valar morghulis

English

Etymology

Coined by American writer and television producer George R. R. Martin for use in his A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novel series. The phrase, which means "all men must die" in the fictional language of High Valyrian, is used as a greeting by the Faceless Men, a combination death cult and assassin's guild. The traditional response is valar dohaeris (“all men must serve”).

Phrase

valar morghulis

1. (fandom slang) An expression used as an acknowledgement of human mortality and the inevitability of death.
   • 2015, Hannah Jane Cohen, "A Road Trip To Djúpavík", The Reykjavík Grapevine, 5 June 2015 - 18 June 2015, page 31:

     On a philosophical note, there has never been a moment in my life where I’ve truly considered the gravity of death. Yes I know, “All men must die,” but I’m a writer, not a BASE jumper. I spend most of my time behind a bright computer screen, thinking. Yet as I started driving along the edge of a snowy cliff tumbling hundreds of meters downwards to the rocky sea, without snow tyres, the possibility was getting a little bit too real. Valar morghulis.

   • 2015, Keegan Guidolin & Matthew Douglas-Vail, "What kills us and what costs us: An examination of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge", University of Western Ontario Medical Journal, Volume 84, Issue 1, Winter 2015, page 18:

     In 2015, different beasts threaten our lives—heart disease, cancers, and chronic airway diseases comprise the majority of our disease burden. Valar morghulis—all men must die.

   • 2019, "Dedication", in Jennifer P. B. Price, "Testing Construct Redundancy: Resilience, Grit, Hardiness, and Mental Toughness", thesis submitted to Saint Mary's University (Halifax, NS), page 7:

     You fought a good battle, and it was an honour to be there right beside you. I will miss you. “Valar Morghulis” my friend. The God of Death has called one of its valiant warrior^[sic] home, albeit, too soon.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:valar morghulis.

See also

• life's a bitch and then you die
• memento mori