#ch:. robert baratheon

[kentstoji]

robert, standing with their back turned: i’ve been expecting you, rhaegar

rhaegar: how did you do that without turning around?

robert: to be perfectly honest, the first couple of people i did that to were not you...

[stormborns]

I followed you into war - twice, without doubts, without second thoughts. But I will not follow you now. The Robert I grew up with didn’t tremble at the shadow of an unborn child.

[isabelpsaroslunnen]

[Original date: 5 July 2016]

The more I write, the more I feel that “Oh, but it’s a fantasy world! You’re not actually depicting any real cultures” is not at all useful or productive. For one, if you can’t see the connections between things like Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire and medieval Europe, I don’t know what to say to you. They are not direct depictions, but they are very, very evidently rooted in history and culture—and the baggage that comes with them.

It’s true that the connecting fibers are much thinner for some works than others, but while most are not on quite the scale of Middle-earth or Westeros, many follow in that kind of tradition. Speaking as a writer—in my day job (such as it is), I study early modern and eighteenth century British literature, and my interest in those periods constantly pervades my fiction. I did as much historical research for the first chapter of my fantasy novel as for straightforward historical fiction, because many aspects absolutely are drawn straight from history.

At the same time, of course, it is a fantasy and a secondary world, and those are never going to be directly equivalent.

For instance, ASOIAF is obviously and unabashedly inspired by the Wars of the Roses, enacted across a continent rather than one small island, but the Starks and Lannisters are not simply fantasy versions of the Yorks and Lancasters. During the Wars of the Roses, both families were Plantagenets, branches of the royal house of England with rival claims to the throne. In ASOIAF, neither the Starks nor Lannisters have any direct claim to the Iron Throne at all—we see the Plantagenet vs Plantagenet dynamic more with the deposed Targaryens vs their Baratheon cousins who won the previous phase of the conflict.

The Baratheons’ ebullient warrior-king, Robert, is probably most comparable to Edward IV, and his beautiful, ambitious wife to Elizabeth Woodville. However, Cersei Lannister is altogether a wilder, more amoral figure than Elizabeth, and Robert marries her out of political expediency rather than Edward’s passion for the unsuitable Elizabeth. Also unlike Elizabeth, Cersei triumphs over the austere northern lord who would strip power from her and her children, where Elizabeth lost the immediate battle to Richard of Gloucester—a far more ambiguous figure than Ned Stark.

In character, Cersei is perhaps more akin to the Lucrezia Borgia of legend, if not history. She comes with an ambitious, highly intelligent father who ruthlessly uses all his children (Tywin Lannister/Alexander VI), an incestuous brother-lover locked into an order that denies him an inheritance (Jaime Lannister/Cesare Borgia), and a second, widely loathed brother (Tyrion Lannister/Juan Borgia).

The parallels aren’t exact there, either, though. Cesare’s strategic and administrative brilliance goes to Tyrion, Lucrezia’s overriding loyalty to her family at odds with (in the fictionalized versions) a burgeoning conscience goes to Jaime, and Juan’s incompetent, wild recklessness goes to Cersei.

As far as Wars of the Roses analogues go, Daenerys Targaryen’s place seems to draw nearest to Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, the future Henry VII. Daenerys and Henry are, respectively, exiled survivors of the deposed branches of the royal family (Targaryen/Lancastrian) who, with local and foreign support, return to reclaim the kingdom. Yet Daenerys is wildly dissimilar from Henry. Even her claim to the throne differs. Where Daenerys is the only surviving, legitimate child of the old king, Henry’s Lancastrian heritage came through an illegitimate and female line, and he had a prudent, restrained personality in general, more like—say, Jon Snow.

That’s ASOIAF. If you jump to Tolkien, it’s not surprising that he linked Gondor to the Byzantine Empire in its decline. Like the Byzantine Empire, Gondor is the surviving half of a once-towering empire, holding on while the other half (Arnor/Holy Roman) loses its territory and decays into little states and feuding communities. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields has striking parallels to the fall of Constantinople, and Tolkien directly referred to Minas Tirith as a take on Constantinople.

Yet again, the parallels are not 1:1, even setting aside the basic fact that it turns out completely differently. Denethor is at most a tragic inversion of Emperor Constantine, but even that seems a stretch. His sons, Boromir and Faramir, don’t plug into any particular historical figures, and the faithful Rohirrim don’t exactly map onto anyone despite their clear Germanic inspiration.

Gondor is also heavily inspired by various regions of Italy, complete with internal strife and ruling princes who have discretion about sending armies to the Pope Steward to defend Rome Minas Tirith. Tolkien insisted that the rejuvenated Gondor at the end of LOTR is not Northern European, but essentially a restored Roman Empire with its seat at Rome. He identified various areas of Italy as the real life counterparts to Gondor, most notably Venice/Pelargir and Assisi/Lossarnach.

However, Gondor is geographically far larger than Italy, large enough to extend to Greece and Turkey, and has influences from ancient Egypt as well. The Egyptian influence lies not only in Gondor’s embalming practices but their massive monuments, their religion (which also has Jewish influences), royal imagery (especially with regard to the crown), and the general trends of Gondorian culture.

None of these, of course, are perfect models of reference—though at least you could legitimately argue that the films’ casting choices for Gondorian Dúnedain weren’t actually accurate to “Tolkien’s vision,” as is often claimed. But these are probably the most recognizable models for Gondor, with strong connections to history—and even with those, the references are multi-layered and flexible.

Essentially: this particular genre of quasi-historical fantasy absolutely draws from real history, sometimes closely, sometimes less so, which makes it perfectly possible to talk about accuracy, appropriation, and so on, in the context of fantasy. At the same time, it’s complicated by the fact that references are never direct and are worked out in the context of their own stories—a complication that is silenced rather than addressed by dismissing the relevance of history.

[countrymusiclover]

Ch 25 - Dragons VS Dragons

Part 26

Fire OF A Stark

@dragonixfrye

Maxon Hill (Baratheon) is a new added on OC.  Since we only know a few of Robert's bastards I decided to make my own enjoy.

Months Later

Clutching my stomach I groaned laying back in the bed In our room in Casterly Rock. My white hair falling in a mess over my shoulders. We had gotten to the rock a few weeks after we had learned I was pregnant with Jaime’s child. Someone knocked on the door before they peaked their head inside. “My Lady Lannister?”

“Come in, Ser Hill.” I waved my hand motioning for the bastard to enter the room. Jaime had hired the former blacksmith boy as my personal knight for protection.

He was only sixteen so a year younger than me now in my life. My husband was always busy trying to learn the ropes of being the lord of a castle even though for his entire life almost he was sworn to only ever be a knight of the Kingsguard. Jaime would only send him up if he had news for me or to have him check on the baby. “I have news today my lady and he wishes to know what the Maester said.”

“Please Maxon, call me Lynesse. It’s just easier for the both of us.” I corrected the now appointed knight seeing that Jaime and I trusted his word. He had actually helped in making a place for Joanna to sleep in one of the towers of the rock that had an open area underneath it.

Maxon nodded his head simply making his dark brown curls fall in front of his eyes. “Of course, Lady Lynesse.”

“Well I think it will be easier if we just go see him together instead of you running back and forth through the castle. So help me up please.” I groaned sitting up as much as I could manage.

Maxon quickly moved forward trying to fight me until I sent him a stern look. "My lord won't like that you are trying to move too much…uh nevermind." He wrapped his arms around my waist while I grabbed his forearm while I grabbed my cloak I shrugged it over my shoulders following him outside our chambers.

Moving through the hallways of Casterly Rock I could hear the waves crashing against it. I wasn't wearing my crown but my white hair was visible to everyone in these walls. A few staff passed us in the hallway before I pushed open a door seeing Jaime leaning over a large table that looked to be a battlefield. Closing the door behind me he lifted his gaze up from the table. "Lynesse, you should be in bed."

"I can't be bed ridden for long, Jaime. Maxon informed me that you have news about something so I thought I'd come to you." I explained walking around the table I took his left hand in mine meeting his green gaze on me.

He squeezed my hands in his wearing a loose white tunic and red trousers. I was wearing one of his red tunics with some trousers not bothering with dresses unless we were ever asked back at Kings Landing or somewhere else important. "My sister sent a letter demanding we help her take on the Dragon queen from across the sea. Somehow she discovered the truth about you and will send the Hound on us if we don't help her."

"We have control of the Lannister army. The only reason she needs us or really you is because she doesn't have the amount of Kingsguard to aid her." Leaning my hands on the table I could figure out what was really happening to us. Cersei was still jealous and even though she knew we were together until one of us died then she would have to take other measures. "I'm going with you. If she wants to fight against a dragon then I would ride Joanna and challenge her."

Jaime raised his hand concern written all over his face about me being anywhere near such danger like a battlefield. “Lynesse it is too reckless with you being pregnant to go riding into battle on dragon back. I want you to stay here with Maxon.”

“Jaime, I will not stay here and be a bump on a log. Yes I am pregnant but that doesn’t mean I can’t ride alongside you. Plus you know you can’t stop me once I call for Joanna!” I declare turning my hands into fists at my sides holding my head up high.

He sighed heavily looking in the direction of Maxon who was standing by the door. “Saddle Joanna for my wife. And ready the army for the ships to leave tonight. We head for Kings Landing.” He left the room leaving us alone in the room staring at each other.

“I want you to promise me something, little dragon. If it gets too risky you get our baby out of here. Promise me.” He begged me resting a hand on my cheek and his golden hand on my waist.

Nodding my head slowly I put my hand over his left knowing he was completely worried about me. He still hasn’t said I love you yet and neither have I but we were terrified that something may happen to the other. “I promise, Jaime. But it won’t come to that.” The trip back to the city was even harder since I got a lot sicker yet we had the army waiting in an open field waiting for whatever army this supposed dragon queen had with her.

Resting a hand over Joanna’s nose I watched my husband ride up on the white commander horse wearing dark golden armor. He had given me a set of gray armor but my growing belly didn’t make it easy to wear. My hair was loose with some of it braided back. I didn’t know war strategy even when Robb was still alive. “You know your signal is right. Remember to stick to what I told you.”

“Wait up on the hills out of sight unless we get signs of another dragon - ugh here we go girl.” I told him grunting as I climbed on Joanna’s back leaning against her head trying to catch my breath. “Jaime, come back to me…to us.”

He nodded, kicking the white horse in the belly. “Take care of her, Joanna.”

Kicking her in her side with my legs she launched herself up into the clouds turning around on her back then hiding us behind one of the tall hills still with a good view of the army. Squinting my eyes tightly I could see some form of people on horseback charging at the army. But they seemed crazier than the one we had knowing that we were in trouble. Resting a hand to my stomach I knew Jaime could handle them until a familiar shriek came from the skies making me curse under my breath. “Seven hells. There really is another Dragon.”

Joanna made a noise seeing the same creature I do. Shifting my gaze down to the ground I had Joanna shoot up into the sky seconds before the other Targaryen girl set them on fire. Flying through the clouds I saw our army had brought the giant crossbows. Men were screaming before I lifted my head up seeing the girl riding her dragon burning a section of wagons turning everything into a bloodbath underneath us. She nearly hit Jaime until I had my dragon bolt in her direction shouting in Valyrian. “Draycrays!”

The dragon girl swung her dragon out of the way avoiding my attack. She flew up higher seeing me and Joanna before she blew fire at us. Gripping her scales my dragon does a flip in a barrel roll just as I felt pain hit me in my back with the baby. Clutching my stomach I kicked her accidentally where she set fire to some of the lion soldiers. “Joanna no…Joanna…agh!” I gripped her tugging her in the opposite direction, getting her to land a few feet away seeing most of the stuff on fire.

“Lynesse, is it really you?” Wiping my head around I recognized the voice screaming and dragon shrieking fading off.

Joanna hissed low under her breath while I couldn’t believe to see the familiar dwarf near us. “Tyrion?”

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[queenofsarcazm]

Rhaenys Targaryen fix-it fic

Rhaenys Targaryan, daughter to Elia Martell and Rhaegar Targaryan, was murdered at 1 year old by Gregor Clegane, or was she? A fic in which Rhaenys grows up in the Modern world only to be brought back to Westeros before it all goes to shit. Who will she save? Who will she kill? Who will she court?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41624250/chapters/104406582

Excerpt from ch 6

Rae had just woken up from a nap and quickly saw she was not alone. “I assume you’re here because you found something at the library?”

“Yes,” the Waif replied, though stayed put where she was sat at the table, watching Rae with great interest.

“Are you going to show it to me?”

The Waif did get up then, bringing a book that resembled a fancy bible to Rae’s bedside, flipping to the right page before she gave it to Rae, who was relieved to see that it had been written in common English and not in Valyrian.

Rae found the small part about the Princess and read out loud, “Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. Daughter to Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Princess Elia Nymeros Martell, of Dorne. Dark of hair hair with white streaks and golden eyes, taking after her mother. Rhaenys was born on Dragonstone and presented to the court by her father Prince Rhaegar while her mother lay bedridden. Hmm...” Rae frowned, reading on, “whilst her grandmother Queen Rhaella Targaryen embraced her warmly, her grandfather King Aerys II Targaryen refused to touch or hold her, claiming she smelled ‘Dornish’.” - “What the fuck?” Rae looked to the Waif, but the woman just shrugged.

Rae went on, “Rhaenys had a small kitten named Balerion, after the great black dragon of Aegon I Targaryen.” -”How is that relevant?” she asked, shaking her head before continued, “Rhaenys, five years old at the time, died during the Sack of King’s Landing, and her dead body was presented to King Robert Baratheon and his court by Lord Tywin Lannister alongside her mother, Princess Elia, and her infant brother, Prince Aegon…”

Rae took a deep breath. People who killed innocent people, and especially fucking children, deserved to burn in hell, so she was glad she’d already sent someone out to murder Tywin Lannister. If it hadn’t been for the fact that his absence would cause chaos, she would have sent someone after Robert Baratheon too. Gods knows he fucking deserved it after allowing the stuff he’d allowed. She was about to close the book, feeling sick, when the Waif pointed further down the page, at a somewhat smudged footnote. “Look here.”

Rae looked, and then read that part out loud too. “The dead body of the Princess Rhaenys that was presented to Court had recently dyed black hair, which led some to believe that the child was a decoy, and that the Princess Rhaenys is still alive.”

Rae slammed the book shut.

[pinkykats-place]

Sansa Stark x Stannis Baratheon

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Game of Thrones

Art not mine - vincha on DeviantArt.

Disclaimers!

None of the stories linked below are mine.

Please read AO3 tags!

This pairing is an older male and younger female. Mature content between a couple with a significant age gap.

Would That She Would Cleanse Me

by LadyTP

Summary: AU outcome of the Battle of the Blackwater with victorious Stannis Baratheon. Among many other worries, the fate of a certain highborn captive of the crown falls on him. Lady Sansa Stark is but a child...or is she? And what to do with her?

Complete | 12 CH | Mature Content

The True King Vignettes

by ShipMaester

Summary: An Alternate Universe story where Stannis Baratheon is victorious at the Battle of Blackwater Bay and other AU scenarios. This series of vignettes is primarily a vehicle to ship Stannis and Sansa Stark with acknowledgement of pre-ship between Sansa and Sandor Clegane.

Complete | 25 CH | Mature Content

The Lady of Storm's End

by Sarah_Black

Summary: Sansa was supposed to marry someone brave, gentle and strong. Lord Stannis Baratheon was not what she had in mind.

Or: The one where Sansa is never betrothed to Joffrey, never loses Lady, and only comes to King's Landing to attend King Robert's wedding feast. The king is marrying Margaery Tyrell as Cersei's treason has been exposed and dealt with.

But things are never simple when the Iron Throne is in desperate need of heirs and wildlings threaten the peace...

Complete | 24 CH | Mature Content

The Fiery Stag and The Red Wolf

by HearMyFury790

Summary: When his wife and younger brother died, Stannis was forced to remarry. And that new bride was Sansa Stark. They both do their duty as husband and wife, but when the Lannisters and others try to steal his rightful throne, both Stannis and Sansa face many challenges facing against the lions and their allies.

But they will soon know one truth: Winter is Coming...With Fury.

Incomplete | 15/? CH | Mature

Last updated 2019

Dutiful

by Kat_of_a_Different_Color

Summary: When Stannis Baratheon wins the Battle of the Blackwater, Robb Stark agrees to step down as King in the North on the condition that Stannis wed Robb's sister, Sansa Stark, lately captive of the Lannisters.Sansa has heard mostly negative things of Stannis Baratheon - but she knows that her father thought him an honorable man, no matter what anyone else said of him.Their wedding night, though, does not have the easiest start...

Incomplete | 8/? CH | Mature Content

Last updated 2020

All is Aglow

by spittingfeathers

Summary: As the Baratheon and Stark alliance approaches King's Landing, and her hope of rescue soars, Sansa hears of a plot to use wildfire against the invading force. Her only chance of saving her family and escaping the claws of the Lannisters is to fight back. Cersei and Joffrey would never suspect such a silly girl to be their undoing...

Incomplete | 22/? CH | Mature

Last updated April 2022

Series: Some Let Go and Some Hold On

by undercovercaptain

2 Works

[a-song-of-quill-and-feather]

The Other Stark Girl - Character Posters

Jon Arryn & Robert Baratheon | Aerys Targaryen & Rhaella Targaryen

Eddard Stark | Catelyn Tully

Rhaegar Targaryen & Lyanna Stark | Elia Martell 

Taglist: @tessasocs @perfectlystiles @wokenhardies @zeleniafic @eddysocs @foxesandmagic @raith-way @fyeahnevilleslongbottomsocs @kazinejghafa @jewelswrites-ish @akabluekat @anna-phora @booty-boggins @stilynskii @bitter-post-millennial @lokitrasho {wanna be added?}

Alys Stark Taglist: @golden-limbs

The Other Stark Girl Taglist: @within-thehollowcrown

[braimedaily]

memorable jaime lannister moments (3/?):

"Did he call you a traitor? Did he plead for a reprieve?"

[mskrianna]

I lost my first boy. A little black-haired beauty. He was a fighter too… tried to beat the fever that took him. Forgive me. It’s the last thing you need to hear right now. It was years ago. Robert was crazed, beat his hands bloody on the wall, all the things men do to show you how much they care. The boy looked just like him. Such a little thing… a bird without feathers. They came to take his body away and Robert held me. I screamed and I battled, but he held me. That little bundle. They took him away and I never saw him again. Never have visited the crypt, never. I pray to the mother every morning and night that she return your child to you. Perhaps this time she’ll listen.

[janiedean]

Also like, Robert relished in the deaths of children and I doubt Jaime trusted him enough to tell him about the wildfire.

that’s also a fair point :(

[kentstoji]

[escailyyy]

The real Sansa and Tyrion, additional notes:

Some practical backgrounds on the characters of my Reality show au that you guys didn't ask for but would still be cool to know if you're into character backstories Families: Starks: Owners of a Billionaire Textile business specializing in synthetic fur and other luxury fabrics, their founder was born in the North of England and their biggest factory/home base is also there. Lannisters: Old money, made their fortune in the oil business. Famous for their capitalist business practices Targaryen: very polemic superstar musician family dating back to the Industrial revolution era of music. Their hall of Fame is made up of mostly Rockstars and pop singers. Characters: Sansa: Fur empire heiress. Socialite with her own designer label. Famous for winning King's Landing Project runnaway. She won because the public either loved her intensely or hated her intensely. Nicknamed 'queen b(ch) of the North' by viewers of KL.Project Runnaway Tyrion: founder of a fortune 500 Publicity firm. Famous for handling all of Deanerys Targaryen's PR. He's the black sheep of the Lannister family who refused to go into the oil business. Jamie: Tyrion's brother B List Netflix Actor who's already tried modeling, starting a music career, writing a book (check out 'My life as Jamie Lannister' in a bookstore near you) and is basically always trying to find himself. He's also got a law degree he never uses. But yeah he's technically allowed to practice law if he wanted Brienne: Olympic swimmer from an little known island in the states. Was a finalist in 'dancing with the stars' along with famous ballroom dancer 'Goodwin Tzarcowsky', went to a elite college on a sports scholarship and ended up in the same sorority as Sansa and Margaery. Currently she works with the Starks (Catelyn) as personal trainer. Arya: Rebel heiress to the Stark empire. Kickboxing champion and women's rights advocate. Currently studying to be a public defender. Went to a private boarding school rumored to be a front for spy operatives. And is actually banned from entering Portugal, Istanbul and Bahamas, tho nobody knows why. Gendry: Totally normal guy. Struggling artist who makes art that looks like weapons but is actually art (maybe?) But probably could kill a man. Used to be a waiter in Arya's favorite restaurant until Davos Seaworth headhunted him and now he's Davos assistant. (His hiring had nothing to do with Doctor Stannis Baratheon seeing Gendry on TV and ordering his boyfriend to give Gendry a decent job, Davos is simply one of the judges for Star Chef, he doesn't believe in bureocracy) Jon: Sansa's cousin, went to the same college as Sansa, Brienne and Margaery. He is currently signed with North Models, which is a modeling Agency under the Stark umbrella. Famous for being the hot shirtless guy of Night's guard Security commercials, and occasionally playing the northern guy in flannel in a few Hallmark movies,  he's also done a lot of ads for Stark Furs and will occasionally appear in Danny's music videos. Jon is currently the face of SansaDesigns menswear clothing line. Daenerys Targaryen: Jon's girlfriend, Her family is super famous and scandalous. She's always at the top of the music charts with songs inspired by people she knows or simply roasting haters with some sick tunes. She's still friends with ex husband Action Starlet Drogo 'the Khal' Dothraki, she has an asshole brother who will never be as good as her #BeatThatViserys. And her feud with Sansa started when SansaDesigns started putting a shirtless Jon in all sort of suggestive poses to sell more of Sansa's fur cloaks. Cersei: Tyrion's sister, old time movie star, currently the mean judge in 'Casterly's Got Talent' and 'So you think you can Act'. Her fans love to hate her. Her Hollywood marriage to film director Robert Baratheon has outlasted almost every other marriage of her generation despite his affairs. And produced  3 children. Robert: Cersei's husband, movie director and casting couch king. Friends with Sansa's dad, for who knows what reason and Also Gendry's deadbeat biological father. Robb: Sansa's 1st brother, business man, family pocketbook, doesn't like to be filmed. Ladies man, in the process of divorcing wife #2 Talisa Maegyr, soon to marry wife #3 Roslin Frey, aka: the one who got away (yes, wife #1 was Jeyne Westerling, but we don't talk about her)

Margaery: Rom Com Actress and Sansa's best friend #2 after Brienne. Went to to the same sorority as those two. Her family is old money and she's the only female Heiress to Tyrell perfumes. Homegirl has been known to date co-stars just for publicity and is the queen of product placement

Ned: Sansa's father, who was booted as the head of his own company thanks to some shady business between Cersei and Tywin that the Starks can't prove yet. He now lives the relaxed life of a retired househusband in the Stark estate in Winterfell England while Robb and Caitlyn handle the company. Ned mostly spends his time playing golf with Jon Arryn and Arthur Dayne. Occasionally annoying Tywin and dropping by unannounced in the lives of his children 

Catelyn: Sansa's mother, CEO of Winterfell industries, starred in her own season of Undercover Boss and is currently being scouted by Westeros Productions to man up the revival of 'Boss Apprentice'. She used to be Ned's ornamental housewife until he abdicated his position in the company and now she's basically living her best life

Bran: Teenage influencer, recently graduated from highschool. Ages ago during a celebrity wedding he was forced to attend, he stumbled on Jamie and Cersei having a fight over who Joffrey's real father was. It had been raining, the ground was wet, Jamie and Cersei scared him and he slipped down a flight of stairs leaving him severely impaired in the legs for a year. It was an accident, Bran forgave Jamie, but Caitlyn did not.. Ever since then he decided life is too short so he posts everything he hears and sees in social media. And starts shit up just because he can. 

Bronn: Tyrion's bodyguard. he has a million side hustles on the side and the camera crew likes to spend at least 10 min of each TRS&T episode following him around in his quest to make easy money and buy his dream mansion

Stannis: Supreme Court Judge, Gendry's uncle, who is embarrassed to admit he shares blood ties with Robert. Will appear on TV every once in a while on criminal justice programs as a guest speaker. His daughter Shireen is an influencer.

Tywin: Tyrion’s father, Oil magnate and terrible parent, has a habit of appearing on the news everytime he dodges a lawsuit for bad business practices and capitalist exploitations. His lawyers are very good. Owns his own film company and is constantly trying to bribe Jamie into working for him. Tyrion unionized all his actors some years ago and now he’s not allowed near LannisFilm 

Currently known (to me) members of my TRS&T Production team: Varys Enoch: Co-Director from hell #1 ( I know I said he was a producer, sorry, that was a typo) Petyr Baelish: Co-Director from hell #2 Tycho Nestoris (that guy we never liked from the Iron Bank): Producer From hell Sandor Clegane: Filming crew director / favorite cameraman from hell Ros Harlow: head of hair and Makeup Olyvar: Makeup artist #1 Marei : Makeup artist #2 Daisy: Makeup artist #3

if you’re interested in seeing the rest of my The real Sansa and Tyrion series, just look for the #trs&t tag in my blog

[hjghgarden]

asoiaf meme: (4/9) great houses of westeros.

They stopped believing in gods the day they saw the Windproud break up across the bay.

[mikasaessucasaa]

Oops, the previous WIP I posted ended up getting slotted into Ch 4. Here's an excerpt from Ch 3.

Title: The Gilded Wolf

Summary: Seven years after the Battle of the Trident, Robert Baratheon discovers that Lyanna and Rhaegar conceived a child. Robert’s price for this betrayal and the safety of the boy was the eldest Stark daughter to keep as his ward in King’s Landing.

Twenty years later, Robert Baratheon the King is dead, and Ned Stark has been executed for treason under Cersei’s rule. Robb and Catelyn rebel for Northern independence, to be defeated at the Twins. Heavy handed policies continue to cause insurrection led by Jon Targaryen and the remaining Starks. The widowed Sansa Lannister heads to Winterfell to quell the insurrection — through whatever means necessary.

–

She gave a small smile. “I haven’t been a Stark in a long time, Jon. Not since they gave me away.”

“We can be different. We can learn from our fathers' mistakes. We have lost so much; we do not have to lose more.” In awe, Sansa had no words to say. “Do you think me a fool?”

“No, I think you are like the sun, too bright for me to look at.”

“Then what are you?”

“Perhaps, I am the moon, meant to stay in the dark sky.”

“Even the moon comes out during the day.”

“If only to bask in the sun’s presence.”

Jon laughed. It was a nice low rumble. Sansa was surprised at how it settled in her bones, warming her in the frigid night. “You are quite charming.”

“A necessary skill.” He frowned at this. Perhaps he didn’t like that she could be ingenuine. “You are quite charming yourself.”

Jon scoffed. “Hardly.”

He was right. Sansa couldn't imagine him wooing a proper lady, but something about the roughness of him was attractive.

The night sky closed up and the clouds opened, bearing down a thick flurry.

“We should head back to the keep. Who knows what war and chaos we may cause if you die from cold?”

They called her the Key to the North in the South, and it seemed like they knew it well in the North too.

[cappymightwrite]

ASOIAF & Norse Mythology

PART 2: The ‘Long Night’ and the Fimbulvetr

In PART 1 of this meta, from looking at just a few fan question answers, it seems rather clear to me that GRRM has more than just a passing interest in Norse mythology. One of the most fascinating and haunting myths in the Norse canon is the lead up to and resulting fallout of Ragnarök. In the show, the ‘Long Night’ appears to be just that, one night, and not even an awfully long one. In the books, however, it seems likely this will play out very differently. As a Norse nerd, the similarities to Ragnarök are just too obvious not to sit up and take notice, in particular, the similarities between the ‘Long Night’ and what is called the Fimbelvetr — which in my Old Icelandic dictionary translates to ‘the great and awful winter.’

Before I really get things rolling, lets take a moment to go over which Old Norse-Icelandic sources are traditionally used by medievalists to reconstruct the pagan conception of Ragnarök:

The Eddic poems Völuspá ‘The prophecy of the seeress’ (st. 40–51) and Vafþrúðnismál ‘The lay of Vafþrúðnir’ (st. 44–53) — these two poems provide us with quite a lot of information, with some sections being more comprehensive than others. Additionally, other Eddic poems, such as Lokasenna, Hyndluljóð, Grímnismál, and a few others hint at motifs, stemming from the ideas of Ragnarök.

In the Gylfaginning section of the Prose Edda (ch. 51–53), Snorri quotes many of the relevant stanzas from Völuspá in support of his own writing, though he also adds information that is unknown to us from other sources.

There are also a few skaldic* poems which give us minor hints regarding the incidents that will take places during Ragnarök.

NB: Eddic poetry is the term given to the poems primarily contained within the Icelandic Codex Regius manuscript, known as the Poetic Edda (written c. 1270, but arguably containing remnants of an older oral tradition). These poems are of unknown authorship. As for Skaldic poetry, these poems were written by known Icelandic skalds (ONI: skáld, ‘poet’), often in the courts of foreign kings, typically Norwegian, praising their patrons in exchange for royal favour; they span approx. c. 800–1300, so in some cases predate the recording (though not necessarily the composition or oral origins) of the Eddic poems.

According to Jens Peter Schødt, the Gylfaginning and Völuspá ‘are certainly the most extensive’ written sources we have on the Norse myths, as they ‘have played the most crucial role in the history of research.’ It is quite possible that GRRM has read much of the available textual sources on Ragnarök to help inspire his own work. That being said, if I had to bet on one being the touchstone source for him, it would be the Gylfaginning, since not only does it include detailed prose accounts of the events leading up to, during, and following Ragnarök, it also includes relevant Eddic poetry (notably Völuspá) in order to authenticate those descriptions. It really is a one of kind, unique source.

So, how about we begin with chapter 51 of Gylfaginning, where it is asked outright by Gangleri (aka King Gylfi) ‘what is to be said about Ragnarök?’ to which High answers:

There are many important things to be said about it. First will come the winter called Fimbulvetr [Extreme Winter]. Snow will drive in from all directions; the cold will be severe and the winds will be fierce. The sun will be of no use. Three of these winters will come, one after the other, with no summer in between. But before that there will have been another three winters with great battles taking place throughout the world. Brothers will kill brothers for the sake of greed, and neither father nor son will be spared in the killings and the collapse of kinship.* So it is said in The Sibyl’s Prophecy:

Brothers will fight,

bringing death to each other.

Sons of sisters

will split their kin bonds.

Hard times for men,

rampant depravity

age of axes, age of swords

shields split,

wind age, wolf age,

until the world falls into ruin.

The above translation is by Jesse Byock from the Penguin Classics Prose Edda — the translations in square brackets are his and included in the text, and he also uses a translated title for the Eddic poems, in this case, ‘The Sibyl’s Prophecy’ in place of Old Norse-Icelandic: Völuspá.

Several things are striking about this passage, chief among them, the fact that the precursor to Ragnarök is the Fimbulvetr, ‘the great and awful winter’ or ‘Extreme Winter.’ But before that, ‘another three winters’ in which much social upheaval will take place, circumstances that feel quite at home in ASOIAF. I would be hesitant to argue that GRRM is using the above description as an exact blueprint, but that being said, some of the circumstances described do feel very familiar to readers of his series:

‘Brothers will kill brothers for the sake of greed’ / ‘Brothers will fight’

This is perhaps suggestive of the Baratheon brothers, Stannis and Renly. Although, I’d say that the motivations/cause of the latter’s death is a little more nuanced than just ‘greed.’ But this is worth noting: the Norse source might offer us the seed of an idea, but it is GRRM who then “waters” it, effectively imbuing these dynamics with a deeper meaning and complexity.

Also, if we think of ‘brothers’ in a less literal sense, this could also apply to the ‘killing’ of Jon Snow by the black brothers of the Night’s Watch.

‘Neither father nor son will be spared in the killings’

Ned and Robb Stark fit into this category quite well, as both their deaths are gut-wrenching moments in the series. But also, more generally, this highlights that anyone, even beloved family, even heroes, can fall.

‘The collapse of kinship’ / ‘Rampant depravity’

In his footnotes, Byock observes the word sifjaslit to mean ‘the breaking of kinship bonds, but there is also the connotation of incest.’ In my ONI dictionary, sifja-slit translates to ‘adultery,’ since it is a compound of the nouns sifjar ‘affinity, connection by marriage’ and slit ‘rupture, breach’ — the latter most likely derives from the verb slitna, meaning ‘to break’ or ‘snap.’

The breaking of marriage bonds is present in ASOIAF, as in the case of Robert and Cersei’s respective adulteries. But we could also view Robb Stark’s marriage to Jeyne Westerling as a breaking of a betrothal bond as well.

Overall, I would say that there is room for both interpretations, and as we know, GRRM is pretty found of incest, prime cases currently present in canon being Jaime and Cersei Lannister, as well as the Targaryens.

‘Wolf-age’

Wolves feature a lot in Norse mythology, so it is interesting that the Starks, who are really the heart of ASOIAF, are so heavily associated with them.

Furthermore, the provisional title for the last book in the series, A Dream of Spring, was A Time for Wolves. The phrasing of this is just another way of saying ‘Wolf-age’, as found in Völuspá. But to potentially understand GRRM’s change in titles, it should be remembered that wolves in Norse mythology are often associated with war and violence — see, for instance, the kennings ‘wolf-wine’, ‘the river of Fenrir’, ‘the warm ale of the wolf’, which all mean blood. As someone familiar with Old Norse poetry, A Time for Wolves suggests to me a period of violence, whereas A Dream of Spring offers more hope and the potential for rejuvenation, perhaps paralleling the events that follow Ragnarök, as described in the Prose Edda and Völuspá (which I might get into further down the line).

‘Until the world falls into ruin’

It is strongly predicted, and alluded in the text itself, that the Wall will at some point fall, an event that will act as a precursor to the second ‘Long Night.’ The Wall is also considered by some people to be the end of the known world, so its destruction is strongly linked with the collapse of the social structure of Westeros as a whole.

As we can see, certain parallels can be made, though it is also worth noting that there are instances where they can’t be. For example, ‘sons of sisters will split their kin bonds’— I can’t really think of a relationship to compare this to in ASOIAF, unless it hasn’t happened in the text yet, and then who would it be? Robert ‘Sweetrobin’ Arryn and…Bran Stark? There are obvious similarities and ways in which we can link these descriptions to GRRM’s text, but we should be cautious to avoid shoehorning.

Indeed, it is fun to make these comparisons, but I think the main take away from this chapter of the Gylfaginning is that during the time closely preceding the Fimbulvetr, there will be ‘hard times for men’ with much social upheaval, including bloodshed, betrayals, and incest. In my opinion, the ‘Long Night’ has been heavily inspired by the Norse Fimbulvetr, and this is reflected in the way ASOIAF characters describe the ‘Long Night’, closely paralleling its Norse source.

To summarise from the above quotation, during the Fimbulvetr:

‘Snow will drive in from all directions; the cold will be severe and the winds will be fierce.’ (Gylf)

‘The sun will be of no use.’ (Gylf)

‘Three of these winters will come, one after the other, with no summer in between.’ (Gylf)

In ASOIAF, the earliest mention of the ‘Long Night’ is in AGOT, Bran I, in which Bran recalls the ‘the hearth tales of Old Nan’ detailing the apparent savagery and cultural difference between the northerners and the wildings, noting that ‘their women lay with the Others in the Long Night to sire terrible half-human children’. This evokes the above quotation from Völuspá, the reference to ‘rampant depravity’ in particular. But it is later, in Tyrion III, that we get the first real parallel between the Long Night and the Fimbulvetr:

Lord Mormont moved to the window and stared out into the night. “These are old bones, Lannister, but they have never felt a chill like this. Tell the king what I say, I pray you. Winter is coming, and when the Long Night falls, only the Night’s Watch will stand between the realm and the darkness that sweeps from the north. The gods help us all if we are not ready.

From the description in Gylfaginning, we know that the Fimbulvetr is preceded by three winters, ‘one after the other, with no summer in between’. Without taking it too literally, this description at the very least suggests that a move towards cold weather will herald the coming of the ‘Extreme Winter’, as this is foreshadowed as early as AGOT in this Tyrion chapter when Jeor Mormont states that he has ‘never felt a chill like this […] Winter is coming’. Directly following this statement is the foreknowledge that the Long Night is indeed on its way.

The reference to a ‘darkness that sweeps from the north’ is noteworthy too, as although most often associated with freezing weather, the Fimbulvetr is also crucially connected with the disappearing of the sun (‘the sun will be of no use’, Gylf). Indeed, the very name the Long Night suggests much the same phenomenon, as explained to Bran by Old Nan later in AGOT, in Bran IV:

Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness while the direwolves grow gaunt and hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods.

[…]

Thousands and thousands of years ago, a winter fell that was cold and hard and endless beyond all memory of man. There came a night that lasted a generation, and kings shivered and died in their castles even as the swineherds in their hovels. Women smothered their children rather than see them starve, and cried, and felt their tears freeze on their cheeks.

I mean…this might as well be a description for the Fimbulvetr, it is THAT similar! Indeed, as we know, in the world of ASOIAF the seasons work a bit differently, as alluded to by Old Nan when she refers to ‘a night [i.e. a winter] that lasted a generation’. Similarly, the Fimbulvetr is unusual in that it is preceded by ‘three winters’, which suggests an extended winter lasting up four years, culminating in the ‘Extreme Winter’, aka the Fimbulvetr. It seems likely that the timespan of ‘a generation’ has been exaggerated for the sake of myth making. That being said, we would expect the Long Night to still be noteworthy in its duration. So, perhaps it is possible that, were GRRM to emulate the Norse source, his Long Night could potentially last for a similar amount of time (four years). Either way, I think we all expect it to last longer than it did in the show!

In conclusion, the way in which the Fimbulvetr is described in the Norse sources bears a striking resemblance to the descriptions of the Long Night in ASOIAF. Futhermore, and most interestingly to me, it seems entirely possible that, like the Fimbulvetr, and like the first Long Night that went before it, the next Long Night will include the disappearing of the sun...an important feature that I will discuss further next time! So stay tuned!

References/Bibliography (excluding ASOIAF):

Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda, trans. and intr. by Jesse Byock, (London: Penguin Classics, 2005)

Jens Peter Schødt, ‘The Ragnarök Myth in Scandinavia’, in Finding, Inheriting and Borrowing?: The Construction and Transfer of Knowledge in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, 2019, Vol.39, p.365-384

END OF PART 2…

I haven’t quite decided if I will include my stuff about the sun disappearing in Ragnarök and the ‘Red Comet’, or if I’ll give it its own separate part...we’ll see! I would also like to talk a bit about the significance of storytelling as a way of recording history in ASOIAF... Basically, I have a lot of thoughts on things!

[fromtheboundlesssea]

Love’s Not Always Wise Ch 30

Robb X

Robb wanted to go back. He wanted to stumble back into Celia’s room and grab onto her shift and beg her for forgiveness, beg that she forgive his words. His ears rattled at the sound of Grey Wind’s howl. It was the very way his heart felt, his teeth grinding down as he fought against every instinct that came upon him.

He wanted to go back, he wanted to sink into her sweet oblivion and hold her to him so that they might be home at last.

Home.

That is what it had felt like. Even the walls of Winterfell had not felt so peaceful.

He wanted to go back to her, hold her in his arms and simply stay there.

Mate. Mate. My mate.

The words were running through his head like a galloping horse.

He shook his head and realized he had turned around to stand outside her door again.

He could hear her crying, hear the way her body folded in on itself as she sobbed at his cruelties. Robb set his hand on the door, wanting to go in. Wanting to touch her and hold her and whisper that he didn’t mean it. Whisper that it had meant everything to him. That, for the first time in so long, he felt alive. He felt as though he could breathe again.

Robb knelt before the door, gritting his teeth, knowing he couldn’t go in, couldn’t comfort her.

He would disgrace her again if he did. He would take her as his own, claim her lips and body again, sink into her warmth and never wish to leave it.

But he couldn’t.

She was his sister. Their father had told him to look after her ever since they were children. It was his job to protect her. He shouldn’t take advantage of their emotional distress to claim her maidenhead. He was no better than Robert Baratheon. He was no better than Rhaegar Targaryen.

No, he could not ruin her anymore than he already had. No, he had to protect her. And to do so he had to create a distance between them. He could not… he could not…

Grey Wind began to howl again and Robb shuddered against his instincts. He pressed his forehead against the hard wooden door and prayed that the gods give him strength. He begged them for it.

Continue on Ao3