The system, function and translatability of personal and animal names in the fantasy series entitled A Song of Ice and Fire
Abstract
The system, function and translatability of personal and animal names in the fantasy series entitled A Song of Ice and Fire
The paper provides an onomastic examination of the fantasy book series entitled A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, mainly focusing on personal and animal names. The author explores the system and rules behind name giving in the novels, with respect to the different characters and societies that appear in the story. The paper also seeks to find similarities to and differences from the relevant aspects of real life name giving practices, such as dynastic name giving or bynaming. The magical powers of names play an important role in the novel sequence. The possibility, precision and motivation of translating personal and animal names is also treated in the paper. Finally, the author gives a short, thus incomplete overview of the potential in a deeper onomastic examination of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
