Fantastic creatures of the world of “A Song of Ice and Fire

Creating the world of “A Song of Ice and Fire”, which has now become one of the most popular fantasy universes, writer George Martin was inspired by the real history and biology. Martin inhabited his novels by a multitude of diverse creatures: from those, which are standard for a fantasy genre to extremely unusual ones. The author takes the process of creating his fantasy world very meticulously, including the description of its rich fauna. In this article, we offer to take a look at the most significant and unusual creatures of “A Song of Ice and Fire”.

1. Dragons

Dragons are for sure the most famous animals in “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. At the beginning of the plot these huge flying lizards were considered extinct, but the inhabitants of Westeros did not forget about them. People retold different legends and songs about dragons and some castles had walls burned by their flame.

Externally Westeros dragons looked like their counterparts from other fantasy novels. However, local dragons have only two paws. A pair of leathery wings grows from the dragon’s shoulders and their head is decorated with horns. They have long twisted neck and equally long tail. Dragons are capable of breathing fire, which has an extremely high temperature and is able to melt metal and stone.

Dragons are very rare animals and in the past times were found mainly in the mountains on the southern tip of the continent of Essos. Valyrian aristocrats tamed the mighty lizards and conquered much of the continent with their help. But the series of terrible cataclysms destroyed the Valyrian Peninsula along with the dragons. Only a few of the dragons survived when Targaryen transported them to a small islet on the Eastern part of the Westeros. However, each new generation was smaller and weaker and in two hundred years the last adult lizard died.

It is believed that dragons are somehow connected to magic. After the fall of Valyrian Freehold, the magic in the West was almost extinguished. But there is also a reverse pattern: after the death of the last dragon, magic became weaker and supernatural phenomenon practically disappeared. The summers became colder and shorter, while winters were longer and sterner. However, when three new dragons were hatched in the funeral of Drogo, the magic began to return to the world of Westeros.

Dragon egg

Dragon egg

2. Animals behind the Wall

The reader of “A Song of Ice and Fire” will from time to time come across living creatures, prototypes of which died on Earth thousands of years ago. Nevertheless, according to the novels, these species are also under the threat of extinction and live only in the most remote and hard-to-reach areas, mainly behind the Wall.

Direwolves

The lands behind the Wall are poorly studied and have almost no connection to the rest of the continent. This might be the only reason why severe predators direwolves survived. Direwolves are much larger, fiercer and smarter that the ordinary wolves. Their heads are rounder, legs are longer and the muzzle is more prominent. To the South of the Wall there are no real opponents for the direwolves among the animal world, therefore people were the most likely reason of their extinction. During the winter direwolves would gather together and attack neighboring places, so no wonder that the northerners decided to get rid of the dangerous creatures.

Direwolf

Direwolf

Shadowcat

These large animals mostly hunt for goats and rams but might eat a man on occasion. The size of these cats makes them a dangerous opponent even for direwolves. However, these wild creatures rarely intersect, since direwolves mostly live in forests, while shadowcats prefer mountains. Shadowcats emit low deep roaring and have narrow gray eyes. Thick and warm black fur with white stripes makes them coveted prey for hunters.

Mammoth

Mammoths live far to the North behind the Wall on the island of Ibben. Mammoths are large enough to carry two giants. They are covered with thick wool and have huge tusks. Wildlings domesticated mammoths and use them for riding. Other wildings use mammoth as fighting animals and put wooden turrets on the back of the animal, where several archers can be places.

3. Mythical creatures

In “A Song of Ice and Fire” series the truth and fiction intertwined so closely, that sometimes it is hard to figure out which animals of the local folklore live in the world of Westeros and which are just a part of human imagination.

For example, kraken (a symbol of the Greyjoy House) is a giant squid, which has not been seen by anyone during the whole series, therefore it’s hard to tell their actual size. On the other hand, according to the legends, kraken is quite capable of dragging a whaling vessel under the water, so it is probably not just a simple octopus.

Another House decided to depict basilisks on its emblem. These evil and dangerous creatures from the Yi Ti jungle externally look like chickens. But unlike domestic animals basilisks are poisonous and if a person would add their blood into the food, it would cause a violent insanity.

There are also Manticores, which live on the continent of Essos. George Martin describes them as aggressive and dangerous insects with sharp sting on the tip of the tail and one part looking like a human face. Their bite is deadly, and the poison acts almost instantly, which makes them a favorite weapon of poisoners.

Manticore

Manticore

4. Non-Human races

There are no usual elves, orcs or dwarfs in the fantasy world of George Martin. But humans are not the only intelligent race. More ancient races have survived behind the Wall.

Giants are one of them. They are powerful creatures, covered with thick wool and a height of three or four meters. Giants look more like bears than humans. Although they retain some semblance of civilization, they still speak the language of the First Men. Giants live somewhere North and rarely can be seen near the Wall. Many members of the Night Watch decided that this race has died out. However, when Mance Rayder has assembled an army to storm the Wall, there were several giants, perhaps, the last ones.

Children of the Forest

Children of the Forest

Another intelligent race in the world of Westeros is the Children of the Forest. Small creatures have inhabited the lands of the Seven Kingdoms long before the kingdoms itself. They settled in thickets, caves and island in the middle of lakes in secret dwellings on the trees. Little Children of the Forest, according to the legends, worshiped the Old Gods even before people did. They were dressed in outfits made of bark and leaves and did not know any metals.

White Walker

White Walker

The Giants and the Children of the Forest have no special business for people, but behind the Wall, there is a much more terrible race - White Walkers. These sinister supernatural beings are associated with cold, night and long winter.

Once, White Walkers invaded the territory of the Seven Kingdoms and brought with them a long winter and a long night. They destroyed cities and villages and a life of Westeros in general. But in the end, they were defeated and thrown back to the far North. It was after the victory over the White Walkers the giant Wall was built on the northern boarder of the Seven Kingdoms, which protection was entrusted to the Night's Watch. During this time the White Walkers never showed up, and the Night's Watch turned into a place of exile for criminals and fallen.

13 “Game of Thrones characters, who are still alive in Martin’s novels

George Martin is well known for “killing” his characters in “A Song of Ice and Fire” series as well as its popular screen version. However “Game of Thrones” creators managed to get rid of several characters, which still remain alive in Martin’s novels. We’ve decided to recall some of the innocently murdered fantasy characters, who were “killed” just for the sake of unpredictability of the TV show.

1. Talisa Stark

Robb Stark’s wife character was completely rethought for “Game of Thrones” show. According to the book, her name is Jeyne Westerling and she is the daughter of one of the Stark’s vassals. The TV show presents her as an aristocrat from the Free Cities, known as Talisa Maegyr of Volantis. Talisa dies along with her husband and mother-in-law during so-called Red Wedding, while Jeyne is alive and mourns her dead husband.

Talisa Stark

Talisa Stark

Shireen Baratheon

Shireen Baratheon

2. Shireen Baratheon

In one of the most violent scenes of “Game of Thrones” series, the young princess Shireen is burned on fire by order of her father to shed the royal blood as a sacrifice to the god R'hllor. According to the plot of the original story, Shireen Baratheon is stuck in the snow during a trip to Winterfell along with her mother and father. And even though there are some hints that girl’s life might tragically end shortly, Martin hasn’t described her destiny yet.

3. Pyat Pree

You might remember the skinny pale bald warlock with blue lips, who Daenerys met in Qarth. This character appeared in the second season of “Game of Thrones” TV series. He was involved in a conspiracy to steal the dragons but died. Show creators burned the warlock and according to the plot of the novel he also disappears for a long time after the failure of the secret plan. However, in the fifth novel, Xaro informs Daenerys that Pyat Pree is alive and plans revenge.

Pyat Pree

Pyat Pree

4. Mance Rayder

Mance Rayder, also known as King-Beyond-the-Wall, dies by burning after refusing to bend the knee and to join the army of Stannis Baratheon. Wildlings, king’s people and watchers look at the suffering of the former King-Beyond-the-Wall with horror. Jon Snow then kills Mance by shooting him through the heart with an arrow to ease the pain of death. However, in “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels Mance is still alive. One of the leaders of the wildlings was given the look of Mance with the help of magic and burned instead. Of course, the show producers may still surprise viewers and return Mance. But since we know that the show writers like to cut minor storylines out of the series, it is unlikely to happen.

Mance Rayder

Mance Rayder

Jojen Reed

Jojen Reed

5. Jojen Reed

Jojen Reed is the younger brother of Meera Reed. This 13-year-old boy has wise look and some supernatural powers. He appears in “Game of Thrones” series for a while as one of Bran’s companions. From time to time Jojen sees a three-eyed crow in his dreams and gives out mysterious predictions. In the fourth season of “Game of Thrones,” Jojen Reed gets stabbed with a knife and his sister is forced to cut his throat. Soon after, Jojen’s body was destroyed by unknown magic.

According to the novels, Jojen, Meera and Bran safely reached the cave of the Children of the Forest and stayed there until Bran was educated. Unfortunately, their future destiny is unclear, but for some reason Reeds have disappeared.

6. Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Powerful wealthy merchant prince Xaro Xhoan Daxos, who according to “Game of Thrones” TV series organizes an attempt to steal Daenerys's dragons. After the conspiracy is revealed, Queen Daenerys locks Xaro along with her former maid Doreah in prince’s vault, leaving them to die. However, in the written version only Doreah dies of exhaustion, while Xaro appears in the fifth novel in Meereen. Нe tries to bribe Daenerys with thirteen ships in return that she will leave the Slaver's Bay. Xaro is concerned that the liberation of slaves has a bad effect on Quarth’s trading affairs. But the Queen rejects his proposal and Xaro joins the coalition against Meereen.

Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Pypar

Pypar

7-8. Pypar and Grenn

“Game of Thrones” fans were shocked when they saw that in one of the last episodes of the fourth season close friends Pypar and Grenn are killed during the battle between the members of the Night's Watch and the wildlings. However in George Martin’s novels reader meets them again in the Eastwatch-by-the-Sea Castle in the book “A Dance with Dragons”, which describes later events.

9-10. Rakharo and Irri

Rakharo is a loyal Dothraki bodyguard and Irri is a young Dothraki woman, who is given to Daenerys as a handmaid. By the end of the last at this moment novel from the series “A Song of Ice and Fire” these two members of the Daenerys’s team are going to search for their Queen, who went out with one of her dragons and never returned. At the same time according to “Game of Thrones” show both of them are already dead. Rakharo was killed by someone from khalasar and Irri was strangled during the conspiracy on kidnapping Daenerys's dragons.

Irri

Irri

Barristan Selmy

Barristan Selmy

11. Barristan Selmy

The fans of Ser Barristan Selmy were upset, when saw his tragic death in the middle of the fifth season. The former Knight was killed by an underground insurgency group known as the Sons of the Harpy. Instead, the book character receives the title “Hand of the Queen” after Daenerys disappears from Meereen. Barristan Selmy does everything possible to save the city until the Queen returns.

12. Catelyn Stark

Just like in the show “Game of Thrones” author George Martin describes the death of Lady Winterfell during the Red Wedding. But according to plot of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series Catelyn Stark returns later as a ghost called Heartless. Catelyn’s original goal was to point out Merrett Frey as one of the participants in the Red Wedding, which she does. But later the ghost gathers a gang, rumors of which spread all across the Seven Kingdoms. Even though Michelle Fairley, who played strong mother Catelyn in “Game of Thrones” series, clearly stated that her character will not return to the screen, we don’t know for sure yet.

Catelyn Stark

Catelyn Stark

Hizdahr zo Loraq

Hizdahr zo Loraq

13. Hizdahr zo Loraq

Hizdahr zo Loraq is one of the great masters of Meereen, an influential merchant, who was stabbed and killed by the Sons of the Harpy in one of the last episodes of the fifth season of “Game of Thrones” TV series. However, according to the novels Hizdahr zo Loraq stayed alive after the events in a Fighting pit.

5 historical parallels with George Martin’s “Game of Thrones”

One of the reasons why “A Song of Ice and Fire” series as well as its screen version “Game of Thrones” are so incredibly popular is George Martin’s realism of the narrative. The story of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros looks like a typical medieval chronicle about feudal civil strife. And it should not surprise you since George Martin actually studied the works of professional historians and borrowed some plot ideas and images of his characters from the history of Middle Ages. We’ve found several parallels connecting Martin’s fantasy world with the real history.

1. The Wars of the Roses

Perhaps one of the most obvious historical parallels of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series is the War of the Five Kings, which is based on the events of a long and debilitating War of the Roses in England. Even the names of the main warring Houses Stark and Lannister are consonant with the real York and Lancaster.

George Martin himself many times admitted that the used the Wars of the Roses as the main source of inspiration while describing a confrontation in his series. And if you look closer, you’ll see a lot of similarities between the plot of the novels and real events. For example, the origin of conflict in the Wars of the Roses was a disagreement between the descendants of King Edward III and other possible contenders for the throne. The War of the Five Kings started after the death of King Robert I between the heirs of the Iron Throne.

Another good example from the history of the War of the Roses is fantasy character called Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion is an intelligent and strategic politician, who due to his physical appearance is often accused of all kinds of possible vices. Despite the fact that Martin used to say that Tyrion Lannister is similar to the author himself, this character obviously refers to us as an image of Richard III. By the way, alike historians accuse Richard of killing his own nephews, Tyrion is accused of killing his nephew Joffrey.

Symbols of The Wars of the Roses

Symbols of The Wars of the Roses

2. Black Dinner and Glencoe Massacre

According to the plot, the Red Wedding is a massacre during the wedding of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey, which was supposed to reconcile two houses – Stark and Frey. The young King Robb Stark and his mother Lady Catelyn following the guest right ate bread and salt from the same dishes and roof as the guests and Lord Walder Frey himself, which meant full protection. It was necessary for them, since Frey’s House had every reason to dislike the King, who promised to merry the Frey girl and did not keep his word. When the song “The Rains of Castamere” started to play, Catelyn understood everything, but it was too late. All guests were killed during the massacre, including Robb Stark, Catelyn and almost an entire army of the North.

Historical events, which became a basis for this bloody episode, occurred in Scotland. One of them is called Black Dinner. Clan Douglas opposed to the royal dynasty for a long time. One time a 16-year-old Earl William Douglas and his younger brother were invited to Edinburgh to make peace. Guests carelessly had fun at the feast arranged by members of the royal family, until they heard a long drum beat and saw servants bringing a head of a black bull. At that moment young Douglas understood everything, but it was too late.

Glencoe Massacre is another prototype of Martin’s Red Wedding. In 1692 members of the Campbell clan visited the MacDonald clan and were accepted under all laws of hospitality. However, at the King’s order, one night the Campbells killed their hosts sparing neither woman, nor old people, nor children.

3. Zoroastrianism

According to the novels of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series King Stannis I Baratheon takes advice from the Red Priestess Melisandre, who worshiped the foreign Lord of Light R'hllor. The Lord of Light is a God, whose religion is centered around fire and light. This is the main religion of the Free Cities, which has spread from Asshai to the Far East. But it is not so common in Westeros.

Apparently, the belief in R'hllor is based on the ancient Persian religion called Zoroastrianism. According to the Zoroastrianism, a fire has an ability to provide spiritual insight and wisdom accumulated by all mankind. People often pray in special temples near the fire. Just like the religion of the Lord of Light Zoroastrianism emphasizes the war between good and evil and its duality, which in the novels described as the Lord of Light and opposing deity the Great Other.

One of the primary symbols of Zoroastrianism

One of the primary symbols of Zoroastrianism

4. Siege of Constantinople in 718

The Battle of the Blackwater is the largest battle in the history of the War of Five Kings. It took place when Stannis Baratheon attempted to take over the King's Landing, the capital of Seven Kingdoms. Stannis was defeated by Tyrion. Lannister destroyed the fleet with the help of wildfire, which is a chemical substance capable of burning even on the water.

This plot idea George Martin could have borrowed from the second Siege of Constantinople, which would inevitably surrender without the famous Greek fire. Greek fire was tossed in the enemy ships resulting in a huge fire, which continued to burn even on the surface of the water. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

In addition, according to the novels, Tyrion held a giant chain across the bay to prevent Stannis’s fleet from approaching the shore. A similar chain was also used in Constantinople.

5. Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall is a 120 km long stone defensive structure built by the Romans in the second century AD under the Roman Emperor Hadrian in Britain (nowadays it is a border between England and Scotland). The wall was intended to prevent the raids of barbarian tribes. In 1981 a 33-years-old George Martin traveled outside of the US for the first time to visit his friend, who moved to England. One time they drove to the Wall when it was almost dark outside. The writer looked at the surrounding expanses and imagined himself as a Roman soldier, staring at the forest full of danger. At that moment George got an idea to write a story about people, who are guarding the edge of the world.

In “A Song of Ice and Fire” Hadrian's Wall turned into a gigantic 200-meter Wall stretched from shore to shore. This colossal fortification designed to protect the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros from the wildlings that live beyond.

Martin found the original wall in the state of decline, therefore at the beginning of his legendary series once an honorable defensive institution is now has fallen on hard times. It used to be a great honor to be a part of the Night's Watch and nowadays the service is often seen more as a colony.

Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall

5 reasons to start reading “A Song of Ice and Fire immediately

“A Song of Ice and Fire” is a series of epic fantasy novels by an American writer George R.R. Martin. The first three novels received the Locus award. The series has been translated into more than 20 languages and has a screen version in form of a TV show. Events of the plot take place in a fictional world, mainly on the continent called Westeros. The main characters are engaged in a fight over the Iron Throne. After the murder of King Robert I Baratheon unfolds a bloody battle over the power, in which the positive characters die first. “A Song of Ice and Fire” is full of blood, suffering, death and despair. George Martin luring the reader into a trap: one second the reader feels a hope for a successful outcome, but everyone dies instead.

As expected, the novels end at the most interesting and exciting part, which makes it so difficult not to read the next one. Reading this series you will get you acquainted with the sullen, cruel, unfair, but unspeakably attractive world. It is not a secret that George Martin did not restrain himself while writing “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, which makes the books a little hefty. Therefore when HBO decided to make a screen version of the novels, its budget could not withstand every scene the writer came up with. For that reason “Game of Thrones” creators were forced to cut the original story, throwing out characters and even whole families just to squeeze the plot in 10 episodes per season. As a result, the viewer might have some unanswered questions, answers to which can be only found in “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels. But if you still feel like it is not enough to get you to read almost 4000 pages of fantasy, we’ve come up with 5 reasons to dive into the world of Kings, intrigues and unusual creatures right away.

“A Song of Ice and Fire” novels

“A Song of Ice and Fire” novels

1. Uncommon approach to a traditional genre of literature

The world of fantasy usually has a standard model: there are two opposing camps of characters with a clearly traced frontier. The reader can determine what’s good and what’s bad at the first glance and naturally pick the positive character. Events often accompanied by magic and mythical creatures in almost every chapter.

George Martin has destroyed the main templates of this genre and made his plot closer to the real world, which is not common in the world of fantasy. Legends about the white walkers and dragons intertwine with the main story line of the novel, which emphasizes the complexity of the political and social environment of Westeros. Magic is hardly mentioned in the first two novels. Martin puts the main emphasis on describing moral qualities of characters and makes them more human, hesitating between good and evil.

2. Photo-like description of characters and events

Unlike most novelists, Martin's writing style is similar to the art of photography. The author gives a reader an exhaustive and most detailed image of a character. Other writers often go into spacious descriptions, which can last up to several pages. George Martin, on the other hand, reveals the nature of the character with the progress of the narrative. He also does not focus reader’s attention on long preliminary acquaintance.

Martin’s characters are very different and multifaceted. The reader will enjoy observing the metamorphoses of individuals. It seems like the author allows you to enter someone else’s mind to demonstrate the whole complexity of the human soul. Detailed descriptions, juicy dialogues, filled with non-standard speech, allow experiencing the spirit of this epic saga.

3. The secret meaning of every phrase

Another unique feature of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series is its constant surprises and a secret meaning of almost every phrase in the book. There are no unimportant facts, unnecessary words or stupid actions. Even when the main secret is revealed, the reader still remains with a lot of unanswered questions. George Martin keeps his audience in a constant tension and allows his reader to build their own logical explanations and unthinkable theories. He surrounds the reader with numerous characters, story lines and specific political aspects of the fictional world. Moral dilemmas bring confusion into known values of life and provide a lot of food for thought. “A Song of Ice and Fire” series definitely leaves you with mixed emotions and bittersweet feelings after finishing it. Favorite characters die, while evil successes over good. Needless to say that unlike “A Song of Ice and Fire” the show “Game of Thrones” looks very much as a simplistic retelling, where separate story lines are simply removed and many hints and secrets look way too obvious.

A person reads “A Song of Ice and Fire”

A person reads “A Song of Ice and Fire”

4. Fantasy with a historical aftertaste

“A Song of Ice and Fire” is not just a colorful fairy tale about knights, kings and dragons. It is a quite serious story based on genuine historical events (the Wars of the Roses) transferred to the fictional world of Westeros. Furthermore, the amount of fiction in these novels is so insignificant that in many chapters it is simply absent. Due to this reason, the reader periodically gets the feeling that he is reading a serious historical novel. Everything from the language of the narrative to entourage and detailed description of the way of life contributes to immersing in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Even character’s attitude towards magic, dragons and other fantasy creatures is suspicious, which resembles with people from “our” world. Miracles are not something ordinary. Dragons and magic raise the fear and healthy curiosity in Martin’s characters.

The map of Westeros

The map of Westeros

5. Main characters may die any minute

In “A Song of Ice and Fire” series George Martin completely destroys the aura of immunity, which usually accompanies all main characters in fantasy stories. Anyone may die or become a cripple, even good characters. The reader may be shocked at first, but this unusual approach just brings more interest to the story. From now on every dangerous moment seems to be more real because there are no more guarantees that the character will survive. This fact keeps the reader in constant tension and suspense.

Another distinguishing feature of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series is the fact that the opposing forces of the plot are never purely evil or absolutely good. Just like in real life, everyone has their own truth, fighting for their happiness, family and well-being. There is no universal system of good and evil, character’s actions have complex moral overtones, which bring a level of empathy to the extreme peak point. Martin makes you cry, laugh and feel hurt together with his characters.

Daenerys Targaryen is one of the characters from “A Song of Ice and Fire”

Daenerys Targaryen is one of the characters from “A Song of Ice and Fire”

7 facts about George Martin you might not have heard of

George R.R. Martin is best known for an epic fantasy series of novels called “A Song of Ice and Fire”. The author created an incredibly detailed world of the Seven Kingdoms with its mythology, races, political intrigues and history. The HBO’s hit TV show “Game of Thrones” is based on the plot of this series, which Martin began to write back in 1991. “Game of Thrones” has now turned into a television phenomenon, which continues to increase the number of viewers with each season. And while Martin’s creation is increasingly becoming an integral part of mass culture, we’ve decided to look behind the scenes of the author’s life and collect several curious and not so obvious facts about the most popular fantasy writer.

1. Martin used to sell his stories back in childhood

The future author of “A Song of Ice and Fire” used to write since he was a little boy. And he was not just creating horror stories, but also selling it to the neighboring children. In high school, Martin began to write for thematic fantasy magazines. The decision about his path in life Martin has also chosen according to his passion for writing. George received a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism. During the 80’s Martin used to work as a screenwriter, editor and producer in Hollywood. Due to the budget reasons, he had to cut out many battle scenes, so he decided to start creating his own stories, so no one would limit him.

George Martin’s book

George Martin’s book

2. Martin does not work on “A Song of Ice and Fire” series all the time

One of the biggest disappointments of “Game of Thrones” fans is for sure the fact of how slow George Martin writes novels of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. The first novel of the series was published back in mid-90’s and the last one at this moment was released in 2011. Between the fourth and so far last fifth books has passed six long years. Martin plans to write a total of seven novels of this series. It looks like the TV show “Game of Thrones” might come to an end earlier that Martin will finish the last part of the series. However, these long breaks do not mean that the writer is lazy to write the continuation. The author himself does not see anything bad in such writing gaps. He is constantly engaged in a variety of other projects, including editing other people’s books and writing his own stories, which are not related to “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. George many times mentioned that he does not like to be constantly engaged in only one project.

3. Glasses, hat, suspenders and a white beard make George Martin’s signature look

When journalists ask the writer about the reasons of his unusual style, George admits that he always loved hats. In particular, he enjoys wearing fisherman’s cap, since it allows sitting comfortably in a car. He also owns other hats at home. As for his signature symbols (vests, suspenders, glasses and a white beard), George looks at it as a part of his image and the way people may recognize him. The writer also thinks that his name is very common and he might be confused with some other famous George Martin. Therefore, he added two letters “R” in his writer's pseudonym. The first letter “R” stands for his father's name Raymond, and the second one for his confirmation name Richard.

George Martin’s everyday look

George Martin’s everyday look

4. George Martin is a real comics fan

A lot of people know that the author of “A Song of Ice and Fire” often speaks at various conventions dedicated to fantasy, comics and science fiction. But not may know the fact that Martin hasn’t always been a guest star at such gatherings. In 1964 George bought the first ticket to the first ever in history convention dedicated to comics (Comic-con). There were about one hundred people at the Comic-con in New York, including George Martin, who called himself the biggest comics fan. In fact, as a child, Martin did not enjoy reading very much and only liked comics. The love for books came to him later with the interest for science fiction.

George Martin at Comic-con

George Martin at Comic-con

5. Martin’s love for fantasy comes from childhood

George Martin grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey with three sisters. His father was often unemployed and as a child, Martin didn’t have a chance to go anywhere farther than five blocks from home. Perhaps, this felt like a trap for a young kid and Martin used his imagination to escape from reality. During one of the interviews writer remembers that he would always dream to see the world, but never had an opportunity, therefore he imagined adventures in his head. Books helped the little boy to fly to Mars or get into the center of the Earth. Martin also talked about his habit to watch incoming ships and their flags from different parts of the world, which has only expanded his imagination.

“Game of Thrones” TV series

“Game of Thrones” TV series

6. “Game of Thrones” could have been a movie

When several film studios came to George Martin with an intention to buy screen rights of "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, the author declined the offer. At that time “Lord of the Rings” has already been successful and producers were in search for the new plot. But Martin realized that his story is way too big and confusing to fit into one movie. However, having an experience on television before, George did not believe that “A Song of Ice and Fire” would be a good choice for an ordinary television series. Despite the doubt, the writer decided to meet with producers David Benioff and Daniel Brett Weiss. Producers wanted to air series on the HBO channel, and since Martin was a fan of Deadwood and The Sopranos, he knew that the graphics would be perfect. In the end, knowing how many screen versions of the book ended up unsuccessful, it was important for Martin to be patient enough and wait for the right moment to put his epic series on the screen.

7. The reason why Martin kills main characters

Undoubtedly, Martin is known for being not afraid to get rid of outstanding characters in most spectacular ways. But this fact became much more obvious with the release of “Game of Thrones” TV series. When Martin is asked about the reason why he kills his characters so often, the writers genuinely surprises how people watch TV shows if they already know how the story is going to develop further. George Martin likes to keep the reader and the viewer thrilled and interested in what’s coming next.

One of the main characters on “Game of Thrones”

One of the main characters on “Game of Thrones”

“Game of Thrones” characters, who look different in an original novel description

“Game of Thrones” is one of the most famous TV series of our time. Today it might be difficult to find a person, who has not watched or at least heard about this epic show. Stunning costumes, fascinating story line, gossips and betrayals along with well-depicted fantasy world, make “Game of Thrones” gather millions of viewers in front of the screens.

At the same time watching “Game of Thrones” is exciting, but not as fun as reading the original story in series of novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George Martin. Even though “Game of Thrones” creators simplified the life for those, who prefer watching to reading, the viewers of the screen version might be surprised by the amount of details changed during filming. Some of our favorite characters look quite different from the original description. We’ve found 10 differences in the looks of the characters between the hit TV series and George Martin’s original novels.

1. Tyrion Lannister

According to the novel Tyrion is not higher than 120 cm. He has curved and strangely short legs, but strong muscular arms. Tyrion also has a large head and different color of his eyes: green and black. His hair has a different color as well: light and black. During the battle near the Blackwater River, Tyrion experienced a terrible blow with a sword, which has made him even uglier. He lost three-quarters of his nose, a part of a lip and has left with a frightening scar on his face. Even though Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, is 135 cm high, his character does not look so scary on “Game of Thrones” show. Moreover, Tyrion’s eyes and hair are the same color and he still has his nose in place.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

2. Tywin Lannister

Despite his not so young age, Tywin Lannister is described in the novel as a strong, healthy man with broad shoulders and a flat stomach. He started to shave his head, once started to go bald. In addition, he wears stiff, thick whiskers covering his cheeks to the very ears. His eyes are pale green with golden specks. Charles Dance, who plays Tywin on "Game of Thrones, has a little more hair on his head, but in general looks very alike the book character.

Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister

Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister

3. Daenerys Targaryen

At the time of the first appearance of Daenerys in the books, she is thirteen years old. Daenerys is small, with a fragile physique and a classic Valyrian looks: purple eyes and silver hair. Daenerys Targaryen is not less beautiful on the screen than in the book. However, according to George Martin Daenerys’s hair was completely burned out after the fire and the birth of dragons and she wandered through the desert with a bald head. “Game of Thrones” show creators on the other hand decided to leave the actress Emilia Clarke with her beautiful white hair.

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen

4. Joffrey Baratheon

George Martin described Joffrey as a tall, well-built young man with green eyes, long golden curls and full lips. Joffrey Baratheon has a bad temper, inheriting the worst features of his mother, father and grandfather. In the series the actor, Jack Gleeson does not have any curls, but he perfectly plays all the caprices of his character.

Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon

Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon

5. Theon Greyjoy

In the series of novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” Theon is introduced as a slim, dark-skinned, black-haired and handsome young man. He is arrogant, self-confident, but at the same time smart with deductive abilities. After the tortures from Ramsay Bolton, Theon Greyjoy lost weight and his hair turned white. He lacks a few fingers on his hands and feet, as well as teeth. On the show, this character is played by Alfie Allen. But even though Alfie successfully managed to portray a cheeky smile of his character, he still has all the fingers and teeth in place.

Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy

Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy

Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis

Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis

6. Daario Naharis

According to the book, Daario has a blue beard, which is braided in a shape of a trident. He also has blue eyes and his mustache is painted gold in the tone of his gold tooth. This slender man is dressed up in bright colors and carries a weapon with golden arms in a shape of a woman. In “Game of Thrones” series the character Daario Naharis is played by two different actors. During the third season, it was beardless long-haired blonde Ed Skrein followed by Michiel Huisman, a brunette with relatively short hair.

7. Sandor Clegane

In “Game of Thrones” series actor Rory McCann plays skilled warrior Sandor Clegane. According to book, Sandor is described as very tall and well-built man. The left side of his face is burned and terribly deformed, due to the fight with his brother in his childhood. Where once was the ear now is just a hole. The skin around his left eye is blackened, and the bone of the left cheek bends outward. The actor Rory McCann has the same height as his character, but the creator decided to depict Sendor’s injuries not as detailed. In addition, according to the novel Sandor has a burnt on the left side of his face, but directors got a little confused and made a scar on his right side.

Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane

Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane

Gwendoline Christie as Brienne Tarth

Gwendoline Christie as Brienne Tarth

8. Brienne Tarth

A warrior woman Brienne Tarth is not very well described by George Martin. According to the novel, she has rough features, freckles and crooked teeth. Brienne is a strong, tall woman with straw-colored hair. Her nose was broken in fights many times. But the general unattractiveness is slightly compensated by her big blue eyes. Gwendoline Christie, who plays Brienne in “Game of Thrones” series, is also unusually tall and has similar hairstyle. However, the actress still looks much more attractive than the book character.

9. Ramsay Bolton

According to the book, Ramsay Bolton is an ugly man with sloping shoulders, red pimply skin, a broad nose, a small mouth and long dark hair. He inherited his father’s eyes: small, pale and set close to each other. Iwan Rheon, who plays a bastard Lord Bolton, is certainly not that bad looking. And although his hair is relatively short, Iwan manages to convey the beastly nature of his character so well, that his looks almost don’t matter.

Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton

Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Bolton

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister

10. Jaime Lannister

Knight and beloved son of Lord Tywin Lannister, Jaime is described as a man with golden hair, green eyes and stunning charisma. He is a strong and has leadership qualities. At the time of his first appearance in the novel, Jaime is thirty-two years old. The actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister in “Game of Thrones” series, has all needed physical features as his character in the book. Nevertheless, according to the literary source, Jaime has shaved his head after Catelyn Stark released him from prison so that he would not be recognized on the way to the King's Landing.

5 novels, which prove that “A Song of Ice and Fire” is not the only great work of George Martin

George Raymond Richard Martin was born in 1948 in New Jersey, USA and nowadays considered as one of the most famous science fiction writers of the modern world. George Martin’s books are translated into more than 20 languages with a circulation of more than 8 million copies per year all around the world. But the real fame and popularity came to the author after the release of the series called “A Song of Ice and Fire”. The TV show “Game of Thrones”, which is based on the plot of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series is one of the most successful projects on the screen. All of the novels from “A Song of Ice and Fire” series have received various awards, while the author himself has been included in the list of the most influential people according to the Time magazine in 2011.

Despite the fact that the popularity of George Martin’s books increases every year, this legendary author has many more novels, which are no worse than the series of “A Song of Ice and Fire”. Therefore today we would like to remember some of the greatest works of this legendary writer.

George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin

1. Sandkings (1979)

The novelette “Sandkings” was published in 1979 and tells a story about Simon Kress - a wealthy collector of dangerous and exotic animals, who didn’t hesitate to organize battles between them for the sake of fun. Unfortunately, most of the animals die and Simon decides to find new ones to add to his collection. One day the collector comes across a store called Wo & Shade, where one of the owners offers Simon small insect-like creatures called sandkings. They live in colonies in a sandy terrarium, build castles and fight battles with one another. At first, Simon doesn’t find anything special about new creatures, but with time sandkings start to grow and evolve rapidly.

George Martin says that the plot of the “Sandkings” was inspired by his fellow student, who had a piranha tank. In general, this creepy, but exciting story is a must-read for the fans of “early” George Martin.

Sandkings

Sandkings

“Tuf Voyaging”

“Tuf Voyaging”

2. Tuf Voyaging (1986)

“Tuf Voyaging” is a collection of seven short related stories about a space-trader and later an eco-engineer Tuf, which was published in 1986. The plot of each of the stories (except for the prolog) tells a story about the Tuf’s adventures on various planets, where he fights environmental disasters with his knowledge in ecological engineering.

“Tuf Voyaging” is written in a science fiction genre. This novel is about the role of personality in history. George Martin has thought out and described the main character in the slightest details. Tuf uses an opportunity to change the future of many planets with the help of genetic engineering. But despite all of the interplanetary wars, the main character always remains calm. He also loves cats, whose names symbolize the vices of humanity, which have destroyed peace in the universe.

This fix-up novel was written by George Martin, whom most readers don't know. This is a great science fiction work with a drop of humor and a unique point of view on life from a cat-lover.

3. Wild Cards (1987 – present)

“Wild Cards” is a series of science fiction stories, written by a number of authors and edited by George Martin himself. This is a classic example of a mosaic novel in literature.

Similarly with “A Song of Ice and Fire” in “Wilds Cards” George Martin puts the emphasis on a fictional universe, rather than on the characters or the plot. And no matter how alive the characters may appear, the history of the universe unfolds independently and has no beginning and end, which does not fit any laws of composition.

The plot of the novel “Wild Cards” seems complex and simple at the same time. The Earth becomes a place, where one of the opposing parties, which dominates the galaxy, is testing a new gene virus. At the same time, the representatives from the other party are unsuccessfully trying to prevent the experiment, which consequences are unpredictable. As a result, planetary catastrophe breaks out on the Earth.

A large part of the population dies while remaining ones become either Aces (people with superhuman abilities) or Jokers (physically mutated super humans). An irreconcilable war between Aces and Jokers is the main theme of the mosaic novel “Wild Cards”.

One of the stories from “Wild Cards” series

One of the stories from “Wild Cards” series

“Hunter’s Run”

“Hunter’s Run”

4. Hunter's Run (2007)

“Hunter’s Run” is a science fiction novel, which has an interesting story behind it. In 1976 writer Gardner Dozois had an original idea for this novel, but he stumbled halfway the writing process. Gardner decided to seek help from his friend George Martin, who has already been an authoritative writer at that time. Martin expanded the story, made it a full novel and handed it back to Gardner. But for many years both authors have forgotten about the text. And only when a young talented writer Daniel Abraham finished the story, the novel was published in 2007.

Events of the plot take place on the colony planet of São Paulo, which has become a home to hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the main character named Ramon Espejo. Ramon is a murderer with no moral principles. Trying to avoid punishment for committed crime, he leaves the inhabited territory to search minerals. During his journey, Espejo accidentally discovers another intelligent alien race, which has been hiding for hundreds of years. They capture Ramon and want to use him to find another human, who has discovered this secret nation, but managed to escape. This moment starts the main events of the plot. The novel “Hunter’s Run” colorfully describes the customs of an alien nation, as well as the confrontation between the wild nature and human greed.

5. Fevre Dream (1982)

This vampire novel written by George Martin was first published in 1982 and still remains in print to this day. In 1983 the novel “Fevre Dream” was nominated for World Fantasy Award.

The main character of the plot is a highly skilled steamboat captain Abner Marsh. Abner receives a business proposal by a certain Joshua York, who offers Marsh to buy a half of his company and invest in the construction of a new modern steamer called “Fevre Dream”. In exchange, Marsh has to provide seats on the steamer to Joshua’s mysterious friends with no questions asked. Captain Abner Marsh agrees, but cannot put up with the secret for a long time, since York’s friends are way too strange: they only appear at night and have perfect sight in the darkness. Later, Abner Marsh discovers that “Fevre Dream” became an arena for a battle between two powerful vampire leaders: Joshua York, who wants to find peace in the world of people and Damon Julian, who only sees people as a source for the more developed race.

“Fevre Dream”

“Fevre Dream”

15 fun facts about “Game of Thrones” you might have not known

American fantasy TV show “Game of Thrones” is based on the plot of the George R.R. Martin’s book series “A Song of Ice and Fire”. The show got a serious support from fans and became popular literally from the first episode. Realistic decorations and well-chosen cast depict the story loved by both critics and ordinary viewers. Events take place in a fictional world, which resembles Europe in the Middle Ages. “Game of Thrones” has several storylines, which develop simultaneously and are related to each other. Viewers become witnesses of the struggle between two families for the power and meet the Night's Watch, who guard their kingdom against a supernatural threat from the outside. The show fans follow the adventures of a princess, who seeks the support of barbarian tribes in order to return to the homeland and take her place on the throne. And the most amazing thing is that all of these story lines and the actions of the characters are so non-standard, that it is hard to predict what is coming next. In addition, high-quality computer graphics and a good musical accompaniment bring even more excitement to this epic TV show.

Despite the fact that each new episode of “Game of Thrones” raises a heated discussion among the viewers, there are several facts that even the most devoted fans might not know. We’ve collected 15 fun facts, which may make your viewing experience even more interesting.

“Game of Thrones” logo

“Game of Thrones” logo

1. Instant success

George Martin wrote the first book of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series back in 1996. The Americans liked it so much, that the film producers offered the author to buy the screen rights in after just two months. Each new book has made George Martin even more famous, but the peak of his popularity came in 2001.

2. “Game of Thrones” cast didn't read the book

Most actors, who play in “Game of Thrones” TV series, did not read the original books of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. They actually do it on purpose, because they don’t want to know what is going to happen to their characters in the future. The actors believe that if they know the full story, it will affect their acting.

3. Joseph Mawle’s acting

Joseph Mawle, the actor who plays Benjen Stark, suffers from dyslexia (a disability to learn to read and write). At the same time, he is also partially deaf. Therefore in order to memorize the lines of his character, Joseph had to read lips.

4. Maisie Williams and her film debut

Arya Stark is the first character for the actress Maisie Williams on the screen. The girl took this job very responsibly. According to the book, Arya is left-handed, while Maisie is right-handed. But in order to be closer to her character, Maisie decided to fence with Syrio Forel using her left hand without any requirements from a director. By the way, Maisie Williams's mother forbade the girl from reading the original books, since she thought that it is too early for her daughter to read it.

Maisie Williams

Maisie Williams

5. New language

American linguist David Peterson created the Dothraki language specifically for “Game of Thrones” series. Dothraki language is based on Turkish, Russian and Estonian, and has more than 3000 words. In the original version of Dothraki, there were more words with the meaning “to kill”, rather than with the meaning “to love” and there were no words “thank you” at all.

6. Gummy heart

The pregnant Daenerys, played by Emilia Clarke, was supposed to eat a giant horse heart in front of Khal Drogo. Although the scene looked unpleasant, the heart prop was actually made of 1.5 kg of chewing marmalade infused with sugary syrup, which imitated blood. According to the actress, the gummy-bear like heart, in fact, tasted awful.

7. Vegetarian meat

The actor Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, is a vegetarian in real life. The directors of “Game of Thrones” series had to make sure that Peter did not eat a real meat while filming.

8. Famous ancestors

There are a lot of famous actors in “Game of Thrones” series, but there are also those, whose relatives are well known all over the world. For example, Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) is a brother of a singer Lily Allen. Harry Lloyd (Viserys III Targaryen) is a great-great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens. And Una Chaplin, who played the wife of the King Robb Stark, is actually a great-granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin.

Alfie Allen

Alfie Allen

9. Kings die every season

At least one King dies in every season of “Game of Thrones” series. King Robert I Baratheon dies in the 1st season, Renly Baratheon dies in the 2nd season, Robb Stark dies in the 3rd season, Joffrey Baratheon dies in the 4th season, Stannis Baratheon and Mance Rayder die in the 5th season, Balon Greyjoy and Tommen Baratheon die in the 6th season. There is a critically small amount of Kings left.

King Robert I Baratheon

King Robert I Baratheon

10. Show creators already know the ending

The creator of “A Song of Ice and Fire” George Martin has already told show producers about the plots of his unfinished books and the supposed ending of the series. George Martin is already 68 years old and he fears that something might happen to him before he will have a chance to finish all seven novels.

11. Castle on a parking lot

The house of Illyrio Mopatis was shot at the summer palace of the Maltese president. In fact, the parking lot location was decorated beyond recognition and became a Winterfell Castle court.

12. Actors salary increase

The actors, who signed the contracts for the seventh season, got a raise in their salaries, which is the first time since 2011. Now Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau receive half a million dollars per episode, instead of $ 300 000. Interesting, that the contract does not guarantee that the character will not be killed in the first episode. Although if he does, the actor still receives a salary.

13. There are at least 146 people named Khaleesi

In 2012 146 newborns in America were named “Khaleesi” in honor of one of the characters of “Game of Thrones” - Daenerys Targaryen. However according to the plot “Khaleesi” is not a name, but a title. At the same time in 2012 “Arya” has also made to the list of the most popular names in the US.

14. Perfect role for Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage was the only candidate to play the role of Tyrion Lannister. The actor was immediately approved by the show producers and even George Martin himself. In return Peter has recommended his old friend Lena Headey, who now plays Cersei Lannister.

Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage

15. A different Earth

In one of the interviews George Martin said that the events of the novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” take place on planet Earth, it is just not “our” Earth. The writer didn’t want his books to be considered sci-fi and decided not to use the term “other dimension”.

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