Essos is the "scientific" name for the Eastern Continent... - Edit 1
Before modification by Shannow at 07/04/2011 08:06:43 PM
Unlike the other two, it manages to hint at the word "south" without feeling like a bad calque.
Well, yes, that it does - that's kind of the problem. In a world that wants to seem real, things generally shouldn't fit together too perfectly like that.
It is probably Valyrian, given that many of the Free Cities' names end in "os" as well, like Bravos, Pentos, Norvos, Tyrosh etc.
To me it fits together perfectly.
Well, yes, that it does - that's kind of the problem. In a world that wants to seem real, things generally shouldn't fit together too perfectly like that.
It seems the Valyrians were the closest this world had to a world spanning Empire. And these guys seemed to be the ones who first mapped the world. And the term "Essos" may be similar to the mythical "Terra Australis" after which Australia was eventually named.
It also goes on to say that people seldom refer to the continent as Essos at all, in fact, Martin only introduced the name outside the books and then only in 2008. Instead, most inhabitents of the world refer to component parts of Essos instead, like the Dothraki sea, or the Free Cities, or Slaver's Bay or the Red Waste etc.
The term Essos seems to only be used by scholars, probably a term that is similar to the ancient Latin or Greek used by scholars in our world.