No Hay Camino

I have to admit to the guilty pleasure of devouring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. I was first hooked, like so many others this year, by HBO’s adaptation of the first in the series, A Game of Thrones. The novels are addicting and have been praised for levels of complexity and “historical realism” that are seldom seen in fantasy fiction. Despite being set in a world where supernatural creatures are a real, although still rare, presence, Martin has drawn heavily on historical facts of late medieval life in creating his setting.

One of the delights of the books is that there are insights into daily life from centuries ago in the real world to be found in the details of the story. It is in those details that the reader often finds a vocabulary and usage of words that even well-read fans of fantasy fiction might not be familiar with.  In filling in those gaps in my own knowledge (I’ve known for years that crenelated describes the raised and recessed top of a castle’s wall, but I’d never seen the word merlon.) I found that there isn’t one resource for deciphering the vocabulary and usage in the books. So, I thought I would compile one here. To that end, here is my humble attempt at making a glossary for Martin’s books. I hope it will contain not only definitions and notes on usage, but also illustrations and cited examples from the text.

The heraldic terms included in ASOIF appear infrequently, sometimes as a hapax legomenon within each novel, and so I will not include them here. I have found this illustrated glossary of heraldic terms to be useful in discerning gyrony from chevronny.

Terms that are “series-specific” are indicated with “(ss)” in front of the deinition.

A

Arakh

(ss) the half-sword, half-scythe weapon of Dothraki warriors

B

Bailey

a courtyard enclosed by a curtain wall, cf. ward def. 2

Balustrade

the supporting shafts or columns of a bannister or handrail taken together as a whole, the individual supporting piece is a baluster

Bannerman

a feudal vassal that swears military fealty to their lord

Battlement

a crenelated (cf.) parapet atop a wall used for defense

Barbican

a fortified gateway on the outside of a castle’s defenses. See Pembroke Castle in Wales for an example.

Blandissory

a mixture of ground almonds, beef broth or fish broth, boiled with sweet wine. After this stock had been strained
and boiled again, capon or fish, first pounded to pulp in a
mortar and then “tempered” with milk of almonds and sugar,
was put into the pot. Blanched almonds were added and the
soup served piping hot. (source)

Bloodrider

(ss) a member of the retinue of a Dothraki Khal (cf.) sworn to protect their leader with their lives

Bravos

(ss) young men from the city of Braavos dress extravagantly, carry swords and duel each other in the streets at night

Brazier

a heating device consisting of a pan, box or bowl that holds hot coals

C

Capon

A castrated domestic rooster fattened for eating.

Catspaw

a person unwittingly used by another person to accomplish the other’s objectives, a patsy or fall guy. From La Fontaine‘s fable, “The Monkey and the Cat“

Castellan

resident owner or custodian of a castle

Charger

a war horse of the medieval era

Cloth of gold

Fabric made from wrapping the weft with fine golden wire, or filé. The modern term for the equivalent is lamé.

Courser

a strong, swift war horse

Crannog

a partially or totally artificial island, usually found in lakes, rivers or estuaries.

Craven

adj. -cowardly
n. – a coward

Crenel

a space in the parapet of a battlement (cf.) which allows defenders to launch attacks outward, the space between merlons (cf.)

D

Destrier

the strongest and finest sort of warhorse, it is included, along with coursers and rounceys, within the category of chargers, cf.

Dirk

A long-bladed dagger of a kind formerly carried by Scottish Highlanders.

Drowned Man

(ss) a holyman who worships the Drowned God of the Iron Islands

Dugs

breasts, a somewhat derogatory term

Dwarf’s Penny

(ss) the tax on prostitution in King’s Landing levied by the Master of Coin, Tyrion Lannister

E

Escutcheon

the shield shape used to show a coat of arms

F

G

Garron

another type of horse

Godswood

(ss) a wooded grove or copse, usually containing a weirwood tree (cf.) used to worship the Old Gods of the First Men

Gorget

a piece of armor for the neck

H

Hardskin

(ss) another term for armor

Hippocras

a type of spiced wine. Similar to mulled wine except that the spices sit longer in the wine and the mixture is not heated together. It may be served hot or room temperature.

Horselord

(ss) a colloquial name for the Dothraki

I

Iron Fleet

(ss) the longships of the Iron Islands, collectively

J

K

Khal

(ss) Dothraki the warlord of a Dothraki horde, or khalasar (cf.), compare to the real-world term “khan”

Khalasar

(ss) Dothraki the roving, clan-like group of mounted Dothraki marauders and their camp followers

Khaleesi

(ss) Dothraki the wife of the khal (cf.). Her status offers her some benefits and protection, but she does not rule. Upon the death of her Khal, she is taken to the city of Vaes Dothraki to serve on a council of similarly widowed khaleesi.

Kingsmoot

(ss) a traditional convention of the Iron Islands wherein the captains of the Iron Fleet (cf.) choose their king.

L

League

a measurement of distance equaling three miles, or, more informally, the distance a man or horse can walk in an hour

Leal

loyal, faithful

Lichyard

a graveyard

M

Magnar

(ss) Old Tongue lord

Manse

a large, stately residence or the house of a cleric or minister

Milk of the poppy

(ss) opium

Murder hole

an opening in the bottom of battlements or the ceiling of fortified entryways that allows defenders to drop or shoot projectiles down upon attacking forces. example 1, 2, 3

N

Name day

(ss) birthday

Neep

Scottish a turnip

Night soil

human or animal excrement

O

Oubliette

a dungeon cell accessible only from the top, from the French for “forgotten place”

P

Palanquin

a covered litter supported by poles borne by men

Palfrey

A highly valued and well-bred riding horse of the Middle Ages.

Portcullis

a heavy grille, usually made of strong wood or metal, that slides down to block the entrance into fortifications of a castle or town

Postern

a secondary gate or entrance, particularly in the fortifications surrounding a town or keep

Q

R

Rasher

A portion of sliced meat, especially bacon

Roundel, or rondel

a stiff-bladed dagger with a round handgaurd and round or spherical pommel. It was carried as a sidearm by knights in tournaments where it could be used to puncture chainmail or joints in the armor of an opponent.

circular pieces of metal armor, used commonly to protect the vulnerable armpit area, also called a besagew

Rushes

reeds, long, fibrous plants that grow in low-lying marshy lands. They were spread on the floor to collect dirt and debris and insulate feet from the cold of the floor’s surface, and are periodically removed and refreshed

S

Samite

a luxurious and heavy silk fabric of a twill-type weave, often including gold or silver thread

Seneschal

an officer in noble houses charged with domestic administration and justice

Sellsword

a mercenary

Solar

a upper-story room in a medieval manor house usually used as the family’s sleeping and living quarters. In ASOIF it

Stone caves

(ss) another term for castles

T

Thrall

a slave

Torc, var.torq or torque

a large, usually rigid, neck ring typically made from strands of metal twisted together.

Trencher

originally a piece of stale bread upon which food was served, later a wooden board or platter

Turncloak

a traitor or defector, compare with turncoat

U

V

Vair

squirrel fur, alternating between grey-blue and grey-white, used to line and trim garments

Valonqar

(ss) Valyrian: younger brother

W

Wayn

a two-wheeled wagon

Ward

1. Someone placed under the protection of a guardian

2. a courtyard enclosed by a fortified wall

Weirwood

a large tree with white bark and red leaves and sap, considered sacred to the Old Gods. Many weirwood trees in Westeros have faces that were carved into them by the Children of the Forest in antiquity. When serving as the central tree ina godswood, they are sometiems referred to as heart-trees.

Whicker

neigh, whinny or snigger

Wroth

(ss) n. wrath, anger, fury
adj. wrathful

X

Y

Z