Valyrian languages
Fictional language family from A Song of Ice and Fire.
The Valyrian languages are a fictional family created for George R. R. Martin's *A Song of Ice and Fire* novels and their television adaptations, *Game of Thrones* and *House of the Dragon*. In the books, High Valyrian and its offshoots are referenced but only a handful of words appear. For the shows, linguist David J. Peterson constructed High Valyrian along with the derived dialects Astapori and Meereenese Valyrian, building on the novel's fragments. Critics have called Valyrian and Dothraki "the most convincing fictional tongues since Elvish".
Peterson was chosen by HBO through a conlanging competition to develop both Dothraki and Valyrian for *Game of Thrones*. The producers gave him broad creative freedom, as Martin himself, according to Peterson, had little interest in the linguistic side of his world. The published novels contain only a few High Valyrian terms, such as *valar morghulis* ("all men must die"), *valar dohaeris* ("all men must serve"), and *dracarys* ("dragonfire"). For the upcoming novel *The Winds of Winter*, Peterson has provided Martin with additional Valyrian translations.
Peterson noted that Martin’s choice of *dracarys* was unfortunate due to its apparent resemblance to the Latin *draco* ("dragon"). Since Latin does not exist in the fictional world, Peterson treated the similarity as coincidental and made *dracarys* an independent word; his High Valyrian for "dragon" is *zaldrīzes*. Conversely, *valar morghulis* and *valar dohaeris* became the basis for the language’s conjugation system. Another word, *trēsy* ("son"), was created to honor Peterson’s 3000th Twitter follower. By early June 2013, the High Valyrian lexicon had 667 words. Peterson later expanded the languages for the prequel series *House of the Dragon*.
Since 2019, Peterson has been recording the Valyrian languages—along with his other constructed languages—in a Wiktionary-style database on his website, The Languages of David J. Peterson, with help from curators.
In the fictional world, High Valyrian fills a cultural role similar to Classical Latin in medieval Europe. The novels describe it as no longer spoken in daily life but used for learning and education among the nobility of Essos and Westeros, with much literature and song composed in Valyrian.
Vowels marked with a macron (ī, ȳ, ū, ē, ō, ā) are long, held twice as long as short vowels.
- Creator
- David J. Peterson
- First appearance
- Game of Thrones television series
- Based on
- Fragments from George R. R. Martin's novels
- Language family
- Fictional, with High Valyrian and descendant languages
- Notable phrases
- valar morghulis, valar dohaeris, dracarys
- Documentation
- The Languages of David J. Peterson website (since 2019)
Contesto e storia
To create the Dothraki and Valyrian languages to be spoken in Game of Thrones, HBO selected the language creator David J. Peterson through a competition among conlangers. The producers gave Peterson a largely free hand in developing the languages, as, according to Peterson, George R. R. Martin himself was not very interested in the linguistic aspect of his works. The already published novels include only a few words of High Valyrian, including valar morghulis ('all men must die'), valar dohaeris ('all men must serve') and dracarys ('dragonfire'). For the forthcoming novel The Winds of Winter, Peterson has supplied Martin with additional Valyrian translations.
Peterson commented that he considered Martin's choice of dracarys unfortunate because of its (presumably intended) similarity to the Latin word for dragon, draco. Because the Latin language does not exist in the fictional world of A Song of Ice and Fire, Peterson chose to treat the similarity as coincidental and made dracarys an independent lexeme; his High Valyrian term for dragon is zaldrīzes. The phrases valar morghulis and valar dohaeris, on the other hand, became the foundation of the language's conjugation system. Another word, trēsy, meaning 'son', was coined in honour of Peterson's 3000th Twitter follower. At the start of June 2013, there were 667 High Valyrian words. Peterson expanded the languages for the successor series House of the Dragon.
Guida alla lettura
High Valyrian occupies a cultural niche similar to that of Classical Latin in medieval Europe within the fictional world. It is no longer used as a language of everyday communication but rather as a language of learning and education among the nobility of Essos and Westeros, with much literature and song composed in Valyrian. The language features a complex grammar with four grammatical numbers (singular, plural, paucal, collective), eight cases, four grammatical genders (lunar, solar, terrestrial, aquatic), and verbs that conjugate for seven tenses, two voices, and three moods. Peterson describes Valyrian gender as being inherent but more predictable from phonology than gender in French, with some derivational properties of the noun classes of Bantu languages. The language has been documented since 2019 on the website The Languages of David J. Peterson, and a Duolingo course for English speakers began construction in October 2016, with the beta version released on July 12, 2017. The course was updated in April 2019 in anticipation of Game of Thrones' eighth and final season, with Peterson creating audio for the lessons and exercises.
Lo sapevi?
- The High Valyrian word for dragon is zaldrīzes, created by Peterson because he considered Martin's choice of dracarys unfortunate due to its similarity to Latin draco.
- High Valyrian has four grammatical numbers: singular, plural, paucal, and collective.
More in Personaggi
Elsewhere in Game of Thrones
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