Step from Core Practice

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Definition:[edit | edit source]

Formerly known as a Step from Period Practice (SFPP)

From "List of Armoury Weirdnesses" - http://rampart.outlandsheralds.org/creative/weirdnesses.html

So what is a "weirdness"? A "weirdness" in SCA heraldry is something that is "one step beyond period practice". Exactly what constitutes something qualifying as a weirdness has changed over time... Having "two weirdnesses", in other words being "two steps beyond period practice" is sufficient to get a piece of armory returned.

Glossary of Terms:[edit | edit source]

Rule of Two Weirdnesses: An informal term referring to the idea that the College can usually accept a name or armorial design that has one break with the usual period style provided that it is not overly obtrusive. A name or device that has two violations of period style, or two weirdnesses, is less likely to be registered. These weirdnesses are defined in precedents. See also SCA-compatible. http://heraldry.sca.org/coagloss.html

Rules:[edit | edit source]

SENA: GP.4. F. Step from Period Practice: OLD VERSION OF RULE as of February 2021 Cover Letter[edit | edit source]

A step from period practice is an element or combination of elements not found in period names or armory that we nonetheless allow. While this is mostly used in terms of armory, it may also appear in older precedents on names. In older rulings this same concept may also be described as a weirdness.

http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/sena.html#GP4


Precedents:[edit | edit source]

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/precedents.html
Morsulus Heralds Website - http://www.morsulus.org/ (to search the LoARs and Precedents)

Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

Collected Precedents of the SCA: Steps from Period Practice - http://heraldry.sca.org/precedents/CompiledNamePrecedents/Weirdnesses.html

February 2021 - new "Steps from Core Practice" standard[edit | edit source]

From Wreath: Steps from Core Practice[edit | edit source]

As our readers are no doubt aware, the armory standards laid out in SENA present a simplified view of the design aesthetics of Western Europe in the 12th through 14th centuries, and SENA A1A1 goes so far as to say "[o]ur core style is not identical to the style of any single specific place and time, although it is based on the dominant style in medieval Western Europe, the Anglo-Norman style."

Within this framework the needs of most members of the Society have been well-served, allowing many people to add to the pageantry without the need to invest time and resources toward researching period manuscripts and treatises. However, it does not and likely never will encompass all the fevered dreams that arise from the heraldic imagination of our period (or our membership). And so for many years the armory standards of the Society have made allowances for popular content and style choices which differ somewhat from this approximation of period practice. As SENA GP4 reads:

A step from period practice is an element or combination of elements not found in period names or armory that we nonetheless allow. While this is mostly used in terms of armory, it may also appear in older precedents on names. In older rulings this same concept may also be described as a weirdness.

Some common examples may be found in SENA Appendix G (though astute readers of the LoAR may note some things mentioned in Appendix G which no longer belong). Included are plants and animals from outside of Europe, such as the New World dogwood blossom which differs from that of the European species, and elements from non-European armory, such as those found in Japanese mon. Additionally, extrapolating from the attested leopard's head jessant-de-lys to the (hypothetical) bear's head jessant-de-lys, or the use of "complex machines known to Europeans" have also been ruled an SFPP from time to time.

Each of these examples involve things known to period which nevertheless have not been considered part of our pre-17th century Western European core: the first is the application, to non-European species, of an established (SENA A2B2b) pattern regarding the use of plants and animals; the second is the borrowing of elements from an entirely separate heraldic tradition into an otherwise core design (a variation of SENA A2B2a); and the third is an extrapolated variant of a core motif to use a core charge in an unattested manner. Not included in the list are certain motifs such as the use of low-contrast charges we see from time to time in Germany and Italy: these are examples of motifs which require the documentation of an Individually Attested Pattern, being a step too far from the core. See SENA A4 for details.

To more accurately reflect our true intent -- which is to provide a limited allowance for otherwise innocuous design choices rather than to return with a (potentially misleading) declaration that something is simply "not period" -- we are immediately changing how we refer to these cases: instead of steps from period practice, we shall call them steps from core practice, or SFCPs.

From Wreath: On the Governing Documents of the Society, SENA, and Steps from Core Practice[edit | edit source]

As a step toward alignment with the revised introduction to Corpora announced in March 2021, which seeks to include non-European cultures into the definition of the Society's scope, we are considering several changes to SENA to reduce and remove bias against non-European cultures inasmuch as we can also fulfill our mission, specified in Corpora VI.C which reads in part:

[...] to provide sufficient difference from names and armory registered within the Society to avoid undue confusion, to avoid the appearance of unearned honors or false claims, and to provide sufficient difference from historical or fictional personages to prevent offense due to obvious usurpation of identity or armory. Members are encouraged to develop unique, historically valid names and armory.

An example of bias includes the imposition of steps from core practice for the use of East Asian dragons, the use of characters from East Asian writing systems, and the use of New World flora and fauna. Under the current standards, Argent, a dragon and the word "dragon" sable would not have any SFCP declared, while Argent, an East Asian dragon and the kanji for "dragon" sable would have two SFCPs and, thus, be returned unless documented as an Individually Attested Pattern. Similarly, Gules, the Japanese number three within an octogon argent, depicted on a banner in the O-umajirushi (identified as the same mon as Inaba Mino-no-kami) would also be returned.

Sections of SENA already identified for change include:

  • SENA GP4F, defining "Step from Period [now Core] Practice";
  • SENA A1A1, introducing "Core Style Rules";
  • SENA A2B2, where we can mostly drop "European" and "non-European" from the text;
  • SENA A2B4, which would undergo a significant rewrite; and
  • Appendix G, listing some well-known SFCPs.

It is not expected that we will do away with SFCPs entirely. There are popular design choices, each individually within period European armory, which in combination are implausible enough to warrant an SFCP, and we anticipate implausible cases from outside of Europe to be similarly handled. It is also not expected that these changes will be completed in a single act on our part, and we anticipate a long tail of re-evaluating old precedents as they are cited in the normal course of submissions. The purpose of the current exercise is to establish the fundamental changes to support our immediate need while providing the foundation for identifying future changes.

To that end, effective immediately:

The use of non-European armorial elements will no longer be considered a step from core practice. The standard for documentation will be the same as that used for Europe, applied to the local culture. This is a change to SENA A2B4a.

The use of non-European plants and animals will no longer be considered a step from core practice. The standard for documentation will be the same as that used for Europe, applied to the local culture. This is a change to SENA A2B4b.

The use of attested depictions of fantastical plants and animals from outside of Europe will no longer be considered a step from core practice. The standard for documentation will be the same as that used for Europe, applied to the local culture. This is a change to SENA A2B4b.

We direct Palimpsest to prepare a letter so that we may discuss the specific changes necessary to enact this realignment.

While these changes are under discussion, we will pend armory that would normally be returned for having two or more steps from core practice.

As a reminder, steps from core practice only apply to designs submitted under the standards described in SENA A2 and A3. As always, designs may be documented and registered under the Individually Attested Pattern standards of SENA A4.

From Pelican: On the Governing Documents of the Society and Naming Practice[edit | edit source]

Currently, the guidelines for registering names outlined by SENA allows for the registration of any name element from any part of the world attested before 1650. As such, the new introduction to the Society's Governing Documents does not impact how we register names at this time.

https://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2021/02/21-02cl.html

Collected Precedents:[edit | edit source]

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