HBO has confirmed the casting of the remainder of the main cast for the Game of Thrones pilot. Once again, this confirmation comes via Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune. It should come as no surprise that we were spot on in all our guesses.
Another day, another round of “Game of Thrones” casting.
Over the weekend, as I noted in this story, news emerged that “Stargate Atlantis” actor Jason Momoa has been cast as horse lord Khal Drogo in the epic saga “Game of Thrones.” “GoT” began filming its pilot in Northern Ireland this week (other locations include Scotland and Morocco).
HBO confirmed the casting for several other roles in the drama today:
-Jamie Campbell-Bower (of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”) as Waymar Royce
-Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
-Richard Ridings as Gared
-Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
-Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin
-Ian McNeice as Ilyrio Mopatis
Winter Is Coming: Nice work to all who puzzled these out. Most of them were figured out so long ago I don’t remember who got what, but good job to all! Now to get to work on the cast list page…
UPDATE: Jay Tomio at BSCreview also got word from HBO of the confirmations. He also added Aimee Richardson as being confirmed by HBO to be playing Myrcella.
UPDATE: George R. R. Martin has posted his confirmations of the castings for Rodrik, Luwin and the three prologue characters.
UPDATE: He has added confirmation postings for Bran/Benjen, Ros/Illyrio, and Drogo.
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152 Comments
FIRST!
MozartQuote Reply
you know, it still boggles my mind that we were able to figure out all of GRRM's clues.
JillianQuote Reply
Yes, it was 99%.
We missed only Cersei, as far as I rembeber.
The rabbitQuote Reply
Very good news :)
t i a g oQuote Reply
New posts are coming fast and furious. We've already had some location pictures so hopefully, we'll be getting pictures of the cast in full costume soon – I really can't wait to see those. As least I sure hope HBO will release some for us to see.
RaynetteQuote Reply
Nah, the rabbit, we were working on Cersei for less that 48 hours when the news broke. We'd get it eventually :)
@Winter: a small typo, "were figured" instead of "were figure".
So who's making the Drogo banner?
MarkoQuote Reply
A look at some CGI wolves on the New Moon newest clip.
They look pretty good, I think. Gives hope that if done in CGI they can be done well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM-KY1keUdE
SimonQuote Reply
Aimee Richardson confirmed by HBO as well. So that's everyone we have currently speculated to be cast.
Hopefully HBO will continue to fill us in on the other minor roles when they are cast (Tommen, Rickon, Hullen, Septa Mordane, etc.). Even if they will only appear in the pilot I'd still like to see the look the casting dept. is going for with these roles.
WinterIsComingQuote Reply
Simon, nice find on the new moon video. I could happily live with those wolves, but the hard part will be getting believable wolf-human interaction. Ghost has a habit of tearing people's throats out, doesn't he?
gofalconsQuote Reply
I can not wait to see/hear :
A) Costumes
B) Wolves
C) Pronunciation of the names
The rabbitQuote Reply
Cool, Simon. They look believable … and big :) very adult, very old direwolves, hehe.
I'm glad HBO is confirming even the non-speaking roles, keeping us up to date. What do you think, guys, should Winter keep those separate on his list, as they may get re-cast? The rest of the roles have been signed for the potential series, so they are more definite than the non-speaking ones, in some sense.
MarkoQuote Reply
After looking at the New Moon video, I have a feeling people will say that GoT is copying that with it's giant wolves.
MormegilQuote Reply
Marko: I was going to pose the same question. I decided to group all the speaking roles into one though, unlike now where I had separated those only appearing in the first episode (Ros, Will, Gared, Waymar).
Non-speaking roles, I guess, should be separate. What does everyone else think?
WinterIsComingQuote Reply
so glad i don't have to change my damn cast photo image, that one's a beast. hahahah.
congrats to everyone. and fwiw, i half-heartedly guessed lena headey, or at least, i had my own version of making the clues relate to her before she was confirmed.
:)
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
So, we can change our score to 99,99% because Ryan you did not nailed Georges clues
The rabbitQuote Reply
@rabbit
correct. i got the terminator guess right.
nobody got the karate kid / wax off, that one was impossible and just plain weird.
those were some rough clues from what i remember. she's who i wanted anyways, so who cares!! it's a win/win.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
I actually thought the New Moon wolves would look quite a bit worse than that. There seems to be a history of bad CGI werewolves.
I'd say keep the non speaking roles separate for now, since they might be recast. I'm pretty surprised HBO confirmed Myrcella. It seems at this point they've realized the fandom will take any information we can get
@ rabbit
I'm sure pronuciation is going to cause endless arguements. I've never heard the audio books, so I'm sure mine are way off.
JillianQuote Reply
@WiC
I would only showcase the speaking roles, the ones who will have contracts in place for future episodes.
I know nerddom requires we be explicit in every nuance, but it's sort of pointless and misleading to show a series of talent who will likely if not definitely be re-cast if the show is picked up. i'd keep that sort of casting news to news posts only.
or at the very least, showcased in the same way you'd showcase the 2nd unit director.
no?
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
@Ryan, As far as I remeber that night of Cersei guessing, some did not believe you…
Just kidding.
I accept 100%.
And who cares, we got them now!
@Jillian
The names in my head are so weird, believe me.
that you all can not imagine …lol
The rabbitQuote Reply
Ryan: I think at the very least I would like to include the actors pics, if there are any on the web. Just so we can see what kind of look the producers may be going for with the character.
WinterIsComingQuote Reply
oh yes, except i wasn't in chicago time zone, i was in new york. and i don't really have any reason to cheat about it, since i said outright "this is probably wrong, but here's an example…"
sidenote, those CG wolves sucked, even if they look real, we all know they are fake. that can't happen in GoT, no way no how.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
wow, the New Moon wolves are surprisingly good…
MandaQuote Reply
here was my wrong approach to the right answer:
"She is not Elisabeth Shue (who played a brawny chick in Piranha 3D which was very Sarah Connor like)
She is not Linda Hamilton, who is linked to GRRM via beauty and the beast, and. who played Sarah Connor.
She is not Sarah Michelle Gellar, who did a version of Sarah Connor for Robot Chicken, and Uhhhh hahh has some clue relating to big ben.
So obviously it's Lena headey, who played Sarah Connor most recently.
Hope that APPROACH makes sense, as I think it's closer to reading the right way without opposite day inversions."
*crickets*
Those wolves are rendered, textured, and lit very well, but they are, alas, CG wolves. My contention remains, and I hope they use real animals and camera tricks to pull them off.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
I agree with Ryan on the CG wolves. Maybe because it's a ridiculous scene from New Moon with some bad acting, but they are too much CG in my opinion. I want to believe the direwolves can be real, but maybe I'm asking too much.
KnurkQuote Reply
All right, all right, it was not an attack, I just teased you..
And I am right there with you about the wolves!
The rabbitQuote Reply
Love it by the way if the news keeps kicking in at this rate. Everytime I refresh I have new news!
KnurkQuote Reply
Oh no no no! I should have explained more but I was being lazy because I'm typing one handed. I want REAL wolves for GoT! I was just surprised because all of the CG wolves I've seen have been terrible. Definitely not saying that the direwolves should be CG.
MandaQuote Reply
Let's not forget also that the CGI budget for New Moon would probably eclipse the Thrones budget by a wide margin. So we wouldn't be getting CGI work that is quite as polished.
WinterIsComingQuote Reply
No, no, Winter. Eclipse is the third movie. :P
gofalconsQuote Reply
I always thought that the wolves in New Moon looked quite laughable really. I really hope that real wolves are going to get used in Thrones. Some camera tricks could be pulled to make them look bigger, right?
mai-shiranuiQuote Reply
@Manda
I completely agree. I would love to see real wolves. and there is something off about the New Moon wolves, but compared to say, the Harry potter Werewolfe, van Helsing, etc, these are spectacular lol
JillianQuote Reply
pfft, the wolves are going to be dogosaurs. Get used to it, buck up, and move on. If they aren't, it'll be nice, but if they are, I won't mind too much.
Smoldering HoundQuote Reply
@Winter and everyone: oh, I wouldn't collapse the minor parts with the rest. Didn't imagine the divisiong would be series vs. appearing in pilot only, but really on the basis of how big the role is. Hard to draw the line, but there's a general consensus, and GRRM treated them the same way – those confirmed today, and Will and Ros, are minor. Drogo was the last major role … I feel this is a good division, and we could consider keeping it.
I support listing the non-speaking role we learn about, separately, under an appropriate heading indicating they may be recast, pilot only, or sth similar.
MarkoQuote Reply
I too am curious about pronunciation; the only one we really know (for the show) is that Ros is pronounced "Roz."
Here is how some of them sound in MY head (YMMV):
Eddard = ED-urd
Sansa = SAN-za
Arya = AR-ee-a
Tyrion = TEER-ee-un
Jaime = JAY-mee
Cersei = SAIR-say
Daenerys = Day-EN-ur-iss
Dany = DAY-nee
Viserys = Vi-SHAIR-iss
Drogo = DRO-go
Illyrio = Il-LEER-ee-oh
About Yea HighQuote Reply
My Boston accent taints my pronunciations. In my head Arya is ARE-ya but when I say it out loud it's more like Ah-ya.
Worst CG wolves: The Day After Tomorrow
MandaQuote Reply
A little name thing I observed: a lot of news outlets (and other places) have Magister Mopatis named 'Ilyrio' with one L. Seem like the correct spelling is 'Illyrio', though – just want to draw your attention to that.
MarkoQuote Reply
Marko: What do you propose for the heading of each category? Main Cast, Minor Cast and Pilot Only?
WinterIsComingQuote Reply
Just posted the wolves to show they can be done well. I don't know if real ones would work as well as CGI ones, to be fair. There are limits to both.
If the wolves were as good a standard as the New Moon ones I'd be happy.
SimonQuote Reply
I wonder if they've toned down Jory's part in the pilot because I see to remember him having several lines in the leaked script.
sven20Quote Reply
Thanks for turning to me for advice. I would keep the first two as they are (Main Cast, Minor Roles). Let me think about the third … hum, Non-speaking Roles, and then you add a line right below: Pilot only. These roles will likely be recast when the series is picked up. Perhaps. What do you all think?
MarkoQuote Reply
@AYH
I agree with most of your pronunciations but always imagined:
Sansa = SAN-saw
Daenerys = DAY-ne-riss
Viserys = Vi-SUR-iss
RaynetteQuote Reply
I'm with Ryan on this one. They're pretty good CGI, but no one will doubt they're anything but that. I'd very much prefer real animal actors and tricks to CGI wolves.
Which is good, because (for at least the pilot) GRRM confirmed the use of real animal actors:
grrm wrote:
Sep. 26th, 2009 12:33 am (UTC)
wolves
Do remember, all they're filming right now is the pilot. Except for the Dany scenes, all the action takes place in Winterfell, before and during King Robert's visit. The direwolves are all still very young.
Should we get a series order, of course, we will need larger wolfish actors at some point.
princess_vernie wrote:
Sep. 26th, 2009 04:28 am (UTC)
Re: wolves
So then we are looking at actual wolves/wolfish dogs as opposed to CGI?
grrm wrote:
Sep. 26th, 2009 05:15 am (UTC)
Re: wolves
For the pilot, at least.
I'll point out that he does say, "Larger wolfish actors" when talking about the series instead of "some other solution," or whatnot.
Not guaranteed proof that the series will use real animals, but a nod in that direction.
*SPOILERS*
Again, I'm going to be very interested to see who's going to handle the dragons. I don't know I've seen any work outside of WETA or Jim Henson's creature shop that would satisfy. My hopes are on an established company trying completely new techniques that combine real elements with CGI seamlessly to create something never before seen on TV or film. You know, simple stuff.
*SPOILERS*
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Isn't Jaime just with a short e, as you would say Jaim? And not Eddurd, but pronounce the last a? I'm bad with writing down pronunciations.
It actually never occured to me that pronunciations could differ that much. You know what would annoy me though, if they made it a-REE-ya. Now I'm afraid!
By the way: more people get scientology ads on this blog? Noticed it today, underneath the twitter-updates and above the polls. Now that makes me afraid too!
KnurkQuote Reply
@Manda
that sounds much better. thank you!
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
"Isn't Jaime just with a short e, as you would say Jaim?"
No, it's pronounced just like 'Jamie', or at least that's how GRRM pronounces it. 'Jaime' is a very rare and old version of how you actually spell 'Jamie' (a bit like 'ser' as well).
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
@ Marko and WIC -
I would say these roles are "subject to being recast" instead.
brhodesQuote Reply
@Ryan
What sounds better? My Arya pronunciation or that I don't want CG wolves?
MandaQuote Reply
Here are my pronunciations:
FIRST NAMES:
Aegon = A-jun
Aeron = A-run
Aemon = A-mun
Alysanne = AL-iss-ANN
Arya = AHR-ee-uh
Arys = A-riss
Asha = AH-shuh
Baelor = BAIL-or
Balon = BAY-lunn
Belwas = BELL-wahs
Brienne = BREE-en
Brynden = BRIN-din
Catelyn = KATE-lynn
Cersei = SAIR-say
Chataya = chuh-TIE-uh
Chiswyk = CHIZ-wick
Cleos = CLEE-ohs
Daenerys = DAY-nee-russ
Dany = Danny :)
Davos = DAIV-ohs
Doran = DOOR-ann
Drogo = DROH-go
Eddard = ED-dard
Gendry = GENN-dree
Gilly = GILL-ee (though I always think JILL-ee first)
Gregor = GREG-or
Hodor= HO-der
Illyrio = il-LEER-ee-oh
Jeor = JEE-or
Jaime = JAY-mee
Jojen = JOH-jenn
Lancel = LANN-sell
Lothar = LOH-thahr
Lyanna = LEE-anna
Margaery = MARR-juh-REE
Melisandre = MEL-iss-ANN-druh
Myrcella = MEER-sell-uh
Oberyn = OH-ber-inn
Olenna = oh-LANE-uh
Pate = PAYT
Petyr = PEE-turr (aka Peter)
Rorge = ROAR(gh) (hard to type out)
Rhaegar = RAY-gahr
Sandor = SAND-or
Sansa = SAHN-za
Shae = SHAY
Tyrion = TEER-ee-un
Tytos = TIE-toes
Varys = VAYR-iss
Viserys = VISS-er-iss
Walder = WALL-derr
Waymar = WAY-marr
Ygritte = yih-GREET
LAST NAMES:
Arryn = AYR-inn
Baratheon = buh-RAY-thee-UN
Cassel = CASS-ell
Clegane = CLEE-gain
Luwin = LOU-win
Mopatis = MO-pah-tiss
Pycelle = PIE-sell
Qyburn = KWAI-burn
Targaryen = tar-GAY-ree-un
Tyrell = TIE-rell
FULL NAMES:
Areo Hotah = R-ee-oh HO-tuh
Amory Lorch = AM-or-ee LORCH
Jaquen H'ghar = JAY-kin H-GARR
Syrio Forel = SEAR-ee-oh FOUR-ell
Vargo Hoat = VAHR-go HOTE
…ryan
P.S. @Manda… Sorry, your not wanting CG wolves explanation. :)
invertebraeQuote Reply
@WiC
You don't normally see non-speaking roles credited at all, not unless they feature prominently in a show or film. So in that regard, I would just sanction the non-speaking parts to a different classification and call the rest the CAST.
You can call the rest: BACKGROUND/EXTRAS (Subject to Recast)
Just make sure you're covered for later, once the series goes from PILOT to FULL SERIES. then most of those roles will be moved into the main CAST section.
My two cents.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
and it should have read:
Mopatis = mo-PAH-tiss
and to be honest, it should have gone under a full name, since it's a strange one:
Illyrio Mopatis = il-LEER-ee-oh mo-PAH-tis
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
re:pronunciations
FWIW, I have some of the audio books, I can listen and try writing out phonetic versions of the names. However, just because Roy Dotrice pronounced them a certain way for the audio books does not guarantee that is how they'll be pronounced for the show.
AYH, your list looks pretty good based on my memory, with a few exceptions.
Eddard is: ED-ard (as in Hard, replace the H with Ed).
Viserys: vi-SAIR-iz
Daenerys: du-NAIR-iz
Cersei: sir-SEE
FalconGK81Quote Reply
@ Adam Whitehead
Jaime is a Spanish name nowadays. As a Spanish speaker, HI-me is the pronunciation I find more suitable. What does GRRM say about it?
tamaraQuote Reply
Paul Gude, will you be my hero?
ddaimyoQuote Reply
@ Ryan -
I'm curious to know if GRRM's blessing was obtained for the audiobooks. Your pronunciations are a little different:
Brienne Bri – ene
Catelyn Cat – lyn
Viserys Vie -sere – us
Ygritte Ee – grette
Personally, I'm with you, not the audiobooks on Brienne and Viserys.
brhodesQuote Reply
One Falcon to Another –
I pretty much go with the audio book pronunciations as well except for Petyr which the audiobooks have as Puh-TIRE. That always sounded horrible to me and was relieved when I read somewhere that George said they got that wrong and it should be pronounced like Peter. I also always read the "ys" at the end of Daenerys and Viserys as "eez".
ASOIAF names aren't as bad as some other fantasy names. I hate trying to figure out what to do with an umlaut and backwards accent mark in a name. The worst, though, is Stephen Lawhead's take on Robin Hood. WELSH, for frak's sake. What am I supposed to do with Welsh names?
Saw a Michael Sheen interview the other day and he mentioned the name of a train station near his home in Wales. Thought the host was going to have to give him the Heimlich.
gofalconsQuote Reply
Falcon to Falcon: I hate the way he says Puh-TIRE too. I also always read it as Peter. When I talk about him with other fans, I just call him littlefinger, to avoid any confusion.
FalconGK81Quote Reply
Falcon,
True, true. I believe we all think of him as Littlefinger and how annoyed would he be if he were a real person to hear that?
gofalconsQuote Reply
@Falcon, Falcon, & Ryan -
Yeah I forgot about Puh-Tire. That was bad. Its Peter as far as I'm concerned.
brhodesQuote Reply
@gofalcons
the umlaut is simple, just pronounce it like OOH. as for the backward accent, shit, got me. heheh.
Catelyn is definitely KATE with a LYNN at the end, for me anyhow.
And Daenerys was always DANGEROUS to me without the G in there.
Viserys always rhymed with jibberish in my book.
you can see my connotations can often dictate pronunciations.
and i don't think i have all the pronunciations correct with regards to how GRRM might pronounce them, but that's just how i have them in my head.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
I think a lot of my pronunciations stem from reading the books so young. I tended to read the name exactly as it was written. Catelyn = KATE-lyn, Aegon = ai-Gon, and my personal favorite…Aenys = anus.
@Ryan
I am amazed at the things they do with CG but I do feel that there;s a time and a place for it. There is no place in GoT for CG wolves.
MandaQuote Reply
For me, Baelish = BAY-lish as well, while we're talking about Littlefinger.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
ddaimyo,
Thanks for that. :)
I'm just this guy, you know?
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Spineless Ryan (friend of Spiny Norman)
Love the DANGEROUS and JIBBERISH connotations with the names.
–Dinsdale….?
gofalconsQuote Reply
@Manda
Agreed. In Harry Potter, they got to be cartoony with it all and it sort of worked, though I didn't like it in the first couple films. I liked lupin and sirius the dog in Cuaron's Azkaban however, also the inflating aunt in the beginning was classic.
Nothing cartoony about GoT, and unless you have LotR budgets for your CG, i wouldn't even attempt it.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
@gofalcons
It's true, that's how I associated their pronunciations. Hahahah. Didn't realize it until this post actually.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
@Ryan
you have mail
MandaQuote Reply
@MAN-duh
Regretsy, that's great! Thanks. Might have to make a new blog post this eve.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
@Ry-Guy-McFly
Thought you'd like that. It's rather amazing actually. I spent a good chunk of an afternoon going through it and asking myself, "What is wrong with people???"
MandaQuote Reply
Cryptic(?) tweet from JCB:
"Things I have been called today, A fish, A girl an Aristocrat and a see you next tuseday. Eventfull day. X"
My sick-addled brain recognizes that the "Aristocrat" may be Waymar Royce.
Any idea on the rest?
Paul GudeQuote Reply
I'm guessing lines from the script, but wrestling a sick toddler, so no time to look it up.
Then again, that "girl" thing is pretty common, I guess. (No offense meant, JCB, just noticed it happened 'round here a couple of times.)
The see you next Tuesday perhaps a reference to shooting?
Nothing hard about this, I'm sure, just confused brain and cold meds.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Okay, got a moment to myself. Read through pilot script and then the original prologue.
No use of "fish" or "woman" in script, so maybe just some banter on-set?
*SPOILERS*
Re-reading the prologue, I really hope there's a bit more action from there infused into the new script. In the pilot script we miss the fight between the Other and Royce, and the reveal when Royce kills Will. I think both of those would be great to see. For those that disagree because they'd rather the Others be some unseen enemy, keep in mind that in the pilot script the Others are fully seen, just the fight is missing.
*SPOILERS*
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Also, JCB has a lot on his plate. It's not all GoT 24/7 (as it is with us).
He could be called a fish because he was drinking? And people have remarked on his feminine looks before.
I'll agree the "aristocrat" part was Waymar Royce.
Tuesday … maybe they're shooting the prologue! We can hope.
About Yea HighQuote Reply
See you next Tuesday is slang for cunt.
Paul JQuote Reply
Holy crap, Paul J, that's a great tidbit.
I'd never heard it before.
Nothing to do with shooting then, of course.
So now the Aristocrat is the only thing that would make me think this is Game of Thrones related on the surface. If at all.
Paul J. continues to be a genius in my book.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
@ WIC
Regarding major vs. minor roles, I'd just like to point out that Luwin plays a larger role (or at least has more lines) than Theon in the pilot, and both he and Rodrik Cassel play bigger roles that Theon in the first book as the primary foils for Bran and Catelyn.
izakmoQuote Reply
@Gude
…are you being sarcastic?
MandaQuote Reply
Manda, not at all!
While Paul J and I may not see eye to eye on everything, I can't deny that he was brilliant figuring out Bran, and he's corrected me on things I've gotten wrong countless times.
While being corrected can be a little ego-bruising and having disagreements can make folks a little prickly to one another, I'd be a fool not to recognize the fact that he's a good source of information and has a quick mind. I'm not that far gone yet.
No sarcasm there, either.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
I was just surprised that you'd never heard that; that's why I asked. Hehe, I thought it was universal :p
And I agree that all of you are waaaay out of my league when it comes to super-sleuthing. I just sit back, refresh the page every thirty seconds and take it all in!
MandaQuote Reply
Ahhhh. Well, I still meant every word. Paul J is a class act.
As far as "See You Next Tuesday" goes, there are two main explanations.
1) If it's something Yanks don't use often, that might explain it.
2) If it's not a mostly-UK expression, then it's probably my sheltered upbringing that's kept me out of the loop. Although I'm pretty much in the thick of it these days, there are still a few things that missed me.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
I don't think it's used in the US much at all. I am American, but I know it only from when I visited the UK.
Paul JQuote Reply
I think I was in the fourth grade the first time I heard it; a friend's mom said it and I had no idea what she was talking about. When I got older (high school} it became a regular part of my vocabulary so I became quite desensitized to the word in general.
I'm banking on your sheltered upbringing *wink*
To kiss a little more booty; I'm very impressed with the people on this board. It seems like we have at least one expert for every topic. And I'm not being sarcastic there.
MandaQuote Reply
Case in point!
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Hmm, I dunno. I'm from Boston (though I suppose we say some weirdthings too..)
MandaQuote Reply
Regardless, if those things were in relation to the script we know there've been some rewrites.
Though I'm guessing all we've *really* learned is that JCB gets ragged on a lot.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
I lived in Chestnut Hill (Boston) for three years and never heard the phrase, "C U Next Tuesday."
Then again, as Mad-nda pointed out, Bostonian accents are odd; I may have heard it and not recognized it. "Wicked cool. All set? Saya naxt Toozdah. Ya homo."
About Yea HighQuote Reply
ya know, I'm kinda all set with you raggin' on Bostin accents! It's wicked fuckin' rude, ya prick! And no, I won't pahk the fuckin' kah in Havid Yahd! :p
MandaQuote Reply
Another Not A Blog entry up, and it's not about football!
About Yea HighQuote Reply
@Paul Gude…its more of a phonetic saying…not something you can generally get just typed.. I had to think about it for a second, see you next tuesday…then I remembered a humours discussion in the school yard in grade 7…yep, people in Canada use that one too.
@Whoever brought up names…I think I agree with the list Ryan posted, Especially Danger Dany.
The two exceptions in my mind would be
Cersei= Sir-see, Or maybe Seer-see
Arya= Ah-Rye-yah
….Just because Aria is a common fantasy name, and martin doesn't take me as common. And because thats how I've pronounced it since the 9th grade and my first read-through, and it would mess with my psyche if it wasn't. Haha
Kelsey CatherineQuote Reply
Also…What if JCB is going through some fight scenes or sword practice and looks ridiculous? Kinda fits.
Kelsey CatherineQuote Reply
One last comment before I go back to my thesis proposal:
Donald Sumpter…AWESOME for maester Luwin. He looks exactly as I imagined.
Kelsey CatherineQuote Reply
An' shuddit, Maaanda. You think you so smaht. I could hiya a booy from Southie ta take a tooah of ya front yahd in his fackin' Camahro an' pahk thaht bad bastid on top a ya mailbahx. Or betta, I can jus spraypaint "BRADY SUX" on ya roof. You be hated harda than Nomah Gah-cee-a-paa-raa.
About Yea HighQuote Reply
I just now got what See You Next Tuesday means. Or should I say C U Next Tuesday.
Never heard it before, but i'm from the midwest, and the worst we got was H-E Double Hockey Sticks.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
Touche' About Yea High. And on that note, I'm off to bed.
Oh.
One more thing…
Fuck ya mutha.
MandaQuote Reply
Interesting stuff about the pronunciation… I mostly agree with Ryan, but I always read these differently:
Daenerys = Dan e reese
Myrcella = Mirr cell ah
Viserys = Vis er reese
Ygritte = Ig reet
I guess it's the one with the "y" that are off. I always pronounced them in my head as more of an "e" sound.
nikibeansQuote Reply
Holy…what the heck is going on?
Post-production person Marisa made this Twitter update:
"might get to see some GOT footage tomorrow… very excited!!!"
I'm flabbergasted, happy, and envious all at the same time.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Apparently, they're a few days into shooting now.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Pronunciations for me:
Cersei = SER-say
Targaryen = Tar-GARRY-en
Baratheon = Ba-RATH-e-on
Brienne = BREE-en
Daenerys = Day-NAIR-is
Catelyn = CAT-e-lin (makes much more sense with the Cat nickname than CATE-lin does, to my ear. Also sounds more medieval and less modern)
Jaime = used to be Jaym, but it's changed to JAY-me for me now.
Tywin = TIE-win
Tyrion = TIRRY-un
Tyrell = TIE-rell
Viserys = VIS-erris
Lysa = LIE-sa
Petyr = PEE-tir
Myrcella = Mur-CELL-a
Arya = AH-ree-a
SilverstarQuote Reply
Another grrm post, with the prologue cast.
Paul JQuote Reply
Two things: great to have GRRM back, he's staying for two days, right? I'd like to hear his opinion of the actors in the roles which he presented, too bad that's missing. Hope he writes another post about Bran and Drogo.
Second, Marisa from post-production is one lucky girl. I thought about it a bit, and realized that she may be getting establishing shots from different locations to work on. Wouldn't expect any actors in this batch of footage …
MarkoQuote Reply
Marko: Establishing shots makes sense to me. Can we get some of the more industry savvy folk to verify if establishing shots are generally filmed this early and if so are they then sent to the post-production studio for processing?
WinterIsComingQuote Reply
I suspect that Jamie Campbell Bower must be a fan of the books and just wanted to be involved in the show to take such a minor role…. because from what I've been reading about him online it sounds as if he's poised to become a major star….
coltaine777Quote Reply
Jaime is definitely pronounced JAYM.
JAY-MEE would be ..uhh…Jaimie.
MarkQuote Reply
and Tyrell to me sounds like it should be TER-ell.
MarkQuote Reply
Pronunciation of the names is pretty subjective. One guideline applies, in my opinion: ASoIaF names are variants of the names we know in our primary world, some only have an alternative spelling (Petyr vs. Peter), others are minimally different (Eddard vs. Edward, both have Ned as a short version/nickname). Nicknames so sometimes point to the pronunciation as well, Dany is based on Daenerys, so we read 'dae' in the full name as DAN- not DEY- (treating ae as the Latin/Danish ligature letter). Look for existing names and nicknames if you're unsure of pronunciation, or need arguments, then … which doesn't stop you from hearing your own version in your head going against all that when reading the books, of course :)
MarkoQuote Reply
@mark: GRRM has confirmed the pronounciation of Jamie as Jay-mee. It's an old form and a definitivly a boy name. In fact, it is one of the few names we really know how is pronouced.
AxelQuote Reply
@Mark
Tyrell is a common name (in Ireland). It is pronounced TIR-ell, pretty intuitively.
MozartQuote Reply
@GRRM's Prologue Review
Just being a nerd for a second, but the:
"has worked with dead men" clue has so far not been answered. We expected it was JCB in Sweeney Todd, but now I wonder if he meant Dumbledore?
Hrmm..
@Mark
Looks like you've got your own style of reading. Hehh. I like that!
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/Jaime#
texdionisQuote Reply
A man called Ryan
I thought we all decided the "dead men" clue was for Esme in Dead Man Running.
gofalconsQuote Reply
@goperegrine
Ohh…. right, sorry about that I forgot.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
My god, I'm seeing Jaime with different eyes now. Jaimee sounds so girlish, but now that I think of it there is a certain guy-actor in GoT whos name is Jamie. Oh wait, there's Jamie Oliver too.
But in Dutch it just sounds like a girl's trailer-trash name.
KnurkQuote Reply
@Knurkwurst
Don't forget about Jamie Foxx (birthname Eric Marlon Bishop). That's Foxx with TWO x's even. Try to figure THAT one out. There's also Jamie Kennedy (Scream) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot).
As far as the less common spelling of Jaime, there was a contestant on Survivor: China, and another on The Amazing Race show.
Both girls. Both a little trashy.
Hmmmpf.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
Just a quick note – 1. regarding CGI direwolves & New Moon – Twilight fans think that everyone/thing copies Twilight – which wouldn't be a bad thing…if it was actually any good! :-D
2. I always regarded Daenerys' name as being Greek. Cersei is Greek, along with a lot of the names of characters from Dany's end of the pond. The rest of the names I always figured were just variations on spellings of European names, seeing as the story is very very (highlighting the 'VERY') loosely based on British/European mythology, and their pronunciations I assumed would be the same – Petyr – Peter…same thing (easiest example). Eddard is also a used variation. Arya – is just Aria – as in the songs from an opera, etc…
Just my tuppence
rashelQuote Reply
@Marko
In The Hedge Knight, Aegon is called "Egg". This would imply that the ae in Targaryen names is actually pronounced "eh", like Ä in German. Also, the fact that the e is dropped in "Dany" could imply that the nickname doesn't have the same vowel sound as the full name. Of course, the AEs could just be pronounced differently in different names, but "eh" or "ey" (Either of which could easily turn Aegon into Egg) sound better and make more sense to me.
Very good point about real world counterparts, though. I believe George has mentioned this specifically: that most names with obvious real world counterparts are pronounced exactly like them: Petyr, Jaime, etc. The only exception would be when there is a missing/changed consonant, as in Eddard. And of course with Jaime it's easy to have some confusion due to the numerous related names with spellings similar to that (Jaime pronounced "High me" in Spanish, James, Jamie…) Jamie seems to fit best, however, and apparently has been confirmed.
DemokritosQuote Reply
@Demokritos
True about Dany vs. Daenerys, I interpreted it as the full/official name being older, more formal, and hence more conservative in spelling. My intuition is that nicknames wouldn't change vowel qualities … Egg is fitting with his bald head, but also an echo of his true name, yes. Anyway, I'm a slightly confused: was actually favouring the 'eh'/'ä' pronunciation of 'ae' (as opposed to ey) because this is the sound you get in 'Dany' as well. So we agree :)
MarkoQuote Reply
@ Demokritos: Thank you for saying what I wanted to say about Aegon/Egg. The fact that his nickname was "Egg" gives us two important clues to Targaryen name pronunciations (not necessarily applying to the rest of Westeros, but at least to this dynasty):
1) the ae combination is pronounced as a long a (ey). Therefore, the first syllable of Daenerys should sound like day. (The other two syllables are up for conjecture, but my personal interpretation is day-NEHR-iss, though I suppose the y should really be a long e.)
2) the g is hard and not soft — it does not sound like j. Therefore, Targaryen should be tar-GAR-yen and not tar-JAR-yen. The conqueror's name was EY-gone tar-GAR-yen.
My bubble has really been burst to discover that Martin pronounces Jaime as jay-mee. That's the name of a two-year-old kid, not a mighty warrior. I shall stubbornly continue to call him jaym, even after the HBO series defies me. However, I was vindicated to find that Martin's Catelyn is CAT-uh-linn, which is what I've always called her in my head.
Also, I don't think we can call the casting complete until we have official news on the direwolf pups.
ChelaQuote Reply
@Chela: good reasoning and valid points. Just don't know where you made the leap: Aegon is like Egg, therefore Daenerys is 'DAY-nerys'. 'Egg' is pronounced 'Eh-g', not 'Eyg' … True, though, that when I stop thinking and just go with the instinct, I read those EY-gone, and Day-NEH-riss. Oh well, the series will set the canon, what with George being so closely involved :)
MarkoQuote Reply
@Mark (comment from 6:45 AM)
Wrong. Jaime can indeed be pronounced JAY-me. I have co-worker who spells their name that way and pronounces it JAY-me, not JAYM.
meggyoQuote Reply
well, there are different regional pronunciations of "egg". Some people pronounce it with a long a, some people with a short e.
wabawangaQuote Reply
@WIC
Are you planning to post pics of nonspeaking roles on the cast and crew list? If so, here's a photo of Aimee Richardson:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38011319@N07/4027737488/
izakmoQuote Reply
I've always thought that Jaime was pronounced JAYM. It's sounds far better than JAY-MEE. It just has a certain ring to it.
grimheraldQuote Reply
Little Aimee is more Lannister than any other "Lannister cast member".
The rabbitQuote Reply
I still stand by Daenerys being pronounced like Dangerous but without the "G".
DANE-ehr-iss
I don't know how you would emphasize the second syllable, sounds so awkward to do it that way.
I haven't read a Dunk & Egg novella (yet), so I was excited to know that Aegon is a hard G and not a soft one (as I have always read).
Thanks for the Wednesday lessons, friends.
Little Amy looks awfully scary in that photo, like she is going to slap her father or something. I wonder if she can act, and if so, if she could be Myrcella for the show..
Jaime being pronounced JAME just doesn't make sense to me, and frankly I'm surprised people actually thought it was pronounced that way. HIGH-me I can understand for those who speak Spanish, but JAME? no way no how.
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
Aegon = Ay-gon
Arya = Ar-ya
Aerys – Ay-riz
Balon = Balloon (could not resist)
Brienne = Bree-en (the first syllabe is like a french cheese)
Brynden = Brin-den
Catelyn = Kate-lynn
Cersei = Ser-sy
Daenerys = Day-ne-ryz
Davos = Daiv-os
Drogo = Drogo
Hodor= Hodor
Jaime = Jay-mee
Olenna = O-lee-na
Petyr = Pet-yr
Sandor = Shan-dor (like hungaryan)
Sansa = San-sa
Tyrion = Tee-ri-on
Viserys = Viz-er-eez
zhabalabazhazhablabla-kso – That is Jalabhar lol
@Ryan
Lannister=scary
The rabbitQuote Reply
You know, it's funny…
I read through half the series and never noticed that 'jaime' did not have an 'i' in it, so I was seeing and pronouncing it 'jay-mee' in my head all that time…then I one day I actually noticed that it did not have the 'i' and figured I was mispronouncing it the whole time…and was glad for it because I thought 'JAYM' was more original/interesting sounding — but I stand corrected. I did not realize that it is an alternative spelling of the popular boy's name and I did not know grrm confirmed it previously. Thanks for the correction!
MarkQuote Reply
@Marko
I've always thought of Dany as being the same pronunciation as Danny. I've known girls named Danielle or other names that can be shortened to "Dani", which is pronounced like Danny. So I think I just jumped to the conclusion you were interpreting Dany the same way, for some reason. As for "egg", the pronunciation varies a bit by accent, but "eh" is definitely most common and I don't think anyone quite takes it all the way to a full-blown "ey". Still, "Ey gone" is close enough to "Eh gone" to make the jump to Egg, while if it rhymed with "Dragon", that would be a stretch.
@Chela
Your Targaryen is my interpretation, too. For further specificity, the "gar" is like the first syllable of "Gary", at least the way George says it. I still usually imagine it like the first syllable of "garlic".
For me, Jay-mee makes perfect sense, since ending on the M seems awkward when said out loud. I also know a guy with that name (Though he spells it Jamey). I do see how names ending in an "ee" sound can seem childish and/or feminine, though.
And the three syllable Catelyn is odd to me, as Catelyn is a real-world spelling of Caitlin, which is pronounced like "Kate Lynn". Of course they're all derived from Katherine, so not a big deal at all.
Off on a tangent, I was looking up meanings of a few ASoIaF name equivalents, and Caitlyn was the most interesting…
(From behindthename.com emphasis mine)
"From the Greek name Αικατερινη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from the earlier Greek name ‘Εκατερινη (Hekaterine), which came from ‘εκατερος (hekateros) "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess HECATE; it could be related to Greek αικια (aikia) "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek καθαρος (katharos) "pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this.
The name was borne a semi-legendary 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on a spiked wheel. The saint was initially venerated in Syria, and the name was introduced to Western Europe by returning crusaders. It has been common in England since the 12th century in many different spellings, with Katherine and Catherine becoming standard in the later Middle Ages."
Hecate was the goddess of witches, which coupled with torture paints a pretty good picture of Lady Stoneheart. Then you have "pure" and the tortured martyr, which fits with the mother who thinks her children are all dead, missing, or in danger. "Each of the two" also fits with this duality. Not sure if George was choosing his names based on meaning at all, but if there's one name that suggests he was, it's Catelyn.
@Ryan
I think I've actually been wavering between your pronunciation and Marko's in my head this whole time without quite realizing… Probably a bit harder to say with certainty where the emphasis goes, though, so as long as we're all on the same page with the vowel sounds…
DemokritosQuote Reply
To me the valyrian "ae" is either long in "cat", and I always give that syllable emphasis.
A-gon, A-mon, dan-Aris
I think I read somewhere that that character that looks like an A and an E smooshed together is pronounced that way, so that's how I interpreted the "ae".
wabawangaQuote Reply
I much prefer CAT-uh-lin, or CAT-e-lin to CATE-lin. CATE-lin sounds too modern and little girlish to me, to be honest, which is the last thing our Catelyn is.
SilverstarQuote Reply
um, "is either long in cat" should be "is like the a in cat". apologies.
wabawangaQuote Reply
George has updated about Bran and Benjen casting
JillianQuote Reply
@Demokritos: You've assumed correctly, for me Dany = Danny. Perhaps there was misunderstanding at some other point which makes me seem contradict that. Anyway, it does not matter much :) Hard to discuss pronunciation in writing unless you revert to IPA :P as said before, it will be interesting to watch the series to hear them pronounce the names we're debating.
MarkoQuote Reply
@Marko
Hm. You said you were favoring 'eh'/'ä' later on. To me that's a completely different vowel sound than the one in "Danny". Danny's vowel sound would be like the one in ham, can, cap, stamp, etc. What I mean by "eh" is like well, fed, set, and so on. Of course, English vowel usage is ridiculously non-standardized, so even those probably don't make things as clear as they should be.
DemokritosQuote Reply
George on Illyrio and Ros.
MormegilQuote Reply
There, literally, were no other fan suggestions for Illyrio, ever.
None.
Good pick, guys! :)
Smoldering HoundQuote Reply
I'm surprised by people's pronunciation of Arya. I always assumed it was just "AR ya" (as in "You're not chicken, ARE ya"?).
Also, Brienne is "bree EN". I'm willing to bet money on it :)
SenorDingDongQuote Reply
Brienne – bree EN
DingDong's right, and that's actually how i say it, whoops. NICE!
…ryan
invertebraeQuote Reply
hey guys–
on GRRM's not a blog under his "not coming to denver post" (did anyone else read that?) he mentions there will be a big announcement at the milehicon to keep our ears pealed for…
is it too early to hope for a series order?
is it crazy to hope ADWD is done???
educatedponyQuote Reply
The first time I read the Hobbit (age 9 or so) I made it all the way through to book to the last chapter thinking it was pronounced Biblo Baggins. lol
Where are the location pictures people are talking about? I must have missed em.
Still can't believe this is really happening.
lordnedsheadQuote Reply
Can't imagine a DWD announcement. GRRM has promised to announce it on his web site before anywhere else.
I'd say a series pickup might be appropriate for the big news.
lordnedsheadQuote Reply
Didn't want to say anything until it was for sure printed, but I was quoted in an article in thedailybeast.com.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Oh, Legion gets name-dropped too.
I had mentioned Paul J as the best find ever, but I think my description of the clue solving process was more involved than Luwin.
Paul GudeQuote Reply
Congrats Pauly G … Next thing we know you'll be having EW contact you for quotes. Wonder why Winter wasn't in that by the way?
dizzyQuote Reply
hehe Grats Paul & Legion! Makes me happy to see us (and more importantly the show) starting to get some serious recognition.
I do hate the Arturian Comparisionsa few articles I have read are making. Sure there are knights, monsters, magic, heraldry and other similarities, but every time I see the two subject matters compared, I cringe thinking about the "non-geek" viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter that read the parallel and think of Disney's the Sword in the Stone or worse the new series Merlin. Its like comparing the Tele Tubbies to Family Guy because both shows are cartoons.
lordnedsheadQuote Reply
@Demokritos
Ah, I see … yeah, hard to 'write' phonetics in a non-standardized way, hehe. I considered 'eh' and 'ä' as two different sounds, but preferred them to the diphthong (glide) 'ey' at that point in my statement. 'eh' I meant to stand for the well, fed, set sounds, and 'ä' for pat, rat, mat, Danny, and Dany ones. True that in English this sound is relatively short (compared to German and some other languages, also depending on the position a bit, I think), but it has the same quality as in langauges that write it this way. Hope it's clearer now … we agree anyway. And I agree with DingDong.
Go George, go Paul Gude, go us. All the best wishes to our community.
MarkoQuote Reply
I've read the article, and I'm pleased with it. Surely, it will contribute a lot to the promotion of the project and furthering the buzz. The one thing I don't like is the twins spoiler references … could gloss over the first one, but then she points NC-W's charachter right out. Well, nothing the first episode won't show.
So then, an announcement at the Con in the next three days. Exciting period ahead. I should think it is not book-related … and the thoughts inevitably stray to series being ordered, but … not sure, perhaps something smaller but just as exciting. I have a feeling George could not contain the news fully if he already knew, too few hints and nudges in the way he phrases his latest posts concerning the series. We'll have to wait and see, it's a matter of only a couple of days.
MarkoQuote Reply
He DOES talk about finding actors for the rest of the season already….
Dare we even hope for an order?
sjweningsQuote Reply
Oh so cool! Lookit that; Gude's words of wisdom making into the article! Congrats!!
MandaQuote Reply
The announcement could me something very minor (e.g. new calendar artist hired 2011) or could also be something non aSoIaF-related at all (e.g. another Wild Cards installment is on the way). GRRM has his hands in many different things. I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
Congrats for Paul Gude for quotes. That's awesome for the WiC community.
furreverQuote Reply
My pronounciation, using Ryan's list:
Aegon = A-gon
Aeron = A-ron
Aemon = A-mon
Alysanne = A-liss-sane
Arya = Arry (like Harry without the H)-a
Arys = A-riss
Asha = AH-shuh
Baelor = BAIL-or
Balon = BAY-lon
Belwas = BELL-wahs
Brienne = BREE-en
Brynden = BRIN-din
Catelyn = KATE-lynn
Cersei = Sir-See
Chataya = chuh-TIE-uh
Chiswyk = CHIZ-wick
Cleos = CLEE-os
Daenerys = DAY-en-ner-ris
Dany = Danny
Davos = Davos
Doran = Doran
Drogo = Drogo
Eddard = ED-dard
Gendry = GENN-dree
Gilly = Jilly
Gregor = GREG-or
Hodor= HO-dOr
Illyrio = il-LEER-ee-oh
Jeor = JEE-or
Jaime = JAY-mee
Jojen = JO-jenn
Lancel = LANN-sell
Lothar = LOH-thar
Lyanna = LEE-anna
Margaery = MARR-juh-REE
Melisandre = MEL-is-sarn-druh
Myrcella = MEER-sell-uh
Oberyn = OH-ber-inn
Olenna = oh-Lee-nuh
Pate = PAYT
Petyr = Peter
Rorge = Rorge
Rhaegar = RAY-gahr
Sandor = SAND-or
Sansa = SAN-sa
Shae = SHAY
Tyrion = Ter-ry-on
Tytos = TIE-toss
Varys = VAR-iss
Viserys = VIS-ser-ris
Walder = WALL-derr
Waymar = WAY-marr
Ygritte = yih-GRET
LAST NAMES:
Arryn = Aaron
Baratheon = buh-Rath-fe-on
Cassel = CASS-ell
Clegane = CLEE-gain
Luwin = LOU-win
Mopatis = MO-pah-tiss
Pycelle = PIE-sell
Qyburn = KWAI-burn
Targaryen = tAR-gaary-un
Tyrell = TIE-rell
FULL NAMES:
Areo Hotah = R-ee-oh HO-tuh
Amory Lorch = AM-or-ee LORCH
Jaquen H'ghar = JAY-kin H-GARR
Syrio Forel = SEAR-ee-oh FOUR-ell
Vargo Hoat = VAHR-go HOTE
legion_quest666Quote Reply
Pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Catelyn was pronounced Cat-Lin or maybe Cat-eh-lin.
Not sure where I rememeber seeing that but I used to pronounce it as kate-lin but now do it the other way.
lordnedsheadQuote Reply
Last thing I'm going to weigh in on with the pronunciation discussion. I find myself wavering on the Theon. It's either THEE-en (more of a schwa in the second syllable but I can't type one of those) or THEE-on. But here's the problem with trying to do this on a message board. My THEE a is a "hard" th (like a lispy "SEE" and not like a Shakespearean "Get thee to a nunnery).
I wonder how much we all would actually agree if we got together in a room and could actually talk to each other? Except for Ryan's Dangerous and Jibberish which I completely get and completely disagree with. (The first syllable of Daenerys is "da" like in dad and the last syllable of both is "eez".)
By the way, Ryan, I also love the parallel construction there with Horror and Slobber. Those have to be two of the best nicknames in all of literature.
gofalconsQuote Reply
I pronounce Theon as Fe-on (with a th sound like at the start of theatre).
legion_quest666Quote Reply