Classic Series Gallifreyan - Reference.

[warmcanofcoke]

*this thread is not for "Circular Gallifreyan" (new series Doctor Who) - there are several easy to google references for that.

Occasionally the Doctor Who prop department used Gallifreyan Numbers or Letters (Looks like Greek to me) on both props and sets. These reference posts are here if anyone in the future would like to include these letters and numbers on a future build.

Doctor Who Castrovalva reference.
from the 1983 Doctor Who annual.

Numbers on the Master's Control device.


The Five Doctors (Olde High Gallifreyan)






The Gallifreyan from this episode were taken from the Making of Doctor Who from 1972.

 

[hb88banzai]

The Doctor's calling card from "Remembrance of the Daleks" (1988):

 

[type63]

From Gareth Roberts book "Shada":

Translated loosely it means "If this book should care to roam. Box its ears and send it home."

 

[warmcanofcoke]

Numbers from Arc of Infinity

I would love to get a close examination of this key pad.

 

[galacticprobe]

Wow! This is fascinating from several aspects that I never noticed until these images were laid out like this.

The Master's remote control: the symbols look like a mix of those from the City of Exxilon ("Death to the Daleks"), those inside the Pyramid of Mars (same name story) - with some color variations to them;

The small obelisk from "The Five Doctors": That writing certainly looks like letters from the Greek alphabet as well as some mathematical equations (real or thrown together for the story). The top line on the obelisk (the side we can see in the photo of the 1st Doctor leaning over to examine it closely) is the same as that used for The Doctor's "matrix designation" (name?) in the "High Court" Indictment. (It's found again on the same side of the obelisk, about in the middle.) Other such "strings" are also used on parts of the Indictment.

The Doctor's calling card: seems to pull a few symbols from that obelisk as well, but some seem like ordinary mathematical symbols (the [ and ] brackets, the = and the - signs). Others I'm not sure, though I have seen the triangle with the + on top of it used on navigational charts to denote a church steeple that would be visible from sea in order to take a bearing from.

The keypad from "Arc of Infinity" is hard to see, but it looks like it's got many of the same symbols as the Master's remote control.

Finally, interestingly enough, in that image from the Gareth Roberts' book you can see the Circular Gallifreyan just starting to crop up in a few places. (Maybe RTD and the Moff liked it so much they decided to expand on it during the New Series?)

Great references to the Classic Gallifreyan written language, and an outstanding job by all who found and posted these!

Dino.

 

[type63]

I think that is unlikely as Shada was only published in 2011. I think that GR used the Gallifreyan from the obelisk whilst embellishing it with mathematical formulae (the non equals sign and direct proportion sign). I think the circular Gallifreyan is a "nod to the future" as only DW can do!

 

[type63]

This is the "V" of Rassilon. For me to explain what it says would ruin the book for you (it's from Shada) but I urge you to read it! But this is Gallifreyan from about 30,000 years before the Doctors time (when the Type 40 came into use).

The Doctor's note to the Time Lords in "The Deadly Assasin". Can't remember what it says. I suggest you watch the episode if you're curious.

These are both from the DVD of Shada. The one is from a prop when it was sold for auction. I believe this is another form of Gallifreyan.

 

[warmcanofcoke]

"Dig Hole Here" Battlefield

 

[rassilonsrod]

Wasn't that Viking runes, in Battlefield?

 

[the_doctor]

I could be wrong but I thought the Doctor wrote that in Gallifreyan. The Viking runes were from Fenric.

 

[handofomega]

Someone has a modern Gallfreyan font out there made up of the concentric circles...  I wouldn't mind having this version in my fonts as well...

 

[warmcanofcoke]

That is called "Circular Gallifreyan" if you would like to open a different thread that will be acceptable. It can be found on google images quite easily.

 

[warmcanofcoke]

Wasn't that Viking runes, in Battlefield?

The Doctor said it was in his handwriting - and the human archeologist didn't know what language it was in.

 

[rassilonsrod]

Maybe the art department just reused the idea from when it came up in Frenric. Certainly looks very Runic, anyway

 

[warmcanofcoke]

Invasion of Time (maybe a different font?)

 

[warmcanofcoke]

type63 was cool enough to point out the letter from The Deadly Assassin
here is a screen cap

 

[rassilonsrod]

That was always my favourite Gallifreyan script

And it's signed over the Prydonian Seal!!!

Excellent clean grab.

 

[warmcanofcoke]

on Gallifrey in "Colony in Space"

 

[type63]

It seems to flick between older Greek/mathematical Gallifreyan and then more modern (3rd/4th Doctor time) to be more symbolly. Bear in mind we don't know how long it is between the Doctor's various trips to Gallifrey. It is only a few years to him but could be hundreds of years to them. Remember how different Gallifrey is between the Deadly Assasin and The Invasion Of Time.

P.S Why does the forums spell check not recognise the word Gallifrey?

 

[mark]

Some great grabs there, wonder if it is possible to figure out some sort of translation, maybe create an alphabet?

I may be wrong (happens a fair bit) but I'm sure I read that when it comes to Gallifrey a TARDIS can only travel within normal Gallifrey time. ie if the TARDIS doesn't return for the equivalent of 100 years on Gallifrey then 100 years will have passed for the TARDIS crew.

As always, happy to be corrected if required.