Winning the Game of Thrones: The Host of Characters and their Agendas by Valerie Frankel Page A
Authors: Valerie Frankel
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Edward IV, and maybe something from here and something from there, and put them together and use your imagination to create your own character – someone who is uniquely himself and not exactly like someone from history. The same is true of the battles and things like that. [33]
The Lord of the Rings
Martin adds, “There are a number of homages to LOTR in my book. I am a huge Tolkien fan.” [34] He comments:
Although I differ from Tolkien in important ways, I’m second to no one in my respect for him. If you look at Lord of the Rings, it begins with a tight focus and all the characters are together. Then by end of the first book the Fellowship splits up and they have different adventures. I did the same thing. Everybody is at Winterfell in the beginning except for Daenerys, then they split up into groups, and ultimately those split up too. The intent was to fan out, then curve and come back together. Finding the point where that turn begins has been one of the issues I’ve wrestled with. [35]
With the Celtic and Norse elements set in a culture much like medieval England, these series have many strong parallels. There are also more deliberate small homages. From the “R.R.” in Martin’s author name to his mythic multiple hero war epic, he’s determined to imitate the best.
Sean Bean
From the first episode, Lord of the Rings Star Sean Bean is riding about with sword and armor like Boromir (and like Boromir, he dies at the end of the first book). Bean comments:
I do happen to enjoy playing those kind of roles: Riding horses, wearing wigs, growing beards. I do have an affinity to that kind of role and I think the good thing about “Game of Thrones” is there is such scope for it. With “Lord of the Rings” there were admittedly three films and they were thoroughly researched and very well replicated on screen but with what George [R.R. Martin] has created, it’s a very different world that goes on much longer and has more twists and tales. [36]
Sam
The most blatant link is Sam. As Jon the hero’s fat unheroic friend, he’s like Sam Gamgee, practical and smart while his friend has grave responsibilities. Samwell Tarly is Jon’s tie to the everyday world, and like Sam Gamgee, he grows from a humble buffoon (or “fat hobbit”) to a hero.
Ravens
The Hobbit features a wise old raven, and Bilbo sends it with a message to Bard, the only one to remember the ancient secrets of speaking to birds. It’s this talent among others that marks Bard as descendent of kings. Likewise, young warriors and poets in Celtic myth were trained in bird lore – those who could understand ravens’ speech and sometimes take bird form could receive warnings of the future. It gradually becomes clear that someone is sending Jon messages through Commander Mormont’s raven, who gives warnings like “burn” for the wight’s attack, and at odd moments calls Jon a “king.” He may have the blood of a king or be destined for kingship.
Ned vs Boromir
Martin’s fans humorously insisted he pit his heroes and magic against those in Tolkien: Who would win in a fight – Nazguls or White Walkers? Smaug or Drogon? After varying amounts of consideration (and laughter), Martin chose Ice over Glamdring and said Tyrion would beat Frodo. Smaug and the Nazguls would decimate the field. And in an inevitable comparison, he bet the warrior Boromir would beat Ned the lord. [37]
The Decline of Magic
Dragons have been lost to the world, the children of the wood have all but vanished. Giants, krakens, and unicorns are rumored to exist, but all dwell far from the world of men. Daenerys’s dragons may have brought back the magic, or it may be its last gasp before the power fades forever.
Many of Martin’s characters go around “citing examples of how the realm was once better off and has now declined,” as Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garcia, Jr. note in their essay on romanticism
The Lord of the Rings
Martin adds, “There are a number of homages to LOTR in my book. I am a huge Tolkien fan.” [34] He comments:
Although I differ from Tolkien in important ways, I’m second to no one in my respect for him. If you look at Lord of the Rings, it begins with a tight focus and all the characters are together. Then by end of the first book the Fellowship splits up and they have different adventures. I did the same thing. Everybody is at Winterfell in the beginning except for Daenerys, then they split up into groups, and ultimately those split up too. The intent was to fan out, then curve and come back together. Finding the point where that turn begins has been one of the issues I’ve wrestled with. [35]
With the Celtic and Norse elements set in a culture much like medieval England, these series have many strong parallels. There are also more deliberate small homages. From the “R.R.” in Martin’s author name to his mythic multiple hero war epic, he’s determined to imitate the best.
Sean Bean
From the first episode, Lord of the Rings Star Sean Bean is riding about with sword and armor like Boromir (and like Boromir, he dies at the end of the first book). Bean comments:
I do happen to enjoy playing those kind of roles: Riding horses, wearing wigs, growing beards. I do have an affinity to that kind of role and I think the good thing about “Game of Thrones” is there is such scope for it. With “Lord of the Rings” there were admittedly three films and they were thoroughly researched and very well replicated on screen but with what George [R.R. Martin] has created, it’s a very different world that goes on much longer and has more twists and tales. [36]
Sam
The most blatant link is Sam. As Jon the hero’s fat unheroic friend, he’s like Sam Gamgee, practical and smart while his friend has grave responsibilities. Samwell Tarly is Jon’s tie to the everyday world, and like Sam Gamgee, he grows from a humble buffoon (or “fat hobbit”) to a hero.
Ravens
The Hobbit features a wise old raven, and Bilbo sends it with a message to Bard, the only one to remember the ancient secrets of speaking to birds. It’s this talent among others that marks Bard as descendent of kings. Likewise, young warriors and poets in Celtic myth were trained in bird lore – those who could understand ravens’ speech and sometimes take bird form could receive warnings of the future. It gradually becomes clear that someone is sending Jon messages through Commander Mormont’s raven, who gives warnings like “burn” for the wight’s attack, and at odd moments calls Jon a “king.” He may have the blood of a king or be destined for kingship.
Ned vs Boromir
Martin’s fans humorously insisted he pit his heroes and magic against those in Tolkien: Who would win in a fight – Nazguls or White Walkers? Smaug or Drogon? After varying amounts of consideration (and laughter), Martin chose Ice over Glamdring and said Tyrion would beat Frodo. Smaug and the Nazguls would decimate the field. And in an inevitable comparison, he bet the warrior Boromir would beat Ned the lord. [37]
The Decline of Magic
Dragons have been lost to the world, the children of the wood have all but vanished. Giants, krakens, and unicorns are rumored to exist, but all dwell far from the world of men. Daenerys’s dragons may have brought back the magic, or it may be its last gasp before the power fades forever.
Many of Martin’s characters go around “citing examples of how the realm was once better off and has now declined,” as Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garcia, Jr. note in their essay on romanticism
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