A glossary of High Valyrian from House of the Dragon, from ‘Dracarys’ to ‘Valar morghūlis’

A fantasy world just isn’t complete without its own language, and for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, that’s High Valyrian.

Thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the Targaryens lived with their dragons on the Valyrian Freehold in Essos. There, the colonial power that was old Valyria spoke High Valyrian, which is still spoken during the events of the books and shows in locations like Westeros, Braavos, Volantis, Pentos, Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor.

The language was designed by linguist David J. Peterson, who took sparse fragments and words scattered throughout George R. R. Martin’s works.

“Should this word be derived from another via regular affixation? Should it be zero-derived? So we take the word and just have it mean something different, or should it be a metaphorical extension of something else, or should it be an expression like or an idiom?” the expert questioned.

Though it was a battle to create the language in the earliest days of Game of Thrones, in 2026, it’s now a fully functional language that you can learn on Duolingo.

Credit: HBO

Here’s a rundown of High Valyrian in House of the Dragon

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For the most part, High Valyrian words are kind of self-explanatory. For instance, the word Dracarys, followed by fierce dragonfire, suggests it is a trigger word for that action. Terms like Valar Dohaeris and Zaldrīzes are a little different.

A full High Valyrian dictionary is available here, but here’s an explanation for the most used phrases in House of the Dragon:

• Daor – no or not, like when Daenerys said in GOT: “Zaldrīzes buzdari iksos daor” (A dragon is not a slave)
• Dracarys – dragonfire
• Issa – yes
• Zaldrīzes – dragon
• Angōs –  attack, like when Princess Rhaenys iconically said: “Angōs, Meleys”
• Dohaerās – serve
• Lykirī – be calm
• Naejot – forward
• Umbās – wait
• Sōvēs – fly
• Valar Dohaeris – all men must serve
• Valar Morghulis – all men must die
• Muña – mother
• Kepa – father
• Tubī – dear/beloved
• Bantis zābrie issa – the kingdom is hers, in relation to Rhaenyra
• Āeksio – lord

Though the above commands will serve you well the next time you take the dragon out, if you want to converse in the language, it’s best to hop on Duolingo.

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Featured image credit: HBO