In the fantasy series ‘Game Of Thrones’ there are also some – sometimes very well hidden – allusions to other series and films. One of the most beautiful Easter eggs is a tribute to the Monty Python classic “The Knights of the Coconut“, which is not only adored by the author of these lines. But even a die-hard fan won’t be able to distinguish the tribute to the cult film from the British comedy group, because for that you have to be an absolute linguistic genius!
In the fourth season of the fantasy series, the dragon mother Daenerys wants to conquer the city of Mereen. But instead of making diplomatic efforts, the commanders send a single soldier to the gates, who curses loudly and confronts the army, then relieves himself in front of them. The audience doesn’t understand what exactly he’s saying because he swears in Valyrian. Nevertheless, this rude behavior brings back memories of a legendary scene from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (the title of the comedy classic in the original)…
Parallels with the swearing French
…namely to the swearing French who in “The Knights of the Coconut” deny King Arthur and his followers shelter for the night and rain down a veritable torrent of vulgar insults on the knights from the castle walls.
In fact, the commonality is definitely intentional The series’ linguist has now confirmed it. The insults he unleashes against Daenerys and her army, written in the Valyrian language, are the same insults with which the French warriors twice brought the Knights of the Round Table to their knees.
It makes an already great series just a little bit better when you imagine this soldier calling Daerys “English bastards” or “teapots” or “fresh beer drinkers.” If you fancy watching ‘Game Of Thrones’ again in its entirety (perhaps switching it off for the final season), you can currently find the series on a streaming subscription from WOW (formerly Sky Ticket).