Daemon Targaryon channels Elric of Melnibone
Now that Game of Thrones has wrapped, House of the Dragon has become HBO’s next blockbuster fantasy series. It’s about the history of the Targaryon family who ruled over Westeros two centuries previous to the events of the former series. They are Valyrians, George R. R. Martin’s equivalent of Imperial Romans, with the addition of dragons and a healthy dollop of Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melnibone. Like that melancholy hero, Valyrians are pale and have ghostly platinum blonde hair, rumored sorcerous abilities, and a decadent culture that includes slavery and incest. They’re a lot of fun. I’m currently watching the series, and I’ll give a full review when I am done.
With a new series comes new worldbuilding, among which is High Valyrian, the language these dragon people speak. High Valyrian is a lot like Latin with touches of some unknown Slavic language, and was created by a language expert for the show. There’s even a translator for it, available here, and a list of some phrases used on the show if you want to try it yourself. Happily for me, the new language also allows for a more evenly applied, otherworldly naming convention for the Valyrian characters. First names use the ae vowel combo in heavy rotation, adding to the Latin vibe, with endings of -ion, -ys, -on and -or that make the names sound serious and foreboding. These are not playful, happy-go-lucky people; they are weighed down by their own history and shortcomings. Exotic touches come from the consonant combos of rh and vh and the consonant doubles of mm, rr, and ss. Easy to replicate.
Brōzāt syt fanfic nykeā rpg valyrians gō kesīr. (Names for fanfic or RPG Valyrian characters are below.)
Valyrian Character Names
| Male
Aergon Aesselon Baedegon Ensys Ghavnon Hemaegon Icerys Idmaen Ithilys Naessor Rhanor Telcerys Uthrys Varanthys Vhistar |
Female
Aegna Aerys Anma Brysa Daemara Erra Jaedrys Jessryn Minnyra Naema Saena Sarys Thryna Vaena Vyrna |
