Game of Thrones hides Monty Python insults in fantasy Low Valyrian language
Daenerys is told her 'mother was a hamster' by the Meereenese champion
The Game of Thrones team have been having a bit of a laugh translating Monty Python insults into the hit fantasy series’ unique Low Valyrian language.
It might sound too bizarre to be true, but rest assured it is.
Creator Dan Weiss asked in-house linguist David Peterson to adapt “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries”, shouted by a French soldier in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, into a phrase for the show.
But some of the most devoted fans (and they must be) noticed the inside joke in a scene where Daario Naharis challenges the champion of Meereen, who shouts at Daenerys Targaryen in Low Valyrian. As he yells, Missandei translates, but does not reveal what the words really mean.
Other sayings included “I fart in your general direction” and “Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person”.
Peterson has invented more than 5,000 words for the three languages used on Game of Thrones – Low Valyrian, High Valyrian and Dothraki.
“Right after that episode aired, I was getting tweets like: ‘Is he saying a ‘your momma’ joke?’" Peterson told Making Game of Thrones. “Close, but no, he’s actually starting out with ‘Your mother is a hamster’. That was Dan’s idea and it was so hilarious that I had to do it.”
He has hidden other secret messages in there too, including a word for his wife in every language. “Her name is Erin, which is the basis for 'kind' in Dothraki,” he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments