm not as much of a language god as Chip portrayed me. I merely do what I can to make sure people understand that getting along is paramount in the struggle to keep our Shire together and growing and any hindrance to this end...well, let's just say I'm not having any of that. If you have any other questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them. I remain the humble servant of Meridies and Her Crown, Odhran mac an Aba, Fear-riaghlaidh na h-Easaraigh, Rioghnachd Mheiridies mka Shannon D. Duncan, Seneschal of Easaraigh, Kingdom of Meridies From: Conallwolf at aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 07:05:26 EST Subject: Re: Asking Permission To: stefan at texas.net In 1992 the shire was known as "Ezaret" (Ez-u-ray), which I believe I was told was French and having to something to do with the sun and/or its rays. I left the shire for a few years and wandered abroad, and was told that shortly before I returned in Dec. of '98 that the name had been changed to "Easaraigh" (Essary) which is similar, but more reflected the largely Celtic makeup of the local populace. Easaraigh is Scottish Gaelic for "the pool of water at the bottom of a falls", or so I'm told by our local scholars of language. This is especially appropriate as there are a great number of waterfalls around this region, and in fact our area is known for such scenery. Our central town is located in middle Tennessee on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau (or Great Meridian Plateau, if you prefer), where rolling hills and farmlands rise into the mountains. Hope this is helpful. Conall mac Dubhdara Hospitallar for the Shire of Easaraigh Kingdom of Meridies William C. Russell Cookeville, TN Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 13:29:52 EDT From: CBlackwill at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Honeycomb (confectionary) - question to the list bsusan at corp.earthlink.net writes: > And what city do you live in Balthazar? > > Eleanor Bakersfield, California. The armpit of the Western World. Our city motto should have been: "Bakersfield...Where Lizards come to Die." Balthazar of Blackmoor (just as a point of reference...'Blackmoor' is my personal in-joke, and relates to the forests of black oil rigs which spot the landscape in my area. Our Shire was once known as Darkwell...we changed it to Wintermist because of all of the dense, impermeable fog we get for about 3 months out of the year. Just FYI) Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 08:27:20 -0600 To: stefan at texas.net From: Joan Nicholson <gryphon at carlsbadnm.com> Subject: Re: SC - placenames Do you have the Shire of Caer Mithin Halle? It was named the "Castle of the Hidden Halls" after Carlsbad Caverns some twenty miles south of here. Prydwen Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 09:54:56 -0600 To: stefan at texas.net From: Joan Nicholson <gryphon at carlsbadnm.com> Subject: Re: SC - placenames >What language is this in? Middle English? Gaelic? > Stefan Derivations are: "Caer" Welsh for "castle/fort"; "Mithin" is Middle English(Saxon) for hidden/concealed; "Halle" is the Middle English for "hall." Name and device are registered and have been for years. I was the founding seneschal. Prydwen From: "Phil Anderson" <urizen at clear.net.nz> To: stefan at texas.net Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 22:14:07 +1200 Subject: Re: SC - placenames From my Southron Gaard pages (http://www.spis.co.nz/phil/about.htm): "Southron Gaard" is generally said to mean "Southern Guard/Guardian/Guardpost". The name is reflected in the tower on the barony's arms, the name of its newsletter (From the Tower) and the title of its herald (Tour d' Or, or Golden Tower). It is not clear precisely why the name was chosen; there may be a connection with the fact that "Caid" is said to mean "fortress" in Arabic. It has been pointed out that the Barony (then Province) of Nordwache, established the year before Southron Gaard, has a name meaning "North Guard", and the arms of several other Caidan groups feature towers. However, the name dates from very early on (prior to September 1982) and, given the very limited contact with central Caid, it's not clear who would have known of these things at that time. An alternative explanation, given by Thorvald Wulfaersson in an article in the Tenth Anniversary (May/Jun '92) issue of FTT, is as follows: "Of the naming I could tell. How many and lyrical were the names proposed, but finally in Norse style was chosen the simplest. We called Byzantium "Micklegard", the Big City. We would call ourselves Southrongaard, the Southern City." Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 09:11:46 -0400 From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net> Subject: Re: SC - placenames--OT Our barony is Dun Carraig, which is Scots Gaelic for stone or hill fort. We chose the name because Calvert County, where many of us reside, is composed of a number of hills and cliffs, particularly Calvert Cliffs, an ancient repository of marine life from several prehistoric epocs...and, more recently, the site of a nuclear power plant! Our arms include a cross bottony (the one with three little buds on the end of each arm), and are red and white. The Maryland state arms include a cross bottony on a quartered field of red and white, the cross being counterchanged. This relates to the fact that the counties that comprise our barony were the first areas that were settled by Europeans in Maryland. Kiri From: Collette <collette at impulse.net> To: "'stefan at texas.net'" <stefan at texas.net> Subject: RE: Permission please Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 11:21:34 -0700 I have heard that our Shire's name comes from the fact that the surrounding hills are composed mostly of diatomaceous earth. Carreg Wen is Welsh for White Rock and fossilized diatoms are white. Now that you have raised the question I shall do some digging (ahem!) and try to find out the story behind the naming. This group just had its 17th anniversary and I have been a part of the group for the past ten years, so I was not privy to the decisions that led us to our name. I believe I shall have to track down founding members and quiz them as to why we have the name we do. It will make a good "investigative article" for our newsletter. When I have the full story I will send you a copy. Lady Collette Vittraria Chronicler for the Shire of Carreg Wen mka Collette Christel Illusions Fine Art Glass Etching & Stained Glass collette at impulse.net Subject: stuff :) Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 10:11:17 -0700 From: Claire Galibois <galibois at ualberta.ca> To: stefan at texas.net A note for the Florilegium. I was talking to one of the "old" SCA members in my area, and asked her about the history of the name 'Veraquilon.' Apparently the original name was Aquilon (North wind), and the papers were filed with that name, but there were hold-ups. I don't know how the process works, but the papers were mailed in to the appropriate place and a few years later the name still hadn't been approved. Then another (canton?) took the name, and had it approved while ours was still in the works. So rather than lose the name entirely, the members at the time simply changed it to "VERaquilon" or "TRUE North wind." Genevieve Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 09:04:45 -0700 To: stefan at texas.net From: Claire Galibois <galibois at ualberta.ca> Subject: Re: stuff :) >What kind of group is this currently? A shire? A barony? And where? >The name is not that familar to me, but then I mainly know of the >big baronies in other kingdoms. > > Stefan The other group (Aquilon) went belly-up three years later. After Veraquilon was approved, though... Veraquilon is a canton of(?in?) the barony of Borealis, in the principality of Avacal. Edmonton area, mundanely. Borealis covers most of northern Alberta. Genevieve Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Elfsea Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 03:02:54 -0500 From: "Stephen Macthomas" <macthomas at ev1.net> To: <ansteorra at ansteorra.org> Aerin, I believe you're thinking of Fyreamptewealde, the original name of the Canton of Gate's Edge. It means "fire ant mound" in Old English, IIRC. (Whether my memory serves or not, it's plain to see why the name changed.) Stephen Macthomas Gate's Edge Subject: [Ansteorra] Groups Original Names Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 11:23:28 -0500 From: Burke McCrory <bmccrory at oktax.state.ok.us> To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org >While we're on the subject of original names for our local branches, I'd >love to hear about others that went through some name changes during their >history, as well as what the names mean. I know that Bryn Gwlad was not >always Bryn Gwlad, for example ... <grin> > >Stephen Macthomas >Gate's Edge Well here in the North I know of several, Wiesenfeuer was originally Ebonfeuer (Black Fire) Moonschadowe was Mona Sceaduw (which is Moon Shadow in Old English) Sir Burke Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Groups Original Names Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 11:47:38 -0500 From: "David R. Hoffpauir" <env_drh at shsu.edu> To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org Ravens Fort had two names: Tallen Trod (tall tree) Ames Dunham (beats me, just remember there was a cross cultural mix in words that the heralds wouldn't pass) For a definitive answer ask Michael of Twin Cedars (SCA membership #1500). He's been in Ravens Fort since the last ice age, I think. dsd Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Elfsea Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 10:50:48 -0500 From: Darius and Monica <dmriney at earthlink.net> To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org While I was Herald in Elfsea I chanced across the Petition to raise said group to Baronial Status, the name is describe there to derive from the number of small lakes in the area so "Elf" for small or diminutive and "Sea" for all the lakes. Darius Rhonda Hays wrote: > Some time ago, there was a discussion on our local list about traditions. I > recall from that one of the reasons why Elfsea is so named is because Fort > Worth some of the surrounding areas of Tarrant county sit on what was once > under water. Fossil Creek is an example of what you can dig up around here. > We live in NE Parker County, next to Tarrant and have a "drop off" which > runs the length of our six acres. We have found all sorts of shells, from > the small ones to some rather large (6" wide") ones, clearly all from > under the water. > > Our overly large ponds we like to call lakes are mostly the result of the > Corps of Engineers dealing with the Trinity River, and one rather flood > prone creek. > > Where the "Elf" part of that came in, I don't recall. > > Lady Medb Liath Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Groups Original Names Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 13:06:02 -0500 From: "kdw" <kdw at ztel.com> To: <ansteorra at ansteorra.org> David, I was at the populace/household meeting on the night we chose to go with raven's fort.. here goes.. I was 8 years old, we had been in Ames Dunham for just under two years. My mother or Daffyad was the schen. at the time ( don't remember who) AD had been submitted to the College but was turned down due to the fact that the words are two different lang. Someone smarted off and said why don't we just use the English form then... everyone agreed and it was so decided and off to pizza hut we went... Kyrstyn Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Elfsea Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 20:49:52 -0500 From: Candace/Elyssa <elyssa99 at swbell.net> To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org If I remember correctly, Adler and Crystalline (two of the founding members of Elfsea) once told me that Elfsea was originally called Elvesmere (I am sure I spelled it wrong) which at some point became Elfsea and was so named because of the many lakes in the area (man made or otherwise) They were like mini seas hince the name Elfsea. Elf meaning small and sea an acronym for the lakes. I hope this helps. My ex Sir Lance has also confirmed this story. Elyssa Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Elfsea Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2001 22:37:24 -0500 From: knotwork at juno.com To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org OK, here's a bit of name history for our group here in Abilene. At least three attempts were made to start a group here. I don't know much about the first, but I was here for the second and third tries. In the late '80s, we tried to form a group, and wanted to call it "Utdaar," because we felt really isolated -- i.e. "out there." Our resident Medieval scholar decided the pun wasn't appropriate, so he found a word with similar meaning and we dubbed the group "Daarginds." For reasons better not explored here, the group failed to thrive and eventually the incipient shire of Daarginds was dissolved. Fortunately, the third attempt was the charm, and Mendersham was formed. The name is a play on "Tailor Town" because Abilene is located in Taylor County. Our newsletter is called "The Seamy Side," our local service award is the Silver Needle, and our device is a semi of needles on a blue background, all in keeping with the theme. I am way behind on my e-mail, but if it hasn't already been told, the naming woes of the group in San Angelo is also very interesting, but would best be told by one of their own. HE Joanna Montgomery Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Elfsea & group histories Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2001 01:04:25 -0500 From: "Aunt Dwen" <auntdwen at us.inter.net> To: <ansteorra at ansteorra.org> Greetings from Baroness Ceridwen: I've been enjoying the thread about the history behind names for groups in this fair land. As we fast approach another coronation, it seems like a good time to review the history of Ansteorra and her many local traditions. I offer this rememberance of the formation of the Shire of the Wastelands for your amusement. The Shire of the Wastelands (Enid/Fairview, OK) was formed in Spring of 1993. The original intention was to become a Canton of the Barony of Wiesenfeuer, but since our borders were not contiguous, we were advised by the BOD and the Crown that we had to become a Shire. The name "Wastelands" is based on a cartoon of the late Master William Blackfox and the perception that northwest Oklahoma is somewhat...barren. At the time the Shire of Wiesenfeuer began its quest to become a Barony, HL. Malaki was its seneschal. In a conversation with then Crown Mikael of Monmouthshire, Malaki suggested the boundaries of the barony include all territory west of I-35 and north of I-40 (basically the northwest quadrant of OK). While, for obvious reasons, this did not come to pass, Master Blackfox immortalized the exchange in a cartoon with the punchline of, "A Waste is a terrible thing to mind." The populace of the Incipient Shire of the Wastelands, knowing full well that we grow the wheat that feeds the world, embraced the concept of wheat for our device (three crossed golden shafts of wheat on a blue field). The Gleaner became the name for our newsletter in honor of all the huge "Gleaner" combines that come through here on harvest. Baron Don James Navarre found a sickle which became the stand for our Shire's device, and for many years our Arts and Sciences competition was "Wheat in Any Medium." Baroness Ceridwen Tir Gwastraff House Wizard's Keep Chronicler of the Wastelands Subject: Re: Rokkehealden, why? Where from? Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 12:03:43 -0500 (CDT) From: James Mcadams <jmcadams at interaccess.com> To: Nicolas Steenhout <vavroom at bmee.net> CC: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <mark.s.harris at motorola.com>, jmcadams at interaccess.com According to Elaine, "Rokkehealdon" is a Gaelic term for "Stone Hold", or Stone Keep, etc. I know that one of the early members was Kull of Stonehold, and a little bit of checking in an English-Gaelic dictionary shows that Rok and Dun can translate as "Rock" and "Fortress" respectively. Xavier ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim McAdams | Do, jmcadams at interaccess.com | or Do Not. 630-859-6902 | There is no "Try". - Yoda ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Linda Kelley-Nordlund" <lakotaginger at hotmail.com> To: stefan at texas.net Subject: Re: Your shire's name Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 00:07:46 -0600 >This is the first time I've heard of your Shire. Do you know what the >name came from? Or what it is supposed to stand for or why it was >picked? > Stefan Yes, the name is German. It means Eagles water. We have a very large body of water here and eagle statuaries. We are located in the middle of the Outlands with the largest land mass in our Kingdom at this time. We are trying to help others in the further part of our Shire to form their own Shire. Best of everything, and enjoy your birthday with good friends. Lady Catelin O'Kelley (Linda Kelley-Nordlund) Shire of Aarquelle Subject: Dun Carraig heraldry Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 13:22:12 -0500 From: Elaine Koogler<ekoogler at chesapeake.net> To: "Mark.S Harris (rsve60)" <mark.s.harris at motorola.com> No problem. The name, Dun Carraig is Scots Gaelic for "stone fort"...and is derived from the large archaelogical site in our area, Calvert Cliffs...lots of shark remains, etc., buried in the cliffs...also there is a large Scots population in southern Maryland. The device, "Per chevron gules and crusilly bottony argent and argent, a cross bottony within a laurel wreath gules" is an adaptation of the Crossland arms on the Maryland state arms...I might add the only state arms in the US that are truly heraldic! The Crossland arms are "Quarterly gules and argent a cross botton counterchanged". So you can see where the adaptation came in. Our badge is "(fieldless) a seadog rampant to sinister gules". I guess we're like all other Atlantian groups and, because of our location on the Chesapeake Bay, tend to migrate to nautical heraldry. We have one Order, the Order of the SeaHawk, "gules three wings in pall argent". The other name for the seahawk is osprey...and this is a prime location for those wonderful birds. As we have a large transient population, we have an award/order we give to those who are leaving us, The Company of Wayfarers of Dun Carraig, whose badge is "a compass star argent surmounted by a cross bottony gules". Kiri Subject: Place names and group history Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 11:37:03 +1100 From: JTStewart<jtstewart at optusnet.com.au> To: "Mark.S Harris"<Mark.s.Harris at motorola.com> Hi there. I heard you are interested in how groups got their names. This is the story of the group where I started in the SCA. We were a war gaming group in the Latrobe Valley, which is about 80 to 90 miles East of Melbourne, Australia. We changed the group name from The Latrobe Valley War gaming Association to Ohtar En Moria Roleplayers Association when our interests turned more to roleplaying. That is supposed to be Elvish for Warriors of the Black Pits. The Latrobe Valley has enormous quantities of brown coal just under the surface and so there are several major open cuts where the coal is mined to make briquettes and electricity. This small area provides 90% of the electricity for the state of Victoria. We ran Australia's first free form D&D roleplaying convention called King Con at the Moe High School in 1984. We had contact with a gaming fellow in Melbourne who had recently become involved with a group of people who actually fought one another with swords and things. So we asked if they would like to put on a display. James the Sinister and Braddock MacCarrum came and fought with orfinn Hrolfsson as the Marshal. We thought the SCA looked like great fun so we decided to start a group. There are about four major power stations within about 30 miles so where ever you go in the Latrobe Valley you can usually see either power station chimneys and their smoke or high tension power lines going to Melbourne. It seemed obvious to us that we should base our shire's name on this major factor of life in the Latrobe Valley. When you travel to the Valley from Melbourne you reach the last range of hills (called the Haunted Hills) and as you reach the top of the last hill you see a lovely scenic view of the valley and the top of the brown haze that fills the valley. Thus was born Dark Skies in the Crown Principality of Lochac as part of West Kingdom, a shire based in the modern world town of Moe, Victoria, Australia. Unfortunately jobs in Melbourne lured away some of the shires members (including myself) and after about five or six years the group folded. Cheers John From: Ron [eirik at hot.rr.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 5:51 PM To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org Subject: RE: [Ansteorra] The Shore of Middleford (was Too many events?) Theron Bretz said: > Sorry, but every time the title of this thread pops up, I crack > up. I mean, isn't Middleford landlocked? > > Luciano Actually there are two lake shores within 6 miles of where the majority of us folks in Middleford live. The name came from the fact that we had a river flowing through the middle of the Shire with a ford. Eirik From: Kim <nyxiz at shaw.ca Date: Tue Apr 8, 2003 3:08:15 PM US/Central To: StefanliRous at austin.rr.com Subject: [Fwd: Re: shire] Resending this as requested on the list. >>> Harrows Cross was chosen because the research was already done for the name, no one felt fussy, and it sounded very cool. I picked it (because that's really what I did) because Gleichen had so many churches it seemed rather humourous (Harrow means temple or shrine, and wherever a church put a large cross was a landmark, so it's essentially Temple's Big Cross), it sounded cool, and I had already documented it. Sad, but true. At least there were no fights about it! Viridis <<< From: "Brown, Elizabeth" <BrownEli at Berkeleyprep.org> Date: Tue May 27, 2003 7:07:50 AM US/Central To: "Stefan li Rous" <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com> Subject: RE: Author of the anonymous article on Pride in the Florilegium > PS: Do you know the history or reason behind your shire's > name? Fiach Ogan is gaelic for Raven's Wood. Originally the shire was populated almost exclusively by members of an early period Irish household called Dun Tir. The personal device of the house leader (Duke Aaron) is the raven - hence Raven's Wood. Dulcia Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 22:48:38 -0400 From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <rcmann4 at earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] viking alphabet OT/OOP To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> On 27 Aug 2003, at 22:23, Avraham haRofeh of Sudentur wrote: > 45. Then did Phil take the cookpot away from the fire, and he did add > milk and the sauce from the western shire. Shouldn't that be "sauce from the Shire of Worcester pronounced 'Wooster'"? :) Avraham <<< My husband, while a student at WPI, was one of the founding members of the local SCA shire. He was present at the historic meeting during which the new group was dubbed the Shire Von Sosse (German for "Shire of Sauce"). After all, it was the Worcester Shire. Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom From: Patricia Collum <pjc2 at cox.net> Date: Thu Aug 28, 2003 8:58:51 AM US/