Tongues of the world

The tongues of the world

What dracarys and valar morghulis truly mean, the words the horselords ride by, and how much of these languages the books actually set down — as against the screen.

High Valyrian

这寥寥数语,几乎便是已出版诸书中完整记载下来的高等瓦雷利亚语的全部。这门古老自由堡的语言,在书页之中仅以零散的词汇,以及自由贸易城邦那些私生的瓦雷利亚方言留存下来——每座城市都各自朝不同方向偏离了母语。而影视作品中那流畅、拥有完整语法变化的语言,是由我们这个世界的一位语言学家为荧幕专门构建的,其丰富程度远超原著小说的记载;本纪年将其标注为改编产物,而非正史。

Dothraki

The tongues of Westeros & beyond

What does dracarys mean?

Dracarys is High Valyrian for “dragonfire,” and it is the single word a dragon is taught to obey — the command Daenerys Targaryen uses to bid her dragons loose their flames. It is the shortest and most terrible order in the tongue of old Valyria.

What does valar morghulis mean?

Valar morghulis is High Valyrian for “all men must die.” It serves the Braavosi as greeting, farewell, and password alike; the proper answer is valar dohaeris — “all men must serve.” Together they bind death and duty into a single creed.

What does khaleesi mean?

Khaleesi is the Dothraki word for a khal's queen — his wife. A khal is a warlord who leads a khalasar, the whole riding band of warriors, families, slaves and herds that follows him. Daenerys carries the title as the wife of Khal Drogo.

Are the languages in the books as complete as the show's?

No. The novels set down only a scattering of High Valyrian phrases and a modest Dothraki vocabulary. The fluent, fully grammatical languages heard in the television adaptation were built for the screen by a philologist and go far beyond anything the books record — the chronicle treats them as adaptation, not canon.