Languages
Languages of many kinds are spoken in the world of Eamon, but only a handful of authors have named or described them. One of the few works to identify multiple spoken tongues is John Nelson's Knight Quest, a variant of Eamon whose adventures were later incorporated into the main series. Languages that have been mentioned in Eamon or related systems are listed below.
Named languages
- Common
- The "Common Tongue" is the standard and widely-spoken language in the Kingdom of Evenhold and various other parts of Eamon, and is identified with that name in adventures including Curse of the Hellsblade, Wrenhold's Secret Vigil, and The Treachery of Zorag. It's described in Search for Mack as the "native Eamon tongue". The language is generally assumed to be English or a close equivalent; a scroll and coins with "Olde English" writing are mentioned in Valkenburg Castle.
- Dwarfish
- The language of Dwarves, one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest and a major language in the land of Middle-earth. The language is written using runes.
- Elvish
- The language of Elves, one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest and a major language in the land of Middle-earth. A rare old book written in Elvish appears in The Tomb of Molinar, and Elvish writing is mentioned in The Adventurer's General Store, The Stronghold of Kahr-Dur, and elsewhere.
- Falconese
- One of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.
- Gerbish
- One of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.
- Latin
- A real-world language originating on Earth and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.
- Orcish
- The language of Orcs and Goblins, and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.
- Sicilian
- The native language of Sicilia, a hostile land near the Kingdom of Evenhold, mentioned in Search for Mack.
- Trollish
- The language of Trolls, and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest. It's spoken and written at the Temple of the Trolls.
- Welch
- Possibly the real-world language of Welsh or a variant of it, and one of the eight standard languages in Knight Quest.
Other languages
The presence on Eamon of individuals associated with real-world countries, such as the Burly Irishman or the Italian-accented Marcos Cavielli, suggest that various languages from Earth may be spoken on Eamon, or are at least known.
Adventurer sometimes encounter other spoken or written languages that they cannot understand or identify:
- The Lair of the Minotaur: "You see many ancient books. They are written in a language you cannot read."
- Picnic in Paradise: "All the walls are covered with mysterious writings of an unknown language."
- Adventure in Interzone: "People of all cultures wander about speaking in various languages."
- Fiends of Eamon: "It seems to be humming some sort of song in the Beholder language."
- Redemption: "The scrolls are written in a language you do not understand, but the characters are mostly familiar."
- The Last Dragon: "You see a large silver box with writing in a script that is totally unfamiliar to you in a language that you cannot read."
- The Citadel of Blood: "There seems to be an inscription in a foreign tongue over the arch, but you cannot make out what it means."
In the humorous adventure The Pathetic Hideout of Mr. R., Mr. Roessler's official language is said to be "Lower Gibberish".
Tolkien the Scribe, a character who appears in Sam Ruby's adventures Redemption and The Curse of Talon, is described as "the most learned man of languages and history in the kingdom."