Wait, is it pronounced Ay-Gon or Ee-Jon?

[Damon_Tor]

I've always assumed an "English" pronunciation of the name "Aegon" to sound like "ay-gon" but it occurred to me that the Latin prononciation would make it "ee-jon". For example, the word "Aegis" is pronounced "ee-jis" in Latin.

It would seem to provide an origin for the name "Jon".

Just a random thought I had.

Yes, I know, in the show it's "Aegon" at least when speaking in Andlish. Has anyone on the show spoken about Aegon in Valyrian?

[Goat]

Egg-on

[Lord Fauntleroy]

it's Egg-On. Thus Dunk and Egg.

[Lord Vance II]

I've always said "Ay-Gon" in my head. I know it's Egg-on, but personally I just don't like the sound of it like that. 

[J. Stargaryen]

Pretty sure GRRM pronounces the Ae as a long A. So, ay-gone, or ayg-on.

[Philokles]

According to most people, ae would be pronounced more like eye or a long a in Ancient Greek. It is too complicated to get a single correct answer in real world languages, so just go with whatever feels most comfortable in a fictional one.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

qui gon

 

[DarkSister1001]

9 minutes ago, Señor de la Tormenta said:

qui gon

 

[CrypticWeirwood]

IPA: [ˈeɪgən],  [ˈeɪˌgɔn], or [ˈeɪˌgɑn]

Using standard phonetic notation, Aegon would be pronounced [ˈeɪgən] in the UK — but [ˈeɪˌgɔn] or [ˈeɪˌgɑn] in the US. Note very carefully that that’s the ei sound of freight, not the one of sleight or leisure!

Aegon is just a spelling variant of the Celtic name Egan. It’s the same name. This is the same name that gives us variants like Eagan, Keegan, MacEgan, Kegan, Kagan, Keegan, and Keagan.  Martin pronounces it just like Justice Elena Kagan pronounces her own name, but without her K. In other words, Martin pronounces the stressed vowel like the one in they.  Even when abbreviated to Egg Maester Aemon pronounces it with that vowel and not with the vowel from get.  All the words spelled with an ae in them Martin pronounces with that same vowel.

Native speakers of other languages instead tend to pronounce it as it is spelled, so as it was in Latin. Few English speakers do that these days save for those scant few who were classically educated, and even they have a tendency to use slightly reduced version found in English eye.

‘Aegon’ = Fire Lord!

The original word that became Aegon comes to us from the Celtic tongues, where it was something like Aodhagáin, which was a diminutive of a word meaning “fiery”.

You can see how the founding member of the dragon dynasty would be named with a “fire” word.

It was also used in Roman Britain as a native version of the Latin dominus meaning lord, which makes Aegon a fire lord.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that. 

Someday I will similarly explain why Aemon is the traditional second son’s name amongst the Targaryens. That tale is different but also quite interesting. Hint: it is related to an old word meaning “uncle”.

 

[Sensenmenn]

10 minutes ago, CrypticWeirwood said:

IPA: [ˈeɪgən],  [ˈeɪˌgɔn], or [ˈeɪˌgɑn]

Using standard phonetic notation, Aegon would be pronounced [ˈeɪgən] in the UK — but [ˈeɪˌgɔn] or [ˈeɪˌgɑn] in the US. Note very carefully that that’s the ei sound of freight, not the one of sleight or leisure!

Aegon is just a spelling variant of the Celtic name Egan. It’s the same name. This is the same name that gives us variants like Eagan, Keegan, MacEgan, Kegan, Kagan, Keegan, and Keagan.  Martin pronounces it just like Justice Elena Kagan pronounces her own name, but without her K. In other words, Martin pronounces the stressed vowel like the one in they.  Even when abbreviated to Egg Maester Aemon pronounces it with that vowel and not with the vowel from get.  All the words spelled with an ae in them Martin pronounces with that same vowel.

Native speakers of other languages instead tend to pronounce it as it is spelled, so as it was in Latin. Few English speakers do that these days save for those scant few who were classically educated, and even they have a tendency to use slightly reduced version found in English eye.

‘Aegon’ = Fire Lord!

The original word that became Aegon comes to us from the Celtic tongues, where it was something like Aodhagáin, which was a diminutive of a word meaning “fiery”.

You can see how the founding member of the dragon dynasty would be named with a “fire” word.

It was also used in Roman Britain as a native version of the Latin dominus meaning lord, which makes Aegon a fire lord.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that. 

Someday I will similarly explain why Aemon is the traditional second son’s name amongst the Targaryens. That tale is different but also quite interesting. Hint: it is related to an old word meaning “uncle”.

 

What does Aemon mean in celtic?

[HouseFossoway]

I always thought that Aegon rhymed with Reagan. So more like AY-Gin  (hard g)

[CrypticWeirwood]

11 minutes ago, HouseFossoway said:

I always thought that Aegon rhymed with Reagan. So more like AY-Gin  (hard g)

That's exactly what I wrote. See the phonetic notation, because respellings don't work.

[CrypticWeirwood]

37 minutes ago, Sensenmenn said:

What does Aemon mean in celtic?

Éamon, Éaman, Éamann is the Irish version of the English name Edmund.  It derives from two words in Old English that combined mean “rich protector”.  If you think of Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, FakeJon’s hero and namesake :), this makes perfect sense: a rich protector indeed.

English also once had a word eam meaning “uncle” and sometimes “maternal uncle” in particular. The Old English pronunciation was much closer to how Martin pronounces the start of Aemon. This old word for uncle is largely obsolete today but still survives in certain dialects in Britain, as well as in Scots under another spelling, eme.  The Latinate cognate gave rise to avuncular in English.

Although the two Old English words are unrelated for deriving the name Aemon/Eamon, I suspect that it is the connotation of uncle from the other word that helped influence Martin to make Aemon the "go-to name" for the second-born royal Targaryen, the one born after Aegon, who would so often be Aegon’s protector or lieutenant.

In any event, Aemon is pronounced [ˈeɪmən] in the UK but sometimes [ˈeɪˌmɔn] or [ˈeɪˌmɑn] in the US. It again has the vowel in freight as previously explained.

[Tywin Tytosson]

39 minutes ago, CrypticWeirwood said:

Éamon, Éaman, Éamann is the Irish version of the English name Edmund.  It derives from two words in Old English that combined mean “rich protector”.  If you think of Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, FakeJon’s hero and namesake :), this makes perfect sense: a rich protector indeed.

English also once had a word eam meaning “uncle” and sometimes “maternal uncle” in particular. The Old English pronunciation was much closer to how Martin pronounces the start of Aemon. This old word for uncle is largely obsolete today but still survives in certain dialects in Britain, as well as in Scots under another spelling, eme.  The Latinate cognate gave rise to avuncular in English.

Although the two Old English words are unrelated for deriving the name Aemon/Eamon, I suspect that it is the connotation of uncle from the other word that helped influence Martin to make Aemon the "go-to name" for the second-born royal Targaryen, the one born after Aegon, who would so often be Aegon’s protector or lieutenant.

In any event, Aemon is pronounced [ˈeɪmən] in the UK but sometimes [ˈeɪˌmɔn] or [ˈeɪˌmɑn] in the US. It again has the vowel in freight as previously explained.

This is a bit off-topic but when i read this, I thought of Ian Fleming's character 'M' from the Bond novels and movies.

M pretty much functions/acts like Bond's protector and ... basically an uncle.

Fascinating stuff, this.  :-)

 

[Tywin Tytosson]

1 hour ago, CrypticWeirwood said:

Éamon, Éaman, Éamann is the Irish version of the English name Edmund.  It derives from two words in Old English that combined mean “rich protector”.  If you think of Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, FakeJon’s hero and namesake :), this makes perfect sense: a rich protector indeed.

English also once had a word eam meaning “uncle” and sometimes “maternal uncle” in particular. The Old English pronunciation was much closer to how Martin pronounces the start of Aemon. This old word for uncle is largely obsolete today but still survives in certain dialects in Britain, as well as in Scots under another spelling, eme.  The Latinate cognate gave rise to avuncular in English.

Although the two Old English words are unrelated for deriving the name Aemon/Eamon, I suspect that it is the connotation of uncle from the other word that helped influence Martin to make Aemon the "go-to name" for the second-born royal Targaryen, the one born after Aegon, who would so often be Aegon’s protector or lieutenant.

In any event, Aemon is pronounced [ˈeɪmən] in the UK but sometimes [ˈeɪˌmɔn] or [ˈeɪˌmɑn] in the US. It again has the vowel in freight as previously explained.

You mean Jon's real given name?  The one Lyanna tells Ned?

Sorry, CW, but I think Jon's namesake is the first Celtic-based name that you described -- Aegon.

Let me ask you this : Do you think names like Jon and Aegon could be the same name or different renditions of the same name but from different languages?  Such as : Hans, Johann, Ian, John, Jon, Juan, Ivan, Johnathan, etc.   And William, Will, Bill, Guillermo (?), wilhelm?

 

I am asking because you seem to know languages.  And could give substantive or correct/legitimate answer(s) one way or the other

 

[CrypticWeirwood]

26 minutes ago, Thror Baratheon said:

You mean Jon's real given name?  The one Lyanna tells Ned?

Sorry, CW, but I think Jon's namesake is the first Celtic-based name that you described -- Aegon.

Let me ask you this : Do you think names like Jon and Aegon could be the same name or different renditions of the same name but from different languages?  Such as : Hans, Johann, Ian, John, Jon, Juan, Ivan, Johnathan, etc.   And William, Will, Bill, Guillermo (?), wilhelm?

 

I am asking because you seem to know languages.  And could give substantive or correct/legitimate answer(s) one way or the other

 

No, Aegon is not just another name for Jon. It means something else. 

There are at least two clear textual clues that FakeJon is really Prince Aemon Targaryen, both given by Jon himself.  

One is FakeJon remembering playing with Robb pretending to be Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, the other is FakeJon reflecting that he's not a Jeor Mormont and no Aemon Targaryen.

 

[CrypticWeirwood]

2 hours ago, Thror Baratheon said:

You mean Jon's real given name?  The one Lyanna tells Ned?

Sorry, CW, but I think Jon's namesake is the first Celtic-based name that you described -- Aegon.

The two best pieces of evidence we have that he is Aemon Targaryen are these two passages of his own thoughts:

But he had not left the Wall for that; he had left because he was after all his father's son, and Robb's brother. The gift of a sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too well. (Jon IX, A Game of Thrones)

And then:

Every morning they had trained together, since they were big enough to walk; Snow and Stark, spinning and slashing about the wards of Winterfell, shouting and laughing, sometimes crying when there was no one else to see. They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." (Jon XII, A Storm of Swords)

If you’ve come to know Martin’s sense of poetic irony, you will see his handiwork here.  In spades.

Honestly, instead of Martin asking the showrunners who his mother is, he should have asked them what his real name was.  The clues are there, but much harder to spot than his parents’ names.

[Ebrose]

39 minutes ago, CrypticWeirwood said:

The two best pieces of evidence we have that he is Aemon Targaryen are these two passages of his own thoughts:

But he had not left the Wall for that; he had left because he was after all his father's son, and Robb's brother. The gift of a sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too well. (Jon IX, A Game of Thrones)

And then:

Every morning they had trained together, since they were big enough to walk; Snow and Stark, spinning and slashing about the wards of Winterfell, shouting and laughing, sometimes crying when there was no one else to see. They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." (Jon XII, A Storm of Swords)

If you’ve come to know Martin’s sense of poetic irony, you will see his handiwork here.  In spades.

Honestly, instead of Martin asking the showrunners who his mother is, he should have asked them what his real name was.  The clues are there, but much harder to spot than his parents’ names.

In one quote he thinks he IS NOT Aemon (the maester); in the other, he IS Aemon (the Dragonknight). I'm sorry but it seems a huge stretch to deduce they are pointing to Aemon being his "real" name.

In your quotes he also thinks he is not a Mormont. I'm pretty sure somewhere in the text he thinks himself as Jeor (don't know where, but probably there's a passage when struggling to fulfil his duties as LC). Would that make his "real identity" a Mormont, then?

It' a nice catch, but in my honest opinion not grounded enough.

[Lychnidos]

When I first read a Game of Thrones in 2008 I had no idea how the ae combination is read, so I read it by my mother tongue rules as ˈaɛ.ɡɔn .

[SevasTra82]

I've heard GRRM himself call him "ay-gone", so that's what I'm going with.