It means something like "the tower that guards", ie: the Guard Tower or even the Watchtower.
The name probably implies that it's the "the Tower that guards against the Shadow". There may have been an additional reference to the Amyrlin as Watchers over the Seals originally.
Why would RJ rafo this?
He often RAFOed that sort of "encyclopedic" questions, like "what does this name means" (Tar Valon, LTT's honorific, the Forsaken's names etc. were all RAFOed) and "what happens in that test we haven't seen", what are the secret weaves and many similar questions about aspects of the world building. It's the sort of trivial knowledge he liked to pepper the books with. If he told us all in Q&A, it would fall flat when/if he wanted a character to muse on the meaning of the city's name in a POV.
The name probably implies that it's the "the Tower that guards against the Shadow". There may have been an additional reference to the Amyrlin as Watchers over the Seals originally.
Why would RJ rafo this?
He often RAFOed that sort of "encyclopedic" questions, like "what does this name means" (Tar Valon, LTT's honorific, the Forsaken's names etc. were all RAFOed) and "what happens in that test we haven't seen", what are the secret weaves and many similar questions about aspects of the world building. It's the sort of trivial knowledge he liked to pepper the books with. If he told us all in Q&A, it would fall flat when/if he wanted a character to muse on the meaning of the city's name in a POV.
Translation of "Tar Valon"
- 18/12/2009 05:08:49 PM
1850 Views
As far as we can tell
- 18/12/2009 05:32:31 PM
1116 Views
Wait, so it translates similarly to Minas Tirith, the White Tower of Gondor? *NM*
- 18/12/2009 07:26:37 PM
364 Views
Well, it's based on Avalon
- 18/12/2009 05:33:44 PM
887 Views
I think there is an actual old tongue dictionary ...
- 18/12/2009 10:08:27 PM
901 Views
Place Names Drift Over Time
- 19/12/2009 12:59:25 AM
816 Views
I think you meant this in response to the main thread, and not my post
- 19/12/2009 11:13:14 PM
692 Views
Given how terrible Jordan's "language" system was, it could be almost anything.
- 20/12/2009 05:26:56 PM
727 Views