#Skroth

[dedalvs]

Hello Mr Peterson!

I was doing my weekly obsessive dive of TGOT languages as one does when I noticed the skroth language.

I saw a post about the reference grammar and heard a audio sample and it seems like the perfect language to scream into my computer screen as I learn, will any other material such as vocabulary be released or is the language like the show over?

Nah, that was an idea they had about having the White Walkers speak, since it's said that they speak in the books. Ultimately they decided against it, which I think was the right decision. So that was nothing more than a sketch to test out an idea.

[vasco-portable-translators]

Languages of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon — High Valyrian, Dothraki and more

To say that Game of Thrones was a popular TV series is to say nothing about it. It was adapted from the bestselling "Ice & Fire" saga by American author, George R.R. Martin, and aired on HBO in 2010-2019 through 8 seasons. The show's presence in the media was a worldwide phenomenon, influencing almost all sectors of the current pop culture. At its peak, the show was broadcasted in 207 countries and averaged almost 44 million viewers for its final season (Forbes, 2019 & Hollywood Reporter, 2022). Even though the ending of the show left most fans disappointed, the prequel show House of the Dragon has attracted the audience of 20 million for its first aired episode on August 23rd, 2022. Needless to say, it bodes well for the franchise's future. As dive deep in the plot lines of Westeros, we once again encounter its fictional languages, like High Valyrian. Hearing it might sound weirdly familiar for some - and not just because it was already present in Game of Thrones. FAQ: Did Game of Thrones make up languages? Yes, Game of Thrones features a number of fictional languages. They are, for instance, High Valyrian, Low Valyrian, and Dothraki. Which language is commonly spoken in Game of Thrones? The majority of characters in Westeros use the Common Tongue, which is represented by the English language. Is High Valyrian a real language? High Valyrian is a fictional language crafted by the Game of Thrones show linguist, David J. Peterson. Is Daenerys speaking a real language? Daenerys uses the Valyrian language, which is a fictional tongue constructed by David J. Peterson, the GoT show's linguist. How many languages does Arya Stark speak? Arya Stark speaks the Common Tongue fluently, in addition to knowing the basics of High Valyrian, Braavosi, Pentoshi, and Lyseni. What language is Valyrian similar to? The Valyrian language is based on the Latin and Greek languages. What language is Dothraki based on? David J. Peterson explained that the grammar of Dothraki is similar to Russian, but the vocabulary is based on the Genghis-Khan Mongolian language to reflect their nomadic lifestyle similarity. So, this begs a few questions. Is Valyrian a real language? If it's invented, does it take after existing languages? What is the difference between High Valyrian, low Valyrian, and old Valyrian language? Is High Valyrian somehow related to Dothraki language? Let's find the answers to all these questions! What languages are spoken in Game of Thrones? To answer that question, we could dive deep into the lore, but let's just focus on the languages we actually hear in the show and that were developed for its sake. Speak More Languages Now The most prominent languages of Westeros & Essos are: - Common tongue of the Andals. Both in the books and the shows, this language is represented simply by English, and interestingly enough, it has a similar origin. - High Valyrian. In the Game of Thrones, Daenerys is the last known speaker of this old language, which may imply it dies with her. Though it's not completely true, as this language is preserved by the written sources. High Valyrian gets much more screen time in House of the Dragon, as it's used by the whole Targaryen family. - Low Valyrian / Bastard Valyrian. These are the dialects that evolved out of Valyrian after it fell out of use. - Dothraki. It is spoken by the nomadic horse-mounted warriors in the lands of Essos. - Skroth. The language used by the White Walkers. Even though there was a whole Skroth language created, the producers decided to use literal ice creaking as White Walker's tongue. Now that we know what languages are there in the Seven Kingdoms, let's find out more about them. Is Valyrian a real language? No. Valyrian a fictional language developed for the TV series Game of Thrones by saga's author Geroge R.R. Martin and a language creator David J. Peterson. Still, Valyrian in Game of Thrones is meant to work as a regular language. It has eight cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, locative, instrumental, comitative and vocative) with six declensions. It also has four grammatical genders of sorts (lunar, solar, terrestrial and aquatic), but they are not connected to biological sex but rather their type. It also has four numbers (singular-paucal-collective-plural). Valyrian writing system is the same as Latin, as creators didn't need to incorporate a unique alphabet in the show. What language is Valyrian similar to? It's no coincidence that Valyrian sounds like a language that could exist in our world. You may wonder, is Valyrian a romance language? You wouldn't be far from the truth. The Valyrian language is fictitious, but it is based on the Latin and Greek languages. What's more, David J. Peterson explained that in order to make Valyrian seem like a living language, he implied the existence of many dialects of it. The most prominent is the Low Valyrian dialect used by common people in Slaver's Bay. So, all of it should answer the question of what language is Valyrian similar to. What's the difference between High Valyrian language and Low Valyrian dialects? High Valyrian is the ancient language spoken in the past by the Valyrians of Essos. Nobles of the house Targaryen come from Valyria and therefore, they learn High Valyrian as a sign of their status. For the same reason, they have Valyrian names, e.g. Aegon, Daenerys, Rhaenyra etc. However, outside of elite's circles, High Valyrian fell out of use. It has evolved into the new dialects in the Free Cities and Ghis, resulting into so-called Low Valyrian or Bastard Valyrian languages. Considering that there are nine cities, we can expect that there are nine dialects of Valyrian in Game of Thrones with unique grammar and structure. Is High Valyrian an ancient language? Technically, yes. High Valyrian is the term of a dead language used in the old Valyria. In the House of the Dragon, only the high-born (mostly Targaryens) can speak and read in it. All the other Valyrian languages that change overtime are considered to be Low Valyrian dialects. Where are Valyrian languages used in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon? Throughout the Game of Thrones, Low Valyrian is spoken in the Free City of Braavos, on the Iron Islands, and in Slaver's Bay. High Valyrian is only known by Daenerys. In the House of the Dragon, the High Valyrian is used by the whole Targaryen family and probably the closest court nobles, though we don't see them speak it on-screen. Instead, most often we see Rhaenyra and Daemon using it. High Valyrian phrases Source Meaning Literal meaning Valyrio muño ēngos ñuhys issa Valyrian is my mother tongue - Ñuhor līr gūrēnn I will take what is mine. - Vīlībāzmosa iderennī emilun I would like a trial by combat - Ao ynoma dīnilūks? Will you marry me? - Sōnar mastan Winter is here - Skoriot rāenābion ilza? Where's the bathroom? - Vēzos qēlossās ñuho My beloved (relating to a man) My sun and stars Ñuho glaeso hūrus My beloved (relating to a woman) Moon of my life Skorkydoso glaesā? How are you? - Sesīr kipi! An now, we ride! - Se ribazma iksis se ossēnagon hen zūgagon Fear is the mind killer - Nerni ōrēs Hold the door - Bantis zōbrie issa se ossȳngnoti lēdys The night is dark and full of terrors - What is Dothraki language similar to? The language of Dothraki was the first language created by David J. Peterson for the Game of Thrones. He explained, that its grammar is mostly similar to Russian, but the vocabulary is heavily inspired by Genghis-Khan Mongolian language to reflect their nomadic lifestyle similarity. Apart from that, the creator of Dothraki language described that its speech is designed to sound similar to Arabic languages, borrowing the characteristic growl and breathy sounds. The Dothraki language is, no surprise, used by the Dothraki tribes and Daenerys once she learns it while being Khal Drogo's wife. Dothraki phrases Source Meaning Literal meaning Anha dothrak chek asshekh I feel well today I ride well today Hajas! Goodbye! Be strong! Shekh ma shieraki anni My beloved (relating to a man) My sun and stars Jalan atthirari anni My beloved (relating to a woman) Moon of my life Shor tawakof Armor Steel dress Ase shafki athdrivar Your wish is my command Your words are death Sek, k’athjilari Yes, certainly Yes, by rightness Vos. Vosecchi! No. No way! - Me nem nesa It is known - Hash yer dothrae chek asshekh? How are you? Do you ride well today? Hash me laz adakha jin zhoris? Are those hearts edible? - Me zisosh disse It's just a flesh wound - Anha vazhak yeraan thirat I will let you live - Hash yer asti k’athijilari? Are you speaking truthfully? - What are the other popular fictional languages? Even though the languages of Westeros & Essos are getting so popular now, this is not the first time that a fictional language is created for a book or a TV show. These are the most popular ones: - Quenya Tolkien created many languages for his fictional world of Middle Earth (and beyond), but Quenya is the most widely spoken language among elves, and, interestingly enough, the fans. Quenya grammar is simple and regular, with a syntax that's similar to Finnish; the alphabet has thirty-two letters without any distinction between uppercase or lowercase letters. - Klingon Klingon is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the 'Star Trek' universe. It was developed by Marc Okrand from 1984 onwards, improving the previously functioning gibberish. - Na'vi The Na'vi language was created by the film's director, James Cameron, and is spoken mainly by the inhabitants of Pandora in the 'Avatar' universe. The intent was to create a language that could express all the nuances and emotional content of English, but which would be completely unique in sound and structure. - Minion language Although it was created more as a joke than anything else, the Minion language became a phenomenon ever since it appeared in the Despicable Me movie in 2010. Its vocabulary contains words that are similar to those in several languages, however it doesn't seem to have any consistent grammar or syntax rules. Why are languages like High Valyrian invented? There are many reasons why authors and creators invent fictional languages. Let's take a look at some of the most prominent reasons. Unique world-building Some might want to create a new culture with its own language to build a unique world. They might want to give their characters an identity that is separate from their own, to create a more exotic experience for the audience. Passion for linguistics Authors might also want to make recipients more immersed in their creation, or they may simply be trying to add some linguistic interest into their work. E.g. J. R. R. Tolkien was known for his linguist passion and education, which reflected vividly in his works. Immersion In the end, when fans are dedicated to a certain fictional universe, they prefer to feel that it's almost as real as their own world. For this reason, the invented languages help the fictional world to become more believable and tangible. The most dedicated fans spend a lot of their time to learn the language of their favorite books or TV shows. This makes this language a living thing, just as any other language on Earth. This is what happens now with High Valyrian, as it's just been incorporated as one of the Duolingo's language courses. Almost 600k of its users decided to learn Valyrian! This is more than the current number of people who learn Hungarian (over 400k) and much more than the other popular fictional language: Klingon (over 300k as of now). High Valyrian language: Summary As we are awaiting the House of the Dragon final episodes, we can expect the High Valyrian to become even more popular among the fans. This is an interesting case, because it shows that the passion for languages might come not only for the real-world existing ones. We're sure that in the future, there might be even more invented languages that fans will be eager to learn, just as High Valyrian now. If you're interested in learning more about fictional languages, be sure to check our future articles. We have a whole series about them in mind! And if you have a passion for learning languages, but not necessarily time and motivation, be sure to check our store. With our newest standalone device, Vasco Translator V4, you have 108 languages in your pocket! Maybe some day even Valyrian and Dothraki too... In a nutshell: To say that Game of Thrones was a popular TV series is to say nothing about it. It was adapted from the bestselling “Ice & Fire” saga by American author, George R.R. Martin, and aired on HBO in 2010-2019 through 8 seasons. At its peak, the show was broadcasted in 207 countries and averaged almost 44 million viewers for its final season (Forbes, 2019 & Hollywood Reporter, 2022). The show's created many fictional languages, with the most prominent being Valyrian. Valyrian is based on Latin and Greek languages, with High Valyrian being the ancient language spoken in the past by the Valyrians of Essos. Low Valy rian is the term for the dialects that have evolved out of Valyrian. Dothraki is spoken by the nomadic horse-mounted warriors in the lands of Essos and is based on Russian with vocabulary from Genghis-Khan Mongolian. Skroth is the language used by the White Walkers, with White Walker speech being literal ice creaking.   Read the full article

[digeneaa]

Amazing song!

[mypage4sure]

Hey, this made me think of A song of Ice and fire, this is not a book rec, especially with the fact the story hadn't been finished since 2011, I just thought you might find it interesting-and I liked explaining stuff.

The series has different languages (kind of), the author has admitted on not being a philologist, so the most he does is make words and phrases one problem with him not being a philologist and now this may brother you, is the most common language is spoken in the same way across Westeros (it's about the size of Latin America apparently), even the Wildings who had been separated by the Wall for thousands of years, speak it.

However, despite the fact that the author didn't create a conlang, the HBO Game of Thrones, did hire David J Peterson, who created 3 languages (though the last three are connected.), GRRM now takes his in point while writing.

Now on to some of the languages.

Common Tongue: Is the language that everyone speaks in Westeos coming from the Andals most fans see it as being English, but without England giving its name.

Old Tongue: The language that was spoken by the first Men, it's now only spoken Natively by some Wildings tribes, and the Giants, in Game of Thrones, Peterson made a giant language that was simplified Old Tongue, spoken one time (Mag Nuk/Great Tongue) however, I believe the books had some speak in the same way, the old Tongue has no conlong, which kind of bothers me.

High Valyrian: This was spoken by the Valyrians, later just by the Targaryens, since they later fell, no one speaks this nativity, however it's still spoken as education, in songs or scrolls. David J Peterson, created a conlong for the Game of Thrones, though it's seen more in House of the Dragon (since it's all about the Targaryens.)

Bastard Valyrian: Spoken by the Free Cities of Essos, and Slaver's bay, Corrupted dialects of High Valyrian, though it's so different that, it's basically another language. Slaver's Bay in particular is a creole language between High Valyrian and their original languages getting their language from Old Ghiscari David Peterson, made two languages out of this-Astapori Valyrian and Meereenese Valyrian, both coming from Slaver's Bay. Here is a clip of Daenerys speaking Meereenese Valyrian, the word "Mysa" comes from Old Ghiscari. (now to warn you, this clip comes across as "White savior", in the book Daenerys freed a bunch of slaves, the books where based off Ancient Roman slavery, where it wasn't based on race, the episode where filming in a nonwhite country, so the extras where people around the area, later episodes where more diverse.)

Dothraki: Is the language of well, the Dothraki, GRRM had stated that he based them off the plains culture, such as the Mongols. (Which while I like them, sadly they’re rather stereotypical.) The word "Khaleesi" means "wife of the Khal" which is what they call their leaders, this is one of the languages that David J Peterson created. He stated that he based the language off of, Estonian, Inuktitut, Turkish, Russian, and Swahili. Here is clip of Daenerys speaking the language. (Who married/sold into the Dothraki), note her name for her son isn't Dothraki, but Valyrian and she named him after her older, dead brother, Rhaegar.

Skroth: This is the language spoken by the Others/White Walkers, basically ice monsters. In the books it was not named but said to sound like "the cracking of ice on a winter lake." David J Peterson made some sound samples for the show, while trying to mimic the “ice crackling sound." However ultimately, they did not use it. And instead, made the White Walkers (only called that), make ice like sounds. Here is the sound sample someone took from his website.

True Tongue: The language spoken by the Children of The Forest. It's the original language of Westeos, the Children themselves called it "those who sing the song of earth", and it's said to sound beautiful, and pure like the winter air, David J Peterson, attempted to make it for the show, where he called it "Gerna Mohr", however since it was during a fight scene, and the actors had trouble speaking it, it was dropped, I don't think it has sound samples, but you can read about here.

Now, to something that I think you may like most, and something I preferred as well.

GRRM has unique phrases, that he uses a lot, someone on reddit had said it comes off like a different word, the most phases he uses is "much and more" meaning you know a lot about it, and the counterpoint of "little and less."

But there's also "words are wind" meaning that you are lying or making false promises. I'm bringing this up because I like it lol.

And "dark wings dark words", since ravens carry out messages instead of pigeons, so whenever you get a letter with bad stuff going on, you say "dark wings dark words" again bringing this up, because I was thinking of the context of one scene where they said it two times, and I ended up having the phase repenting over and over again in my head.😭

Another thing is using outdated words since the series is loosely based off the Middle Ages (especially the war of the roses), for example, he used "qweer" to mean "odd." A. Lot. For example, in his main series books alone, he used it 181 times. He also uses "a horse" to mean "riding on a horse" for characters ages he would say character's ages in an old way as well, again for example Doran Martell was said to be "two and fifty" (52), though he also says ages normally.

He also uses fantasy words and terms, though I'm not sure if he started using it, or it's just used in fantasy, like with names-he would take normal names, and slightly changes the letters, like Eddard Stark instead of Edward.

There's also "sir" instead of "ser" smallfolk to mean peasant (though he also uses peasant) "Sellwood" to also mean mercenary. (I.E they sell their swords)

A phase that I'm pretty sure GRRM outright invented, based on reading one time, and a quick google search: Is Kingslayer and Kinslayer, both of the things are highly frowned upon, but especially Kinslayer, Jaime was labeled a Kingslayer, as he well killed the king (Aerys the mad), but it was seen as especially shameful because he was a kingsguard, which was sworn to protect the kings no one liked Aerys but Jaime was still seen as being disloyal, though we later found out he had a good reason to kill him. Kinslaying is seen as even worse, Tyrion Lannister was accused of killing his nephew (which he didn't do) and later, killing his father (which he did do, but he has an understandable reason.)

i’m autistic, and my special interest is language.

i think if i was given one wish, it would be to have the words to explain the deep, all-consuming feeling of… language? god fucking damnit. i don’t know how to express the awe i feel when i find the words to explain the world around me. when someone else teaches me how they use a word differently from me. when i learn words that explain to myself how i feel.

english is my first language. i can speak a little japanese and spanish. no word i’ve ever learned has been enough to express this feeling i get when i engage with my special interest. i can call it love or awe or whatever, but i’ve never found a word that does it justice.

idk why i’m writing this. i guess i just hope that some other autistics will know how i feel even if i can’t find the word for it

[pesybeldragon]

Skroth - Skys over Westeros Skys over Westeros Brothers of the Night's Watch Dawn of the Direwolf Skroth (The Language of the White Walkers) The Rains of Castamere (cover) Following the Tide Ft. the Priest of Ov Enochian (Pre Skroth promo single) Tower of Orthanc + Following the Tide (Pre Skroth demo tracks)

[smashfictionpodcast]

Fan of geek trivia? Claire and Miles appear on the Geek Wars podcast, episode S02 Game05: The Ever Elusive Bidoof! Geek Wars is a fantastically produced podcast, and Claire and Miles go up against the hilarious duo from the Detentions and Dragons podcast. Enjoy as Miles fights for his Game of Thrones honor, and Claire seems to get trapped in the Pokemon universe!

[fangirlingatstuff]

I dont give a shit about the Targayens, Imma write some whitewalker headcanons

The amount of armor a walker has signifies their rank, the more coverage, the higher rank you are

Their main residence is a big carved out glacier/mountain called The Ridge

Contrary to free folk and westerosi belief, the white walkers dont just want to kill all men and shit, Night King is literally just tired and wants the slavers and nights watch to fuck off

The white walkers are actually pretty intelligent, but most of that intelligence is spent on frat house bickering

They make yo mamma jokes, A LOT

The Craster Sons can tell when another one of Crasters kin are near them, and will not hurt them for the same reason

The Night King is just really tired and really grumpy, and just wants to leave in the cold wasteland in peace, but NOOOOO the humans just had to put up a dumb wall and the nights watch keeps stirring up trouble

When bored some of the walkers will just go bother the wildlings, for funsies

If introduced to it, the walkers would all probably be alcoholics

They can all speak somewhat telepathically, but they have their own language called Skroth

There is one white walker who can speak english, his name is Oskroth

All of them have the potential of learning english except Night King

He’s tried, but his throat just does not want to work that way

They all annoy each other and are just frat boys

A lot of the Crasters talk like hockey players and I guarantee you they invented Westeros hockey because what else are you going to fucking do in the arctic besides that and snowball fights?

There are several gigantic mummified dragons frozen away beyond the wall, and they have TRIED SO HARD to carve and thaw them out, two of them are partially exposed, and if the Night King wasnt so pissed at the moment, he was going to kill Visyrion and experiment with how to take control of a dragon and then do the same back at the ridge

[demonixfrost-blog]

Queen in the North

[ @the-true-queen-in-the-north ]

It has been a long time since Frost last wandered so close to the South. As much as he preferred dark depths of the North, curiosity about what was to find here also rested in the white walker’s frozen spirit. After all, he was a creature of wisdom, and by far keenest to learn of his whole kind.

Yet of all heat-blooded beings the white walker could expect to encounter roaming around in the South of the North, he would never have dreamed he shall meet her. His kind rarely found mates, and when they did, that meant for eternity. No duty, carnal instinct or treachery, not even time itself could bring them apart. Upon very moment those bone chilling eyes laid on her, Frost knew it was her. His mate. And thus he knew he shall do anything to have this human by his side. He shall protect her, he shall make Death itself bypass her. 

Frost stood motionless for a long while, as if shaken by this sudden, buzzing sensation to the depth ancient spirit. At last he slowly emerged into her sight, with no wish to startle her even he most likely will, raising a hand palm up like her kind was supposed to do when showing they meant no harm. “Do not be afraid of me. Are you... not cold in here?” he asked in mastered common tongue no matter it was still coldly raspy and slightly distorted due to his accent, for Skroth resembled breaking of ice to mortal ears. 

[funnyplusever]

skroth gasp

[ambientbmbot]

[AmbientBM|Bandcamp] Skroth - Skys Over Westeros (Remaster) https://t.co/fooT48oyCh pic.twitter.com/D2qUJZHzpe

— Ambient BM Music (@ambientbm_bot) August 1, 2018

[dedalvs]

Will you ever share examples of Skroth?

Yes—after the show is done. (Though actually I already did at a presentation in Tennessee.)

[mykectown]

#Mailday My day just got awesome. Been impatiently waiting for these. Swartadauþuz makes some of the best modern bm around. And this Skroth record kills. This is it for records for a while. 🤑🏦💰 #Gnipahålan #Azelisassath #Swartadauþuz #Skroth https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn7JBTtg-A3/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fb7rds8ezugj

[asoiafuniversity]

Game of Thrones wiki:

Skroth is the language spoken by the White Walkers. It sounds like the cracking of ice.

The credits for episodes of Season 1 of the TV series include the statement: "Dothraki, Ashai'i, and Skroth languages created by the Language Creation Society and David J. Peterson."

Peterson developed a spoken language for the White Walkers to use in Season 1 (probably in the unaired pilot episode), but it was not ultimately used on-screen, and dropped entirely from Season 2. Instead, actual ice-cracking sound effects were used when the White Walkers are conversing.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly during Season 2, Executive Producers David Benioff and D.B. Weissstated that "Skroth" is indeed the official name of the language use by the White Walkers. According to the interview, the inhuman (and unpronounceable) sounds of Skroth, "ice-cracking chatter", were created by Sound Designer Peter Brown.

David J Peterson:

I created some stuff for both Skroth and Asshai’i, but I don’t think any of it ended up on screen. I’m not sure what I’ll do with those sketches, but they’ll probably stay under wraps for the duration of the series (not that they were anything big). [x]

Skroth: To the extent that this even counts as a language, I like the sound of it, and the concept of an almost Nordic-like creole (not a posteriori, but in its sound). [x]

[Skroth] is not something that I’m likely to release while the show is ongoing. You never know what will happen in future seasons, if something will be used, if something will be changed, etc., so I don’t want to release that sketch or the other while there’s a chance they might yet emerge in a similar or radically different form. [x]

[demonixfrost-blog]

Beauty and the Beast

[ @madasateacup ]

Frost could tell she did not belong to this Realm. White Walkers were not mindless roaming corpses like most people of Westeros tended to believe. Their kind was ancient and wise, they knew things mortals could never even imagine. Enchanted Forest... it must be... he could sense it. How did she even end up here? She must be lost, no sane human deliberately wanders this far into the North. 

He could kill this woman with a single strike, yet he had no wish to. The white walker felt a tug of curiosity on his mind, thus he stopped the undead steed he sat atop. Temperature instantly fell even lower, snowflakes beginning to swirl around once the two got closer. 

“Why are you here?” Frost spoke in spine-chilling, raspy voice of his, glancing down at the mortal in front of him with those emotionless, freezing eyes. As advanced as his common speech would be, the ice-cracking accent of Skroth remained painfully clear, making him sound somehow off.  

[valyrianwiki]

The Valyrian language and the language of the Dothraki are not the only ones David Peterson worked on. A look at a less well-known one: Skroth’s phonology.

Hey, David! I just wanted to know, is it possible for you to share the phonology of the Skroth language? Thanks!

Here you go: