“Ultimately it comes down to…”: George R.R. Martin’s Brilliant Techniques to Name ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon’ Characters

There are some worlds so enthralling that one cannot help but get lost in them. From Game of Thrones to House of the Dragon as well as the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin’s exceptional fantasy worlds have successfully intrigued the masses.

From intricate locations and loyalties to memorable characters and their motives, each person in the author’s world has a role to fulfil. The personalities of each character are so unique and interesting that they seamlessly contribute to the narrative without losing their essence.

George R.R. Martin answers how he names his characters

House of the Dragon season 2 recently ended with the Green and the Black factions gearing up for the ultimate Dance of the Dragons. Both sides have lost too much and sacrificed a lot to be able to be in that position. From raising armies to training dragonriders, the upcoming war will truly test the mettle of Rhaenyra and Alicent.

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One very interesting aspect of all stories by George R.R. Martin is the way every character is conjured. While he may be inspired by some real people of the world, but eventually what he puts on paper is completely new and intriguing. More than their personalities, it is their names that give them an edge over others. Kings and queens exude royalty while the witty Hands of the King and Council Lords are named to portray wit and intelligence for most.

When a fan asked Martin about his technique of naming characters, the author replied by saying that he has tried those online fantasy name generators but to no avail. For stories like A Song of Ice and Fire, one needs names that sound cool and transport readers to another dimension altogether. He continued,

I wanted the flavor of medieval England, so that was my goal, so I took some actual medieval names, some actual names that we still use today, like Robert. And in some cases, I tweaked them a little, like I made Edward into Eddard. If you actually look at medieval history, people didn’t know how to spell their own names. There were a million variants. There are like six known Shakespeare signatures and no two of them are spelled the same. So there were a lot of variants that we’ve lost over the years, so some of that could be used… But ultimately, it comes down to what sounds right. And sometimes I really wrestle with that because I can’t find the right name for a character and until I find a right name, it’s like I don’t know who he is and I can’t proceed on.

Martin further added how he broke the conventional naming routine of giving two characters the same name. He explained this was necessary to establish hereditary aspects of the ruling family and showcase how someone can name their kids after the greatest rulers, but in the end, they are bound to live their own fate.

What will House of the Dragon season 3 be about?

After that intense finale episode and a cliffhanger that will bother fans for months to come, House of the Dragon will return for another season. The Dance of the Dragons will continue in House of the Dragon season 3 where Rhaenyra will go toe to toe with the Greens only for one of them to emerge alive and victorious. Talking about the next season, showrunner Ryan Condal said,

While this season was very much about the fits and starts of an early medieval war, season three is clearly going to be about total war.

Many fans are angry over how season 2 of the HBO prequel panned out. They waited for massive battles and pivotal scenes to take center stage but the entire season felt like a filler sequence, meant to fill holes in the story and build a narrative. On the other hand, this is how all great stories unfold. Once the foundation is strong, the world of the narrative can actually make more sense.

House of the Dragon is streaming on Max.