A silly thought about Game of Thrones

[WindKnight]

(disclaimer, I don't really watch or read GoT, so please excuse me if I use the wrong names/terminology)

So, its been stated several times that part of the inspiration for Game of Thrones (specifically the Starks VS Lannisters) was the Wars of the Roses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_the_Roses].

So.. does this mean that the wall in the north is Hadrians Wall [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_Wall], and thus everything north of is Scotland, and the denizens thereof are Scottish?

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

INB4 the inevitable "Trump Wall" reference.

Its times like this I wonder what would a France, Holy Roman Empire, Spain-like nation would be like in the World of Ice and Fire.

 

[Sonmi]

Yes, the Wall is specifically a reference to Hadrian's Wall.

INB4 the inevitable "Trump Wall" reference.

Its times like this I wonder what would a France, Holy Roman Empire, Spain-like nation would be like in the World of Ice and Fire.

We've already kind of seen it though, Dorne is clearly analogous to Spain while the Reach is the Westerosi equivalent of France.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Yes, the Wall is specifically a reference to Hadrian's Wall.

INB4 the inevitable "Trump Wall" reference.

Its times like this I wonder what would a France, Holy Roman Empire, Spain-like nation would be like in the World of Ice and Fire.

We've already kind of seen it though, Dorne is clearly analogous to Spain while the Reach is the Westerosi equivalent of France.

I don't know I get more Italy vibes from Dorne than Spain.

 

[Sonmi]

Yes, the Wall is specifically a reference to Hadrian's Wall.

INB4 the inevitable "Trump Wall" reference.

Its times like this I wonder what would a France, Holy Roman Empire, Spain-like nation would be like in the World of Ice and Fire.

We've already kind of seen it though, Dorne is clearly analogous to Spain while the Reach is the Westerosi equivalent of France.

I don't know I get more Italy vibes from Dorne than Spain.

Italy is represented by the Free Cities, a plethora merchant city states, with Braavos clearly meant to be Venice, canals and all.

Dorne, meanwhile, has deserts (while Spain has semi-deserts) and religious tensions between the Rhoynar and the Andals/First Men that can easily be analogous to Medieval Spain's situation with the Moors.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

So, its been stated several times that part of the inspiration for Game of Thrones (specifically the Starks VS Lannisters) was the Wars of the Roses [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_the_Roses].

You totes heard that in the latest Let's Drown Out. It's ok, we know

 

[Terminal Blue]

Most of the cultures in ASOIAF are syntheses of several real world cultures.

Dorne, for example, is a bit Spanish (with a particular emphasis on Andalusian) but also kind of Welsh.

The basic problem with the Westeros = the British isles thing is that Westeros is huge. Like.. the little peninsula which Dorne is on is about the size of the British isles. Westeros itself is closer to the size of North America.

 

[wizzy555]

Yep, night's watch actors even take part in Scottish advertising https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/apr/11/new-bank-of-scotland-advert

 

[bastardofmelbourne]

There is a general trend [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LeftJustifiedFantasyMap?from=Main.RightJustifiedFantasyMap] in many low fantasy works to orientate the geographical focus of the plot and the action around the author's own geographical situation.

The Witcher world map, for example, looks a hell of a lot like medieval Poland, right down to the Holy Roman Empire-esque Nilfgaardians invading from the south-west. Same with the Warhammer Fantasy (R.I.P) world map, which only even occurred to me after I started playing Total Warhammer (Estalia is even the same shape as Spain, though nowhere near the size). With GRRM's technique of strip-mining history for inspiration it's no surprise that Westeros is basically a plus-sized Britain.

 

[Bobular]

There is a general trend [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LeftJustifiedFantasyMap?from=Main.RightJustifiedFantasyMap] in many low fantasy works to orientate the geographical focus of the plot and the action around the author's own geographical situation.

The Witcher world map, for example, looks a hell of a lot like medieval Poland, right down to the Holy Roman Empire-esque Nilfgaardians invading from the south-west. Same with the Warhammer Fantasy (R.I.P) world map, which only even occurred to me after I started playing Total Warhammer (Estalia is even the same shape as Spain, though nowhere near the size). With GRRM's technique of strip-mining history for inspiration it's no surprise that Westeros is basically a plus-sized Britain.

I was going to point out the trend for most fantasy to be based on a simplistic medieval Europe. If you look at most maps you will see that the good guys generally live in the west, to the west of them there is a ocean that generally has never been explored, to the east/south the lands get less friendly until you come across evil dark skinned people.

Game of Thrones is one of the few that takes inspiration from Europe but doesn't copy the actual geography.

Spoiler: Look at these maps

The first three look very similar, whilst I think the Westeros map looks distinct. I hadden't thought of treating Westeros as just Briton, but it defiantly works.

 

[hermajesty]

Didn't make any connection between those two things tbh