# Critical1: the bizarre MELONFARMER who intentionally misspells the name of every GoT character **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 3, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675 "2017-08-03T05:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/81 "2017-08-04T18:09:13Z")
Out of curiosity - any Oedipal story lines in GoT that should be referenced? Any movies that use melons like apple pie? ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/82 "2017-08-04T21:18:19Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I don’t recall any examples of Westerosi writing on screen, however, I do recall Ser Davos, during his reading lessons, stumbling over the word ‘knight’, pronouncing it ‘k-nig-ht’, which would indicate something like Latin writing. Of course, that could also easily be because we’re seeing the whole thing through the eyes of a character who understands the language, so it’s just sort of an equivalent mispronunciation… A bit off-topic for this thread, but to reply in any case… We have seen a lot of raven scrolls and the occasional tome page. Most recently, Jorah was writing a scroll which started, “Khaleesi, …”(Yes, I bothered to look up the spelling.) But even if the written language was meant to be spastic in-universe (which it doesn’t seem to be), neither the SDMB thread nor its participants are in-universe, although I do like that suggestion as a coping mechanism! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/83 "2017-08-04T22:01:09Z")
See, Ser Jorah is practically illiterate and he still got it right. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/84 "2017-08-04T22:11:13Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > A bit off-topic for this thread, but to reply in any case… > > We have seen a lot of raven scrolls and the occasional tome page. Most recently, Jorah was writing a scroll which started, “Khaleesi, …”(Yes, I bothered to look up the spelling.) > > But even if the written language was meant to be spastic in-universe (which it doesn’t seem to be), neither the SDMB thread nor its participants are in-universe, although I do like that suggestion as a coping mechanism! Right. I’d also managed to completely forget about the various graffiti in… Meereen, I think it was? Although of course you could take that as a dramatic conceit to enhance immersion, immediately understanding the writing the way a Westerosi would. Still, I find that in my heart of hearts, I just simply can’t get too outraged about misspelling the names of imaginary people. But far be it from me to deny another’s right to recreational outrage. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/85 "2017-08-04T23:16:21Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > See, Ser Jorah is practically illiterate and he still got it right. No he isn’t. He’s a freakin’ Ser, for goodness sake. All it takes is a few seconds of looking this up on the Fire and Ice wiki to learn that the landed peoples of Westrosi are educated. I may pit you for this. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/86 "2017-08-04T23:34:56Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > Personally I find the misspellings of names distracting, and it does make reading the thread bumpier for me. Doesn’t bother me a bit because I never read the threads because I never read the books or watched the show. I’m just here to listen to people complain. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/87 "2017-08-04T23:51:54Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Nice that you’ve opened this thread. It so happens that I can’t give a shit about how GoT names are spelled as long as I understand whom they’re refering to, but I’m quite fed up with the numerous posts correcting spelling mistakes in GoT names. It would appreciate it if you could quit doing that. I agree hole-hartedly with clairobskure’s post. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/88 "2017-08-05T00:19:33Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > _Kouldn’t_ Kare Lass. Golf clap. I’m kind of on **Critical** ’s side here. There are normal spellings to a bunch of these names, and Martin chose to go with slightly weird ones. It’s one thing to have read the books and know the spellings by seeing them over and over, but if you’ve only watched the show, why waste neurons on that? There’s a difference between remembering that people complain because the names aren’t “Peter” and “Jamie” and “Rob”, and knowing which specific non-standard spelling it is. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/89 "2017-08-05T00:46:50Z")
Suppose I look up how to spell Jaime or Ramsay or Daenerys. How can I know for sure that the wiki page or whatever that I find the answer on wasn’t written by a book reader based on spellings that appear in the book, but which haven’t yet been revealed in the show – and that I will thus be bringing verboten book-knowledge into the show-only thread? Mostly kidding, and I do try to get the spellings right, but still . . . . ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/90 "2017-08-05T00:50:20Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > No he isn’t. He’s a freakin’ Ser, for goodness sake. All it takes is a few seconds of looking this up on the Fire and Ice wiki to learn that the landed peoples of Westrosi are educated. I may pit you for this. Randyll and Dickon Tarly seem to be illiterate, proud of it, and possess great tracts of land. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/91 "2017-08-05T00:53:36Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Randyll and Dickon Tarly seem to be illiterate, proud of it, and possess great tracts of land. How did you come to this conclusion, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/92 "2017-08-05T01:05:05Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > You are dead to me That’s exactly what the Amish girl’s father told her when he kicked her out. And you know why he kicked her out? Too Mennonite. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/93 "2017-08-05T13:46:52Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Strangely, I have a couple of friends who are real-life melon farmers. They met during college and fell in love and bought a farm in the county not far from town. They’re getting married this autumn, in probably the biggest wedding ceremony I’ve ever been to–the man told me there would be over 200 guests. He’s a little freaked out and a lot frazzled, but his hands are tied. Due to their profession, > > They canteloupe. I actually guffawed, and I wasn’t aware that I was capable of making such a noise. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/94 "2017-08-06T16:54:02Z")
Made one person guffaw, made another person hate me forever. Not bad for a day’s work. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/95 "2017-08-07T01:42:54Z")
Ah, nerd rage. Sheldon Cooper would be proud. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/96 "2017-08-08T12:28:47Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Nice that you’ve opened this thread. It so happens that I can’t give a shit about how GoT names are spelled as long as I understand whom they’re refering to, but I’m quite fed up with the numerous posts correcting spelling mistakes in GoT names. It would appreciate it if you could quit doing that. +1 And even though I agree that deliberately misspelling names is dickish, it’s an attempt to resist / discourage what I’d consider to be the greater dick: cluttering every damn GOT thread with multiple spell checks. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/97 "2017-08-08T16:05:49Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > How did you come to this conclusion, I wonder? When Sam said he wanted to go to the Citadel become a maester Randyll had him chained to a wall in a dungeon. Hey, I just got that one, “Here’s your chain, Maester!”. Good one. Then when Sam’s 18th birthday rolled around his father told him that if he didn’t abdicate his inheritance by joining the Night’s Watch so that his brother Dickon could take the castle and Valyrian steel sword, Heartsbane. They’re probably not totally illiterate, I suspect they could puzzle out short messages and read maps and such, but it doesn’t seem like book learning is prized much in the Tarly household. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/98 "2017-08-09T17:46:09Z")
> [@Game of Thrones 7.04 "The Spoils of War" 8/6/2017 \[Show discussion only\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-7-04-the-spoils-of-war-8-6-2017-show-discussion-only/792955/322): > > :: golf clap :: > > And again, everyone, it’s “Jaime.” > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Still, I find that in my heart of hearts, I just simply can’t get too outraged about misspelling the names of imaginary people. I’m not sure I feel the same way about the constant fucking spelling corrections, though. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/99 "2017-08-10T19:29:18Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I dunno, but that was back before it turned out that Kevin Sorbo is a cuntbasket. Huh? He’s no great shakes as an actor, that’s a given, but why the lack of luv for old Kevin? Did I miss a memo or something? ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675/100 "2017-08-10T19:56:57Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Huh? He’s no great shakes as an actor, that’s a given, but why the lack of luv for old Kevin? Did I miss a memo or something? I know he has claimed to have been discriminated against in Hollywood due to his outspoken Christianity. Other than that, don’t know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critical1-the-bizarre-melonfarmer-who-intentionally-misspells-the-name-of-every-got-character/792675.md?page=6)