The Real Events That Inspired the Greatest Show on Earth
Today Galileu, a Brazilian magazine about science and culture, interviewed me about my take on the history behind Game of Thrones. Here is a link to the article:
A verdadeira Guerra dos Tronos.
I’ll try to post an English translation of it soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of images taken of version translated using Google:
On George RR Martin’s blog, he writes that the Dothraki are a blend of a “number of steppe and plains cultures” including Mongols and Huns, certainly, but also Alans, Sioux, Cheyenne, and various other Amerindian tribes… seasoned with a dash of pure fantasy.” Martin doesn’t say how far back he draws on history for “horse people,” but it doesn’t seem inconceivable that he has a nodding acquaintance with Proto-Indo-European societies given what he writes next: “So any resemblance to Arabs or…
KWolf
Congrats! You’re getting well known. I was also wondering if you’ll do request for future articles. I read book 3 and I was wondering about the unsullied. Their training seemed unbelievably cruel and I was wondering if that was based on real history.
jamie-adair
Thanks!!! I was very flattered they asked. Although, I did have trouble trying to post the article to WordPress/this blog so my apologies if I spammed any subscribers.
I do take requests actually for article topics – I should really post that in the sidebar. I’ve asked people a few times on Twitter (?), but so far you’re the first to suggest anything. So thank you!
As for the Unsullied, I agree their training was horrific. I wonder if there are similarities to Ancient Sparta or something maybe. The Spartans had grueling training and military practices.
I’ll do some digging around of not just Sparta but in other places too. This is a great idea for a post. Thanks for suggesting it!
(BTW, I want to branch out into non-Wars of the Roses material (eg religion, the crusades, etc), but haven’t had a chance yet. )
Anais
What makes Edward IV ‘Rob Stark’?
Jamie Adair
I think that Robb Stark is like a *young* Edward IV. When Edward IV was a teenager, he had to lead an uprising against a king his family claimed had an illegitimate claim to the throne (the Yorkist claim was arguably stronger than that of Henry VI). He fell in love with the wrong woman (Elizabeth Woodville) and married her — instead of marrying the diplomatic bridge his cousin Warwick arranged (not unlike Walder Frey) — and this eventually led to war with Warwick. Like Robb Stark, Edward’s father had his head chopped off and put on a spike in a most humiliating way. (However, unlike Robb, Edward IV actually won the crown.) Actually, come to think of it, I wrote an article about this — Robb Stark as a Young Edward IV.