Maesters and their Place-sters: The Scientist-Historians of Westeros
MAESTERS WHERE DID THE MAESTERS COME FROM? The Order of Maesters was originally just a group of learned individuals who came together in Oldtown at Hightower […]
Category Archives: Medieval culture
Power is Power: Inspirations for Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister is known in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones as the villainous, power hungry, incestuous Queen Regent of Westeros. Cersei’s character is extremely intricate […]
A Game of Archetypes: The Subversion of Medieval Narratives in Game of Thrones
By Heather Smith Idealized images of the Middle Ages have become an integral part of popular culture. The valiant knight, the revered lady, and the morally upstanding lord are familiar […]
Madness in the Medieval: Mental Health in Game of Thrones.
Abstract: This essay examines the medieval beliefs associated with mental illness. It then examines the mental health associated with four characters: Aerys Targaryen II, Joffrey Baratheon, Ramsay Bolton and Theon […]
Medieval Magic and the Lord of Light
The Song of Ice and Fire created by George R.R. Martin, produced a greater interest in medievalism by enacting historical memory of events and people within the storyworld. Yet the […]
Education in Game of Thrones
Introduction Education today is a complex, multi-step affair. Elementary school, high-school, and then a variety of options such as co-op, trades schools, colleges, and universities all offer a variety of […]
Feminism and Misogyny in George R.R. Martin’s ‘The Princess and the Queen, or, The Blacks and the Greens’
Through exploring George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and more specifically his novella, The Princess and the Queen: The Blacks and the Greens, this essay will suggest that Martin challenges fantasy fiction’s tendency that often relegates female characters as being simplistic.
But We Are Not Men: Female Warriors and Weaponized Femininity in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones
It is inarguable that Westeros is a patriarchal world, and one that creates difficulties for women who wish to rise above the stereotypical “womanly” pursuits of marriage, childbirth, or the […]
Dorne – Medieval Hybridization in Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world, A Song of Ice and Fire, is renowned for its mixture of cross-cultural influences, medieval memory, and vividly imagined content. The primary stage for […]
The Nature of Magic in Game of Thrones
Magic in Game of Thrones is real and tangible. From our modern perceptions of what magic is we consider its role in the series to be an element of fantasy. […]
