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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread sept, septon #153492 01/09/2006 3:33 PM Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 270 Israel Logwood enthusiast Logwood enthusiast Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 270 Israel I'm reading George R.R Martin's "A Game of Thrones"... ("Tully" is a lineage in this context, "godswood" is a garden) "Catelyn had been anointed with the seven oils and named in the rainbow of light that filled the sept of Riverrun. She was of the Faith, like her father and grandfather and his father before him. Her gods had names, and their faces were as familiar as the faces of her parents. Worship was a septon with a censer, the smell of incense, a seven-sided crystal alive with light, voices raised in song. The Tullys kept a godswood, as all the great houses did, but it was only a place to walk or read or lie in the sun. Worship was for the sept. For her sake, Ned had built a small sept where she might sing to the seven faces of god..." My dictionary translate "sept" as "tribe, clan (in ancient Ireland)"... does it make any sense in this context? I can't find a definition for "septon". Of course, these two words may have a particular definition in the novel, but if so, shouldn't these words be capitalized, or have any prior references? I see neither. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sept, septon #153493 01/09/2006 4:11 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass I'd think that this is argot of Martin's creation. try searching for "sept septon riverrun" Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sept, septon #153494 01/09/2006 4:14 PM Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 557 Dallas, TX Myridon addict Myridon addict Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 557 Dallas, TX The mainstream religion in the book involves seven gods/seven faces of god so their temples tend to be seven-sided thus septs - septem Latin for 7. Depending on which dictionary you use, sept is either from L. septum/saeptum - an enclosure, or a formation of sect both echo nicely with the intended meaning. A septon is a person who presides over a sept. You'll find frequently in science fiction and fantasy that that they don't explain or point out the "non-standard" words as this tends to break the world-building aspect. In this case, there is no relationship between this world and ours, so it would be odd for a character to mention churches or Catholic priests when there are no such things and everyone in that world would be expected to know what they are. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sept, septon #153495 01/10/2006 1:50 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland wsieber old hand wsieber old hand Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland Hi, After reading your post I looked up the book at Amazon.com, and found there is even a discussion forum devoted to it! This might help you on, maybe. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sept, septon #153496 01/10/2006 2:23 PM Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park of troy Carpal Tunnel of troy Carpal Tunnel Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park the pen is a mightier sceptor than the sword.. pehaps a sept is a variation of sceptor? it is a place/representation of the true authority? intentions spelled to play into the notion of seven (sept)? my other obsession Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sept, septon #153497 01/10/2006 6:36 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland wsieber old hand wsieber old hand Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 Switzerland The allusion to the number seven seems evident from the given context. "Sceptre" seems several steps more remote. At least two other roots come to mind: septic (putrefying) from the greek, and septum (membrane) from the latin. In the religious context, the association with "sexton" also apperas intentional. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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