Augmentation of Arms, AElflaed of Duckford

October 3, 1981

King Albert, who had reigned in the Midrealm before he moved to Atenveldt (also with his lady wife Selene), gave me an augmentation of arms, with a beautiful speech about his disappointment that I had not been able to be kingdom seneschal for all of his reign, as I became Steward partway through. I was granted the Atenveldt sun and a key, to symbolize my work as seneschal, and the production of the Atenveldt Seneschal's Handbook. What their Majesties had hoped was that I would use the escutcheon as a shield for the duck to hold. While it might have been cute, I begged to be allowed to go with the dignified version, and so it is in base, on the ford. I remember being very relieved that the colors were both already on my device.

Heraldic Note:At the time the submission was made, Baldwin of Erebor advised me that the top of the shield, being gold, should begin within a blue wave, and the bottom should end in blue. The emblazon I've shown here violates that excellent recommendation, but I just haven't redrawn it, and reversing the order of the waves in the ford wouldn't work because it needs to have argent against vert as it begins.

This was the first augmentation of arms I had ever seen or known in the SCA, and so it was a very special gift. During the next reign, a couple of people asked the king what they would need to do for him to give them augmentations, and before long it was fairly (and unfortunately) common.

The scroll was made by Lady Briony of Windermere (later Countess Briony), who was the younger sister of Lady Rhonwyn of Loch Salann (later Mistress Rhonwyn). The ducks are doing "the Snoopy dance." Those familiar with Peanuts by Charles M. Schultz will recognize the positions. It's a little like this, but Briony's depiction is truer to the original static art than the animated gif is, but the gif has the joy in it.



This image is scanned from a color photocopy, and not a modern one. If I get a chance to scan the larger scroll I'll switch it out.

I wanted to register the augmentation separately so that it wouldn't change my blazon—so that it would be legal to use, but an option. I didn't want it to supercede my first-registered device. The argument has gone both ways, with different Laurel Sovereigns of Arms.

Original blazon, January 1980:
Aelflaed of Duckford. Vert, a duck rampant argent, billed and membered Or, above a ford proper.

December 21, 1981:
Aelflaed of Duckford. Augmentation of arms. Vert, a duck rampant argent, billed and membered Or, and on a ford proper an inescutcheon of augmentation bearing Azure, in pale a sun and a key fesswise within a bordure Or.

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