Not about P's or R's

[Nik Hughes <Nik_Hughes@ess.niaid.pc.niaid.nih.gov>]

Carole / Margrete writes:

>So, to start a totally new, uncontroversial subject...
>
>What makes someone (e.g., Dafydd) an Earl?  
>
>I've looked through all the SCA info and FAQ's I have, but can't find 
>this.  I can account for: King/Queen, Duke/Duchess, Baron/ess, Prince/
>ss, Viscount/ess, Count/ess, those are easy to figure out.

You are allowed alternatives for the "standard" titles. Earl is a 
recognized alternative Title for one of County Rank and is actually as 
common as Count. I personally use "Graf" which is the German equivalent. 
("Grafin" is the feminine version.) Should I ever attain Ducal rank, I 
would use "Herzog", again the German. ("Herzogin" is the feminine.)

>Lord/Lady, if I understand it, is borne by anyone who has an AOA.

And is appropriate as a default for everyone until you get more data.

>Master/Mistress is a Laurel holder (or a Pelican?)

Laurel, Pelican, and (*shudder*) Master-At-Arm.

>Sir is a Knight--but what's a Lady Knight?

[1] Tougher than she looks. (Sorry, couldn't resist..) 
[2] Sir or Dame. Most of the female Knights I've met use Sir. Dame seems 
    to be a Modern Era permutation for females, but seems to be used by 
    a few.

>Also, why is Dafydd referred to as His Excellency?  (Other than the 
>fact that he is excellent, I assume...)

"You Excellency" is used for "Hats" below Duchal rank. "Your Grace" is 
for Ducal rank. "Your Highness" is for Princely rank. "Your Majesty" is 
for Royal rank.

>And finally:  How do you pronounce Dafydd?  

  [1] Incorrectly.  
  [2] Guh-Wee-Doh.
  [3] No Really: In Welsh, a double D is pronounced TH. The A is Short. 
      Y is short I. So DA-FITH. 

  And by the way, Dafydd is not considered a "good" Welsh name. The 
  Consonant to Vowel Ratio (CVR) is much too low. It should be at 
  least 5:1 with 10:1 being optimum. ;) 

>Just some questions from a newbie,
>
>Carole / Margrete

A much more fun use of the list!

Troll/Klaus/Nik

Klaus von Trollenberg       +- Nik Hughes (aka Troll) -------------+
"He fights like a novice!"  |  Social & Scientific Systems         |
                            |   Internet: nh32e@nih.gov            |
                            +--------------------------------------+