Veronica Borri
asked
John Gwynne:
Hi John, I recently came across your work, and fell for it pretty hard - it kept me up way past my bedtime, which is always a good sign. It seems the language of the giants has a lot in common with the Irish language - I felt like I was getting sneak peaks behind the scenes, and it made me wish I could remember more of it from my school days! Do you have any Irish connections? Thank you!! Roni
John Gwynne
Hi Roni,
Great to hear from you.
I'm so pleased that you're enjoying the series so far - enough to nudge the books into your allowed sleep time - and thank-you for taking the time to let me know. I really appreciate that.
As for your question, yes, I have been dipping into some gaelic for the giants language. With the whole series I've referenced history and mythology to try and give a sense of depth and weight to the story, and I've tried to do the same with language. I think my translations are pretty bad early on in the series, but for books three and four I've turned to a good friend of mine who happens to be Irish, and he has helped me a lot so I'm sure the 'Giantish' will be a lot more legible :)
The whole western part of the Banished Lands is celtic-inspired, so there is Irish in there, but also a mix of Welsh and Scottish - many of the names, both people and places - are celtic. For example, Brenin means 'King' in Welsh.
Thanks again for the question. I hope that helps.
Best,
John
Great to hear from you.
I'm so pleased that you're enjoying the series so far - enough to nudge the books into your allowed sleep time - and thank-you for taking the time to let me know. I really appreciate that.
As for your question, yes, I have been dipping into some gaelic for the giants language. With the whole series I've referenced history and mythology to try and give a sense of depth and weight to the story, and I've tried to do the same with language. I think my translations are pretty bad early on in the series, but for books three and four I've turned to a good friend of mine who happens to be Irish, and he has helped me a lot so I'm sure the 'Giantish' will be a lot more legible :)
The whole western part of the Banished Lands is celtic-inspired, so there is Irish in there, but also a mix of Welsh and Scottish - many of the names, both people and places - are celtic. For example, Brenin means 'King' in Welsh.
Thanks again for the question. I hope that helps.
Best,
John
More Answered Questions
Milan
asked
John Gwynne:
So Goodreads lists Ruin as being released on June 18th. Is it really? Because if so I need to reread the first two novels (again) in preparation. And I need to make a calendar where I mark the days with a big red cross like in the tvland :D Also just an fyi I won't be offended if you send me an advance copy :P
Shane Kiely
asked
John Gwynne:
Big fan of Malice, really pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. In the process of getting Valour. The books have a very strong Celtic vibe to them especially Corban's own people. What drew you to this culture in particular rather than the more standard pseudo medieval world of a lot of fantasy universes?
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